Caelus had never fought someone like Svarog before.
He fought a giant space dragon.
He fought a bunch of Silvermane Gaurds.
He'd fought plenty of robots.
But none like Svarog.
All the robots he fought were like hand grenades.
Svarog was a whole nuclear bomb.
Now, now, we're not doing any of that turn based 🐂💩 here. I can tolerate it as a gameplay style, but not in writing. Ik I can't write fight scenes for 💩 but I'll give it a go in three... two...
...
Dan Heng and Seele moved first, blitzing the automaton before he could take action.
Svarog met them with just as much ferocity, outstretching a hand which glowed molten gold before he fired a beam towards Dan Heng.
The young man darted out of the way, evading the attack with ease while Seele managed to get close, swinging her scythe and jabbing it into the side of the automaton's neck.
Svarog didn't even falter, tearing the scythe right back out as he gripped onto it and pulled, taking Seele along with it.
The woman was flung away, Svarog firing a barrage of missiles after her before grabbing Dan Heng by the top of his head before he could even move.
There was a hiss and creak of parts moving, causing the robot's grip on Dan Heng to tighten as Svarog attempted to crush the young man's head, only for a flurry of arrows launched by March to strike him in the side.
He held up an arm to block a majority of the arrows, his moment of distraction allowing Caelus to get in close and jab the robot right in the eye with the tip of his bat.
He was snatched up as well, lifted up and slammed face first into the ground. Caelus could've sworn he saw stars for a second as the ground cracked beneath him upon impact, pain spreading throughout his face and skull.
'That... that 💩 should've killed me.' Caelus thought.
Caelus managed to turn his head to the side and could see Dan Heng's eyes just behind Svarog's hand which was still clamped over his head.
The ebony haired young man managed to jab his polearm into the space where the robot's arm connected with the rest of his body. Just in time to ensure that Caelus wouldn't get 🚚ing killed.
A shout from Seele alerted Svarog of her return, but he was shot in the face by Bronya before he could think of swatting the approaching Underworld woman.
She spiraled mid air, gaining more and more speed before her scythe latched onto the robot's arm.
Using her strength and momentum, she tore the scythe right back out and took a bunch of components from Svarog's arm along with her. The mechanical limb sparked and jolted before Dan Heng was freed only for the automaton to strike him in the chest with a giant metal fist.
The train guard had the air knocked out of him, and his gasp of pain was strangled as the robot kicked him hard enough to send him flying right into Bronya.
Caelus was lifted from the ground, and the heat he felt on the back of his head was a clear sign that the robot had intentions of blasting his head right off.
"Stop right there, you rusty old bucket!" March snapped, aiming to fire another arrow only for a giant floating robot hand to grab her, "What the-?!"
Another grabbed ahold of both Bronya and Seele, squishing the two together while Dan Heng was grabbed by a third.
Caelus thought he'd be okay when Svarog dropped him, but another giant mechanical hand matched into him right afterwards.
All of them progressively tightened their grip, intending to crush them once and for all.
'Oh 💩, this might actually be it-' Caelus realized as the mechanical hand restricted his breathing more and more, applying increasing amounts of unyielding pressure to that his skeleton wouldn't be able to withstand for much longer, 'Getting crushed by a robot. What a sucky way to die.'
"Oh, come on!" March complained as she wiggled in the mechanical hand's grasp, a frustrated look on her face as she encased it in ice to at least hinder its functions long enough to keep herself alive.
She took a look at Caelus who didn't seem to be able to free himself, same with Seele and Bronya who were quickly running out of time and air with how they were being squeezed together, and Dan Heng who's arms were locked at his sides and Cloud-Piercer laying on the ground a couple feet away.
March looked to Svarog next, and of course found no hesitation or pity in the robot's single eye.
'Of course not, it's a 🚚ing robot!' March thought angrily and gasped when the ice holding off the mechanical hand began to crack and fall away, '💩! I don't have much time! Come on, I need to do something-!'
Dan Heng probably had it the worst out of them, the mechanical hand which had grabbed into him keeping its hold tight and only getting tighter.
The pressure against his bones was becoming too much, and breathing caused pain. The lack of oxygen began to cause the young man's vision to waver, but he was fighting the inevitable loss of consciousness.
