Orso Fiction 044

Orso Fiction Chapter 044-The Penultimates-The Witch and the Princess (Part 2 of 2)
Rachel flexed her fingers as the green lightning around her cleared to reveal Juno’s Cambio Forma, a green breastplate, a deep green gem on the neckline, with a white Roman Numeral “I” on it, signifying her place in the First Generation.

“This is Armatura Giovani.”, she said softly. “My weapon of choice.”

“Doesn’t look like much of a weapon.”, Osvaldo sneered. “But this ‘Cambio Forma’ is fascinating…I look forward to dissecting that cat to see how it’s done.”

“Don’t count on that.”, Rachel replied, watching him closely as he pulled a black baton from his pocket. He squeezed it, sending green electricity over the smooth surface. The object immediately lost its solidity, wrapping over his hand, becoming a giant black boxing glove.

“This is…well, it’s not mine, but it’s this BODY’S weapon of choice.”, Osvaldo said with a sneer. “Surprised? I’ve created a substance that pries into the inner reaches of the heart, and crafts a weapon to match the host’s strengths. It’s brilliant!”

“It’s artificial. There’s…no love in it.”, Rachel answered sadly. “Not like this armor…”

“Why don’t we test these, hmm?”, Osvaldo asked. “My ‘power’ against your ‘love’. We’ll see which is stronger.”

---

Malvolia sneered, patting Lycaon’s head, watching Sabra’s rabbit Lapiz begin to glow indigo, morphing. Her mouth opened wide, and her ears stuck straight up. Her legs folded into her body, and her tail hardened, lengthening. A trigger grew from the new handle of this weapon, and the body expanded. Sabra now held a grenade launcher with suspiciously a suspiciously rabbit-y motif.

“This baby here is Pericolo Nascosto.”, Sabra said happily, stroking the barrel. “She’s packs a real punch.”

“Oh, that’s cute as hell.”, Malvolia said, smiling lazily. “Lycaon here is still deadlier.”

“Let’s test that theory.”, Sabra murmured, pointing the grenade launcher at the wolf. “Fetch, boy.”

---

Before…

“You want to know about Sabra’s weapon?”, Zach asked. Jessica Burns nodded. Zach shrugged. “Sure. She’s got a rabbit that becomes a grenade launcher.”

“That seems…a little ridiculous. Doesn’t Laura have, like, a shield?”, Jess replied. “Feels a little unfair.”

“Oh, if you put it like that, it is.”, Zach laughed. “But its fancier than that. See, Laura’s shield is a perfect defense against illusions. Sabra’s grenades are…special. They’re made of Dying Will Flames, shaped in a way that…makes her especially deadly.”

“Is that right?”, Jess asked, an eyebrow raising. Zach grinned.

“She’s gifted like crazy.”, Zach admitted. “Katie told me she was incredible at illusions, but I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when she demonstrated. I think she enjoys being all-powerful inside someone’s mind. I’m glad she’s on our side, is what I’m saying. She makes a great amiga.”

“Yeah…but how would you know?”, Jess asked. “You like, never hang out with her.”

“Hmm? That’s something I need to change, for sure, but I’ve known it for a while. Some good conversations with that one kept me from hitting a wall on more than one occasion.”, Zach said with a smile. “We’re lucky to have her sass around.”

---

Sabra pulled the trigger, and a ball of compressed Mist Flames shot from the barrel, speeding toward Lycaon, who swiftly dodged. The ball exploded, however, into a cloud of indigo fire, which took on a monstrous shape, a creature with limbs that folded into each other, teeth in places no teeth would make anatomical sense, and tentacles.

Oh god, this thing had tentacles.

The beast launched itself at Malvolia, who stabbed it with her drawn knife. However, the creature could only grin, with all its mouths, and it slowly began to split into two halves, each more terrifying and complex than the last. Malvolia jumped back, grabbing the black box on her belt.

“I didn’t want to use this.”, she said. “But I’m a busy girl. I can’t let myself waste any more time.”

She lit her ring with indigo flames, pushing it into the box. It opened, and a black, gelatinous substance burst out, wrapping around Lycaon, who howled in pain. Slowly, accompanied by a cracking sound, Lycaon stood up on his hind legs, which snapped and bent to resemble human legs. His eyes gathered a new level of intelligence, and his second pair of legs snapped and bent into what looked like human arms, with awful claws.

“Lycaon…Why don’t you get rid of these pests?”, Malvolia replied. Lycaon put an arm over his chest and bowed.

“I will obey, my lady.”, Lycaon answered, his voice a deep growl.

---

Osvaldo thrust his, or, Guerino’s, massive, black metal-coated fist at Rachel, who was able to dodge it as she had before, and grabbed his arm. This time, Osvaldo grabbed her arm, flipping her, rather than the other way around. He shot his hand down, grabbing her neck.

