Cherreads

Chapter 17 - CHAPTER: 16 (DISTRICT FIGHTERS II: BOSS BATTLE)

DIFFERENT FONT STYLES USED:

"STORYLINE" "'SPECIAL SKILLS OR MOVES'" "SPEAKER" "SPEECH" "THOUGHT"

 

SCENE: Somewhere in Horough Hills.

 

Neil: I'll be fine, don't worry. But will you be okay against Wallace on your own?

 

Mavy: Don't know. His official profile state he's a tier-rook, but he'd have to stronger to take over and an entire district. I guess I'll only know when I face him.

 

Neil: (nods understandingly) Be careful. (leaps onto various object and lands on the roof of a tall, nearby building before leaping away)

 

Louis: Where's he going?

 

Mavy: (helps him up) Don't worry about it. Let's head over to Wallace.

 

Louis: (nods shakingly) Okay. (the two make their way to what looks like a tall office building; Mavy stares up at it to its top)

 

Mavy: Wallace is in there?

 

Louis: It's where his office is. He usually spends most of his time of day there, and should still be there right now. It's on the top floor because he likes to look down on everyone else in the district.

 

Mavy: (sighs in disgust) What a stuck-up jerk. He can act boldly only because he's in a district too weak defend itself from a strong opponent. (looks back up at the building)Hmmm. How to do this? Do I fly up? No, transforming uses up too much minergy. Since I don't know what this Wallace guy can really do, it's best to save as much minergy as possible so I can face him.(turns to Louis) Come on, lets go.

 

Louis: (weakly nods) Right. (the two make their way into the building, finding an empty lobby)

 

Mavy: Nobody home?

 

Louis: Most likely, they've all been sent different assignments.

 

Mavy: Hmmm. (nods towards the multivator and the make their way inside)

 

Multivator AI: Which floor do you wish to go to?

 

Mavy: Top floor, Wallace's office.

 

Multivator AI: Understood. (the multivator begins to ascend to the top floor; on the way, Louis begins to grow nervous)

 

Louis: (gulps) Hey are you sure that you beat Wallace? 'Cause I'm taking a serious risk here helping you out.

 

Mavy: (clasps her hands over her head and begins stretching; groaning a bit) Well to be perfectly honest, I don't really know. I'd have to actually see him for myself first, but someone who's content with only bullying a town full of lower ranks can't possibly have any real strength. (stretches her arms in front of her body with the fingers interlocked) Besides, Neil's working to track down those kidnapped civilians, including your wife, so it'll be alright.

 

Louis: But why are doing this?

 

Mavy: Hmmm? (turns to him in confusion)

 

Louis: You don't even live here, do you? Someone as strong as you would definitely have stood out a long time ago if you did. You're not a resident here so why do you care? This isn't your fight, so why get involved?

 

Mavy: (puts a hand to her chin) Hmmm. Good question. I guess because, you people need our help. (smiles up at him with closed eyes) Like a dear friend once told me: it doesn't cost a fortune to help someone in need.

 

Louis: (a bit impressed and reassured) He sounds like good guy.

 

Mavy: Yeah, he is.

 

 

SCENE: Enforcement HQ, Lazarus' room.

 

Lazarus lying on his bed not doing anything in particular…

 

Lazarus: …! (…suddenly gets up and looks around, as if getting the feeling that someone just mentioned him)

 

 

SCENE: Horough Hills, Wallace's office building.

 

Inside a large, well-lit and well-furnished room with white, porcelain walls aligned with multiple windows, including a collection of large windows at the far-end wall and marble floors. A tall, pale-skinned, middle-aged man with short, cobalt-blue hair and olive-green eyes, wearing a white dress-shirt with a blue and gold-striped bandana around his neck and grayish-brown dress-pants with matching shoes stands at far-end windows with a glass of wine in hand and with an evil grin on his face.

 

DING!

 

Wallace: (turns to the doors of the multivator, directly opposite from them far-end, watching the doors slide apart open to reveal Mavy and louis standing inside the machine; smiles in mild surprise) Oh? And who might you be?

 

Mavy: (her and Louis walking out) Mavis. And I'm going out on a limb and saying you're Wallace.

