#aegis especially... he's a little guy and i fear putting him in situations

[twodragons-blooper-reel]

It'd be fun to do some aegis posting but also what the heck do I even post about with that boy... It's been four months...

[kimmysfandomblog]

1, 2, 3 and 9 for the meme :P

Thank you Serahne! You always send me asks for these memes, and I appreciate it :D

Also sorry for the delay again. This time I actually had computer trouble when I was near the end, so I lost my answer, lol. ANyways, I’m sorry it’s really long because I like to go on tangents and further explain things ^^;

From Here: https://kimmysfandomblog.tumblr.com/post/169753929827/ship-asks

what is your absolute favorite ship?

what ship do you hate most?

what was your first ship, and what fandom is it from?

what is the most underrated ship, in your opinion?

Just as a warning, I do quite a bit of ship negativity and have V3 spoilers for the last question! check the tags for the ships that I’m negative about.

what is your absolute favorite ship?

Well, I think it’s pretty obvious that KomaHina is my favorite pairing! I love the relationship Haji and Ko have with each other. It’s a very complicated one, no doubt, but these boys always seem to create more complications instead of fixing any misconceptions ^^;.

What I really love is the potential for the ship post-canon! I feel like now that there is no time pressure, they’ll both finally have a chance to heal. I think that these two had it the toughest. They both believed strongly in Hope’s Peak Academy’s poisonous mentality in Talent being equivalent to how worthy you are as a person, measured in “Hope” for how much you can help society later. They both never considered themselves anything special and were on the outside looking in, but their way to cope with being “average” was different. While Ko just accepts his place, not even taking any compliments because he feels like he doesn’t deserve them, Haji fights to prove his own worth, and if the system for worth is based on talent, he even sacrificed his own body, mind, and spirit to finally be of worth. They are at these two extremes of how to cope, so I think given their perspectives on the issue and having it be proven just how toxic the mentality is, they can in turn help each other find that balancing point of acceptance to the new world order, so to speak.

Also, even in-game, there was a dynamic showing their strengths and weaknesses playing off one another. Haji is a super caring guy, and he genuinely tries to understand Ko, no matter how wary he feels of him. However, he always runs away from problems or denies them, even if he does eventually come back to try to solve them. Ko, in the mean time, cares, but he cares more for the toxic ideology of Hope’s Peak Academy (which is understandable once you know his backstory). All of his decisions are not based on emotion, but on what he would deem the logically best outcome (or maybe ideologically?). He is always fully against running away from the problem, no matter how tough the solution would be. So, in how I view these two characters, they compliment each other so well. Haji would be the emotional support and hopefully help Ko open up more to him and to the others so that he can learn to care about himself, and Ko can be the logical one motivating Haji not to run from problems, or the solutions that would probably lead to some sort of loss.

Everyone points out the aborted confession means Ko has a crush on Haji, but Haji really did like Ko in the beginning. They both felt calm towards each other, and Haji’s rejection towards Ko in the first trial was a result of him feeling betrayed that he person he woke up to on the beach was not the person Haji thought he was. Still, he tris to understand Ko while the others accept him as an outcast and don’t give a chance, while Haji feels conflicted because he’d seen a nicer side of Ko, so while he’d like to do the same, his caring side is asking himself why things turned out this way. That’s why I’m sure he was close to forgiving Ko in the FTEs. If Ko had a good reason for his actions, than why not forgive him and help him? Haji tries the whole game to deny any association with Ko, but it’s there and he realizes how much Ko helps even if he doesn’t ever admit it.

Koma//Hina brings up so many good points of discussion, and it leads to thinking about all of these AUs and speculations about post canon. The relationship is very complex, and it’s easily put into many different situations and wonder just how they would handle it. I guess that is why I like it so much!!! I hope that Kodaka never touches the Hope’s Peak storyline again and mess it up though :/ We really don’t need to, like, ship Haji with an AI or some other female charcter just to keep him straight and keep Ko the tragic character. Just saying :P

what ship do you hate most?

I have very few ships that I hate, so it wasn’t that hard to pick Junko///miki. Mikan has been through abuse and sexual exploitation her whole life. She’s very easily manipulated for fear that she’d endure more abuse, even by those that would never cause her any harm. Junko, in the mean time, does everything Mikan tries to avoid, except she adds her poison of getting Mikan to actually like the abuse because of despair and having it translate as “love and attention” instead of physical and emotional pain. The only way I can ever see this working is with an OOC/much toned-down Junko in some AU. Even then, the source of the ship really irks me most of the time :/

what was your first ship, and what fandom is it from?