“Oh, this body is nice.”, Osvaldo commented. “I forgot what youth felt like. So strong, so…powerful. I feel like I could fight anyone in this body! Oh, I can’t wait for when my next project is ready, and I can abandon my old-”

“You haven’t won just yet!”, Rachel shouted, grabbing his face and blasting her ring full of Thunder Flames. The heat and electricity forced him off of her, clutching his face in anger.

“You little brat!”, he shouted, ripping at his shirt. Rachel took a step back, waiting for his movement. He revealed the green box over his heart, and ignited his own ring.

“You think your love can protect you, by wrapping your kitty overtop you like a nice blanket? That’s not acting as one…this is! The fusion of human being and Box Animal! Not quite perfected, but good enough for this guinea pig!”, he shouted, plunging his ring into the box. Suddenly, Guerino burst with green light, slowly changing shape.

“Help.”

Rachel didn’t have time to think about the voice in her ear, as she was too busy watching the man across from her mutate. A tough, but light shell covered his entire body, becoming thickest as it covered his back. Multiple arms and legs bust from his body, and a pair of jaws erupted from his face, clashing together horrifically. A giant man-stag beetle hybrid stood before, enjoying his newfound power. With his teeth and new giant jaws, Osvaldo grinned at her.

“Handsome, isn’t it?”, he asked. “I’m a little proud of this one’s design. Note that the stag beetle’s skeleton is fused to my skin. It’s not just a cover, like your armor. A perfect fusion of man and animal. This is the power that darkness gave me! Do you still insist that love is superior?”

Rachel sighed.

“You’re impossible. I’m going to break that armor in half.”

---

The illusionary eldritch creatures Sabra had released faced Lycaon, who grinned with his werewolf teeth. He flew at the monster, and with a wave of his claws, the creatures fading into nothingness.

“Just to save us time…Lycaon’s claws can tear through Mist Flame constructs.”, Malvolia told Sabra. “So you’re better off with your psychic tricks than you are with the grenades.”

Sabra considered this for a moment, and grinned.

“I’m not going to let things go your way.”, she replied sassily. “This is my fight. Always has been. Things are going to go the way I want, when I want them to.”

She pointed the grenade launcher into the sky, firing twice. Two bolts of indigo fire shot into the air, and when they exploded, two bizarre bird creatures, with swords for wings and a crocodile’s head flew down. Lycaon tried to slice them with his claws, but they were too fast for him. They shot at Malvolia, who stabbed one, which faded into indigo mist, but was forced to take one of their attacks, a shallow bite on her shoulder. Lycaon was fast enough to slice it as it escaped, and it faded away.

“You’re not invincible. Even with you stacking the deck against me, with a weapon perfect to counter mine, an attitude to counter my talent, you’re still not at my level. How’s that feel?”, Sabra asked, teasing her. Malvolia took one step forward, and realized that she was now on a flight of white stairs, surrounded by space, stars twinkling in the blackness.

“Your psychic mind games again, huh?”, she replied with a grin, looking to Sabra, who was off on her own patch of floating white…ground? We’ll have to call it ground, because Sabra didn’t create the substance she was standing on from memory, it was a flash of creativity that brought it into being. In truth, it resembled, if such a thing were possible, solidified light. Lycaon floated on another patch below her.

Malvolia looked to her left. The stairs led up, and then turned left again. Alright. This was well and good. She looked further back, and saw that the stairs led up again, until they turned another 90 degree angle. From there, they led…up? Malvolia found herself on a staircase with no beginning or end, that always led one direction. She sneered.

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to do this.”, Malvolia giggled. She drew her knife and stabbed down at the stairs. It gave surprisingly easily, splintering apart as she stabbed at it. “Take this, M.C. Escher!”

Sabra held her head in her hand. Fear hadn’t worked, and confusion…wasn’t doing much better.

---

There was a knock on the door. Mary rose to get it.

“That’ll be the chemist…”, she said. “Eddie…please…try to be nice?”

“I’ll do what I have to do.”, Eddie said solemnly. Mary opened the door, and Andrew Glaser walked in, holding some kind of bluish liquid in a beaker.

“Hey, I’m here. You guys know that Thomas Haden is out there, mumbling to himself about getting kicked out of his happy place, right?”, he asked. He nearly dropped the beaker when Eddie threw Eddie the penguin at him. The flightless bird squawked at the near miss right before it hit the floor.

“Whatever. Get over here. We’re making a barrier.”, Eddie demanded. Mary rolled her eyes.

“What’s the occasion?”, Andrew asked.

