Chapter 54: Veiss

“The carrier can’t take much more of this,” Jamali said, manoeuvring the huge transport carrier to avoid the laser fire from the laser cannons stationed all over the capital estate. The cannons were everywhere. In the bushes, in the pond, on the small football field and two mounted atop the main building in the centre of the property.

“Just get us over the main building,” Veiss ordered. His voice calm as a leader should be in times like this.

‘The plan is being rushed. We needed more time to properly execute.’

They exposed themselves when they discharged the field disruptor. The shockwave from the destruction of the glass field had knocked them out of stealth. Their carrier was a large target so they subsequently had to endure heavy fire destroying some of the mirror panels covering the ship. As such they hadn’t been able to dive back into stealth to covertly encroach on the capital building.

It was only thanks to some expert piloting the ship hadn’t been totalled yet and was able to continue its advance on their target.

“Dammit,” Jamali said.

“What’s wrong?” Veiss asked.

“I’m picking up over 3 dozen heat signatures littered all over the roof. I’m guessing they’re all mages,” Jamali said.

“Seems Dybala’s intel was off,” Laxus said.

“Yes,” Veiss said. “But we didn’t give her enough time to compromise a complete and accurate scouting report. Because project New Dawn wasn’t supposed to take place for at least another year.”

“The master has spoken,” M’Khabye said piously. “Keep your faith and everything will work itself out.”

‘Faith isn’t a fucking plan.’

“Even so,” Diaby said as if noting his annoyance. “The roof is still our most viable breach point.”

‘It’s suicide,’ Veiss solemnly thought.

He swept his eyes across the agents, all core members of the organization.

‘We should abort?’

However the master had given an explicit order. It was one thing to misinterpret a distress call but to directly disobey the master’s orders would be the end of his stay in the AoF.

And now wasn’t the time to go through with his treasonous plan. The master had an astra now so he had to reassess his strategy to take him out. He could only obey orders until he was ready to execute his plans.

‘We don’t need to outright duke it out. Our target is governor.’

He tried to view the bigger picture to this.

Besides he had his usual contingency plan which summed up to creating a diversion and running for his life.

“Don’t worry so much,” Diaby said, through his dusk mask. “The master will reinforce us once he’s done with Murakami.”

Veiss regarded the youth. He was hard to get along with, extremely lazy, pushed his controls every chance he got and most annoyingly he was a master fan-boy.

‘But he is my future brother-in-law.’

This is why he said.

“You’re right.”

Veiss smiled appreciatively but secretly thought.

‘I wouldn’t count on it. No battle at the astra level should be that short. Were on our own.’

“Get ready to jump,” Jamali said opening the cargo door.

Veiss took long breaths to compose himself. Instead of finding Zen he found himself cringing at the screech of metal.

He swivelled and watched the old witch motioning to the open door, using both hands to drag a thrust-hammer with a meter long handle.

“You aren’t planning to fight with that?” Veiss asked.

She couldn’t even lift the thing, let alone swing it.

“Perfect weapon for crowd control,” M’Khabye said. She noticed his look and added. “I’m saving my strength I’ll lift it in a moment.”

“You’ll break your bones before you lift that.”

She smiled knowingly.

Veiss face palmed. “I’m going to die surrounded by idiots.” He muttered almost inaudibly

“Get ready,” Jamali reminded.

Veiss walked up to M’Khabye by the edge. Braced against the air pressure and sneaked a look down. He flinched back his head as a laser beam slammed into the bottom side of the carrier. It shook violently but remained on course taking minimal damage.

Veiss balled his fists to control his trembling hands. The two laser cannons mounted on atop the building would pick them off out the sky before they even reached the roof.

He sucked in a cold breath and exhaled slow.

There was no turning back. Greatness couldn’t be achieved without taking risks here and there.

‘Even seemingly stupid risks.’

Veiss gave his head a solemn shake.

‘Besides I have my contingency plan.’

He glanced at the others again. Except for the pious M'Khabye who thought they’d survive no matter what if fate willed it. The other agents seemed just as reluctant as he was. Of course they wouldn’t chicken out but going into battle this rattled would be detrimental to their cause.

‘Motivational speech time.’

Veiss straightened his back, puffed his chest out and wore the most even kill expression he could muster. He opened his mouth but paused because in the corner of his eye. M’Khabye was leaping off the carrier.