Well, I think my first fandom was the Naruto fandom. I was into Naru//Hina and I hate how they became canon. I was also into Sasu//Naru, though I didn’t like it quite as much as Naru//Hina because as developed as it was, I couldn’t see Sasuke seriously reciprocating? Like, he’s done a lot of things to annoy Naruto, but it was always in a rivalry and he always just saw himself as better, yet when Naruto gets close to his level, he freaks because he’s dependent on the idea he has to be better than anyone to kill his brother, and Naruto, the idiot/dead last ninja, getting close to his level is some kind of failure on his part not to advance as quickly. I understand the complications, but I can’t see it happening in anything but an AU.

As for why I liked Naru//Hina, I saw myself in Hinata a little? Especially since I was even more shy as a kid, and no self confidence (not that that has changed all that much lol). Also, seeing how Naruto helps her gain a bit of confidence in the Chuunin exams made me root for her, and his concern leading to him swearing on her blood to get Neji to pay (and then beating Neji in a tough-won battle and spinning Neji’s ideology on its head). She doesn’t get a lot of screen time, and the manga makes fun of how hard she crushes on him, how shy she is, and how oblivious he is despite obvious signs, but I just shipped them together for it. I’d believed that they would compliment each other well (loud-obnoxious with shy-reserved: he’d tone it down a bit around her and she’d gain confidence in herself and come out of the shell more for other people, and they both share the same ideology and goals to become better and stronger for those around them and to prove themselves to those who doubted them). My opinion on the ship itself hasn’t changed that much, but I understand the hatred towards it, especially with how it became canon :/ I really would have preferred nothing become canon than what we got...

what is the most underrated ship, in your opinion?

This one was the hardest to answer... Like, there’s a lot of “crack pairings” that I ship based on the way I see characters and their personalities, and then shipping them based on the potential (Oum//ami, Hin//aegi, AI Kamu//Nami, and Koma//Nami definitely fall into this category). There isn’t a whole lot of canon interaction, if any (lol at Kamu//Nami), and a lot of people just don’t see the characters the way I do, and that’s fine! I’ll just have fun in rare-pair hell, like usual.

So, to actually answer the question, I’d have to say Sai/Mota would be my pick for underrated ship. Shuichi and Kaito already have development in canon. Kaito is told that Shuichi struggles by continuously placing the blame on himself after convicting someone to their punishment, especially when the culprit had a “good reason” to commit their crime. He also saw something in Shuichi’s motive video that made him approach Shuichi in the first place. Because of that, he takes on the role of “hero” and takes all of the responsibility onto himself, so that if Shuichi thinks he makes a mistake, Kaito can brush it off of him.Yeah, a lot of people saw Kaito as interfering with the investigation, but I’m pretty sure he’s aware how important Shuichi is in the investigation. He’s only around so that he can he that emotional support. He sees what Shuichi has investigated, asks questions and points things out so that maybe he can help Shuichi figure things out. The first trial, when Shuichi is beginning to doubt himself, he reminds him not to think about the responsibility and just do his best. No one will fault Shuichi if he makes the wrong deduction. He also makes a mistake in assuming Shuichi knows everything, and he doesn’t really do that again in the trials after.

Kaito certainly has a hero complex, but I’m positive he’s aware of more than he lets on. He is actually pretty good at lying and has very strong sense of morals (he will never forgive killing someone, and since Kokichi was already on his way to death, taking the blame for his death was just a little easier). He was also somehow able to take the test to become an astronaut and pass and knows numerous languages fluently. Now, given what we can see of Kaito, he always seems like the idiot, the Hagakure or Souda of the V3 cast, but this time, he takes a more active role in the story. He is playing his part to keep morale as high as he can. He unfortunately lets that role get to him in Chapter 4, when he adamantly defends Gonta and realizes at the end of the trial just how close all of them got to death for his mistake. He can’t look Shuichi in the eye after that, maybe a bit mad for him siding with Kokichi during the trial, but more mad at himself for not seeing how much Shuichi grew to be able to not need Kaito’s support anymore during a trial, and for letting himself get in the way of that.

As for Shuichi, there is so much concern for Kaito once Kaito helped him relieve his stress about making wrong decisions and reaches out to him in Chapter 2. Shuichi may be a little exasperated at times, especially at being a sidekick when Kaito doesn’t really do anything, and Shuichi is a little snarky about that internally, but he truly appreciates Kaito. Kaito’s FTEs really don’t make a lot of sense since he rambles on a fictional story supposedly about how he became an astronaut, but the important part is how supportive Kaito is of Shuichi and how much Shuichi appreciates having Kaito so close and knowing he can rely on Kaito to help him feel at ease about the situation. It really does seem like Shuichi has a crush on Kaito built from his admiration of him, even if he doesn’t really realize that is what it was.