'Not now...' he zeroed in on Cloud-Piercer, so close yet so far, 'I can't pass out now—! Not yet!'
No matter how much the trailblazers, Seele, or Bronya struggled, they couldn't free themselves, and that was that. They'd die right there and then, crushed to death by—
Oh, maybe not.
Caelus didn't see what hit Svarog but he felt how it caused the whole robot's body to vibrate as it exploded way too close for the walking hydrogen bomb's comfort.
Either way, he was released and dropped to the ground while the automaton stumbled back. Everyone else was free as well, all on the ground coughing and trying to get air flowing back into their lungs.
"Hm, how could you all expect to put up a good fight without a doctor on the battlefield?" all eyes turned to Natasha as she carefully reloaded the big 🍑 rocket launcher of a gun which she'd used to shoot Svarog.
"Nat!" Caelus exclaimed, "You're here!"
"Just stay focused," she instructed as Sampo joined her, giving the group a little smile and a bow *what a cutie pie I love him sm*, "I'm right behind you."
"But Nat, how did you-?" Seele began.
"Guess you guys had a bad talk, huh? Luckily, good 'ol Sampo's got your back!" Sampo exclaimed.
"Sampo! I knew you'd be involved somehow!" Seele actually seems genuinely happy, though the same couldn't be said about March.
"Y'know, if he wasn't the reason y/n disappeared, I'd actually be happy right now." March huffed.
"Base breached. Armed Wildfire personnel detected. Assessing..." oh no, not again, "All subjects are high-risk individuals. Commencing complete annihilation."
The group faced off against Svarog again, preparing to attack once more. Everyone was still a little hesitant, considering the dude nearly jsut took all of them out at once, but Caelus's self-preservation skills went out the window.
'He's all that stands between me, y/n, and finding a way to get to the Stellaron! Now is not the time to hesitate!' Caelus reminded himself before charging, "Bring it on!"
Svarog lifted a hand, preparing to blast his face off as soon as the young man got close enough, but neither got to cause the other any further harm.
A hand gripped the underside of Svarog's, forcing it upwards so he blasted a beam into the sky while another grabbed Caelus's bat and stopped it before it could strike the robot.
"Hey." y/n peeked past her arm so Caelus could see her, "Breaking up fights is boring as hell and a hassle, but lookie here, you forced me to step in anyways."
Caelus's eyes lit up, "Y/n, you're okay!"
"Mr. Svarog, Caelus, everyone, I believe that's enough." she hummed with a small smile before nodding her head over to where Clara stood a distance away, Mimi held tightly in her grasp, "I'd rather you not make Clara cry."
After everyone settled down, y/n convincing everyone to put their weapons away, Clara hurried to stand front of the giant automaton.
Y/n, on the other hand, was swarmed by March and Caelus who demanded to know if she was okay.
She couldn't outright tell them the immense pain she was currently fighting just to stay standing, so she told them to 🚚 off because they interrupted her *nonexistent* nap.
Dan Heng, as usual, saw through her bs and stood close to her as the group watched the interaction between Clara and Svarog unfold.
"One to ten?" the young man asked quietly.
"One hundred." y/n replied quietly.
Dan Heng inhaled quietly before exhaling heavily, gently grasping y/n's hand and bringing her closer so she could lean against him for support.
God damn, she was tired as hell. And she hadn't even been keeping up with her train guard duties!
'Definitely gonna stick with Archivist after this...'
"Mr. Svarog, you said you were willing to make all my wishes come true, right? My biggest wish right now is for everyone to work together." Clara pleaded, "Like... like family... I learned something new recently, that calculation results can't always bring happiness. Even if the world outside the cage isn't beautiful, people still want to know what it's like."
Svarog was quiet for a long moment.
"Assessment system reset... successful. Processing variables..." aha, all seemed to be going quite well, "Variable 1: Clara's request... Variable 2: Outsider's intentions. ...updated assessment result: Transference of decision-making authority to outsiders. Outsiders are granted access to Stellaron intelligence."
"I mean, we already know what it is, we just wanna know where it is so we can get it sealed." y/n sighed.
"So... does this mean we did it?" March inquired.
