Episode XII: Fray.
Aegis
The Jailbirds came in a horde. Taeyeon took her position in front of the barrier when she heard the first bang. She breathed and gathered all her ki, careful not to let even a drop go to waste. The Jailbirds were breaking down the door which separated them from their prey. Finally, the mahogany caved in, spraying splinters of wood which were then swallowed by the darkness. Taeyeon was ready.
Keeping herself low, she closed the distance between herself and the enemy. Despite the barrier that she summoned, she would not take the chance of having to fight in such close proximity to her Subject. Taeyeon continued to get close, knowing she had the upper hand as the Orison Sanctuary was practically unknown territory to the enemy. Though it is true that it was her first time that she ever set foot in it, her insignia seems to be doing that part of the work for her. She used her senses to guide herself in the semi-darkness, using the enemy's Presence as a cue to where she would go.
She closed in on a Jailbird who saw her too late. She blocked the arm that was going to hit her and trapped it into an arm lock. She applied pressure until she heard the sound she wanted to hear: a bone breaking. Keeping her fingers close to her palm, she used the heel of her right hand to hit the assailant's nose with an upward strike, breaking the cartilage straight into the brain.
The other Jailbirds started closing in. Taeyeon reached for the special holster behind her back which contained not a gun but her bladed brass knuckles. She braced herself for the incoming assault.
A pair decided for a double-sided assault. Drawing their weapons, they came for the agent on both sides while another one was set for a frontal attack. "The Orison Sanctuary will do your bidding, Taeyeon-ah." It was his uncle's voice. Not yet, Uncle, she thought as she gauged the proper distance between her and her assailants. She jumped. Amidst a mid-air backflip, she caught one of the enemy Jailbird's head and, in one swift motion, twisted it like a dry twig. She heard it snap. She landed on a crouch and, using her hands and arms to hold her weight, spun around, hitting the two assaulters with her leg. She buried the blades of her knuckles onto their shins and made a huge gash, rendering them immobile.
There's too many of them, Taeyeon thought as she felt for their Presence. She closed her eyes and stood her ground. She crouched low and waited for the enemies themselves to eliminate the distance. The Jailbirds started coming in from all sides giving Taeyeon no chance for escape. Soon enough, they were within range.
"Double Accel.", she whispered. In an instant, the Jailbirds movements slowed down. She touched the floor with the tips of her fingers and then slipped through the gaps between the decelerated bodies, leaving a glowing aqua blue circle on her wake. Long, thin arm-shaped streams of light came out of the circle, and made their way up their legs and torso. Taeyeon walked away as the group of Jailbirds continued to struggle.
Tsk. There's still a few more. Hiding in the darkness, Taeyeon counted the Presences in her head. She was starting to get tired. Using the Circle of the Walpurgis along with her normal hand-to-hand was exhausting too much of her stamina. She switched to prana breathing and tried to replenish as much energy as possible while she waited for an attack.
Tiffany's voice pierced the silence. "TAEYEON-AH!" The remaining Jailbirds were attacking the barrier, hacking at it with their weapons, attempting to destroy it and take the girl inside. Taeyeon's senses took over. Without even thinking, Taeyeon clasped her hands.
"Square Accel." The Jailbirds didn't even had a chance to react. All they saw was the blur of two flaming aqua blue eyes as Taeyeon reached the other end of the room at the speed of light. She made a single side step to evade the attempted attack. With her right foot, she spun around, slicing a vital artery in the neck. One down. Pivoting for another counter-clockwise spin, she followed the Presence to implant a circle within. She felt her fingers touch skin and summoned. Two. Three. She rolled out of the way before the seals within the Jailbirds activated. The circle grew out from within each enemy, slicing them in half.
Taeyeon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, the blue glow was gone. Blood streaked and heaving, she faced Tiffany from the other side of the barrier. But instead of coming closer, the other girl took a step back. She saw the fear in her Subject's eyes -- cold, hard and blatant. Taeyeon raised her hand to rest it on one of the barrier's circles when her eyes were caught by the blood dripping from the tip of the blade, caking her hand with its strong, metallic smell. Of course. She would not want to be with a killing machine like me.
"As expected of the Child of the Walpurgis."
The female voice made Taeyeon turn around abruptly. The woman was walking slowly with no trace of fear nor surprise on her face. Her steps were slow and testing, ripples forming on the darkness underneath. She noticed the group of Jailbirds trapped within Taeyeon's circle.
"Seriously. What a useless bunch of goons you are." The woman raised her left hand and muttered. "Annihilate." A large green circle appeared above the Jailbirds' heads. It was similar to the mark she had but she felt the difference in power between them. In one motion, the stranger swung her hand down. The green circle came down and disappeared to the floor of dark ether, taking both Taeyeon's circle and Jailbirds with it. The agent's eyes widened in shock. How... How is this possible.
She heard the other woman laugh. "You look surprised, Taeyeon-ah. Did you actually think you're the only one?" She reached for something in the inner pockets of her coat. Taeyeon sensed the movement and held her hands at the ready.
"Relax, Taeyeon-ah." The agent heard the sound of foil, followed by something hard being bitten. Her nose caught the whif of cocoa. Chocolate.
"Want some?"
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And another grueling chapter for me ends. ㅋ. I guess by now, you already have an idea on who this chocolate-loving stranger is. ㅋㅋ. Aegis is nearing its end. What d'ya think's going to happen? ^^
P.S. Credits to ufotable for all the Fate/Zero references. 'Double Accel' & 'Square Accel' are property of ufotable and Type-Moon and are by no means being stolen by me, snowymeadows. I love Fate/Zero too much to commit intellectual thievery. All credits go to them talented lot.
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