Sorry, I rambled a lot about Sai/Mota already, but I never really said why I think it’s underrated? It’s pretty clearly overshadowed by Oum//asai, Sai//Aka, and Kai//Maki, but to me I just don’t like these pairings as much. Sai//Aka I do kinda like, but the other two I kind of don’t. It’s not like they are NOTPs, I just don’t like them for different reasons. I didn’t like Oum//asai because, well, it’s very boring to me and I don’t get it and the popularity. I tried to understand it and the love for Kokichi, really, but they didn’t hit anything I liked and both the realtionship between the two and Kokichi’s characterization are quite straightforward in canon, while the fandom made me convinced that they’d be super complex (and honestly if people didn’t keep spoiling me, maybe things would have been much more different. Actually I’m positive fandom ruined it for me.) I don’t like Kai//Maki because, well, it makes me sad for Maki falling for a guy that apparently unintentionally lead her on :/ And Sai//Aka has it’s major problem of reducing Kaede to some 2D character with little backstory there to be killed for a man’s character development... when in Chapter 1 and prologue she was a character with many conflicted feelings trying to do her best.

Thankfully, Sai//mota isn’t that much of a rare pair, especially once the English Release hit, but it’s definitely not that popular, or people don’t get it because to them, they are just bros (perfectly understandable either way). I just wish there was more Sai//mota content because there’s a lot of evidence for it and it’s a ship that’s pretty mutually beneficial to me.

Sorry again for rambling a lot! I tried to cut it shorter... tried is the key word here hahaha ^^;;;;

[takadasaiko]

Demons at the Door: Chapter Twenty-Four

FFN II AO3

Summary: All hell breaks loose when Miles Ellington takes Halcyon Aegis.

Chapter Twenty-Four: What Needs to be Done

Halcyon Aegis. The idea itself of building up an intelligence company that stood alone and out from under any government entity had seemed like a pipedream years before, but then Howard Hargrave had made it happen. It had been his charm that won over all the right people, but his intellect that had put together the structure that made it work. The Artax Network, the training programs and recruiting techniques, and, of course, the scientists that he reached out to join in the efforts of brainstorming the next big idea that would continue to put the company at the forefront of the intelligence community. Often even beyond government-run programs.

Hargrave had had a moral center, unshakable at the time, and that's where Miles Ellington had hit the snag. They say everyone has a price, but he hadn't been able to find Howard Hargrave's. Not until Scottie. If Miles had to lose her, at least he was gaining Halcyon. All those years of planning hadn't been wasted, and in that he would take comfort.

Miles' gaze swept the war room that he stood in, his people handling the last remaining opposition to the takeover. He'd questioned McKinney's capability to set up what they needed to infiltrate the base, but he had to admit the man had come through. He hadn't survived long enough to see it, but Miles had, and Miles had every intention of surviving long enough to enjoy his conquest. The inside opposition had been trapped behind doors that no longer moved in the shutdown and the outside opposition was predictable in their own way. They wouldn't let this stand. Miles had no misgivings about that. Scottie and Howard would band together with their long-lost son and they'd send a team in. It'd be done quietly, because anything else would compromise the integrity of the company. If they wished Halcyon Aegis to survive this they would keep those in the know to a very small handful. No news outlets, no large scale attack by law enforcement. No. They would handle this covertly, but even they would need time for that, and if his calculations were right, it would give Miles just enough to get what he needed and leave the shell of Halcyon for the idiots so desperate to save it.

"Sir, we've secured the boardroom and the members when you're ready."

Miles nodded and turned, his boots sounding against the hard floor as he walked. He had his own capable team that he'd collected over the years. The one he was particularly fond of - and the one that was holding the building in lockdown no matter how hard Dumont DeSoto tried to get past it - was Nina Davis. She didn't look like much at first glance. Petite with short, dark hair and even darker eyes, he'd found her in a hole in the wall cafe in London just a few years before and she's proven her worth to him time and again since then. She fell into step with him as they made their way toward the boardroom.

"Security protocols have been rewritten. I'm currently running a program to find any back doors that Hargrave may have left."

"Leave nothing unturned," he said sharply. "Howard Hargrave has a penchant for hiding ways into the system and we need time."

"Paranoia has its perks."

"Find them. Deal with them. How's the transfer coming?"

"It's a lot of information. I can only push it so fast, especially with the other programs running." She paused and he saw her tilt her head as they continued to walk. "Some of the board members have access codes I need."

"Whatever you need. Just make it happen, Nina." Miles nodded at one of the men standing guard at the door and they pushed it open, allowing him to step through.

