Princess Parasoul Renoir's Story

Meanwhile, at the Renoir Estate, Chaperon and Alastor approached the front gate. They were met by the two soldiers standing guard - they were dressed in sturdy olive-green uniforms and reinforced helmets, and displayed ornate red armbands with umbrellas marked on them.

"Hang on..." said one of the soldiers. "Reddish hair, golden X-shaped eyes, an imposing bodyguard...!"

"Princess Chaperon!" said the other soldier, he and his partner giving a salute. "You're a few minutes late."

"I do apologize, sirs," Chaperon said, giving a gentle polite bow. "Things were happening faster than I expected at the Dome."

"We understand, miss," said the first soldier. "Actually, that brings up a recent addendum with...ah, never mind. You'll be informed of it soon."

"Please, do come in," said the second soldier, opening the gate.

"Thank you again," said Chaperon as she and Alastor entered.

As they walked toward the estate, they turned their attention to a drill going on in the courtyard - many more of the soldiers are going through a routine drill, commanded by a tall young woman with long crimson hair, all-black clothes, and a blade-tipped parasol with fiery-orange bulges on it.

"...I expect every one of you to report to the armory, assemble your weapons, and come right back here within the next 10 minutes! Am I clear?"

"SIR!" And with that, the soldiers ran toward the armory station (in an orderly manner).

The lady then turned around and noticed Chaperon, giving a smile back. "D'Hjerte, it's been a while."

Chaperon joined the lady at the nearby tea table. "Mm-hmm. Too long, Commander Renoir - "

"Please, call me Parasoul." The lady, Princess Parasoul, took a seat, Chaperon following suit. Alastor just stood by.

"So, what did you call me for?" Chaperon asked.

"Chaperon, as one of the leaders of Fantasma, one of your top priorities is the safety of your people," Parasoul opened. "Though Fantasma hasn't experienced many catastrophes as of late..." She stopped a moment here, trying to bring herself to continue the next part.

"...What are you getting at?" Chaperon asked with concern.

"Well...here. Take a look." Parasoul presented a laptop displaying a decrypted text file found from a stray source. Chaperon examined the words in it...and soon widened her eyes in shock.

The file displayed typed observations of several key subjects - for instance, one was a nephilim, a few others were of the fae, another was rich in magical strength, even a unicorn and pegasus are listed, even a dragon and an orc. Under each subject's name was biological characteristics and a few possible super-effective measures against them. Oh, and for any subjects that were even remotely human, there was insistence that none of them were human at all, and shouldn't be trusted. Chaperon recognized several of these subjects as denizens of Fantasma.

"A stray signal tangled into our communications feed...We're still having trouble pinpointing the source," Parasoul explained, "but it seems to be some kind of research compilation on anyone with any kind of supernatural qualities, or 'superhuman' as some people might refer..."

"These subjects...This has observations of people from across the globe!" Chaperon said in shock. "What could this mean...?"

"I'm not sure yet, but this may very well compromise the safety of many," Parasoul said plainly. "I was hoping I would get in contact with representatives of Dream Valley, Coronach, and Yuyake about this, but no luck so far."

"I...see."

"We're all in this together, you know that. Discrimination and separation will only undermine us all. That is why I had to share this information with you."

"Of course. I'll keep a close watch for anything suspicious."

"Likewise."

Just then, the attack on Sanctuary was heard.

"(!) Of all the worst times to...!" Parasoul hurried over to her cadets, who have all arrived with their weapons assembled. "Black Egrets! We have a situation downtown! Move out, now!"

"SIR!" The Black Egrets headed for the motorcycles, driving off to Sanctuary.

"Parasoul!" Chaperon called out. "Let me help!"

"...Are you sure about this, Chaperon? You're still needed back home, you know, and I don't want to lose you out there."

"Well, Haven needs you, doesn't it? And don't worry about me - I've got Alastor with me."

"We will strike this problem at its core if we must," Alastor added.

"...Alright," Parasoul relented. "Thank you very much."

