Now defenseless, the enemy had no means of lessening the impact of the trio's relentless advance. Upon crashing head-on into Novilunium, the crunch of his bones breaking against the unbending metal of their vessel's frame punctuated the unfurling chaos, quickly followed by the shattering of several other bones that were crushed underneath its metallic wheels as they drove over him.
Driver: Wanted to help, Virno?!
Without letting up, the driver presses yet another button, causing a large turret to spring out from the vehicle's bed at the back. Unlike the other turrets, this one didn't seem automatic.
Driver: Turn that freak into a strainer!
With a nervous grin on his face, Virno approaches the turret, trying his best to guess how it works.
Virno: I'll try...!
Noticing the slight unease in his voice, the driver is quick to give him further guidance.
Driver: Just grab the thing's handles and squeeze when the guy's on your sights, nothing to it. It'll do the rest for you...
Grabbing the two padded horizontal handles jutting from the turret, Virno aligns its crosshairs with his target and gives the trigger a squeeze. In that instant, the turret seems to awaken, exhaling a cloud of steam and executing subtle adjustments to its aim, honing in on Novilunium with eerie precision. Before long, the barrel begins spinning and a hailstorm of bullets rain down on the target.
Driver: Hahahah! Just like that...!
As they continue to widen the gap between themselves and their adversary, Ballo's brow glistens with beads of sweat, his breaths labored as he weaves yet another shield into existence, fortifying their defences against the looming threat.
Novilunium: S-STOP...
Yet it wasn't long until the sinister timbre of Novilunium's demonic voice pierced the stillness of the night once more, as his shambling, broken body slowly levitated from the ground and began flying in their direction, producing a new cloud of tar-like smoke to cover his body.
Ballo: Faster, we must go faster...!
Driver: We go much faster and I'm not sure this thing'll hold together...!
The vehicle shook violently, as its flimsy suspension did its best to withstand speeds that were far greater than it was designed for. Blindly trusting Clavia's invention, the driver chose not to slow down, committing to the plan of moving away from Novilunium as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the enemy wasn't about to let that happen...
Virno: Guys, he's trying something...!
Virno, having kept the turret's sights on him to the best of his abilities, had had his efforts thwarted by a sudden speed burst coming from his opponent, who had managed to escape the turret's onslaught. It appeared that, as the cloud grew larger, so did Novilunium's swiftness, having now rapidly ascended high overhead and flown off to one of the sides, far in the distance. There was no longer any chance that the turrets, automatic or otherwise, could keep tracking him accurately.
Ballo: What? What is he doing?!
Driver: Is he... Retreating?
Virno: No... No he isn't. WATCH OUT!
Harnessing the distance it had cunningly crafted, the black cloud surged forward, gathering momentum with an unstoppable force. It collided head-on with Ballo's shield, its magical barrier crumbling beneath the sheer ferocity of the impact, leaving them vulnerable and defenceless. In the face of such overwhelming speed, their reactions were rendered futile... All but Ballo's. He would not allow himself to be caught unprepared so easily.
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Tales of Undeath: The Von Virtus Chronicles
FantasyLong ago, in a world not dissimilar from our own, seven powerful mysterious weapons were forged. After centuries of dormancy, safely hidden from those who could abuse their power, one man's curiosity drove him to discover the resting place of one su...