The board members looked shaken as they huddled around their table. One or two might have tried to fight, but they hadn't gotten very far. They looked up as he entered and Miles lifted his chin just a little. "Keep your seats," he instructed cheerfully. "As you likely know this facility has been taken and is on lockdown."

"You can't possibly imagine you'll get away with this," a woman at the far end of the table said sharply. "We don't function in a black hole. People will know and you can only barricade them out so long."

Miles flashed a smile. "I only need so long. Behave and you may come out of this alive."

The woman held his gaze for a long moment before nodding slowly, sitting back in her seat warily. His smile didn't falter. People were far too predictable. Give them a little hope and they'd do anything.

Add a little fear to balance it and things would run even smoother.

Miles motioned to three board members. "You, you, and you. If you'll step out into the hall you'll have an escort waiting."

"For what?" one asked nervously.

A smile stretched his thin lips. "Anything that I want, Mr Tallert," he answered, holding the man's gaze as all three members were escorted out.

It would be nice, just once, if Tom had the time to follow a doctor's advice after an injury. Rest, medication, and more rest always seemed to turn into taking just enough painkillers to stay on his feet, but a low enough dose that it didn't screw with his ability to think.

The doctor had argued with him the whole way as he'd disconnected himself from the machines and the IVs, but in the end they couldn't force him to stay. Liz had remained quiet through it all, her expression saying that she had known she couldn't talk him out of it, even if she wasn't thrilled at the idea. Nez's news had thrown yet another complication their way, and this one couldn't wait.

Tom winced as the lift came to a halt at the bottom and he felt the stop through every inch of his body. He looked over as Liz touched his arm and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He was okay. He had to be. There were no other choices at that point.

The doors gave a loud, increasingly familiar sound as the opened up and he took a deep breath, readying himself as it emptied them out into the Post Office, the armed guard at the entrance giving both he and Liz a brief nod and Tom's gaze swept out over the open war room. The Post Office had been emptied out of any unnecessary personnel to keep information contained as best as they could, but Liz's team, Reddington, Tom's team, the Hargraves, and Solomon were there. It was a ragtag group, but they'd proven that desperate times could bring them all together, and Halcyon Aegis in the hands of Miles Ellington was as desperate as they came.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Matias Solomon greeted cheerfully from his place. "You do not look well, Keen."

Tom leveled a glare briefly in his direction, but switched to Dumont who had set up shop at an empty desk with his laptop. "Dumont, what have you found?"

Dumont huffed loudly, but never broke eye contact with his computer as he spoke. "McKinney must have given Ellington more than we knew. Combine that with the hacker they've been using and boom. He's got the whole building in lockdown. They've cut my eyes and ears into the place. For now."

"The Board was meeting," Nez said from her place. "They're hostages, as are any personnel on site."

"Ellington is betting on discretion," Samar stated.

"Then he's placed his bet wisely," Cooper answered. He glanced over to Tom. "I spoke to Panabaker before you got here. We have the green light to bring this under control, but it has to be done off books."

"If the public were to find out that the leading private intelligence agency had been compromised to this degree it would be impossible for Halcyon to function as it needs to," Scottie said from the chair she had claimed. "Ellington knows that."

"Okay, fine," Tom cut in, his patience running thin. "Howard, Nez, and I proved that we can break into the building if necessary."

"We've been talking about that," Aram jumped in. "You guys had Mr Hargrave to plant the code that overheated the systems, which was kind of genius, by the way. I mean, those systems are-"

"Aram," Cooper said tightly.

"Right. Sorry. We don't have that, but Dumont was able to work fast enough and created a back door of sorts to work a subtle program in."

"Technically I used a back door Howard had in place," Dumont said with a shrug.

Scottie shot Howard a look and he shrugged. "I don't like the idea of being shut out of my own company."

"We should have the program inserted soon," Aram continued. "Maybe... three hours? Four?"

Dumont nodded.

"Good. That gives us time to put together a team and get to New York," Tom said firmly. "We'll need transportation that won't set alarm bells off."

"That's already been taken care of," Reddington said from his place and Tom felt a strange chill sweep through him. A warning given off by years of finely tuned instincts.

"And what do you get out of all of this, Reddington? It's not your fight, and you don't exactly have the resources you used to to throw around."

"It's not," Reddington agreed, holding Tom's gaze. "I am a businessman and I'll be paid for my services at the end of this."

A quick glance to Scottie showed she knew what payment he had asked for and she wasn't happy with it.

Liz touched his arm, drawing his attention away from that particular situation, but it was Samar that spoke. "You said you wanted to put together a team."

