[hider=Episode 0: Black Swordswoman] All she heard was her own breath. All she saw was pitch blackness. All she tasted was stale air. All she smelled was a hint of the sweat off her brow. And all she felt was the cold steel at her back. She was far from dull in any one of these areas— by contrast, it was only through methods beyond the ken of normal man that she had begun to force definition through the filters placed upon her by this situation. An expert at manipulating aura and using it to bolster her own capabilities, she was being hailed as a once-in-a-generation product of her home. By pushing her aura through her nerves she could stretch her senses to the absolute limit and perceive things more clearly. This had results of mixed importance: The faint ozone of ambient, latent electricity hiding within dust wafted through the air and into her nose. She, if she strained her bluesteel eyes and pale skin, could see and feel control surfaces clearly enough to place her overall position within the box— and it really was just a steel box that she’d been enough of a dummy to lock herself into. Upon her skin, the thin new-age membrane hugged her athletic and late-blooming figure tightly enough that she had some certain misgivings about it, but she had to admit that it was rather… ignorable for something vacuum-sealed. Whether or not that made it worse in her mind was, unfortunately, a point she could only hope to have long and heated arguments about later. Such things were fine in an Anno work, but this was her actual self, here! Though maybe if a certain officer of the law could see it… No, that’s not right! She didn’t want that dummy to know about this, not at all! It wasn’t like it was even a consideration in the first place, it was above his hot police boy paygrade! She fought to push the red out of her ears before focusing on what they were supposed to do— and in doing so, she heard the faintest hint of a voice saying something about starting up. That meant that incoming would be a— BANG BANG. A signal that it was time to begin operation. She was told that this plugsuit served more of a purpose than to just titillate otaku with a visual reference and most guys everywhere with curvaceousness. Now it was time she put the theory to the test. She pushed her aura well, the one that had been bolstering her abilities and formed a natural barrier ‘round her person, into and through the conductive fabric— And a world’s worth of information slammed into her every sense. Sight, shapes, sharpness, clarity, color, detail, all fed through her eyes in a honeycomb that surrounded her. The fresh air, tinged with a suggestion of salt, breezed against her as more impressions, suggestions than actually buffeting her physical skin, tongue, and nose. A definite weight to her frame, hand-in-hand with her own but not conjoined. As though there was something heavy that was occupying the shadow she cast, following her movements but not quite her, the individual. But most easy to process was, of course, hearing. Beyond the light hum of the charged wrath of nature that powered this beast she drove— <> <> <> <> <> “Uh,” she responded to the clear and agreeable voice that played through the main on-board speakers the loudest, still adjusting from the sudden bombardment of knowledge that the ambients had given her. “Yeah. I hear everything. You guys got me?” <> “You mean Kaiju, Captain Matsumoto.” She heard her more-or-less-AWACS tsk, and she knew that the older man’s tanned brows furrowed under his aviators for a moment when she grinned impishly for the video feed. To his credit, he didn’t let it show in his voice. <> Now it was her turn to voice displeasure. “For once, your skunkworks guys had good naming sense. I felt like I was dead in here before we got going.” <> There wasn’t any humor in those words, despite their easy inflection. She may have been a bit goofy for somebody with her ability and training, at times even a “dummy” according to her friends, but Holly Schwarz knew the unsaid message in the man’s words: No more time for idle words. Cut the chatter. “It certainly can’t hurt. Study before the night of the test to reconfirm the week you did beforehand, right?” [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rl2gWsOeDM]<>[/url] As the captain made one last bone-dry remark, the young almost-Huntress watched her vision fill with the heads-up-display. Within that, a white point appeared and a screen of dark blue appeared in the upper left quadrant of her field of view, showing a map of the northern peninsula that Shiroyama bordered, and a chart attached to a point along the coast. <> The graph was magnified, and Holly could pick it up as well. A