With that, Parasoul hopped onto the back of one of the Black Egret motorbikes while Chaperon (holding Alastor in the form of a shield) leaps into the air and drifts to the scene with her Fafnir parasol open.

"!" Lucas tunes up the DRACOS Junction, combining harmonic energy and subconscious strength to dissipate the fog around. At this time, Parasol and the Black Egrets arrive. "Oh - ! Commander Parasoul!"

"Vinisha." Parasol turns toward the mysterious figure in the fog. "So this is the attacker..."

Chaperon then floats in, touching down on the ground. Alastor changes from a shield to his regular form. "I'm getting a bad vibe from this...thing already. Certainly not a power of this world..."

The chanting abruptly stops as the fog is mostly dispelled, suddenly revealing Garrison, in the disguise of some sort of human dressed in robes and an odd draconic mask, holding a staff made entirely of bone. What's more concerning, however, is that behind him lies a rather large portal, where a horde of empty, yet glowing eyes stare out of.

"An astute observation," Garrison said.

"Egrets...ready yourselves," Parasoul whispered to her troops as they reach for their firearms, should the worst occur.

"Alright, listen up!" Lucas said to Garrison. "While we don't resort to violence as a first action, should you attempt to destroy Haven, we WILL we forced to use force. Understanding this... {cracks knuckles} ...are you sure you're willing to continue this assault?"

Garrison merely chuckles at Lucas' bravado, as thousands of voices within the portal behind him slowly join in as well, creating an unsettling cacophony of distorted laughter.

"Oh, believe me, child, I am more than willing," Garrison said. "Let me show you why."

Garrison promptly turns around to the portal behind him, outstretching his arms as he begins to chant in what sounds like broken Latin.

"Emergere, abyssium immundus creaturas! Ego præcipio tibi, Terreat egens terra illas dives et!"

Following his chant, Garrison soon disappears as the eyes in the portal follow suit, a black fog suddenly erupting from the portal and enveloping those nearby, reducing their visibility as hundreds of creatures - all of different shapes and sizes; some winged, some akin to hellish dogs, others being monstrous in size, and all of them sporting glowing eyes as well as being made out of a smoke-like darkness - start pouring out of it, quickly going on a rampage in Sanctuary!

Not a good idea to rush through Lucas - his DRACOS Junction emits a harmonic signal around himself in the shape of a large sphere, tearing any of these hellbeasts that come in contact with it.

"NOW!" The Black Egrets opened fire upon the incoming horde, as did Parasoul with her luger pistol and Krieg's rapid napalm shots.

Chaperon advanced through the mob, swinging her Fafnir through the monsters at about 10 swings per second. Alastor charged through, plowing down any monsters in his way.

Walking down the city streets, Ninjacker muses on how his life has been turning out. He had recently been contacted by Congressman Uldrich and requested to lend his scientific skill to the construction of new nuclear missiles if the Congressman's proposal for an expanded nuclear arsenal ended up getting through. With his new life here in Sanctuary, Ninjacker had been doing much work for Haven's government--from helping improve the power generators in various areas of the region, to building more nanites for the government to use as they please, to--of course--constructing weapons. But despite all of the compensation he had received for his services, Ninjacker was not very happy. He wanted to do more. All of this work had not been providing him with any sense of accomplishment; it was just all so... dull. He didn't want to admit it, but he missed--

And that's when he heard the explosion.

Finally drawn out of his inner thoughts and seeing what looks like some sort of dark mist not far away, Ninjacker begins running through the large crowd of on-lookers in front of him. Perhaps this is what he had been waiting for.

The mammal-based abyssal creatures quickly start falling one after another, most prominently from Chaperon's attacks in particular - either dispersing into smoke once sliced apart, or being riddled with bullets and collapsing, but more arrive to replace them; some even managing to sneak by in the resulting chaos, disappearing as they look for Sanctuary's hidden power generators. One of these few beasts almost runs into Ninjacker, as it tries to keep up with the others!