“I ASK THE QUESTIONS AROUND HERE!”, Eddie boomed. “But, no, seriously, I’ll tell you.”

Eddie the bear chuckled to himself, in his bearish way. Rocky the tiger simply shook his head.

“I know you’ve been living in your lab for the past year and a half-I know this because I can smell you, but Zach and the other Primo Guardians recently had their asses handed to them by a group called the Apostles. Now, they’re off training to be ready to fight them off when they come back for the final showdown.”

“I…know all this.”, Andrew replied, a little confused.

“Because you read it in the newsletter?”, Mary asked hopefully.

“…We have a newsletter?”, both Andrew and Eddie asked simultaneously. Mary groaned, turning back to her work.

“Anyway, I know that you’re not much of a TEAM PLAYER, but I figured you could do SOMETHING for the family every once and a while.”, Eddie continued.

“I…held a bake sale to raise funds.”, Andrew replied. “Oh, and I created a new alloy of silver. I ended up selling the rights to call it mine, because you had brought the family into the red on some ridiculous purchase, and we needed the cash.”

Eddie turned to the solid gold penguin statue in the control room. Totally worth it.

“Anyway, I know I’m WAY cooler than you, but I figured I’d throw you a bone, and let you help with this. See, I, through my INCREDIBLE POWERS OF FORESIGHT, had Jake Federkeil lay a carpet of webbing during Choice. AS I PLANNED, one of them bled on it. Now, we have her DNA. We can use that to make a DNA sensitive barrier.”

“You perfected that code?”, Andrew asked, surprised. “Congratulations! That puts us way ahead of the competition, man. That’s so cool.”

“Yeah, I rock, you suck, we know. Anyway, the Apostles aren’t the BIG threat, though. See, I overheard Bradley talking to himself, and it turns out that the Apostles are homunculi, artificial humans made by a rival family. Thing is, all these rival family members are held together through their leader’s power.”

“Homunculi, huh?”, Andrew asked. “Interesting. So, you think there’s some way I can trace, from this one Apostle’s DNA, the DNA of the one who created them, link that to the leader, then link that to the entire family?”

“Let me finish.”, Eddie replied, a little frustrated. “So, I want you to think of some way you can trace, from this one Apostle’s DNA, the DNA of the one who created them, link that to the leader, then link that to the entire family.”

“I…can try to do that.”, Andrew replied. “It won’t be easy, though. We’re talking a LOT of tiny, tiny details.”

“Well, for some reason, you’re the one Zach put in charge of the chemicals, so it’s your job.”

“Well, I’ll give it a try.”, Andrew said, sitting where Eddie had been sitting, taking control of the computer.

“You know, though…”, Eddie said, circling Andrew’s chair like a shark. “I think I’m better at chemistry than you.”

“Well, we’ll have to debate that some other ti-“

“DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE!”, Eddie bellowed. Andrew raised an eyebrow.

“That’s…water.”, he answered. Eddie nodded, content.

“NH3. That’s ammonia. You use that, and water, DHYDROGEN MONOXIDE, to clean tile floors. How can you be better than me, when I already know more than you do?”, he said, almost impressed with his own brilliance. Andrew considered saying something, but thought better of it. Slowly, the door to the control room creaked open. Thomas stuck his head in.

“Am I allowed back in my happy place yet?”, he asked, hesitantly. He closed the door when he saw Eddie the penguin being hurled at him. The penguin yelped as it hit the wall. Missed again. Next time, he’d hit ‘em.

---

Rachel eyed her opponent cautiously. She didn’t know what kind of advantages this suit of armor would grant him, but she didn’t really want to give him the chance to show her. Clearly, he would be hard to deal any damage to him, with that exoskeleton on him. Despite her tough talking, it wouldn’t be as easy as breaking him in half. Her hand fluttered over the second box on her belt, a white box with little green gems over it, but she thought better of it, and brought the hand back into a defensive position.

Osvaldo broke the standoff, curling himself into a ball, and rolling rapidly at her. She jumped over him, but he quickly turned, hitting her as she came back down. Her armor absorbed the blow, and fired a bolt of electricity back at him, but the energy was diffused across his armor, and seemed to strengthen him, not damage him. Osvaldo uncurled his armored body and grinned.

“Didn’t see that coming, did you?”, he asked. “No weak, retaliatory blast like that is going to put a scratch on this armor. If that’s the best your love could do, I’d just give up and let me dissect you. It’ll be cleaner that way. And with INFINITELY less risk of me breaking that armor before I can study it.”

“Help!”

“I’m sick of hearing you talk.”, Rachel said sadly. “Get out of that body.”

“Oh, I’m just starting to have fun, my dear little girl.”, Osvaldo sneered. “Just starting to have fun.”