distinct peak and valley, repeated in perfect intervals as the view scrolled across the day’s data. Too perfect to be happenstance by miles. <> “Under Hachiji Reef.” she said with a nod, treated to a rather pretty image of the marine “structure” for her efforts. <> “It couldn’t have been a riptide.” <> “Desert reef.” she answered, flexing her hand and feeling the giant mass of steel mimic the motion. Aura patterning was insane, essentially turning her into the brain within the brain of the machine. They really were going to turn something like this against Vale in the War? <> “Something big and nasty is on the way.” she finished, tone grim. She did remember that day— even Slate had found it in him to put his training to actual use instead of just swindling kids out of jawbreaker money. “I can make a killing when there are this many to tear through, Holly.” he had said in that same put-upon tone he used to complain about Tanner Oshino’s ridiculous Hawaiian shirts, like he was offended he was having to experience her honest surprise. “Why wouldn’t I be out here, doing my part for the sake of my team leader’s community?” <> “Does he have the power to do that?” Holly asked, incredulous enough to whip her head around towards the control tower and barrel right over the captains diplomatic insensitivity before it could coalesce. “Isn’t that overstepping bounds?” <<...Well, looks like you can move this thing like a natural. Good sign. And, to answer your question…>> A helpful image of the bearded man, mouth set in a stern line and orange shades illuminated by bright white light, appeared on her screen. <> The young woman grimaced in spite of having stared down the stuff of nightmares and laughed in their faces. “I guess not… Not if our home’s at stake.” To her shock, the “image” then steepled his gloved hands in front of him, obscuring his mouth. <> “Y-You’re here, sir?!” <> His brow tightened, and the video feed winked out with one final message. <> A pregnant pause, before Matsumoto took charge of the comms once again. “There we have it…” <> Next to pop up was a detailed model of her chariot, and she got one final chance to study it in-depth. It was absolutely a mecha— a towering giant of steel and aluminum in the shape and body plan of a heavy armored, heavily armed man. While more gracile in build than many would assume a robot of its some 60 meters would be, there was a definite… Hm. A definite sense of “ah, this is a prototype” about it. Perhaps it lay in the boxier, more jagged armor plating where she could easily see a more streamlined profile in the prospective future, perhaps in the unornamented helmet plating upon the head, or maybe even the dull, uninspired military grey coat of paint. Perhaps the name at the top right, a simple and blocky “X-01”. But, fortunately, aesthetics weren’t what saved the world. Several eye points were highlighted in red, starting at the head and working their way down. <> Moving down past the shoulders(! No progressive knife!), the captain continued by dragging and dropping a very large bullpup rifle into the hands of the X-01, with the label of “Type 53” appearing. <> “And if it gets screwed up?” she asked, eternally wary of the nightmarish “jammed gun” scenario. In response, the focus shifted upwards, to the X-01’s forearm. <> “I dunno, I like to think I’m pretty good at swordplay. I could get it done quick.” she chided, before a red triangle appeared on her HUD’s radar display. The Beast From Below, creeping inexorably closer, closer, closer to humanity. To Shiroyama. To home. … “So that’s it, then.” she spoke simply, with little inflection beyond acceptance. <> Captain Matsumoto solemnly agreed. A silence hung in the air… And then the sirens began. “Well, let’s make it snappy.” <> The generators that had been feeding constant electricity to the mechanical knight released in concert, freeing Holly of her last restraints. Weight, balance, horsepower, locomotion— through the Aura patterning and feedback system she could feel them all. Account for them all. Adjust for them all. Own them all. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUrJepxxxo4]“Unit X-01, launch!”