“Hey! Wait!” Veiss howled. Reached out his hand, clutched nothing but air. He could do nothing but watch as the old witch nosedived off the aircraft, thrust-hammer in hand.

“Watch out for the...” Veiss trailed off as the two cannons locked onto her. “…laser cannons.”

Two rays of laser fire beamed into her. Veiss winced and pulled his face away.

This was indeed suicide.

‘I should let all of them jump out first. Abort before my turn comes and return to the master to report how bravely they died.’

“Who’s next? Let’s go!” Veiss said.

“Wait!” Laxus said and seized Shenko’s shoulder. “If I may make a suggestion.”

“What is it?”

“We wait”

“Why?”

“We should let her make way first.”

“Who?” Veiss snapped.

“Look,” Diaby said pointing.

Veiss traced the direction his finger was point down to.

Mid-air, still rapidly descending was old M’Khabye. Thick smoke trailed her body as she plummeted. Besides her tattered and burnt robes there wasn’t a scratch on her.

But it wasn’t that she was alive that amazed Veiss. She was bigger, more muscular.

“What’s going?” Jamali asked.

But no one could give her an answer.

The laser cannons took a moment to reload and flamed into her again. Mech suits were a luxury the AoF couldn’t afford yet. So mid-air the old witch was an easy target, unable to manoeuvre much.

When the laser cannons paused to recharge again, something shot down and smashed into the roof like a small meteor.

An intense shockwave followed the impact. Veiss’ eyes widened when he caught sight of M’Khabye’s thrust-hammer within the rubble of what used to be one of the laser cannons.

Before he could truly appreciate the scene, the whistle of splitting air sounded and the old witch crash landed into the other cannon and dented the turret beyond operation.

“An opening,” Laxus said.

“Jamali circle back,” Veiss commanded.

They’d been hesitant and missed their drop point but his greatest worry – the two laser cannons – had been solved.

‘Thanks to Steroid M’Khabye.’

Veiss couldn’t quite wrap his mind around her sudden increase in size. He figured the nanites had something to do with it but it was still quite the sight, seeing her wrinkled skin fill out into toned muscles.

M’Khabye flicked her hand out. The hammer’s thrusters ignited and it propelled itself back to her. She caught and held it in one had as if it weighed nothing.

“Come at me little ones,” she said with a little more boast than was appropriate for someone her age. But then again someone her age wasn’t supposed to be such a muscular specimen.

From the darkness numerous figures emerged. They were dressed in ebony battle gear without any insignia or emblems which was odd.

“Shadow Coven,” Veiss said.

And they were quick to surround the old witch but she looked far from panicked. Four of the shadow mages charged her. The four shadows looked normal but from their economical movements Veiss reckoned their bodies were more machine than man. Two shadows launched a frontal assault whilst the other two attacked from the old shaman’s blind spots.

M’Khabye fixed her stance. With two hands on the thrust-hammer she raised it over her head.

The four shadows activated an internal speed enhancement augmentation and flashed forward. They entered melee range in the blink of an eye. They all drew blade hilts and their photon swords sizzled on and they jabbed at old shaman.

M’Khabye was surrounded and all four blades hit their mark.

“Impossible!” One of her shadows screamed.

Their photon blades had barely pierced her muscle hardened skin.

“I wasn’t able to react,” M’Khabye said with furrowed brows. “Seems I still underestimated you younglings.”

Veiss watched slack jawed as her body grew again. The sleeves of her robes tore under the pressure of her bulging muscles.

“She looks like more monstrous than any champion body builder I’ve ever seen,” Diaby said.

“No shit,” Veiss said but was just as awed.

Before the shadows could react, she brought down her hammer on one of their heads. Bone crunched, the fellows head whipped down and hung by limp neck as his body fell slowly.

“Get away from her!” A voice reverberated across the whole roof.

The three remaining shadows retreated. She let the ones behind her flee and gave chase to the one in her sights.

She kicked off the ground, easily kept up with him. She swung at him. As if her arm strength wasn’t monstrous enough already, the thrusters on her hammer ignited and propelled it even faster, leaving a trail of light with her arching swing.

She caught the fellows square in the temple. His head whipped so hard Veiss could’ve sworn it was trying to escape his body.