"Thanks to Clara." Caelus murmured before giving the tired y/n a grateful look, "And y/n for stepping in the middle."
"Clara seems like the only one who can break through Svarog's cold logic." Dan Heng glanced at the h/c haired idiot using him for support, "And, considering that y/n didn't get attacked the moment she stepped in, it seems like you've got the same effect as well. It's a good thing you both were here."
Y/n blinked before smiling, "Heh, guess I've got that charming effect on both people and robots, eh? What do you need him for anyways?"
"He has information on the Stellaron." March pointed out, "We tried asking, but... you see how that worked out."
"Ah... it is what it is." y/n murmured before giving her companions a smile, "I'm just glad you're all okay. Also— you didn't kill Sampo, right?"
"No, no, but, that does remind me." Dan Heng gave y/n's arm a pinch and she yelled, flinching away, "That's for sneaking back up to the Overworld without backup," he gave her back a poke and she cringed away, "And that's for not answering your phone."
She blinked, "My... phone?"
She pulled it out and found that there were hundreds of missed calls and unread messages from March, Caelus, and Dan Heng. Y/n's expression immediately fell when she realized she'd missed a call from Welt.
"AAAA, I MISSED A CALL FROM MR. YANG!!!"
"THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT?!" March demanded before grabbing y/n and shaking her violently, "YOU JERK! DO YOU REALIZE HOW WORRIED I WAS?! SHOW SOME CONSIDERATION!"
"OWWW, DON'T DO THAT, IT HURTS!"
As y/n and March we're going back and forth, fighting like little kids, Dan Heng gave the h/c haired woman a once over. You'd never be able to tell that she was in pain, she did a damn good job at hiding it. Even now.
Dan Heng fought the urge to let out a sigh.
'When we return to the express, we may end up having to return to Herta Space Station for something to ease the pain.' Dan Heng decided, 'Until then... I'm probably not going to be getting any sleep for a while.'
"You all should go get that information on the Stellaron from Mr. Svarog." y/n advised as she pried March's hands away from her, keeping a firm but gentle hold on them as she rubbed her thumbs over the top of March's hands, "I think I'm gonna go take a rest..."
"A rest? Are you feeling tired? If you want, I could escort you back to the hotel in Boulder Town." Caelus offered quickly and y/n frowned.
"But don't you need to learn about the Stellaron?"
"Leave it to March and I. It'd be better if you got some rest." Dan Heng instructed, "Caelus, if you don't mind, would you take her back to the hotel in Boulder Town."
"Are you sure?" y/n asked quietly.
"I'll go ahead and take an extended shift on being train guard this time." Dan Heng replied with a nod.
Y/n hummed, "I see... let me get Mimi, first."
She wandered over to Clara who still stood with Svarog, and opened her mouth to request to get Mimi back, but the girl hugged her leg before she could get a word out.
"Huh—? Clara?" y/n mumbled.
"Thank you for stopping the fight, Miss Y/n... I understand that you were in a lot of pain, and you still must be now, but... thank you..." the girl said quietly.
Y/n hesitated, unsure of what she was about to do but placed a hand on Clara's head in an awkward attempt to comfort her.
"Y-Yeah... no problem..."
Dan Heng wasn't kidding when he said y/n needed to rest. The moment he brought her to the hotel and helped her into the bed, she was out like a light.
Caelus sat on the bedside, a small frown on his face as y/n laid sprawled out on the mattress while snoring quietly.
One arm had Mimi secured to her chest while the other was latched onto Caelus's hand, keeping him from moving.
Quite the strange one y/n was.
Caelus's arm was getting tired from keeping himself upright, so he laid down with y/n instead. Close enough for her to keep her hold on his hand *he didn't want to disturb her rest* but not too close.
'I'm in need of some sleep as well... I've been up for way too long.' Caelus thought sleepily, 'I'll just close my eyes for a second.'
. 。 ⋆ • ﾟ 。 . . . 。 . 。
⋆ 。 ⋆。 ඞ 。 . • . . ⁎ 。 . 。 . ⋆. 。 . . . ⋆. 。. ⁎ 。• ﾟ 。
"Y/n, come on, look alive! We've got fresh air!"
"Mmrgh..."
