The roller chain spun in a frenzy, past the streets to main roads, to across homes and shopping districts—a beeline to the Ordinate.
However, it was hard to simply cycle past all the carnage around them—the snow began to blanket, the wind against her sweat only made her colder.
Every passing glance was met by a shadow, a ruby red, a bystander running away, some screaming. 'I can't stop. I can kill two or three, but I won't have a sword after that.'
"Crash! Pfff…" Both their eyes surveyed the roof that slid down, some creature atop it they could not register. 'Dammit, I can't save everyone.
The best chance is to get to Kor and get the others… I hope to hell they're all safe… We need to get to Jack too. I have to save my magic when it's important…'
The Sun lost and the snow dancing, every street looked like the other. Her eyes kept on the road, knowing at least the direction and hoped to see a tower that loomed.
'This isn't important… not yet… I can't fight an army of velatos. If they sent a spirit-assassin after me… There's no telling who I'll need to fight-'
"Jotou! Look!"
As if the fast moving things around her were not enough, Jotou peered up through her bangs; the tyres screeched to a halt. "Asobi! Blind it!"
"Be gone!" she threw her wand out from behind the blonde, blinding the rooster? Turkey? Whatever it was, it did not follow as Jotou took a turn and rushed down another street before turning back through an alley.
"We must be getting close; can't stop," her breaths panted, "If I stop I'm gonna lose my adrenaline," her mouth went dry.
"GO JOTOU! GO!!!" her wand sparkled words of encouragement.
"Uhhf," too exasperated to reply, she kept pedalling, "I wish I had music or something, hell… At least you don't weigh much," she stood on the bike in an attempt to pedal faster.
"Yay! I'm as light as a feather!"
"HEY!" Jotou weighed down the right side whilst Asobi leaned to the left on the bicycle while cheering. "Stay centred!" Jotou snapped back.
"What's that?"
Jotou looked to where Asobi peered. A velatos falling down by… a gunshot…? "What in the world- Wait, is that?"
The black powder freshly fired, the way it crumbled and died was all too familiar at this point… And the man holding it—in steel armour and helmet off, short green hair. "Wellers…" her gaze seethed.
"The commissioner all of you mention?"
"Yeah." 'Can't stop, I'll get to the Ordinate first.' She went past several velatos, 'dying' in similar fashion by Krialin with swords, crossbows and the like.
'They're, killing them? They're in on it though… They're covering it up! This is their play, make the people trust the Krialin and save the day… They're trying to pin it on the Regimes and get away with it.'
"Jotou!" she beamed.
"What?"
"Look!" Asobi pointed past the blonde's eyes.
"Is that…" she cycled out the alley, "…the Ordinate?"
"It's all blue and glowy!" Till the spire of the tower that loomed over the district, blue blocks and slabs encompassed its exterior, blowing away the snow.
"Someone put up an entire wall…? Kor," one foot she put down. Not allowing herself to rest, she was back at it, towards the beacon of wind.
_
A halo of clouds pushed away, the Maleficos Ordinate glistened—where the snow did not fall. She weaved and dodged across the streets, shadows around every corner.
The base of the blue wind-wall was within sight as she pedalled faster—one final push of her huffing breath. Only then was she forced to come to a halt.
"Ngi!" Asobi grabbed onto Jotou as she held the brakes, tyres scuffing against the ground.
Somethings surrounded them, appearing and leaping atop the roofs… Yellow glows piercing through freckles of white—brownish-black fabric and weapons in their hands, from daggers to crossbows aimed at the ready.
Her vision was smoked by her own breathing; she stared around the dozens upon dozens. Asobi lifted up her face from the blonde's ponytail, "Uh… maybe they're friends?"
The blue winds swirled the snow away, the thunderstorm howled around—heartbeats rang in her ears, accompanied by the panting. Cold sweat above her lip; she got off the bicycle.
Silence… Silence among the howls. Asobi stood next to her, wand in both hands whilst she glanced all around. The bicycle puffed into the snow, clanking onto the street.
"I doubt that…" she rested a hand on the blue hilt. 'Hell…'
One of the figures shifted and leapt forward, barely shifting the snow upon landing—he approached. "Asobi, when I say so, blind him." 'I've fought one… How many of them can I take?'
"Gotcha!"
"What do you want?" Jotou spoke. The figure halted, no runes or papers appeared to be around his belt. No such papers seemed to be on any of the closer ones either. 'They must be normal assassins… I hope.'
The figure held a note up, waving it before stepping forward again—slowly and both hands in the air. "Jotou…?" Asobi glanced to the side.
"It's fine," Jotou whispered and walked closer to the figure while holding up her left arm in front of Asobi. Her other hand reached with a glare as the figure gently placed the note in her hand.
She pulled it away and opened it up. The figure bowed, "Thank you for sparing my life, vas," he moved back, leapt up the alley walls and got back onto the roof.
Jotou brought the note over, beginning to shiver, "Dear Thundering Blade. We have strict orders to capture you by any means necessary; our orders specifically instruct not to kill you.