 

Wallace: Indeed. But who's asking?

 

Mavy: (shrugs) No one special, just thought to let you know I'm taking you down.

 

Wallace: Oh?

 

Mavy: You've terrorized Horough Hills long enough.

 

Wallace: (laughs) Very funny kid. You think you can beat me? (turns to Louis) Who is this clown you brought for me? (Louis just trembles, too scared to speak)

 

Mavy: Do you even know what the people of this town are going through? How much suffering they've endured while under your rule?

 

Wallace: (turning back to Mavy, never losing his smile) What's your point?

 

Mavy: (glares at him in determination and disgust) … Forget it. Clearly words are not gonna do anything here. (takes up a type of martial arts stance, eyes glowing a blank, pink-white) So let's see if a little action will.

 

Wallace: Oh, so you really do wanna fight, huh little fight? Very well. (turns again to Louis) Louis, you try betrayed me by trying to bring someone to fight me? Then you can share in her punishment. (perpetual smile turns into a wide, wicked grin as his eyes light up an emerald glow; three fairly balls of solid, cobalt energy manifest and circle around Wallace, each a few centimetres bigger than a soccer ball)

 

Wallace: Let's see what the two of you can do. (sends two of energy orbs flying at great speed towards Mavy and Louis)

 

Mavy: …! Quick, dodge! (streaks of sky-blue, sunlight-yellow and vibrant-pink energy swirl around Mavy, allowing her to increase her already enhanced speed further enough to evade the flying orb which hits and dents the multivator doors; Louis however isn't so lucky and gets hit)

 

Louis: (slams in to a wall) Gah! (slumps and passes out)

 

Mavy: (shouts in concern) LOUIS!

 

Wallace: (smirks evilly) Well, I guess that weeds out the weak. At least one of them anyway. (sends the two energy balls after Mavy who dodges them both effortlessly, the balls both change direction towards her however)

 

Mavy: (surprised at change in trajectory) They can turn?! (the balls both attempt again to hit her but she easily evades them once again; the energy streaks properly envelope her body completely, becoming a triple-colored, shape-fitting aura cloak)

 

Mavy: 'GODSPEED'.

 

Mavy's physical speed triples its normal capability, allowing to dodge the balls' rapid-spamming-like flight effortlessly. The balls however do not relent and keep on chasing her. She spams around the room, dodging the balls which freely flutter around trying to hit her.

 

Mavy: Guh! They keep following me.

 

Wallace: (furrows his brows) Hmmm.

 

Wallace releases a wave of sound that causes Mavy to clench her ears and scream in pain, eyes shut tight the moment the sound hits her, distracting her enough to be hit by one of the balls in the side; she's sent flying into the dented multivator door. Mavy gets back up, clutching the side of her torso, her aura cloak having protected her from the worse of the hit and the impact and now slowing healing her wounds.

 

Mavy: … Damn you. (spreads a pair large, insect-like wings also wrapped in aura from her back and takes off towards Wallace; Wallace seeing that she's already recovered and is now heading towards him directly, sends the two balls after Mavy and releases another sonic disturbance that…)

 

Mavy: (clenches her ears and shut her eyes in pain and screams) GAAAHHHH! (…once again breaks her focus. She gets hit by the two orbs, the first on her back and the second in the stomach and is sent crashing into a nearby couch)

 

Wallace: I beg you not mess this place up. It's just been cleaned.

 

Mavy: (staggers to one knee, using the damaged couch for support) … Dammit. This surprisingly tough for just a 3.0. Those orbs are not only strong but fast too, my aura cloak can protect me from the blows, but I haven't used this skill much in a while, I don't enough aura to sustain this cloak for much longer. What to do? (closes eyes to think, then opens them back) First things first, I got to do something about that stupid Sonic Dissonance skill of his, or I'll never beat him.

 

Wallace: Ready to give up girl? (Mavy sees some exposed cotton from a tear in the couch gets an idea; she rips off two small balls and spits on them and plugs them into her ears and causing the rogue nods impressed) Hmmm. I see. You spit on the cotton balls to create makeshift earplugs. Yes, water and cotton significantly reduce the effects of sound, but it won't be enough to save you.