The giants and winged creatures, meanwhile, soon prove to be a problem, slowly turning the tide in the horde's favor when they enter the conflict - the winged ones being rather agile, flying about in the air and dodging some of the shots, grabbing random people or Black Egret soldiers from the ground and flying up with them, where they are either used as meat shields, dropped back to the ground from high up in the air, or dragged back into the portal, disappearing with their kidnappers.

The giants, meanwhile, are quite durable - literally serving as moving walls which some of the other, smaller creatures hide behind, taking quite the beating yet still trying to continue. Some of them slowly lumber their way forward before they expire, either swatting soldiers aside with relative ease or falling on top of them, as they attempt to carve a path.
One, in particular, manages to reach Lucas, raising a fist in an attempt to crush him, while another, just a little ways away, grapples Alastor, and begins wrestling with the large bodyguard!

Garrison, meanwhile, reappears on the roof of the building, watching the chaos unfold with utter glee, still in his disguise.

Most of the Black Egrets break free from the avians with ease, touching down on the ground with minimal injuries (mostly due to their unusually-resilient uniforms). Parasoul shoots down incoming avians with her pistol and napalm shots, aided by a hidden sniper.

"No you don't!!" Chaperon leaped from one avian to another, hacking each one with a swing of Fafnir. She then single-targeted many of the fiends with her Bomber Brolly technique, blasting each one with an orb of light.

Alastor is matched well by the giant, but amplifies its own strength with a cloak of umbrakinesis around its arms. "You underestimate me, lesser!" Lifting the giant up, Alastor swings it into the portal.

Lucas saw the giant looming over and, focusing harder, erupts the harmonic field into a sonicboom, blasting away the giant and any other fiends within range. The only reason the streets and buildings are unharmed is because of the "Selective Damage" feature on the DRACOS Junction.

From alleyways and on top of rooftops, men and women wearing theatrical masks open fire on the abyssal creatures - some with shotguns, others rifles, and some mere pistols. This is the Gracchus collective - men and women, essentially anarchists, who despise "higher powers" but cleraly have enough sense to focus on bigger threats - like shadowy creatures abducting people. While many don't have the military training of the Egrets, some are taking cover and using other hit-and-run guerilla tactics. Without said training, though, several are much more vulnerable to attacks and less able to break free or defend themselves in close quarters.

The abyssal giant that tried to wrestle Alastor roars in anger as it soars back into the portal and disappears, while the one that was about to crush Lucas is knocked back onto some of the abyssal creatures that was behind it, crushing them under it's weight.

Chaperon's technique clears out a large section of the horde; the creatures that come into contact with the light orbs screeching in agony as they dissipate into dark mist.

Most of the avian creatures are shot down in their attempts to grab Black Egret soldiers, but they soon learn from their mistake, and the others begin grabbing more ordinary citizens, instead of the trained troopers.

Either way, the tide for the battle seems to be constantly shifting between Haven's defenders and the hordes of the abyss - both sides clearly not giving up.

Garrison suddenly senses something, meanwhile, and promptly vanishes from his front-seat view of the battle..

-----

Elsewhere, within the room that houses the hidden generators in Sanctuary for certain isolated prisoner cells, a handful of lesser abyssal creatures - mostly dog and humanoid-like ones - break in, slaughtering any of the ordinary people that might have been hiding inside.

Seeing the generators and mistakenly believing them to be the source of Sanctuary's power, they howl in unison as Garrison suddenly appears in a burst of dark mist.

"..What do we have here, now?" Garrison ponders, staring at the generators with interest.

Chaperon leaps to any avians trying to abduct citizens, striking through the fiends themselves with Fafnir and letting Alastor catch the citizens. With Chaperon and Alastor saving the people, Parasoul and the Egrets can focus most of their time on the continuing horde. Lucas casts a harmonic shield in front, bumping the monsters into the Egrets' crossfire.

--------------------------------------------------

Elsewhere, several monsters were shot down by what seem to be thunderbolts...

A few of the monsters that weren't struck down by the thunderbolts pause and look about, trying to locate the source.