He squeezed his right fist tighter, sending wave after wave of green, crackling, Thunder Flames over it. It responded, and grew larger, covering more of Osvaldo’s body. Soon, his entire body was coated in the black material, which gleamed awfully in the sun. He flexed a bicep to test the results, and grinned.

“I didn’t bother letting those kids try this…but the Darkness Rods have two levels of power. The first makes just a weapon, the second…oh, it starts to seep into the skin, and begins to change how the body operates, at a molecular level. It’s caused serious health issues in the guinea pigs with more morals. It’s not easy to pull off, either. Takes a lot of the body’s energy…but then, this is just a loaner, so I’m not losing anything, am I?”

“Help me!”

Rachel, for the first time, felt herself aware of the voice in her head. She thought back to him-

“Who are you? What do you need?”

“I…am Guerino. Osvaldo’s pushed my soul out of my body. He couldn’t sever the connection-I think that would kill me, but I’m only loosely connected.”

“So you want me to help you get back inside.”

“I…Yes. I don’t want to have to ask you of this. I know I don’t have the right to ask anything of you, but-“

“That’s enough.”, Rachel thought, cutting him off. “If I leave him to his own devices, he’s going to destroy your body. I…won’t let that happen to you.”

“I…don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll help me.”, Rachel thought. “Say you’ll help me teach this creep a lesson he won’t ever forget.”

“You have my word.”, the voice of Guerino echoed through her mind.

---

Malvolia sighed, looking into the hall of mirrors. Lycaon stood at her side.

“You’re running out of original material, I’m afraid.”, she announced. “I think…I’m done here.”

Malvolia ignited her ring with indigo fire, and pushed it into her arm. As if woken from a dream by a sharp impact, she snapped out of the illusion. Lycaon’s claws flared with Mist Flames, eroding the illusion from around him. Soon, both faced Sabra, prepared to strike the final blow. Sabra lifted her grenade launcher. She patted the side.

“Looks like our last stand, Lapiz.”, she said. “Ready?”

The gun quivered slightly, and Sabra smiled.

“Good. Me too.”, she said. “Full power.”

She fired, and a blast of indigo fire enveloped Malvolia’s vision. When she could open her eyes again, she saw an army of Sabras, each armed with another grenade launcher. They each pointed their weapons at Malvolia.

“I never said this thing only fired illusions.”, one said, pleased. “The grenades double as, well…explosives. I call this one…The Bunny Bombers”

The sound of countless grenade launchers firing filled the air.

---

Rosangela, stumbling through the snow, watched the indigo explosions from afar. She gasped in shock.

“No…Mal…Adel…Please, be fine…”, she whispered, and continued on, redoubling her speed.

---

Faustino couldn’t tear his eyes away from the giant robot that had taken up residence outside the movie theater. Something it radiated gave the boy a sensation of dread.

“What…what is this shivering I’m feeling?”, he whispered to no one.

---

Malvolia, stumbling in pain and confusion, looking to Lycaon, who had taken the brunt of the damage for her. He growled in anger, ready to tear apart the little girl that had injured him, and threatened his master.

“I don’t believe it…”, Malvolia told the werewolf. “That a girl like that could do that much damage to you…and without even using your weakness to silver against you.”

Lycaon growled.

“Let me attack.”, he urged her. Malvolia considered for a moment, as the smoke cleared. She looked into Sabra’s eyes, now that the Mist constructs had expended their energy reserve.

“Shred her to pieces.”, Malvolia said, a wicked smile on her lips.

---

“I can’t believe this happened…This is a tragedy like none our town has never seen.”, the girl’s father said, late at night, as the girl who would be Malvolia listened where he couldn’t see her. “What is this town coming to?”

“Listen to yourself!”, her mother reprimanded him. “Do you know what this is going to do to our little girl? This is going to break her tender heart. That girl was…that girl was our baby’s best friend.”

The girl’s eyes shot wide open at this. What had happened? What had happened to Caitlin?

She got the news later that day. Her father had hidden the newspaper, not wanting his little girl to see…the front page’s picture. But she saw. The paper was all over the town. And she saw the front page’s picture. The picture detailing the hanging of her best friend, Caitlin. The girl’s dark face was blurred out, but it was obviously her. Caitlin’s family was the only black family in their entire town. This was big news, such a racist move in this day and age. But no matter the social implications of the act, no matter…anything else, really… only one thing mattered to the girl who would be Malvolia.

Her best friend was dead.

---

“That’s why I left.”, the girl told the campfire. “I…tried hunting down the person who did it, but my parents kept me from ‘looking for trouble’. The news was buried within a month. I suppose it was someone powerful that did it, for it to be swept under the rug so quickly. I…couldn’t forgive them. My entire town. So I ran. I ran, looking for somewhere that people wouldn’t judge people. But I never found it.”