 

Wallace sends out all three orbs at her which she effortlessly dodges by taking off into the sky, Wallace releases a louder sound wave distract Mavy. Mavy still get irritated by the sound, but is less affected by it now. She transforms the insect wings into eagle wings, increasing her speed to effortlessly dodge the three balls. She keeps flying around to dodge but the limited space of the room makes it hard move around efficiently. Suddenly, her strength reduces significantly enough for aura cloak to disappear.

 

Mavy: (winces in exhaustion; cloak vanishes) … That's it then. Now if those balls touch me, it really will hurt. (struggles to fly around the room) Gah! Why's this office so damn small?

 

Wallace: (still never losing his smug, perpetual smile) Well, it looks like your armor is gone. What will you do now, I wonder. You can't dodge forever.

 

Mavy: … He's right. I can't keep dodging forever. Fine then… (turns her right arm into a kind of cannon-like weapon) …how 'bout I attack instead. (aims at one of the orbs and fires a beam of aqua-blue plasma which hits it and destroys it completely)

 

Wallace: Hmmm. Not bad.

 

Mavy: (pants heavily) Okay, I think I can win. The sound skill's still an issue, but I've managed to deal with it enough for now. The real problem are those energy balls. Not only are they solid, but they're strong and fast, not mention being able to homing in on the target. This guy's definitely not just a tier-rook. But it seems he's limited to only three at a time. I've taken out one, so if I just take out the last two, then I finish him off.

 

Wallace: (returns the balls to his side) You're really strong for a kid. How 'bout a team up? You and me can take control of Horough Hills together. Hell, we could even take over the entire city.

 

Mavy: Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not the kind of person who goes around beating up and enslaving others just to prove my own strength. (clenches her fist) When I fight it's to protect others from people like you.

 

Wallace: (lets out a loud laugh) Oh really? People like me? And are you really any different? At least in the eyes of others, we're no more just massive powerhouses with way more power than necessary. (summons three more energy balls to fight)

 

Mavy: (shocked) What?! There're more?! He doesn't cap at three?

 

Wallace: Very well then. If you won't join me, you can fall with the others. (sends all five orbs flying at Mavy, who turns her other arm into a long, steely tentacle and swings it at balls like a whip but he extends an arm out and spreads his fingers open)'DISPERSE'.(he balls are split up, evading the strike; Mavy begins a spam attack of whiplashes through the air in an attempt to swat the balls, but the rogue spreads his arms apart…)'FLUTTERING FLIGHT'.(…causing the balls fly around frenziedly to avoid them)

 

Mavy: … They've increased their speed. (struggles to keep up with their speed; one manages to bypass her onslaught and make its way towards her but she evades it, and points her cannon-hand at Wallace) Forget this. I'll just take out the one controlling them instead. (fires a plasma beam at Wallace which he immediately blocks with one of his balls, destroying it in the process) Hmmm. HAH! (swings her tentacle straight at Wallace who also blocks this attack with an orb; the hit from the tentacle doesn't completely or immediately destroy the orb, only cracking it considerably) Hmmm. That whip attack was only able to deal a little damage to the energy balls compared to the plasma cannon. (readies the cannon to fire again, aiming at Wallace)

 

Wallace: Nice try. (makes a kind of waving over gesture with his hand by waving his fingers upwards; one balls hits Mavy's cannon arm from her blind spot, pushing her hand upwards so the beam goes through instead and injuring Mavy)

 

Mavy: (screams in both pain and surprise from the sudden attack;

grits her teeth in pain as arm changes back falls limp by her side) … Damn you. (raises her arm a bit) 'QUICK RECOVERY'. (the same streaks of triple-colored aura manifest and surround her arm, healing it instantly; within seconds her arm is heal and she continues the fight)

 

Wallace: (impressed) Wow. You can even heal yourself. Impressive, very impressive. Are you sure you don't wanna team up? Together with our skills, we can whatever we want.