"Yeah. Keeping it relatively small worked well last time. No reason to think it wouldn't this time. You, Nez, Solomon,-" he cringed inwardly as he said it - "Ressler, Liz, and me. We can go in through the vents."

"Are you cleared to be in the field?" Ressler asked skeptically.

Tom flashed him an innocent grin that he didn't look like he bought. "I'll hold," he said a little more truthfully than he'd planned.

Ressler took a moment, considering, before he nodded and turned to Solomon. "And we're sure we can trust him?"

"We can trust in the fact that he knows I'll put a bullet between his eyes if he even looks like he's betraying us," Tom answered dangerously, his gaze fixed on a smiling Solomon.

"I've missed you too, Keen," the other man said cheerfully.

"Fine. It's settled. Get set up and coordinate with Reddington to get there. You need to be wheels up in an hour," Cooper instructed.

Everyone moved to follow the order, but Howard reached out, catching his son by the arm. "Tom, a moment?"

"That's all I've got," he answered, but followed a few feet away. "What's up?"

"We need Ellington alive."

"I can't promise that. He's going to put up a hell of a fight and I'm not willing to lose anyone to that bastard."

"I understand, but you still need to make it happen. We don't need any of his people, but we need him."

"Why?"

Howard sighed and shook his head. "I know I may not have earned it yet, son, but I need you to trust me."

"I need more than that, Dad."

"I know you do, and I could tell you a lie as to why, but I won't. I will give you the reason after it's all said and done. For now-"

"Trust you?" Tom huffed. He didn't like it. It didn't set right, but he also didn't have time to argue it. "You're telling me as soon as we get back."

"I will."

He nodded. "Then I'll do my best to bring him back breathing."

"That's all I ask," Howard said and offered a smile. "I'm proud of you, Tom. You know that, don't you? You're a hell of a better man than most people could be having seen what you have. I love you, son."

Tom froze where he was and swallowed hard, the words unexpected and they took a moment to fully sink in. He cleared his throat and tried for a smile, the truth leaving him feeling exposed. "I love you too, Dad."

Howard nodded and he looked like he was trying to keep a careful cap on his own emotions. "Be safe."

He watched his father turn and set his jaw, thinking on it, barely hearing Liz's approach. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"No way to talk you out of going in?"

Tom chuckled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "No more than me talking you out of it."

"We're a stubborn pair."

"Understatement." He watched his father move to speak to Reddington, Scottie, and Cooper. "Howard wants Ellington alive."

"He probably has a few questions for him."

"Maybe, but why not just tell me that? I think it has to do with Reddington's payment."

Liz hummed softly. "What would Reddington want with him?"

"No clue, but if we're going to just hand over the man that changed the entire course of my life to him, I need to know why."

He heard her pull in a long breath. "One thing at a time," she reminded him softly. "Let's get through this alive and then we'll find out what Reddington and Howard are up to."

When Reddington had procured a new jet, Liz wasn't sure. She wasn't even sure that it was his or just in loan, but seeing Edward in the cockpit did leave her with a sudden and sweeping relief. In everything that had happened, she hadn't had time to think too much on what had happened to him, but it was good to see he was alive and well. He'd always seemed like a decent man, even if she hadn't spent a great deal of time speaking with him. He was, as far as she'd been able to tell, yet another quirky soul that was loyal to Reddington first and foremost.

Tom was with the others towards the front of the plane, going over details of the infiltration. He looked better, at least. He was still a little paler than usual and the bags under his eyes were a little darker, but the rush of fluids and antibiotics they'd pushed through his system at the hospital had helped and no he was focused in on the task at hand. She should be there as well, she knew, but Reddington had decided to go with them. Why, she wasn't sure, and even though she had told her husband to focus on what they were doing, she was having trouble taking her own advice with the mounting questions and the one with all the answers lounging towards the back of the plane, glass of scotch in hand.

Reddington looked up as Liz slipped into the seat across from him. "Shouldn't you be going over last minute details?"

"Why do you want Ellington?"

He blinked at her for half a moment before leaning back. "Who says I do?"

"You. That pause. Thank you, now answer the question."

A slow smile stretched his thin lips. "Have you ever stopped to think on how far you've come, Elizabeth? It's been… four years now? Since I gave myself up to the FBI. I did it to protect you from all the demons that you didn't even hear knocking at your door yet. You've beaten them back, one by one. You've taken challenge after challenge and learned from it in ways many never do."

"And you know that flattery isn't going to distract me," Liz said, her voice sweet, but the meaning clear.

"No, nor would I expect it to. I simply wanted to express how much you have… grown. I missed so much that I do know I can be-"

Smothering, she wanted to say, but instead let her expression ease just a little for the man that was opening up just a little to her. "A little overprotective?"

