HIBIKI | SHIZUKA | DORAFRAKI
Dora had taken a beating. First, right after activating the Altar, the LEVIATHAN awoke.
"Shite." To make matters worse, it begun it's attack by grabbing onto Dora's arm.
"SHITE!" Dora slammed the blade of her weapon into the Leviathan's face, however despite it's sharp edge Dora could not cut through the scales. She shouldn't be too surprised, it is a legendary beast after all. It started to gnaw at her arm and thrash about, but Dora didn't relent. If her blade won't piece it, then she'd smash it instead. Calling forth her strength Dora smashed the Leviathan in the face, doing a slightly more tangible amount of damage than before. She was at least doing a scratch. Dora was then released, and while she was floating she grabbed a scale from the Leviathan.
"Gotcha."But that wasn't the end of Dora's woes. She saw an orange light flowing towards her, and she could guess it was an attack. Right before it hit her Dora moved her right arm, which was mangled and damaged from the Leviathan's maw, and intercepted the arrow with a fist. An explosion between the arrow and Dora's fist ensued and she was sent further into the depths. Dora's vision was fading; her right arm obliterated. But her stump did not reveal flesh and bone; instead it appeared that inside of Dora's flesh was steel and fire. It was thanks to this that she didn't simply die from blood lost or having her arm torn off, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel the pain. Dora sank towards the bottom of the ocean when she felt something grab her. She was faded in and out of consciences and couldn't really tell who or what was until a few minutes later.
Hibiki and Shizuka swam to the surface of the ice, after the Leviathan had left to the neighboring sector. It was attacking the contender, but fortunately that did at least give Sector Eta a moment to rally themselves. Shizuka and Hibiki sat near Dora's form as Hibiki tried to apply first aid, though seeing that Dora wasn't a flesh-and-blood angel, there wasn't really much aid Hibiki could do.
"This form... It's not her true body, I think. It's hard to tell but... She'll be okay." Shizuka had a certain eye for these angel types. She also noticed a bright blue scale in Dora's pocket, and absentmindedly she reached out for it. But when she did, Hibiki picked up her gun and aimed to the sky. Some angels had found them and had their weapons trained on the sisters.
"Wait."Dora raised her good arm up to keep the angels from attacking. It was evident that she was saved by these two Machina soldiers. And she could imagine why they saved her. Slowly and painfully sitting up Dora looked between the two.
"Alright... So yer saved me from a watery grave. I s'ppose someone has to lead these men to battle somehow. But the real question is why. Wouldn't it be in yer favor to just let me die?" "Under normal circumstances, yes. But right now we have a bigger, more challenging foe to face." Lowering her weapon Hibiki stood up and extended her hand out to Dora.
Smirking, Dora took Hibiki's hand and stood up, picking up the Fragment of Ukonvasara.
"Aye, I get ya. You want our help against the Leviathan. Can't say I'd deny that help. But yer know this doesn't make us allies. In the end, only one of us can win this battle." Dora looked over at the destruction the Leviathan was causing to the Machinas. Dora could rally her forces and try to take on the beast themselves, after they bring ruin to the Machinas. but that would only strengthen the demons hold over this battle and give them another win.
Hibiki removed her helmet, letting her pink locks flow from underneath. She smiled at Dora and extended her hand out once more.
"I understand. I wish we could end these war without further violence... But as I dream for those days, I will continue to fight. And at the very least we can ensure that today's victory will not go to the demons. If this is acceptable to you then let us join forces, however temporary, to defeat our common enemy."Dora looked at Hibiki with some concern and distrust. Now, Dora was all fine and dandy with teamwork and cooperation. But working alongside the Machina? Their enemy? That was a bit much. True it was against the demons and right now they had a massive advantage over the both of them. But still, it was very odd just how willing Hibiki would ally with them. Dora was expecting this to be a trap. But she really was in a bind here. None of her forces at the time could defeat the Leviathan, and it was too soon to play their trump card. They need to be able to use it in a decisive moment, where the enemy wouldn't be in a position to effectively defend against it. Not to mention that without an arm, Dora wasn't exactly in fighting shape. She'd have to rely on commanding her units to attack the sectors and take control of Altars. Clenching her teeth, Dora shook Hibiki's hand.