 

Mavy: A tempting offer, but I'm gonna have to refuse. Like I said, I'm nothing like you. (turns the tentacle arm into giant tiger arm and…) 'SHARP GRAB'. (…reaches out to grab Wallace, a proven mistake as just sends the remaining four orbs on it, injuring her again) …! (retracts, detransforms and heals it)

 

Wallace chuckles as he sends his four remaining energy balls after her. Mavy tries best to evade then but her stamina soon begins to catching with her first and she gets hit in the stomach by an orb. She's sent flying into a wall hard enough to leave noticeable crack and falls to the ground, she shakily gets back up, using the cracked wall for support. Wallace laughs evilly and sends them all at her but she speeds away. Mavy waves one her wings at Wallace, firing several feathers at him like projectiles, but he blocks them with his balls.

 

Wallace: (raising hands and extending them forward) 'WILD FLUTTER'. (the energy balls begin another frenzied flight, this time with the full intent of hit Mavy, however, she begins a frenzied flight of her own, rapidly dodging every ball that come her way, though she nicked in the cheek, on the arm and even in the thigh by some; leaving him surprised and impressed) Oh? Interesting. It seems she's gotten use to their speed. Such an amazing talent. It truly is a shame that she wastes it helping others. Hmmm. "Helping others". (regenerates from the injuries, leaving behind tiny scars on her body where they once were; she briefly retransforms her arm back into a tentacle and…)

 

Mavy: HAAAAA…HAA!

 

…swats one of the balls back at Wallace who redirects it away from himself, inadvertently towards his office desk. The ball hits an upper corner of the desk, destroying the part and spilling all its contents. Wallace chuckles, his evil grin growing wider. He brings back the balls to his side, then sends one flying straight for…

 

Mavy: (gets ready) Bring it on. (eyes widen in shock and realization)Wait a minute, he's not aiming at me this time, he's aiming at…(…the unconscious Louis) GODDAMMIT!(flies towards Louis at high speed and uses herself as a human shield to protect him, getting hit in the back and coughing out a lot blood; she drops to her knees and dispels her wings as she throws up a load of blood on the floor) Ugh. They're not only faster, but stronger too. Damn. The damage is severe, but I don't have enough aura to heal it; most of all got used up in the cloak.

 

Wallace: (loudly laughs evilly) Just as I thought. The goody-two-shoes type will always risk their own life to save the helpless and defenseless; even if they're in as much danger themselves.

 

Mavy: (glares at Wallace hatefully) … Enough of this! (Mavy pours all her minergy into generating another pair of wings, this time large butterfly wings far greater in size and power than even the eagle wings) I've had enough! (Mavy charges straight for Wallace)

 

Wallace: Hmmm? Another direct attack? Don't you learn?

 

Wallace sends the all the balls straight for her, but she wraps herself up with her wings mid-flight and turn them to metal which shield her from the balls, which all bounce of the wings. She afterwards, unwraps her wings, spreading them out and changing them back from their metal state. Wallace – still smiling like a fool – gestures towards himself with his hands. The balls all launch towards Mavy, who looks back at them coming, she flies upwards and performs a spin and backflip mid-air to dodge one, another comes from behind but she spins and destroys with her cannon-arm.

 

The remaining two come towards her but she turns the arm into a sharp, laser-buzzsaw connected to rest of her body by a chain which she swings at the energy balls, slicing through none causing it disappear, but missing the other one as Wallace made it dodge in time. Wallace brings the last two remaining balls to his side.

 

Wallace: Well, not bad. You're much better than I thought.

 

Mavy: As I told you. I'm taking you down, and freeing this people from your tyranny.

 

Wallace: (laughs) And as I told you, I'd love to see you try. Even if you could destroy my remaining energy balls, you still can't beat me.

 

Mavy: (a bit confused) Hmmm?

 

 

Wallace: I already have contingency plan. As we speak, my men are keeping guard over many of the district's residents, and all I have to do is say the word, and all of them are history.

 

Mavy: (realizing he's talking about the kidnapped hostages, just smirks) Hah.

 

Wallace: (confused) Huh? You don't care what happens to the hostages? I thought you wanted all the people of this district. Or is it...that you don't believe what I'm telling you?

 

Mavy: Oh, I believe it alright. But too bad for you, I don't need to worry about them. That little detail is already being taken care of at the moment.