Y/n was hurting. Not as much, but hurting.
The fresh air sort of helped, but she was still feeling like 💩. She felt like she was going to collapse.
The group had awoken at the most ungodly hours of the morning to return to the surface, only to make y/n even more tired in their attempt to sneak over to a shop.
Y/n found herself actively dozing off.
Prior to them returning to the Overworld, they'd paid Clara and Svarog one last visit beforehand. It was then that Clara politely asked y/n to stay safe and requested that she return to play house with her, Perkins, and Mr. Svarog sometime.
She got the thumbs up in response.
Not a definite yes or no.
Svarog also had something to say.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how much pain do you feel on a daily basis outside of activities that may cause exertion?"
"Uh... 8 when I'm not doing anything, 10 when I'm doing stuff." y/n replied blankly, "What's this about?"
"It is as I expected. You do not have a reason to worry, your immune system is working to remove the cells that do not belong. Just continue to rest well."
'If my immune system is fighting it, doesn't it mean it could kill me? ' y/n fought off a miserable sigh, "Will do, Mr. Svarog."
Anyways, now that they were back in the administrative district, they needed to find a place to take cover quickly.
Sampo had already run off, and it was only a matter of time before somebody recognized one of them and called the Silvermane Guards one them.
Dan Heng suggested that they pay a visit to Serval Landau, a person y/n didn't recognize, but did recognize the last name.
Gepard had that last name, didn't he?
Landau... Landau...
Oh, 💩.
'Is she married to Captain 🚚-up?' y/n wondered.
They all hurried towards a shop, careful to avoid the Silvermane Guards, and March was the one to knock on the door.
"Who is it?" a voice called out, "The shop is closed today, so you'll have to come back tomorrow!"
"It's the radiator fixers!" Caelus exclaimed.
"Radiator..." y/n squinted, "What?"
"Hah...? Oh!" there was an immediate change in tone, "The three outsiders! Come in quickly, the Silvermane Guards are looking for you all!"
They didn't have to be asked twice, walking into the shop as casually as they could in hopes of not alerting anyone nearby.
Upon entry, y/n immediately spotted the Serval lady and observed her closely. She did look a lot like Gepard, so maybe they weren't married...?
Unless...
Y/n cringed, 'Ew...'
"Alright, you all should be safe here. My workshop has pretty good soundproofing and barely anyone comes in." Serval hummed, "But... what crime did you commit anyways? They recalled a bunch of guards from the front line to track you down. Now they're patrolling the whole city and everyone is in a panic."
"Woah, talk about overkill..." Caelus murmured.
"We just-!" March began.
"Not yet, March." Dan Heng interjected before glancing back at Serval, "Bronya said we could trust you completely..."
"You mean to say you don't trust me completely?"
Ooo... tension.
"Good!" Serval exclaimed, "That's smart of you. But you needn't worry. Cocolia and I are no longer on speaking terms. After all, she was the one who ejected me from the Architects. I refuse to stand with her."
"Mm... sounds like the two of you have got some history." y/n commented with a tilt of her head.
Serval only offered a smile, "I don't believe you guys would do anything bad, and the Aechitects are gonna need conclusive and publicly available evidence if I'm gonna think otherwise. Besides, I know the Arcitects, and if they did have evidence, they would've most definitely released it by now. I know Cocolia's style — get everyone into a frenzy first. Most people won't stop to ponder the details."
"Sounds like you know Cocolia well." Caelus pointed out and Serval chuckled, an almost strained chuckle.
"Heh, you could say that... we were like sisters once. Of course, before she became the supreme guardian." Serval murmured, "These days I just spend my time fixing thing and playing music. It's pretty carefree existence."
"It sounds like you and the snake have a pretty complicated existence, but I don't wanna stand here chatting about all that." y/n complained, "We need your help, actually."
"Y/n." Dan Heng began in a warning tone.
"Enough being indirect and 💩, I'm tired of it!" she snapped, "Miss Serval we have something to tell you."
"Oh! Oh! I'm a good story teller! Let me do it!" March exclaimed, lightly bouncing in excitement.
Dan Heng looked like he wanted to complain, "...fine, just don't embellish the facts."
(ugh, I just want *to be* his scarf)
[Revision Complete]