Alliance

Void everywhere. I’m not sure whether to activate it or to just attack without the help of my Gear.

Margaux Princeton glanced around her with a slight frown lighting her features, her fingers lingering over the orange gem on her chest. She hadn’t used the Gear when it came to her previous opponents, but in this case, she was wondering if now was the right time to activate it and attack in her N-State.

Part of her argued that without going into N-State, she would be able to defeat the Void.

Somehow.

But the other half snorted and told her that she’d die if she didn’t activate it.

So Margaux decided to take the word of her first half and immediately dodged the attack of the first Void, glancing up at the tree branch and seeing it combust into flames. A curse left her lips and she grabbed the two swords from the holder on her waist, using it to block the sudden wave of black that the second Void expelled. Twisting her swords, she reflected the wave back to the Void, stunning it for a few seconds.

Twirling the weapons repeatedly, Margaux started chanting. 

And the swords glowed a bright orange, she charging forward and performing an array of attacks on the Void around her. Just as she was about to finish off two, she didn’t realize the appearance of a third that sneaked up behind her.

Just as her eyes caught sight, a green arrow zoomed past and struck the Void in the chest, knocking it to the ground. The smell of burning reached her nostrils and she scrunched up her nose, using her swords to defend herself from the newcomer.

Margaux looked at the spot where the arrow came from.

A tree up high.

The leaves moved slightly and rustled, and a person came out, wielding a bow and arrow.

She looked at Margaux, her weapons, and found the arrow deep into the Void’s chest.

The woman jumped down and landed neatly on the ground, walking with a calm air and approaching the dead Void, ripping the arrow from its still chest.

Margaux couldn’t help but flinch.

The newcomer put the arrow back into her quiver, looked at the other two defeated Void, and then at Margaux. She had her bow down, which gave the other slight hope.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t relax just yet.” She nodded at the opposite direction, “There are others nearby and they’re having a bloodbath.”

A Dance of Lightning and Ice

Black hair that reached her thighs swished as she walked across the barren land. The lady wasn’t quite sure where the others were – it was either they were killed in the battles, or were endlessly aiming around, just like what she was doing at the present moment. Shiny white boots gleamed as she walked, reflecting the sunlight that shone right at her. The silence was deafening, and it was enough to rouse paranoia in her. The lack of people made her wary.

“My, my. Well, if it isn’t little miss Ignis?”

Jade Ignis, at the sound of the voice, now wanted the silence back.

Damn it.

Lazy green eyes glanced at the newcomer across her.

“Bianca Frigus.”

The blonde cocked the pistol towards her, yawning. The color of the weapon shone an icy blue.

“You should be an easy one to deal with,” she sneered. “Got rid of the others easily. Now it’s your turn.”

Jade cocked a brow, looking into the barrel of the pistol.

“I wonder how you dealt with Vermiculus. Or Goldenrod.”

“They don’t have Gear.”

“And you do?”

“Aphrodite.”

She recognized the name.

AphroMachina.

Otherwise known as V-Machina.

“And when I exterminate you...” she put a finger on the trigger, “…I’ll have your Gear.” Bianca smiled sweetly, “Hasta la vista, Ignis.”

She pulled the trigger.

Immediately, Jade leaped back, the bullet hitting the tree right behind. She quickly glanced up, expecting to see an irritated expression on Bianca’s face.

But it was one of excitement.

Ice immediately shot out, winding itself around Jade’s torso. The woman struggled, glaring up at Bianca, who came closer with a spear made out of ice materializing in her hands. She carefully used it to lift Jade’s chin, sending her a false pitying expression.

“This was the same trick I used on the others,” she sighed dramatically. “That wasn’t a fun fight, wasn’t it?” Jade stayed silent. “Quiet now, hmm? No matter. I’ll give you an easy way out and then rip the Gear away from you. Fair and square.”

She dragged the spear down, down her chin and trailing it down her neck.

And it reached contact with the ice that bound her.

“Percutiat!”

Bianca screeched as the lightning transmitted from the ice around Jade’s torso, to the spear, to her fingers. The blonde stumbled back and Jade kicked upwards at the ice, cracking it and finally breaking it down. She grabbed for the spear and ran towards Bianca, who fumbled for the button which would activate her Gear.

No such luck.

Jade’s fist connected with Bianca’s cheek before the latter could even summon her V-Machina. Twirling the spear, her eyes locked with Bianca’s blue ones, and she pinpointed the exact location…

…in a matter of seconds, she was pinned down, blood oozing out of her shoulder as the object was driven in. The blonde screeched in pain, writhing around on the ground, and Jade could only watch blankly.

“Murderer!” she hissed. “You sadistic, horrible, war-freak!”

“You said you wanted to experience my Gear, didn’t you?”

“I wanted to take your Gear-”

And the spear was driven in even more.

“HeraGear, sorbeo.”

Lavender light flowed into the vial, and Jade watched as Bianca’s struggling decreased.

“N-No, y-you can’t t-take it…”

Jade pocketed the glass vial and turned away.

“It wasn’t even yours to begin with.”

And she left, leaving a defeated competitor on the ground, slowly bleeding away.