 

Wallace: (losing his smile for the first time since the fight started) Huh? What are you talking about?

 

Mavy: That's not something you need to worry about right now. I suggest you focus on the enemy in front of you.

 

Wallace: (regaining his smug smile) Well then, let's finish this, shall we? (both Mavy and Wallace stand facing eachother, each meta staring down the other; first one to move loses)

 

One beat…

 

Two beats…

 

Three beats…

 

Mavy dashes towards Wallace at same time he launches his remaining orbs and releases a powerful sonic attack to disrupt her focus. The sound proofs to be quite the chore, as it does indeed begin to cause her immense pain and disrupt her focus as the spittle on the cotton balls still in her ears had already dried up, leaving her less resistance to the sound. She still powers on, dodging the first and turning her arm into a giant, big, fat sword and slashes the second ball, slicing and destroying it. She then makes her way to Wallace who tries to escape by leaping out the way, sending his last orb after her, but she slices it as well and turns her other arm back into the metal tentacle and whips Wallace straight in the chest with it, knocking into the wall behind him and out cold.

 

Wallace: (coughs and speaks weakly) Not bad kid. (loses consciousness, but never losing his infuriating smirk; sometime later, a still unconscious Wallace is left resting against a wall, tied up)

 

Mavy: (finishes up the restraints and prepares to head to an also still unconscious Louis; rolling her eyes) Can't believe he stayed out of it throughout that whole exchange. (something however catches her eye)Hmmm? (the light from one of the bulbs reflects on something in the end of the room, hitting her eye; she turns towards the location of the reflected light and spots something amongst the spilled contents of Wallace's damaged desk.

 

Mavy: What's that now? (walks over to the desk and gets a closer look at what the object is) Huh? Serum vials?

 

Amongst the various things spilled out – books, documents, a paperweight and other stationaries – the things that caught her attention were a set of empty vials, not at all dissimilar from the ones in a chemistry lab. But what really catches her attention, is that while the vials are empty, there are little traces of the liquid once inside them still remaining, these traces giving off high – or high enough for what is barely a drop remaining – levels of minergy, which she can sense like a psychic.

 

Mavy: (tilting her head in total confusion) What? (after pondering it for a while and deciding to think about it later, walks over to Louis and nudges him slightly to wake him up) Hey. Wake up.

 

Louis: (moans groggily) Hmmm? What happened?

 

Mavy: You kinda got knocked out the second the fight started. (smiles in amusement at the memory) You okay? Can you get up? (helps him up)

 

Louis: (hugging his ribs with one hand) My ribs hurt like hell, and my head aches a little but other than that, I'm okay. (then remembers something) Wait! (turns his head side by side as if looking for something) Where's Wallace?

 

Mavy: Oh. Well, he's right over there. (points to where she left him) Don't worry. I already beat him. He won't be causing any trouble for anyone anymore.

 

Louis: (stares at the unconscious Wallace in shock for a long time…) I-I don't believe it. You actually managed take down a man on your own that a whole town couldn't beat. (…then turns back to Mavy) Just who are you?

 

Mavy: (smiles warmly) Just someone who thought you needed some help.

 

Later on, Mavy and Louis exit the building, Mavy carry Wallace, slumped over her shoulder. The two look around to find the whole district in a surprisingly jovial atmosphere compared to earlier that night. All the people of Horough Hills reunite with their kidnapped friends and family members.

 

Louis: (surprised) What? (suddenly hears a woman's voice calling him)

 

Sarah: Louis?

 

Louis: (turns around to see a pink-haired woman with mint-green eyes) S-Sarah?

 

Neil: (walking up next to her) Just like I promised, your wife and everyone else that got abducted is back.

 

Louis: (cries tears of joy and runs towards her) SARAH!

 

Sarah: (cries as well with open arms as Louis wraps his arms around her in a hug) Louis.

 

Louis: Oh I've missed you so much.

 

Sarah: Me too. Not a day went did I not think about seeing you again.

 

Mavy: (smiles at the couple before making her way to Neil) Looks like you freed everyone on your end.

 

Neil: Told you I'd be alright. So what about your fight?