"Aye. Together then. Men! Give me a full status report on our ships, and assist these two on board. They will remain under my watch and company. Let's move out!"All three characters moved onto one of Dora's few remaining ships. Fortunately for her, most of her crew members survived and Dora's own ship, while damaged, was still sea worthy. However they did lose two ships during the Leviathan's attack, leaving Dora's fleet with only two ironclads left. With four challenging the Leviathan was going to be a feat, but with only two Dora knew it would be impossible. Fortunately for Dora, ocean combat was never an angel's forte. But taking to the skies was something they could always do.
"Ready yourselves! Close the hatches, and keep steady! Fly!"Even if the ships could not touch the sea due to the ice, the Angel's magics allowed the ships to take to the skies. Slowly they moved off the ice bergs and made their course towards Sector Iota where the Leviathan was heading towards. Already it was attacking the contender, but before it arrived Dora had to speak to the sisters. Namely, how exactly they planned to kill the Leviathan.
"I'm sure yer people have great weapons, as do we Angels, but the Leviathan is no easy prey. Even if I had a full fleet under my commander we would struggle."The twins were rather impressed with the Angel's craftsmanship. While not a technological marvel compared to the Machinas, they made due with their magics. Initially Hibiki was dismissive of the Angel's ships and wondered how they intended to escape Eta while surrounded by ice, but seeing that Dora's ships could fly in the air made her retract those thoughts. Hibiki made a mental note about seeing if the Machinas could replicate something similar. As Dora also mentioned, Hibiki and Shizuka stayed near her. Both the sisters could feel the looks of the angels at their backs, and Shizuka was most uncomfortable. Before she met Hibiki, Shizuka was once on the side of the angels. She was a common soldier in their ranks, sure, but she had sworn herself to them. And then she abandoned all of that when she found her sister. She wondered if anyone here would recognize her, and prayed to whatever god watching over her that no one here remembered her.
Eventually the sisters arrived to Dora's captain quarters were they would plan their attack.
"To put it simply, my sister possess a sword that could slay the Leviathan. She only needs to get close enough to engage it in melee combat. The trouble is, however, is the Leviathan's magic and the demon's armies. They would surely try to stop my sister once they have her in their sights, and she despite possessing the sword she won't survive the Leviathan's attacks."Dora nodded her head contemplatively. She had heard rumors that the Machinas had a weapon to slay the Leviathan, though honestly she did not expect it to be a sword. She had thought it was going to be a cannon or a mech.
"May I see this weapon?"Hibiki looked to her sister. While Hibiki was the brains of this operation, Shizuka was the one who was going to risk the most. After all, she was the one who had to go down and actually kill the Leviathan somehow. And as much Hibiki wanted to help her sister, she knew that if she died, Shizuka would vanish. They might have been able to work around the range limitation, but Shizuka was still linked to her sisters lifeforce. So Hibiki needed to stay where it was safe, which was away from the Leviathan. To Shizuka however, she didn't hesitate to draw Ascalon from it's sheath. She did not let Dora touch it, but she did show it to her.
"Good gods... This... Yes, this would work. Even my weapon, a fragment of a godly hammer, could do naught but crack it's scales. But with a sword like this, ye could sunder through it's very bones. Hmm... So be it. We know wot we need to do." Dora took a piece of the Leviathan's scale out from her pocket and onto the table.
"We need to get yer sister close to the Leviathan. But that armor won't last a second if it so much as takes a swipe at ya. So... Let me use the Leviathan's own scale to protect you from it's attacks. And... We'll use one of these." Dora reached into her pocket and took out a jet black stone.
Shizuka tilted her head when she noticed the stone.
"What's that?" Hibiki was also curious. And a bit worried. While she appreciated Dora's help, she wasn't too comfortable letting the Angel's mess with her sister's armor. True Shizuka might not survive, but she didn't want the Angel's to sabotage her sister either.
"Yes, what are you going to do with those? That just looks like a piece of rock and a scale from the Leviathan. Not a very good one either..."Snorting at the sister's comments Dora picked up both objects with her only hand.
"This 'ere is a thunderstone. A shard of a divine weapon. I won't bore ye with stories, we ain't got that time, but essentially with this stone, my magic, and my hammer, I can strength your weapon or armor. And this scale I can use to double that protection. Right now this scale has no power, not even that good at protectin' things since it's so flimsy, but with my magic I can awaken it's true power. I'll infuse both into yer sister's armor so that she can survive whatever the Leviathan can throw at her and more. No doubt the demons will have some tricks up their sleeves too, so the more the merrier. This is the only help I can provide ye with. I understand ya don't think us angel types can handle yer soulless machinery and I won't argue with ya on that point. But I've trusted you enough to be let on my ship. I think you ought to trust me to help ya out."Hibiki sighed. Dora isn't wrong, and Hibiki doesn't have too many options either. Both the Machina and Angels were relying on each other to defeat the demon forces here, so it was a give and take. But that didn't mean Hibiki wasn't going to keep a close eye on Dora.