“We’ll help you find it.”, a young Adelina told her, trying to be reassuring. “That’s where we’re all looking for, too.”

“And…I’ve decided…the name I want to take.”, the girl said, a rising urge to cry choking her. “All my life, I’ve tried…I’ve tried to be nice. But that didn’t do anything to stop them from killing her. So I’ve decided. From now on…don’t expect any good deeds for people who don’t deserve it out of me. From now on, my name is Malvolia. Ill-willed.”

Deep within Adelina, something dark and terrible smiled. This one was going to be useful.

It could tell.

---

“Tell me.”, Rachel thought. “If you’re still connected to your body, what can you tell me about that form? I already know hitting the shell with Thunder Flames isn’t going to help.”

“I can tell a little bit.”, Guerino’s voice told her. “It absorbs Thunder Flames, that’s true, but only in small amounts. If you were able to overpower it, you would be able to overload the armor’s absorption power. I don’t think Osvaldo knows that, he’s too drunk on power.”

“So…I need more power than Armatura Giovani can allow…”, Rachel thought, her hand once more hovering over the white box with the green gems arranged like stars in the night sky. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and took her hand away. “Let’s do this.”

Osvaldo rolled himself up and shot at her once more. She dodged this time, and was able to dodge him when he turned for another shot. However, the third strike by the black metal covered beetle-man hit her, harder than any blow had hit her before. She flew backward, gripping her stomach. The armor crackled with green electricity.

“Come now…”, Osvaldo said, unrolling. “I don’t want to break you…or your fancy Box Animal…not when there’s so much science to be done on the both of you…”

“I felt it.”, Guerino told her. “That right there, three turns, was the limit of his ability to roll around. Any more than that and the rotational force is too much for his body to handle. At that moment, he is vulnerable. The armor’s resistance to Thunder Flames also drops dramatically at that moment. Now that you’ve stored that energy up, you can-“

“I can wait for him to expose himself again like that, and then release this energy.”, Rachel thought, smiling. “Thank you.”

Osvaldo curled up once again, spinning at Rachel. She braced herself, and rolled to the side.

One.

As Osvaldo turned to roll at her once again, speeding up, she sprang to her feet, jumping over him.

Two.

Osvaldo turned almost instantly, but Rachel was prepared, and leapt away.

Three!

Rachel turned to face Osvaldo, to fire the energy she had stored from his last successful hit. But in the split second he wasn’t in her line of sight, he had expelled a giant burst of Thunder Flames, propelling him at her.

Four.

He collided with her at incredible speed, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying. She skidded across the ground, trying to steady herself. She worked herself into a sitting position, every cell in her body screaming in pain. She looked down…and saw her armor cracking apart.

“No…”, Rachel whispered. “No…”

Osvaldo jumped into the air, rolling himself into a ball again. With her armor broken, now unable to hold a charge, this blow would surely be the last.

---

It had been a late night. Zach and Sabra sat on Century’s roof, neither of them willing to sleep. Zach turned and smiled at her.

“I appreciate you meeting me out here.”, Zach said. “This…is where I get my best thinking done.”

“And what do you need to think about?”, Sabra asked. “That you would need to call me, of everyone you know?”

“Well…to be honest…I just wanted to get to know you better, so I asked you to come with me.”, Zach admitted sheepishly. “But my problem…I feel…like I’m going to be abandoned. I feel like now…I’ve become the outsider in my group. If…well, when, Allie dumps me…I don’t know if everyone will keep me around, if it’ll be more awkward if we’re both there.”

Sabra rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be an idiot.”, she replied. “Trevor’s an idiot, but he wouldn’t just drop you, of all people, for something stupid like that. I know you, you’ll find some way to make it work. No, here’s my relationship problem-I just had my car painted on by an ex. That’s a real issue.”

Zach laughed.

“I guess…I guess you’re right.”, he said, trying to speak through his chuckling. “Thanks for that. I…think I needed that sass.”

“Any time.”, Sabra replied. “Hey, since we’re out here, let’s just goof off.”

“And do what?”

“I dunno. Sometimes, I like to make people passing by think they’re seeing dragons.”

“You’re a genius.”

“I know.”

---

Lycaon, stumbling through his pain, staggered quickly to Sabra, raising a claw to slash her open. Sabra aimed a kick at the beast’s chest, knocking it off balance. She scowled.

“That should have been enough to beat you.”, Sabra murmured. She clasped her hands together, wrapping the three of them in a psychic illusion. Fog poured in from all around them, and mysterious lights periodically came to life within the mist, only to fade out within seconds.