 

Mavy: (gestures to the unconscious body over her shoulder) How'd you think? (walks over to the middle of the street where all people present quickly take notice of her and drops the unconscious Wallace on the ground, grunting a bit as she swings him off her shoulder) Here you go. (everyone stares in shock and disbelief as they realize who the bound up, unconscious man is)

 

District Civilian #1: Is that…?

 

District Civilian #2: It can't be.

 

District Civilian #3: I don't believe it.

 

District Civilian #4: Did that little girl actually beat him?

 

District Civilian #5: Impossible.

 

Mavy: I figured since you are the ones who suffered under his rule for so long, you'd want to decide what to do with him. (waves as she walks away) Welp, bye.

 

District Civilian #6: I can't believe there's someone who can actually beat Wallace.

 

District Civilian #7: Incredible.

 

District Civilian #8: But hey, didn't that other one also beat Wallace's henchmen?

 

District Civilian #9: Who even are these guys?

 

Mavy: (walks up to Neil, sitting on the hood of a random flying car and joins him; watches all the people of Horough Hills, enjoying their long-awaited liberation with a smile on her face) They all look so happy.

 

Neil: Well, they have finally been freed from a tyrannical ruler after what's been like months, of course they're happy. Who wouldn't be?

 

Mavy: (nods, then remembers something) Oh yeah. When I was fighting Wallace, it was…odd.

 

Neil: Odd? How so?

 

Mavy: Well as it turned out. He really was stronger than a 3.0. The power of his skills, the strength of his attacks, no way he was just a tier-rook, he was definitely stronger.

 

Neil: (leans back on the car's windshield with his arms crossed behind his head) So I guess he really did do some hardcore training while he was away.

 

Mavy: I thought that too at first, but now I'm not sure. (brings out one of the empty vials)

 

Neil: (notices it) Hmm? What's that?

 

Mavy: (hands it over to Neil) No clue. Whatever was inside is all gone now but…I can sense traces of minergy from what's left; a lot of it. Minergy and something else.

 

Neil: (examining the vial and what little contents – a seeming green liquid – it had left) And you think this might have something to do with how Wallace got so much stronger than his records say?

 

Mavy: It's just a hunch at least.

 

Neil: Hmmm.

 

 

SCENE: Enforcement HQ, Bishop's office.

 

Bishop searches for info on something on his computers…or rather the someone, more accurately some people. His screens show all the info available to the public on all of Lazarus' friends.

 

Bishop: Hmmm. It seems these children will be more of a problem than I expected. I thought they were just riffraff that could be ignored, but it seems I was wrong about that. (types on the keypad to contact someone) It seems I may need some help.

 

TIME: The next day.

 

The early morning rays shine through the one window in Lazarus' room, hitting him directly in the face, forcing him to wake up. Lazarus squeezes his already shut eyes some more, before finally open, yawning loudly as stretches his arms. After taking his bath, he heads to HQ's mess hall to grab breakfast – if you can even call it that. Once there, he orders his breakfast which at first glance seems like a normal bowl of rice and small loaf of bread. He stares down at food hesitantly, a distressed look on his face as he picks up his spoon and scoops up a spoonful, putting it in his mouth and forcing himself push it down.

 

Lazarus: (disgusted) Ugh. Disgusting. How can you make food so tasteless and expect people to eat it? No wonder the enforcers and guards around here are so weak, malnutrition is worse than any poison. (after finally managing to force himself to finish the…'food', begins to make his way outside to the forest to continue his training) Alright, time to get some work done.

 

Lazarus heads to the multivator and enters in, instructing the AI to the take him to the building's lobby. Just as the doors shut close, they open up again, confusing Lazarus as Bishop walks in, surprising him more.

 

Bishop: Ah, Lazarus. Glad I could catch you. I've looking all over for you.

 

Lazarus: Bishop? What do you want from me so early in the morning?

 

Bishop: Well in light of recent events, I've decided now is the time for your first high-tier mission.

 

Lazarus: Is there any chance this talk can wait till later because I have plans and won't around till like late in the evening.

 

Bishop: (uses his skill make the multivator go up a diagonal line) Unfortunately, no.

 

Lazarus: …

 

Bishop: You have to meet your first squad after all.