He hummed a soft affirmation.

"Why do you want Ellington?"

"I don't, but a colleague of mine is willing to trade him for a port I need to rebuild my business."

Liz pulled in a soft breath. He had been struggling, she knew. Thirty years of work had been undone in a few months due to his war with Kate Kaplan. He needed to rebuild, both for himself and if the Task Force's deal was to remain intact. He needed to be useful. She knew that. She understood that.

"You look troubled, Elizabeth."

Her gaze met his. "Tom needs answers. This man-"

"I've secured your husband's answers."

Liz blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Howard asked me to retrieve some information for him. He has that information and as far as I am aware he means to share it with Tom as soon as this is over. Most anything beyond that can be filled in by Scottie herself."

She had expected to find yet another reason to be frustrated with him, but instead she was left staring. He'd made sure Tom was covered. He didn't have to. There was no immediate danger that Reddington was saving her from by ensuring that Tom knew about his past and what had happened to him as a child, but he'd gone out of his way to help bring those answers to a place where Tom would have access to them. He had done what was in his power to help her husband find closure.

"He was never my choice for you, Elizabeth, but who you choose to love isn't my choice. You love him. You chose him. That has to be enough for me."

Liz reached forward, her hand touching his, and she was overwhelmed. "Thank you."

He nodded, his smile small but real. It soured then, and she didn't have to look behind her to see what he was glaring at. "I do wish he would make wiser decisions on the team he put together for this."

"Desperate times. We don't have a lot of choices."

"He threatened to skin you alive under one employer and nearly killed you and Agnes for the next. His loyalties are fluid."

"And we don't trust him."

"But Ms Rowan does."

"And Tom trusts her."

Reddington sighed. "You should make sure you're prepared. We'll talk more after all this is dealt with."

She squeezed his hand and stood, pausing there. "This, Reddington."

"Hmm?"

"Sharing. This is how you and I figure out all of this craziness. How we learn to trust each other, because we need to. I want to."

"I haven't forgotten your suitcase, Elizabeth. After all of this is said and done."

She nodded and turned, joining her husband, her friends, and one man that she hoped wouldn't betray them. Tom was focused, but pulled her in as soon as she took her seat, explaining what she'd missed without missing a beat. Liz listened, adding in where she needed to. This was no easy task, but they could do it. As long as tech did their part - which with Aram and Dumont leading it they would - they might just be able to pull it off as come out of it alive.

Notes: I feel like I need to apologize for the longer waits that have been happening between chapters. For some reason the end of this story really has been giving me a hard time. It's been a combination of a lot of things, but I hope the quality is remaining, even if it's taking a bit longer than usual for me to piece the chapters together.

I joked a couple of chapters ago was my 'shipping' chapter because there were ships coming together from all directions, so this one was my proud Dads chapter :P

Liz and Tom deserve proud dads that tell them how proud they are of everything they've become despite their hardships.

Next time - Grey Matters and the Task Force fight against the odds and infiltrate Halcyon to take try to take it back.

[tsw-story]

Chapter 25 - Like Soldiers

There they stood within Deena's abode, five in total: Kevin the ginger warrior, Daveon the handsome druid, Deena the little witch, Renatta the fire ninja, and Eldrian the aspiring wizard. They were in circle looking towards one another, as Eldrian just finished explaining everything he knew to those who were out of the loop—about Asta, the thugs, and the upcoming battle.

“So we're expecting to run into a guy with mind control powers, and a guy who has indestructible skin, on top of a spellbreaker, which is apparently the thing that counters all of your powers?” Kevin asked.

“Yes,” Eldrian replied.

“You know I'll help you, but how do we deal with this? It sounds even more dangerous than the giant Dylan thing.”

“Planning, and a lot of improvising, like usual.”

Deena crossed her arms and gathered their attention. “Eldrian and I have been discussing what to do. They all have unique abilities that need to be dealt with. If only those three are there as threats, we need to figure out who is best made to handle each one. There's five of us, which means two of them can be dealt two of us instead of one, and I imagine Asta is on the top of that list.”

“You'll come with me, Kev,” stated Eldrian. “You're the only one Asta can't counter, because you have nothing to counter.”

“Thanks,” muttered Kevin.

“So Kevin and Eldrian will find Asta,” Deena repeated. “Ron has skin as hard as metal, so most attacks won't do much. But he can be bound and trapped, and I can still inflict curses on him. I'll deal with him.”

Daveon slipped off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. Quietly, he let out a sigh, but a moment after, he gathered himself. It was a lot to take in. But when he looked between his allies, a smile came to his face—one of determination.