“This…this won’t be enough!”, Malvolia screamed. “I will tear this pathetic pantomime to pieces!”

She began to scream, Mist Flames leaking from her ring, striking at the illusion, slowly disassembling it.

“I will not lose!”, Malvolia shrieked. “I will not let Rosangela die! Not like I let Caitlin!”

The illusion began to crumble upon itself. Sabra took a step back, amazed at how the girl’s determination was allowing her to free herself.

Suddenly, the entire illusion shattered into a million pieces, leaving Sabra with reality. She coughed.

And blood came out.

She looked down, seeing Lycaon’s claw sticking through her.

“That’s…impossible. My…illusions…”, she murmured. “Paige…Mike…Jess…It’s up to you, now…”

She fell.

---

In the moment that Rachel saw Osvaldo’s curled body at the apex of his arc, about to crash down on her vulnerable body, memories began to flash through her mind…not all of them belonging to her…

---

Rachel laid back, Zach at her side, on the hard driveway, looking up into the night sky. Countless stars brightened the midnight air. Neither of them remembered how long they had been there, and it didn’t matter. They had been talking for hours about nothing, everything, and all the things in between. Zach took a deep breath, now that he had finished talking. It was an issue he didn’t feel he could possibly confer to anyone. Anyone, that is, but the girl beside him.

“And…I’m scared.”, he said. “I know that doesn’t sound like me, but…I worry…If I keep going the way I am now…If I keep acting like some…straight edge extremist…will I lose everyone? Because…I’ve seen where that road could lead them…and THAT scares me even worse.”

“You’re not going to lose anyone.”, Rachel assured him. “They need you to keep them out of trouble. Even if you fight them about it at every chance, they won’t just abandon you.”

Zach smiled.

“You think so?”, he asked. Rachel nodded. Zach grinned wider, and pulled the girl into a hug. “Thanks, you. And you better stay on the level too, you hear?”

“I will.”, Rachel said, smiling, despite how the boy was crushing various organs.

“We…should do this again sometime.”, Zach said, looking up into the sky. They heard a thunderbolt, but neither flinched. “Just talk, under the stars…This is nice. No, not just ‘Do this again sometime’…from now on, this will be our thing, alright?”

“You wouldn’t let me say no, would you?”

“Not a chance.”

“Then I guess we’re stargazing buddies.”, Rachel whispered to the air, the sound of it making her smile.

---

“Hey.”, the young Guerino said. Faustino turned to him. “I saw what you did, new kid.”

“What? Getting beaten up?”, Faustino asked. “That…”

“No. Standing up for Alphonse.”, Guerino said. “You were right. From now on…I’ll help you. If anyone in this class can fight that bully Baldovino, its me.”

“I…I don’t want any more fighting!”, Faustino said, a little surprised. Guerino put a hand on his shoulder.

“Your black eye is telling me that things are wrong how they are right now.”, he said slowly. “I’ll protect you, from now on. You’re a good guy. All of us think so.”

“A-all of us?”, Faustino asked. Three other boys stepped out from the shadows. A young Placido, Valerio, and Severo looked back at him.

“We’re all on your side.”, Guerino said. “I’m not all that smart, but even I know what’s right. Let us help you next time Baldovino starts up trouble.”

Faustino could only nod.

---

“Rach…”, Zach said quietly. “I want to change the world.”

“Change it?”, she asked him. “How? More statues of you around?”

“No, funny girl.”, Zach said, ruffling her hair. “I mean…making the world more peaceful. I want everyone to see each other as siblings. Because we are. All of us share a common ancestor. Think how disappointed the earliest intelligent life would be to see their modern descendants always warring…”

“How are you going to change it?”, Rachel asked. “Any big ideas?”

“I…am going to start a mafia family.”, he said. “And you’re going to be in it.”

“Um…What?”, she asked.

“You heard me.”, he said. “A mafia family. Our only code will be to treat the other members as friends…because we’ll all be friends of friends. If someone joins us, they acknowledge that the friend that brought them into the group is friends with other members, and that goodwill will be passed down the line.”

“I…think I understand.”, Rachel said, beginning to smile.

“And you’ll be there to help me run it.”, Zach said triumphantly. Rachel sighed.

“Well…I guess I don’t have very many options, do I?”, she asked. “After all…you ARE the big scary mafia boss now.”

“You got it, kid.”, Zach laughed, ruffling the girl’s hair.

---

“Guerino, are you alright?!”, Faustino asked, as Valerio began to patch him up. The giant boy, closing his eyes from the pain, smiled and offered a thumbs-up. “I’m so sorry! You…you were protecting me, because I wasn’t fast enough…”

“Don’t…don’t you dare say that.”, Guerino choked. Valerio, now beginning to sweat, worked harder to stem the bleeding. “You’re the one who thought that strategy up so quickly…We’d have all been dead if you hadn’t been there…”

“Guer…”, Faustino murmured. “Is he going to be alright, Val?”