 

Lazarus: (taken aback) My what?!

 

Bishop: High-tier enforcers are put in teams called squads when they get sent on missions. This practice helps build familiarity and cooperation amongst enforcers.

 

Lazarus: I thought only top-tier enforcers are put on teams.

 

Bishop: Actually, high-tier enforcers are put in random squad mash-ups, every enforcer is put on a squad with a different set of people for each mission. This is done to analyze each enforcers level of cooperation and coexistence with the others. After completing ten missions under the supervision of a top-tier enforcer, who will act as your proctor – and of course will also change each mission – you'll be promoted to top-tier, and any fellow enforcer you had the most synergy with will be put in the same permanent squad as you. This' actually how all enforcer squads are formed.

 

Lazarus: In other words, high-tier squads are just trials-and-errors done to discern enforcer compatibility.

 

Bishop: (surprised by his response) Was that a snark? Odd.

 

Lazarus: I don't suppose there's any way I can do my first mission solo, is there?

 

Bishop: Of course not. Solo missions are only for god-tier enforcers.

 

Lazarus: If top-tiers are put in permanent squads, then wouldn't god-tiers also be in teams.

 

Bishop: Not exactly accurate.

 

Lazarus: Mmm?

 

Bishop: God-tier enforcers are ultimate-level soldiers who're sent straight into uphill assignments too dangerous and strenuous for even most top-tier enforcer squads. As a result, top-tier enforcers are promoted to god-tier not just on their teamwork and coordination with their squadmates, but also their individual capability and effectiveness in missions. And of course, the standards for these criteria are very high.

 

Lazarus: In other words, although any enforcer can make it to top-tier, not just any can make it to god-tier. An even for those that do, not everyone on a squad can.

 

Bishop: (nods) Indeed. God-tier enforcers can still stay with their squads even after their promotion, but they're qualified to go on solo missions and sometimes either alongside other god-tier enforcers or even bring their squad along on their own recommendation, with the approval of the branch head, of course. But as a result, the number of god-tier enforcers is greatly belittled by the others; in fact, there's a total of only twenty god-tier enforcers in the entirety of Enforcement. Well seventeen at the moment. (the multivator stop and its doors open; walking out, not noticing Lazarus isn't following suit) Well we've arrived. Time to go meet your first squadmates.

 

Lazarus: Later. (to AI) Take me down to the lobby.

 

Multivator AI: Understood. (closes doors and descends)

 

Bishop: … How very odd. His absolute devotion towards me is fading. How? The memory-wiping is supposed to flawless and permanent. It was strange enough he was regaining bits of his memories but…

 

The SCENE fades to black as the CHAPTER ends.

 

STORY CONTINUES IN CHAPTER: 17 (INTRODUCTIONS)

 

 

Stat Bonus:

 

Owen's stats:

Skill(s): Energy Slash

Level: 2.5

Str: 35 Mob: 40 Int: 20 Atk: 30 Def: 10 Rcy: 10

 

Juni's stats:

Skill(s): Sudden Strike

Level: 2.5

Str: 30 Mob: 45 Int: 20 Atk: 30 Def: 10 Rcy: 10

 

Keon's stats:

Skill(s): Killer Stab

Level: 2.6

Str: 40 Mob: 30 Int: 25 Atk: 30 Def: 15 Rcy: 15

 

Claus' stats:

Skill(s): Heavy Strike

Level: 2.7

Str: 40 Mob: 25 Int: 25 Atk: 40 Def: 15 Rcy: 15

 

Gwen's stats:

Skill(s): Aquiline

Level: 2.7

Str: 30 Mob: 40 Int: 25 Atk: 35 Def: 15 Rcy: 15

 

Coran's stats:

Skill(s): Tremor

Level: 2.8

Str: 40 Mob: 25 Int: 30 Atk: 20 Def: 25 Rcy: 25

 

Wallace's stats:

Skill(s): Energy Balls, Sonic Dissonance

Level: *4.5 (3.0)

Str: 60 (40) Mob: 45 (30) Int: 45 (30) Atk: 60 (40) Def: 30 (20) Rcy: 30 (20)

*(Normal stats and level), Amplification.

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