“That leaves me and Renatta,” he said. “I only just met you, but if Eldrian trusts you, so do I.”

The redhead beamed with delight. “Thank you! I feel the same. Yes, this man Xeno is dangerous. He can control others, so there should be two of us, in case innocents are involved and need to be subdued. Eldrian told me you are a druid, yes? That is most useful for this situation. And you are very handsome, so it will be nice to fight along side you.”

“Uh. Thanks,” Daveon replied with a nod.

It was Eldrian who spoke once again. “So we all have a general idea of what we need to do, but the fact of the matter is that there's no way we can predict anything. Who knows what'll happen? We haven't even seen Asta fight. But she gave us this opportunity to confront her directly. At least she isn't a coward. It makes me feel kind of bad for doing this. I've never known a demon to be so fair.”

“But she's been trying to kill us,” said Deena.

“True, but she just seems odd. There's too much determination behind her intentions considering we didn't do anything to her. Something must have happened. You're right, though. We need to stop her. People could have died with Rend on the loose. Pachama did die indirectly from all of this. Kev's dad was shot, and Kev was kidnapped. Ren was forced to be an assassin for Xeno.”

Renatta giggled. “I like that nickname,” she whispered.

Eldrian cleared his throat—a little distracted. “And she's been dispensing this powerful artifact about like it's nothing. People could still get hurt. People might have died that we don't know about. If there's any of the Elixir of Strength left, we need to get it back to Huanca and Urco. As for the rest, I'm not really sure. It seems like Asta doesn't work with the government, but we can't just throw her to them for a multitude of reasons. However, we need to fight together nonetheless. We can't think about that right now, nor can we be distracted. I don't want anybody to come if they feel unsure of themselves, because know that this battle will be dangerous. So just to make sure, I'm going to ask one more time. Who's willing to come with me to confront Asta and her band of misfits?”

“Me, of course,” Kevin answered immediately.

“You already know I will,” whispered Deena.

“I've come this far from home already. I'll do everything I can to help,” Daveon said.

“Oh. Is it my turn?” Renatta asked. “Of course I am coming!”

“Good to hear.” Eldrian smiled.

He rose up his arms, and rings fell over him to replace his attire with his wizard's cloak. He was now garbed in dark blue, fantastical attire, as he normally would before a fight, and he turned from his allies to begin stepping from the room.

“We have until tomorrow. Until then, we make use of Deena's training cave,” he added. “I can't afford to be so easily halted by Asta like before. Not when our lives are at stake.”

So with that, they proceeded into the dimly lit cavern expanse. It seemed much smaller than Eldrian remembered it was when he practised here alone, but it would do for the time. He looked around, and it made him eager to see his allies start preparing so quickly.

Kevin summoned forth his magic blade, and it was obvious he had been training in his free time, because moves looked to come more naturally to him. He was light on his toes, and the blade's sharp edge cut through the air as if it was nothing. And beside him, even though Daveon's power was more potent where wildlife grew, he began summoning vines and transforming into various animals.

Deena was sitting on a boulder and reading a large tome. He assumed she was studying up on spells, which seemed to be more of her way, unlike himself. Though he preferred to learn more hands-on, he was comfortable somebody had the book knowledge situations might call for. Renatta was nosey at first, trying to read the book over her shoulder, but she eventually lost interest and went on her way to practicing her combat maneuvers. Smart, he thought, since magic might be stopped by Asta.

Eldrian, however, always focused mostly on his wizardry. He had a creative mind. He didn't know martial arts, nor was his body overly strong, but he was clever, and his attachment to magic knew no limits. That kind of wizard was to fear the most, for a wizard's potential reaches a peak relative to their determination, aspiration, and imagination. If one has no limitations for these, especially the latter, not even they would know their own possibilities. He tried out new spells. Dark Lightning was tricky to control, as it was mixing two different chaotic elements together, but it was powerful. Eldrian practised that, but also a few new tricks. He knew he needed them. It was only three opponents—hopefully—but two were affected by an ancient artifact and one was a spellbreaker.

The clock ticked onwards. Soon, it was time, and they were as ready as they could be.

***

There was only a run-down house next to a barn among the remnants of what was once acres of crops, presumably. Eldrian didn't know why they were to meet her at an abandoned farm, but it did make sense if none of them wanted to be seen. Plus, things could get destroyed. It still made him uneasy, even if the sun was still out. It looked like something out of a ghost movie from where he stood.