-----

New creatures suddenly start flocking out of the abyss portal, being carried by more avians; these new birds wearing a strange, almost chalk white-colored armor and glowing with a disturbing purple aura, while the monsters they are carrying look to be regular humanoids, save the fact their skin is bubbling with a grotesque, unstable yellow glow. These new monsters are dropped onto the heads of random people or the sides of various buildings, exploding violently the second they make contact.

-----

Back in the generator room, Garrison ponders on what to do, staring at the generators as one of the humanoid monsters grumbles something indiscernible to him.

"..No, I doubt this single generator room serves as Sanctuary's entire power grid," Garrison said, apparently talking to the monster. "The lesser beings are foolish, but not stupid. No, this seems to serve an entirely different purpose, and I daresay it's piqued my curiosity..."

Garrison outstretches one of his hands, and a beam of blinding light suddenly erupts from his palm, striking the generator, overflowing it with energy and causing it to explode. Whatever this generator might have been powering, it's certainly not anymore..

Several of the Gracchus collective have fallen in the recent assaults. Those still alive with sniper rifles take aim at the new glowing humanoids and open fire, trying to get the suicide bombers to explode while still being carried.

"New ones...?" Chaperon continued her aerial battle against these new avians, while Alastor provided cover against the bomb monsters. The Egrets assisted by sniping the bomb monsters before they can reach the ground. Parasoul used Krieg's sturdy material to block off one of the incoming bomb monsters.

--------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, over in the other section of town, those monsters were soon assaulted by a young lady with pink hair and a long gunblade! She zipped through the fiends, cutting them down in a flourish of steel.

Ninjacker arrives at the abyss portal, stares at the chaos going on, and draws his two laser katana. It had been a while since he threw himself into combat like this, but he was positive it wouldn't take him long to get back into his old rhythm. With that, he jumped up at several avians and their passengers and began slicing them.

The combined effort of the Gracchus collective and the Egrets in gunning down the suicide bombers, and Chaperon and Ninjacker dealing with the avians, proves much more successful than anticipated - either killing off both the bombers and the avians carrying them all at once, or downing the avians themselves, and as a result, dropping some of their packages onto either the abyssal horde, or onto areas of little importance, before they are able to swoop over the frontlines - but even with this advantage against them, the abyssal horde trudges on, undeterred.

"You unenlightened morsels put up quite the admirable defense, defending this 'haven' of greed and deceit," Garrison's voice suddenly calls out as he warps back to the roof of the building he was on previously, still wearing his disguise. "But lo, nothing can last for eternity!"

-----

The lesser creatures are quickly sliced to bits. To greet this new lady however, an abyssal giant, noticing her appearance, suddenly leaps into the area, causing a minor quake; roaring as it attempts to crush her under a massive fist!

Parasoul and the Egrets trudge on as well, driving the horde back. "We're working on fixing that, as it were!" Lucas, Chaperon, and Alastor are keeping up the fight as well.

-----

The pink-haired lady leaped in reaction to the giant's tremor-inducing landing, and dove through the monster with her gunblade greatly electrified.

-----

Meanwhile at the Templar base, Damian and Camilia are holding down the fort - this includes keeping the sword shards safe.

"...This is ridiculous," Damian finally said. "We're in enough condition to fight. Why can't we go out and - RRK!" Damian staggered in reaction to a pain in his back. Seems the Cave of Vice had a lasting effect on him there.

"Hold still!" Camilia said, hovering over to check the wound. "You'll warp the injury even more like that. Now then..." Breathing in deep, she exhaled a gentle blue mist onto Damian's back (Elixir Breath). Eventually, the pain in his back began subsiding.

"Right, sorry...I just...I just can't deal with there being havoc outside, and we're helpless to do anything about it."

"I understand, Damian...Still, it's not like we can't do anything from here - " Camilia's thought was interrupted when the monitor began ringing - someone was making a call. "...As I was saying~!" She went over and answered the call. "Hello?"

"(?) Wait, who's this? Where's Lucas at?" Whoever was calling seemed surprised.

Camilia wasn't sure how to explain Lucas's current predicament to a stranger. "Lucas? He's...busy at the moment. Who's calling?"