[/url] The goliath, upon whose shoulders carried mankind’s hope for salvation, burst forward into a sprint, snatching the massive Type 53 DMR off the flatbed truck that was to transport it to her in a smooth motion that was almost humanoid. She was moving well, very well. She could feel her giant frame storming through the air, above trees, and towards combat, towards an absolute uncertainty that she would bring the fullest brunt of her might to bear upon for the sake of her own. Her soul was inhabiting this machine, giving it the instruction firsthand, an Exalted Argus of not destruction, but salvation. Well, okay, yes destruction, but destruction of bad guys and kaiju. It was different! This was destroying a threat to those she cared about. Those she loved. Her team. Her family. Her home. The man she intended to marry one day. All of them were depending on her, whether they knew it or not, to destroy this thing. To win. It had to be her. Nobody else had the aura, finesse, and youthful resilience to pull this thing off and come out in one piece. In this moment, she was Shiroyama’s guardian. A young woman with a pretty face, long black hair sporting an ahoge that was prey to its own weight, and a heart beating with the hot blood of an old, old family of monster hunters. <> “Let’s go, you ugly bastard.” She drew upon the Beast in minutes, and was greeted with something that seemed far more nightmarish than even the Grimm she had faced in droves through her burgeoning Beacon career. It was huge, towering over even the X-01 by a good five, even ten meters, and easily over a hundred long when one too its powerful tail into account. A long crocodylian snout dominated its head, with powerful jaws working a maw filled with teeth the size of a man.. A gait like a gorilla’s, with stumpy, short hind legs acting has mere supports while massive forelimbs did locomotive work. A body with rippling muscle, matted with sickly green scales and ashen fur that reminded Holly of rotting seaweed and the carcass of a goat. At certain key points like the head and pack, the scales fused into plates— including the eight distinct spines that still carried the reef that had grown atop the beast during its slumber. But worst of all were the eyes. So deeply set within the skull that the shadows the brow cast made them seem just black pits. Could that thing see? A roar of warning, high and hellish like a tortured shriek, assaulted her ears through the speakers, followed by a low bass rumble of a growl as it began to warily circle through the plain. Warning the strange, shiny new thing its size, that looked so much like the tiny things it used to stomp as ants and make light, light morsel of. Evidently it could. “Well, let’s see if I can’t mess up your hearing, Kaiju-kun.” THOOM. In one smooth motion, she had shouldered the Type 53 and fired straight into the damn thing’s solar plexus. The impact staggered it, stopped it in it’s tracks, and even earned a cry of pain— Before it [i]lunged[/i] furiously forward, swiping at her with absolutely enormous claws. Holly kicked off to the side, carrying herself and the mech out of their path and avoiding instant defeat by a hair. This thing was fast… As if the sound of metal tearing wasn’t proof enough of that. <> “Fine!” she grunted in response, backpedaling and shouldering to fire again. “He clawed through my left forearm’s plating, but I’m still in it!” <> “No, it was worth it!” she replied, diving to one side and thanking the designers for the extra mobility and deftness of movement that this prototype had been built to possess over common mecha understanding. “I definitely hurt him, his armor’s chipping there!” <> Well, it wasn’t as though her mech was any better. It was truly responding as faithfully as she could have ever hoped. Strength, speed, the full capability were available, and it was just as well when the Beast opened its maw wide and pounced, intending to no doubt bite off the X-01’s head and blind her. Though metal would never quite have that whip-like crack on a good front kick like your own body could, the young Shiroyaman was definitely satisfied that a teep intercepting the monster’s lunge sent it tumbling to the earth from midair. Finally having bought a moment, she fired again— THOOM. And hit the same spot once more, heavily damaging that section of chest armor. To stand up to two tank shells in a row, pinpointed on the same spot was proof of this guy’s toughness, sure, but at the moment her pinpoint accuracy with them had severely compromised it. Forget the Dust worries. She could do this. She could win. She woul— <> The beast had slowly hauled itself up with pained roars, displeased, angry, tiring, losing. And then it had showed its eyes. Within those shadowy pits, the baleful yellow orbs within first appeared when they glimmered— Glowed— [i]Shone[/i]— And Holly’s danger sense ROARED at her, louder even than the triumphant screech that heralded the lance of raw force that she narrowly, narrowly hurled herself out of the way of. Too narrowly. The explosion carried thousands of tons of metal into the sky, sailing and tumbling end over end until Holly crashed back to earth with an impact that jarred her bones even deep within the metal cage. Her COFFIN was damaged. But, it might have also lived up to its name once again. Her feedback was on the fritz. She lost ambient senses like sound and scent, her vision was effectively halved, and worst of all… “Matsumoto-san?” she blearily asked, desperately trying to right her mech, to get its legs under it, as the Beast cautiously stalked towards her. <<...