Eldrian, Deena, and even Renatta did look relatively clothed for the occasion considering them being wizards, though Kevin and Daveon still wore what they normally did. They marched, but it didn't take long to see Asta leaning on the front porch, Ron standing nearby, and Xeno arching over a cracked barrel. Both sides of the war were waiting for this moment.

The grey-skinned brute Ron slid the cigar out from between his teeth, and pressed the lit edge against the palm of his hand, sizzling out the flame without even a flinch. He flicked it aside, cracked his neck, and sprinted full-force towards the group without a word from the others.

Daveon, quick to think, tripped him with a vine at the same moment Eldrian released a wave of energy. Ron flew through the air, and crashed with a violent thud several feet away and near the waiting witch.

“I'm glad you came,” shouted Asta as she stepped down from the porch.

She rose up her mace, and she was dressed now in what looked to be a bullet-proof vest, like a soldier. However, something else was new as well. She had a silver ring on her other hand he hadn't taken notice to previously. It shone bright, and he saw that as she spoke, it transformed into a steel, disk-like shield strapped around her arm. It was decorated with a blue gemstone in the center, as well as four smaller ones around the outside.

“Aegis of Light!” she shouted, as a command phrase, to cause this transformation to occur, similar to Kevin's Drodias. “You and your friends, Eldrian, will be the first major step in removing all wizards from the world. Then nobody will have to be hurt anymore.”

He looked to his left. Deena had already begun dealing with the rampaging Ron. Making their way around the back of the house in a chase were Renatta, Daveon, and Xeno. This left only him and Kevin facing Asta in front of the building.

“Summon sword, Drodias!” yelled Kevin in response.

Asta raised a brow. “You have a magic weapon as well?”

“It was a gift from a friend,” he replied.

Eldrian looked to his friend. He nodded, and so did Kevin. They both the looked to Asta in unison and took deep breaths.

“Are you ready, Kev?”

“Ready freddy.”

Meanwhile, Deena was out in the fields facing the smooth-headed thug. His vacant white eyes started the witch down. He remembered what happened last time. However, it didn't seem to phase him. He grinned wide as they stood twenty feet apart in an uneasy stand-off.

“So you have magic eyes because of the Elixir,” he stated.

Ron shrugged. “Guess so. Don't know that much about all this magic stuff, besides what the lady told us. She said she'd pay us big if we took ya guys out of the picture, so that's what we're gonna do. And don't think I forgot how much pain a put me through. Witch? More like bitch.”

She glared. “You're always smoking. You know, that's unhealthy.”

“What the hell do I care?”

“Because I'm going to show you why smoke billowing from our mouth all the time is really bad for you.”

“Ya want to try something? Go ahead.”

A sweeping wave of dark flames came from Deena's fingernails as she clawed the air in front of her person, but as expecting, the heat brushed across Ron's face without even a flinch to his reaction. The burning didn't even affect his eyes. With a wave of his own hands, he cleared away the cinders and smoke and began running towards Deena to direct a hard fist to her face.

“I don't wanna beat a little girl, but—huh?” he gasped.

His fist hit nothing, as Deena was now behind him.

She rose up her arms to reach for the air above her. A presence swooped up her form that looked like nothing more than a casting shadow, but it twirled about her as if something was there, but the only evidence was the darkness it left behind. Directly where Ron stood, a similar thing occurred. A circle of shadow came up from his feet.

“Get dragged down to hell!” shouted Deena.

The claw of a creature made entirely of black burst up from beneath him and wrapped entirely around his body. It yanked him downwards, slamming his body's weight into a crater in the soil. It proceeded to hold him there. It wasn't unlike Daveon's entangle now, but at least ten times more spooky. Phantom Grasp!

His skin was unbreakable, but he still coughed as his spine made a powerful impact. He grumbled and struggled, but at least for the time being, he was unable to escape. Deena needed to channel this, however, so she maintained a pose of her arms and fingers.

“This is ridiculous,” he growled. “She said I was impenetrable!”

He swung out both of his arms, and tore through the demon claw enveloping his body. Deena stepped back. Ron lifted himself up and twitched an eye with an obvious show of rage, and now he was free.

“I told ya. Nothing can get through me, or stop me, and ya don't have someone to distract me from your fancy-schmancy voodoo like last time,” he added.

“That wasn't technically voodoo...”

“You're dead. What even are ya? This is a big man's world.”

Deena stood there. It was only the two of them around. She didn't know where the others were beyond them being somewhere around the farm, and she wasn't at the liberty to check. She couldn't worry either. The fight she faced was important, and she had to trust the others could manage. It was a strange feeling. Deena thought that a couple weeks ago, such a worry wouldn't have even crossed her mind in the first place.

“What am I?” she replied. “I'm a witch. And you're just another ant I need to step on.”