Vol.4 Ch.61 – Strategy Meeting II
Chapter 61: Strategy Meeting II
“So let me get this straight,” Ophelia said. “You specifically asked to come along with us and now you want to split up? To split us up?”
Elaine's team had gathered to discuss the situation, keeping away from the civilians so as not to worry them. And they weren't happy about the plan.
“Yeah,” Cassie said. “If that Necromancer is as dangerous as you told us, you're going to need every bit of help. Elaine, what about you? Are you okay with this?”
Elaine bit her lip. She wasn't, really. Not only did the idea of splitting up not appeal to her but she was still hoping to talk things out with Abigail, if not right now then at least along the way. And that wouldn't be happening with her joining the angels. “I don't like it,” she finally admitted. “But concentrating all of us in one place sounds stupid when we could be covering so much more ground.” She took a deep breath, about to suggest Evelyn use her Akashic Knowledge to scan the hospital, to tell them what they were about to face there, when there was a crackle of static coming in from Alexis.
**
“This is Sergeant Wright speaking,” Marcus said. “Bigsby, do you copy?”
“Yes,” Alexis said. “What's wrong?”
“Something is happening at the library. Clouds gathered, way too fast to be natural, and there's some kind of antenna on the roof. We think it started glowing but it hurts to look at so I can't be sure.”
Alexis relayed the information and in response the angels froze. Kaja went pale but even Omega, who was already pale as a ghost, stayed very still.
“This is bad,” Kaja said.
“What does it mean?” Elaine asked.
“The Necromancer is about to perform some kind of ritual,” Kaja said. “I can't say for sure unless I know what exactly was in those deliveries the hospital was sending him but best case scenario it's a summoning ritual.”
“Best case?” Ophelia asked. “If summoning Outsiders is the best case, what's the worst?”
“You don't want to kn—“ Kaja began but Ophelia cut her off.
“Don't give me that. Yes, I do want to know.”
“Reality overlay,” Omega rumbled.
“Transplanting a slice of Outside into Creation,” Kaja translated. “The consequences would be catastrophic.”
“How catastrophic?” Elaine asked.
“A stain upon reality, where such pesky things as the laws of physics no longer properly apply. Such stains grow if left unchecked.”
“Great,” Ophelia said. “So we have to hope he's just summoning more Outsiders.”
“Or,” Cassie said, “plan B, we head out there and stop the ritual.”
“Sounds more and more like we should all head over there,” Ophelia said.
Elaine took another breath, then said: “Evie, use your Akashic Knowledge on the hospital, see what you can dig up.”
“What do you want to know?” Evelyn asked, her gaze growing distant the way it always did when she used the ability.
“What awaits us there,” Elaine said. “What do their forces look like? Can we take them on after we split up?”
“Cyborgs,” Evelyn muttered, scrolling a virtual mouse wheel to read a lengthy article. “A few flesh monsters... Some tamed Outsiders, metallic constructs that... count as flesh monsters... and... huh... What kind of name is that?”
“What name?” Esther asked.
“Aquarius,” Evelyn said.
Esther rushed over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Aquarius? Are you certain?”
Evelyn made a few AR gestures, clearly attempting to share her display, before aborting the motion. “Right, you don't have a CARD,” she muttered, then said: “Yes, definitely. Aquarius. Let me check who that... oh. Oh.”
“It's him, isn't it?” Esther ground out.
“Aquarius, the Eleventh Zodiac Knight,” Evelyn confirmed.
Esther took a deep breath. “I agree with the angels,” she said. “We do need to split up. The ritual needs to be stopped and I cannot afford to let a Zodiac Knight escape.”
“You said they were the elite soldiers of this Prince Dexter, right?” Elaine asked.
“Oui. Not only did the Zodiac Knights help with bringing about the Invasion, they are also the only ones who know anything of value about Dexter.”
“And would they be willing to rat out their boss?” Elaine asked.
Esther hesitated for a very long time before admitting: “Not with your methods.”
Elaine winced, then looked like she was bracing for something. Finally she said: “We'll beat him together. After that... Do what you have to.”
Esther gave her a deep nod of gratitude.
**
They did not depart immediately. Not only did the mages in the resistance need to get combat ready, they also waited until Prudence showed up in her Gospel to take the first batch of civilians away. She had apparently decided to bring everyone to Base 15 first and only then fly them over to the refugee camps. That way she'd be done much quicker, exposing the bunker to less unnecessary risk.
Once Prudence had showed up Elaine and her team, the two angels and the resistance mages made their way outside to greet her, then split off.
“Alright,” Elaine said, “listen up. We have two goals. One, keep the Necromancer at the Silverman Library from finishing whatever ritual he has cooked up and take him down. Two, storm the children's hospital, save every civilian in there and kill every cyborg, every Outsider and whatever other hostiles are there, but especially the Zodiac Knight. For this we'll split up. Alexis, Ophelia, Cassie and Abigail will go with Kaja and Omega. They'll take the angels' Gospel. Evelyn, Mariana, Aurora, Julia, Vitali, James and Sylvia will accompany Esther and me to the hospital.”
The other resistance mages had declined to join them. Marco would be sending a couple drones with them but he had already told them he wouldn't make any promises of them working near either location and Bram was going to be looking for the two mages who had gone out scavenging but hadn't returned yet, Richard and Valerie, before returning to the safe house to protect it until the evacuation was over.
“Everybody know what to do?” Elaine asked.
“Yes,” Alexis said.
“Of course,” Ophelia said.
“Let's do it,” Evelyn said.
“Yeah, let's,” Cassie said.
“Yes,” Alexis said.
“Yeah...” Mare said and Aurora just nodded.
“Good luck, everyone,” Abigail said.
Finally Kaja took a deep breath, then waved her hand through a wide arc, golden sparkles raining down on everybody. “I shall bless you all for the duration of this mission.” She waited for the glow to sink into everyone's skin before adding: “May your days be many, and your woes few.”
“Good hunting,” Esther told her and Kaja nodded in gratitude.
**
I hope they'll be alright, Abigail thought as she, once again, sat down in the pilot's seat of a Gospel. “Would it bother anyone if I sang a little during the ride?”
“Please go ahead,” Alexis said gently.
And Abigail began to sing. She didn't even intend to make the song magical, it was just to calm her nerves. But the moment she started to sing she saw the little popup notifications of buffs being applied in her AR screens. So, apparently this whole Lacrima thing hadn't just made her magic stronger.
**
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sylvia asked Julia.
“I am,” Julia whispered. “I need to see this through.”
Julia knew that Sylvia meant best but she still hated how the woman coddled her. She wasn't broken, damn it. Okay, fine, maybe she was. Maybe having her voice reduced to a whisper and shaking with fear at the sight of a Pomeranian did mean that she was broken but she wasn't useless. And she had to help free those poor people. If she could save even a single person it would be enough. Intellectually she knew she'd saved many people already but this was different. Saving them from the depths of that horrid building and destroying the ones responsible would be the final proof that what she'd done the last six months hadn't been without meaning.
And, if she was completely honest with herself, she wanted Esther to be proud of her.