M’Khabye swept her gaze around the three dozen or so shadow coven surrounding her and holding their ground. The old shaman charged, in an attempt to forcefully breakthrough the encirclement.

The shadows expanded their encirclement in response. The old shaman was tenacious and much faster than the shadows.

‘So it’s only a matter of time till she reaches them.’

M’Khabye froze mid-stride.

Veiss shivered. Even from way up in the carrier he could feel it. About three dozen subliminal waves wailed into the old witch, dumped incoherent thoughts directly into her psyche and mentally overloaded her brain into submission. The mind couldn’t process the sudden influx of so much direct information all at once.

“They screamed her,” Diaby said.

“No shit,” Veiss snapped.

“A mental assault of that magnitude would drive a normal person insane,” Diaby said.

“As a cybermage she’ll only get knocked out,” Veiss said.

“But she’s no regular mage is she now,” Laxus said. “She’s a Primordial One.”

M’Khabye suddenly resumed her charge.

“How?” Diaby asked, his head tilted toward Laxus so he knew the question was directed at him but the old man didn’t reply.

‘The nanites must’ve jolted her wake,’ Veiss thought.

He grimaced.

Veiss was glad he hadn’t rushed to execute his treasonous plan. The nanites had more functions he could imagine. The shaman had gifted the master an annoying upgrade to deal with.

But deal with it he would. Otherwise he’d never receive his inheritance. And he’d never receive what he was owed no matter the obstacles in his way.

‘When I eventually execute my plan, I should try and extract them from the master’s corpse.’

“Haa!” The old witch roared as she viciously tossed the hammer at one of the shadows. The enforcer raised his glass shield and took on a firm stance.

The shield held but the impact force sent him skidding across then off the roof and plummeting down.

M’Khabye made a pullback gesture and the thrust-hammer flew back to her.

The old shaman picked another target but she froze mid motion and unbalanced. Another tsunami of mental attacks had assaulted her but she recovered in time to keep herself from falling.

She dashed for a group of shadows. They tried to scatter but weren’t quick enough. The shaman aimed her hammer behind her and its thrusters ignited. Accelerated the speed of her charge and pushed her into a group of shadows.

“Clever,” Diaby said.

And Veiss had to agree. As long as she fought them at close range they wouldn’t be able to continuously scream her without taking out some of their own and she can recover from being screamed whilst they can’t.

M’Khabye swung and bashed two of the shadows faster than they could dodge.

An ominous feeling was spread amongst the Shadow Coven. No, even Veiss felt a tinge of fear as they hesitated to drop down again.

‘Does she even need our help? We’d only be in the way.’

Besides none of them could remain standing after the Shadow Coven’s mental bombardments.

“Blind her! Go for her eyes,” one of the shadows, presumably their leader bellowed.

A shadow jabbed for the old hag’s right eye. She ducked easily enough and bashed the thrust-hammer into his gut. The shadow wheezed and folded to his knees.

But the action confirmed the shadows were onto something.

‘She can’t harden her eyes and they’ll exploit that no matter the sacrifice.’

“Rush her,” the lead shadow said. “Go for her eyes.”

The Shadow Coven all rushed her without hesitation, without regard for formation, simply intent on throwing bodies at her and blades into her eyes.

“We should do something,” Laxus said. “I doubt they can kill her but they might manage to blind and/or immobilize her.”

‘Indeed, now that they know her weakness, this kind of human wave tactic might work.’

“I know,” Veiss said.

‘Also such an overbearing fighting style can’t be without its limitations.’

Veiss expertly surmised.

‘Time for me to shine then.’

Veiss pulled out his trump card, a coin like device.

“Is that a Flashnuke???” Diaby asked.

Veiss grinned wide. Flicked the manual switch and tossed it off the carrier, down over the roof.

“Fucking hell,” Laxus snorted, hoisted an arm to shield his eyes. The other agents also wisely looked away or covered their eyes. Veiss stared at the Flashnuke through smart sunglasses eyes as it erupted. The roof was engulfed in an explosion of brilliant white light. Multiple grunts echoed through the night sky as everyone’s eyes stung except for Veiss who watched on, entranced by his work.

“No wonder you always wear sunglasses,” M’Khabye said as her sight almost instantly recovered.

She smiled wickedly and used the opening he had created to wreak havoc amongst the blinded Shadow Coven.