Valerio wiped his brow, putting his needle and thread away.

“He’s not going to die. Not this time.”, Valerio said, teasing the boy. Faustino breathed a sigh of relief as Valerio left the room, shouting back, “You know the deal, Guer! No moving for the night, or you’ll open them up.”

“Why…why did they attack?”, Faustino asked. “They weren’t just sparring with us like B. Ferraro’s assistants…they were out for blood.”

“Why?”, Guerino asked. “Because we’re poor, that’s why. Because we live in the shittiest city to ever be. Because danger is every street’s middle name.”

“It…doesn’t have to be like that.”, Faustino said. “I think I get it…Why B. Ferraro sponsored us, trained us from afar…I think he wants us…to be agents of change.”

“Say that again?”, Guerino asked.

“Didn’t you ever wonder? Why someone far from here sent the money to give us the education we couldn’t get after…the accident with Baldovino at the school? Why we learned how to use our Dying Will, when so few people will ever learn that? B. Ferraro…wants us to use our power to change the world, to make it a peaceful one…But...can we?”

“We’ll find a way.”, Guerino said. “And if it’s dangerous…you can count on me to be your shield. I’ll…I’ll become stronger, so you never have to worry about me being hurt for you again!”

Faustino smiled.

“And I’ll become stronger…so I can…lead…us.”

“No, no, say it with confidence!”, Guerino urged. “Lead us! With passion!”

“Lead…us?”

“No! Again!”

Outside the door, the other five listened, smiling to themselves. They all vowed to each other silently that they would become stronger, so that none of them would ever suffer again. So that they could change the world.

---

Rachel stepped into Zach’s office. He looked up at her and smiled.

“Hey, you. What’s up?”, he asked. Rachel, unsmiling, pulled her Orso Box from her pocket, laying it on his desk.

“What’s wrong with Juno?”, she asked. Zach looked away, trying to shuffle some papers.

“I...don’t know what you’re talking about.”, he said hastily.

“I’ve noticed…on all our missions….Juno’s Cambio Forma doesn’t exert as many Fiamma Volts, as much flame energy, as the other Varia Animals do. It’s…only a tenth as strong as the others.”

Zach sighed.

“And you’ve already tested this, with Eddie?”, he asked, swiveling his chair away from her as she nodded. “Then I suppose…I should come clean.”

Rachel took a deep breath, waiting for his answer.

“I…told you that I needed you to watch after Bradley. That’s not wrong. The boy is…blindingly dangerous to himself and others when left to his own devices. But…it’s not the whole truth.”

“Then what is the whole truth?”, Rachel asked.

“When the Varia was formed, I took Bradley aside…and I gave him one absolutely vital mission...”, he said softly. “And that was to keep you out of any kind of danger. You would be his babysitter…and he would be your bodyguard.”

“Why…why would you do that?”, she asked, stunned. “I thought I was one of your Varia Officers! I thought you trusted me with your family!”

“I do! I do!”, Zach shouted. “But…I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you. I made the Orso Boxes with adults in mind…We all have to grow into their real power…but the box would have drained too much of your energy when you used Cambio Forma. You would have been in the most danger, of all of us. Nicole…Nicole has gotten very strong. She was able to use the real power of her box…but you…you weren’t ready. That’s why…that’s why I split Juno’s power into two pieces. The piece in that box you hold contains the information for a Cambio Forma that would protect you, like I wanted to do, always.”

“Where…is the other?”, Rachel asked.

Zach took a deep breath, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a white box with green gems set into it. Like stars, Rachel thought.

“I…have been a fool, Rachel.”, Zach said sadly. “I never wanted to make you angry…I just wanted to keep you safe.”

“Zach…if I use that box, we can create that perfect world.”, Rachel said, unflinching. “I’m not so small you have to protect me from the dangers you face yourself.”

Zach sighed.

“I…have babied you…for too long, I see now.”, Zach said. “It seems that while I was too busy keeping things out of your reach…you grew. You’ve grown into a marvelous young woman, Rachel. I’m…proud to call you my Officer, my friend…and, of course, my little sister.”

Zach placed the box down on the desk, still looking at the back wall.

“You…may take this box if you choose. Please, accept my apologies. But…know that if you take this box, you take on a sacred oath.”

“What is that?”, Rachel asked.

“That you will return from all your missions safely.”, Zach said, turning. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. “So that I will never have to watch the stars alone.”

“I promise.”, Rachel said, taking the box. “Thank you, Zach. I’m ready to prove myself now.”