However, for the allies by your side, we give no guarantee. So please, if you care for their lives, step forward and surrender. Come with us willingly and your allies will be spared."
Asobi immediately hid behind Jotou. She heard whispers going throughout their ranks, the word 'vas' over and over… 'What does that even mean?
Whatever, I'm not negotiating. You send me a threat? It seems like you're the ones who're scared. I come with you willingly and you don't kill my friends? Yeah, sounds like a great deal, dumbasses.'
"Asobi, on the count of three, put an illusion of us where we're standing, make us invisible and we go towards the wall…" How would they get in was another issue as a whole…
"Fwish!" Jotou jolted back with Asobi behind as an arrow struck into the snow right beside their feet. Jotou looked up… A warning shot.
Eyes narrowing, two or three arcs of electricity went over her hair… 'Fine. Have it your way then.' Jotou held up the note in the air and sparked up her hands as she tore up the note; before elegantly putting up two middle fingers for them.
"Is that a different sign for peace?"
The figures atop arose, Jotou grabbed the hilt of her blade as crossbows trained on her. "Nope. Care to make a light show?"
The elf inhaled in a gasp as she skipped forward and threw her wand out. Sparkles in her eyes, "Hello! Hello bad guys! Be prepared to feast your eyes!"
They ran down and aimed their crossbows towards Asobi. "Fwish!" They fired into and past her to the street below.
"Tsk! Tsk! To interrupt my spectacular of pretty arts! Let the lights shine into the darkness of your hearts!" her voice echoed from behind them, through the alleys and from where her illusion stood.
Jotou unsheathed her sword, as an array of rainbow lights adorned the white snow, spinning around from colour to colour like a disco ball.
"Zap!" "Clang!" Jotou's blade met with a dagger and she electrocuted her opponent. Her leg swept below, knocking her hilt onto another head, "Zap!"
The snow marked the swirling of her feet, darting her eyes round and round. "Ting!" Her right sleeve glowed in enchantment as an arrow made contact, deflecting it. "Scratch!" The dagger against her back was met with the same fate.
She spun, slicing up the assassin's shoulder and knocking- He leapt, spinning into a kick to her head- Her free hand caught the end of his heel, "Zap!" she threw him aside as he flipped back up, the rubber on his shoe failing to conduct.
"Keh!" she was knocked down to one knee from behind, but she spun using her other leg, slicing across the assassin's chest in one swift movement while getting up.
"Shing!" An arrow went past her widened eye, scraping against her right cheek. 'Too close!' Blood seeped down as they began crowding and corralling her.
Right! Up! Spin! Kick! On the swivel she was, pivoting her sword and deflecting, "Guh!" almost every blow. Another kick to her shin, another to her calf.
She knelt, getting back up with a strike! Cutting one of their hands off as she heard a scream. Her leg flew back, kicking one backwards, but it was too little for how many that surrounded her.
Having only fought one at a time, her breaths quickened, "Blinding Light!" and that was not even half of them. Asobi kept most of them blinded, hands clawing at their mask-protected eyes.
"Jotou!" she yelled from near the wall.
The blonde's hair shined every colour of the lights above as- "Puh!" she took a blow to the face. Someone else grabbed her hair from behind and threw her to the floor, "GAH!" concussing the back of her head.
She growled and gritted her teeth, kicking her leg forward with a spark. She pushed the back of her shoulders to get back up, only for a foot to stamp on her chest.
Another stepped down onto her left arm. She threw her blade up lightly and pivoted it to stab into the leg on her and pull it back out. The leg flinched away and the assassin groaned in agony, as her sword kept swinging till it hit the foot stomping on her arm and made it recoil with a stab.
She rolled in that direction, "Zap!" she grabbed anyone she could, sending a shiver up their leg as she got up. The lightning sizzled brighter, sparks fizzled off from her target, making the other assassins step away.
Jotou stood, slicing her blade around, blood coagulated and fried on the sword. Targets, targets, everyone was just a post to slice down.
"HYA!" blood against her skin and hair, she screamed as she swung, spinning and spinning, more blood splattering across the powder white under the rainbow lights.
The bruises did not aid her sight, pain stung against her chest; what was she slicing through? A leg, an arm—not yet a neck, but that was not too far off was it now!?
"You idiots! You've just made it so I never miss!" she could not even stand up straight, but her blade gleamed, brighter and brighter, "Thundering-"
Winds picked up around her, a cage, like a wall. "FWOOSH!!!" The snow picked up, blown upwards by the bluish winds. The assassins were thrown back against the alley walls and flew like paper dolls onto the roofs and streets.
Grunting her breaths, she looked up; Kor stood next to Asobi with his hand out, "Jotou! Get inside!" Not needing another command, she ran with what strength she had left into the hole in the barrier.
Asobi ran after. Kor backed into the barrier and closed up the gap as the assassins lied around outside. Jotou fell against the inside of the wall and slumped down.