"Fine. Let's do it." Shizuka didn't say a word. She trusted that Hibiki knew what she was doing, and right now Shizuka was getting herself focused on the battle ahead.
"Let's just get this over with."It wasn't long before the angel's ships were within range of Iota. Dora would have made better preparations, but unfortunately time was against them. The leviathan was growing in power by the second and if they were too late, even Dora's enhancements won't help. So she simply infused the thunderstone and the Leviathan's scale, charged with magic thanks to Dora's magic hammer, and empowered Shizuka's armor. It began to glow with an awesome power now, making it not only more durable but resistant towards the Leviathan's power. Be it the monster's crushing teeth or elemental magic, Shizuka's armor was protected from it just as the Leviathan was protected from itself. Additionally, Dora added a few blessings of her own to protect Shizuka from any demonic influences. All of this was temporary of course, and Dora figured that Shizuka had a good hour before the magic ran out. Hopefully it would be more than enough to deal with the Leviathan, but considering how this battle was going it might not be enough.
Once the Angel's ships were above the Contender and the Leviathan, Shizuka and Hibiki were about ready to drop. Before they went Dora went over to them.
"Ayo. I just wanted to say three things. First, after the Leviathan is dead, we... We be enemies again. If we happen to meet in battle, I promise to treat you well under our care. Second, my fleet and I ain't stayin. As much as I'd love to fight that big ugly snake, the demon's are close to winning even without it. So I'm doin' my part in stoppin' the demons from winnin. And last... Glad to have met y'all. If we weren't on opposite sides, I'm sure we'd be friends. One day maybe we stand side-by-side stead of against one another, eh?"Shizuka stood at the bow of the ship with Ascalon drawn and her shield in her hand. She could feel a great power surge through her body thanks to Dora's enchantments. It was a familiar feeling, but Shizuka couldn't place her finger on why. Hibiki had put her helmet back on and was just glad that her sister was prepared for the fight ahead. Honestly, Hibiki had no real clue how to approach this. Nothing she had could really help; the best she could hope to do is make sure everything worked out for her sister. When Dora came to speak to them the twins listened. Beneath her helmet Hibiki smiled at Dora's honest. The two shared a glance and then bowed in sync to Dora.
"It was our honor. I hope that one day, we could look back at this moment and remember a time were both Angels and Machinas could work alongside each other for a shared goal. Ah! That reminds me, I don't think we've ever caught your name. I am Hibiki Meido." "I am Shizuka Meido."Dora smirked at the two sisters. What an odd pair they were. And she thought only demons had insane people on their side.
"Dorafraki Goldion. But you can call me Dora." The roars of the Leviathan grew louder and louder, and soon the ships were right above it and the Contender.
"This is where we part ways. God speed, Hibiki and Shizuka!"The two Twins nodded their heads and jumped off the ship. Shizuka was poised to land on the Leviathan's constricted body around the Contender, while Hibiki was going to land in the ocean. Shizuka's armor began to glow and ready itself for the impact so she wouldn't get killed from falling from such a height while Hibiki had preemptively prepared some utility bombs to help her landing if something goes wrong. Shizuka aimed for the Leviathan's head, knowing that anything could happen in a split second. So she was ready to react in a quarter of a second.
Dora watched the two go before quickly turning towards her crew.
"The Leviathan's death is in their hands now. All hands! Head towards Alpha! Expect heavy resistance from the demon forces there. Prepare for evasive maneuvers and direct combat!"Looking skyward Dora sighed. She was going to regret this. She really was... But it's as Dora said. Once those two girls left the ship, they would be enemies now.
"It's time." As the angels started to move into sector Alpha, Dora raised her hammer high into the skies. She sent a purple bolt of lightning from her hammer into space, a signal to her allies in the heavens. It was time to use their secret weapon. A meteor will drop in the Iota Sector, destroying everything within. Machina, Angels, Demons... Dora prayed that those girls could slay the beast before then. She'd hate to see their efforts go to waste because of Dora's own rush.
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