>> Garbled. Unintelligible. Dammit. Dammit! Not now, not here! Not with so much at stake! It was upon the X-01 as it rose to its feet, looming over it imperiously like an old god would a mortal man. She refused, and saw the city she had grow up in, depending on her whether they knew it or not, her family at the forefront. Quickly thinking, Holly grabbed the warped and useless barrel of the Type 53, swinging the whole affair into the snapping jaw of the beast hard enough that the heat-weakened metal gave out entirely. She refused, and saw three figures, those of the people she was chosen to lead in their journey to true huntsmanship, to greatness. A hawaiian-shirted mysticist, a drone-building pinkette, and a dour penny-pincher. All waiting for her to come home and buy them the next “mission accomplished” dinner. “Eat this!” She fought to shove the metal lump down the maw of the beast, and lost that entire hand for her trouble. Acceptable. Maybe. It had ripped it clean off, but it lost a valuable second or two spitting the barrel out and freeing up its jaw. She refused, and saw a lance-wielding woman exactly her age, with a knack for magic and a love of strawberry. “Why don’t you…” She charged forward, telescoping sword extending out from the ruined wrist, and slashing across the chest, hoping to capitalize on the weakened plate— But it was fruitless. The blade was damaged from the improper extension, the steel still couldn’t penetrate the scale, a slash would glance off due to the angling of the Beast’s armor. And now she had it right on top of her. It grasped at the mech’s arms, forcing down, bringing its weight, it’s might to bear. Holly’s own arms burned and felt ready to snap from the sheer force of feedback alone, as muscle ground against steel and motor for dominance— and was winning. Through her damaged COFFIN’s window, she saw it glaring down at her with its enraged, hateful yellow eyes. Eyes that began to glimmer— She was running out of Dust. Running out of Aura. Was this it? And glow— Did she lose here? And [i]shine[/i]— Did she die here? The glare crescendoed into a cross, heralding the unholy spear of light to come— [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV_5dXjygEU]And[/url] the head-mounted autocannons roared to life, filling those dark pits with searing lead. She refused, and saw a scruffy young man in a deputy’s uniform, earnestly cheeky smirk on his face, black hair an eternal bird’s nest, and grey eyes filled with a staunch adherence to and belief in justice. She refused, for all their sakes, to die. The beast squealed, clutching at its eyes in agony and rearing back onto is hind legs once more. And if this machine, if the X-01 could conduct aura, the soul itself, to guide it’s movements… “...Just—” So too could a Semblance, the soul’s purest expression. The second blade was drawn, from the opposite, fully functional wrist— but it was a blade of pitch black, catching the light with a dangerous obsidian gleam for a mere moment. “—FUCKING—” And then plunged it through the dent, through the armor, through muscle and bone and heart itself. With every ounce of force she had, she had stabbed it straight through, all but [i]punching[/i] the sword in. The cries of pain were now weakening, gargling moans, punctuated by the fevered yet pitiful swiping of an animal that had only one thing left in life to do. [i]“...Die.”[/i] She twisted the blade to vertical, and ripped upwards. As the panicked military teams arrived on site, they would find that their grey War Experiment had received a fresh coat of red paint. Its existence would continue to be kept under wraps from the public, and was officially still registered as decomissioned to avoid major diplomatic backlash from the country that Shiroyama had spent decades integrating into— old weapons of wars long past, it was said, were to pass with them— But it would still remain an ace in the hole for years to come, in case another monster, perhaps an unchecked Vrirtra, arose like this one. And the young woman within, one exhausted Holly Schwarz of just twenty years, had just logged its first and [i]only[/i] recorded kill: 1 Kaiju. Even by the time he had retired and she'd become the mother to three that would follow in her footsteps, she still teased Captain Matsumoto about having to call it that. [/hider]