---

Rachel’s hand reached, once more, for the white box with the green gems.

“I made a promise.”, she said aloud. “I can’t let you hurt me anymore. Cambio…Forma…”

She opened the box, and the air burst with green light.

Osvaldo came crashing down on the ground, creating a crater from the force of his impact.

“Damnation!”, he shouted, from within his blackened shell. “I don’t know my own strength! I killed her!”

Suddenly, he felt an armored hand grab onto his shell. He turned his field of vision to look at the figure gripping him.

Rachel now stood in a suit of metallic green armor slimmer than Armatura Giovani had been. The stomach had been repaired perfectly. The Roman numeral “I” stood proudly on display on her neckline, laid over a green gem. The armor now included arms and legs, ending in elegant armored gloves and light metal boots. At the joints of the green metal was a highlighted in a lustrous white metal that allowed for perfect mobility while maintaining protection from all sides. The slender, elegant shoulder guards jutted out from the body, but in a way that looked entirely natural. The entire suit sparkled like the night sky.

“Armatura Stelle…”, Rachel whispered to herself. “This is Juno’s true form…”

Osvaldo tried to uncurl himself, but Rachel gripped tighter, shooting Thunder Flames through her hand, breaking the shell where she held it.

“This is that power of love I was talking about.”, Rachel said softly. “Guerino’s body, too…It’s a weapon that he has honed for many years, to help the friends he loves. What you’re doing, stealing his body for your own gain…is stomping on that love. I can’t forgive that!”

Osvaldo propelled himself away with another blast of Thunder Flames, then propelled himself forward, rushing at her. Rachel, faster than the blink of an eye, was already many yards away from him. Osvaldo stopped, to consider his options. Rachel, however, wasn’t going to give him the time for that. She held one arm out. The forearm guard popped out, revealing the small arm cannon around Rachel’s right arm. There was only a second of charging, and she fired countless tiny balls of green light, rocketing at the man before he could react. They exploded all around him, the ones hitting him causing him to scream out. Instantly, she was behind him, grabbing him by the skull. She pointed her left arm, which revealed an identical cannon, where his heart would be.

“Do you trust me with this?”, Rachel thought.

“I do.”, Guerino’s voice told her.

She fired a blast of sparkling green light through his body, causing no damage to him, but dissolving the Darkness Box inside him. Immediately, Osvaldo’s shell returned to its original color, and then the second after that, the shell returned to Guerino’s green box, which fell out harmlessly. Osvaldo groaned.

“I…I can’t maintain…this body…”, he gasped. And then, he collapsed. Rachel felt Guerino’s presence leave her, and she began to feel very tired. Juno, feeling her master about to topple over, returned to her box, but it was too late. She fell…into Bradley’s outstretched arms, ready and waiting to catch her. The Commander smiled down at her.

“Good job, Rachel.”, he whispered. The girl looked up at him.

“Did…I save him?”, she asked. Not ‘Did I win?” or ‘Is he gone?’… ‘Did I save him?’

Bradley grinned.

“You sure did, kid.”, he told her, as Adrien closed the wound the box had left behind. “He’s going to be just fine. You just get some rest. You’ve earned it.”

Rachel closed her eyes, whispering one last thing, a thing that Bradley almost didn’t hear.

“Stop him.”

“I will.”, Bradley thought, laying the girl down. “His evil ends today.”

---

Malvolia looked over Sabra’s unconscious figure.

“You’ll survive.”, she said. “You were just tired from all that psychic work…that wound isn’t bad.”

Malvolia returned Lycaon to her box, and began to limp to the track.

“Adelina…Please be alright…”, she murmured.

“Hey! Mal!”, she heard Nerina shout. She looked up at the source of the voice and saw Nerina, standing alongside Adelina, Ernesta, Raimonda, and Orabella. “It’s over! We won!”

“What?!”, Malvolia called. “But…Ern, Rai, Bella…all three of you lost! It’s not over until all the Orso are down!”

Adelina shook her head.

“Their leader realized they didn’t have a chance of winning, and surrendered as soon as you won.”, she explained.

“Then…the Arcoferro?!”, Malvolia asked, excitedly.

“They’re ours.”, Nerina said, holding the set up.

“That means…we can get the medicine for Rosangela!”, Malvolia shouted, grinning. “We…we did it!”

Malvolia ran to her sisters, embracing them. Finally, their battle was over. Finally, they could leave these battles behind.

Ultimak719 LIKE A BOSS!

Sabra stood over Malvolia’s sleeping body, watching as the black box on her belt dissolved into nothingness.

“There are three emotions that make the human mind less able to escape an illusion. Fear, confusion…and happiness. Keep dreaming, Malvolia. At least your dream…will be a pleasant one…”

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