Laguna - South-end - Midnight

Facing down an unnerving presence, Nunnalé, having drawn her sword, takes a step forward. Richard readies himself, knowing that this confrontation won’t end in an exchange of words; he’s come too far and fought many battles to know that words are never enough to settle someone with overwhelming bloodlust like this. He’s used to it, but panicked thoughts take over his mind. “What if I take the wrong step”, “We should run”, and “Can we really get out of this without one of us dying”. These are the thoughts running through his mind.

“All of you…all of you should just die!”

His Source runs wilder than before, expanding in volume with every second. Comparing him and Richard, Richard’s Source, through proper training, is controlled, keeping it from leaking in excess. This also keeps him from using large amounts of his Source at once. However, Cade, who is barely in control of his, doesn’t know how to keep it from going wild. So, he would exhaust his Source quicker than Richard.

However, as Gray Ocean and Selena summarized, he is a B-2. The Source Metric System, or SMS, is a measuring system used to gauge a Source-user’s rank. Several factors go into properly gauging a Source-user, but with just the amount of Source a person is able to wield, a rank is imposed on said person. Going from D to A, there are 4 ranks in each category: For example, Cade was said to be a B-2; 2nd rank in B.

So while he can run out of Source, it would take a bit before he taps out from letting it run wild. But how is he able to control it in the first place? The answer is simple: he doesn’t.

A shadow stretches out before their very eyes. It twists and turns, taking on a person’s figure. Nunnalé rushes ahead to close the gap between Cade and herself. The figure slams its fist against her sword. Its strength is equal to a gorilla on a rampage. Unable to withstand the sudden attack, she losses her footing. Richard gets caught up in her backward momentum. They fly over the edge of the building, rapidly plummeting.

Cade follows them, leaping off the building with the monster behind him. There isn’t a hint of fear going after them; no fear that he would die on impact. He was assured of his survival. The monster speeds ahead, ready to crush them with its gigantic fist.

Richard analysis the situation, figuring out what his options are. At this point, even when exposed to danger like this, Richard has learned to steel his nerves and find a way to get through the situation. And it just so happens, an opportunity was open.

“Nunnalé!”

He grabs her arm while enhancing his own. As soon as he did, she understood what he was going to do. With his upped arm strength, he launches her at Cade. Her body shoots past the monster. She crashes into him with both her feet. The rebound knocks him back, making him dive through the building they were forced off of. Richard tumbles into another building. One of the many support pillars stops him.

“That was a clean hit, I know it,” Richard whispers, pumping his fist.

If he and Nunnalé attack together, then they would defeat Cade. Right as he’s about to jump out of the building, a light footstep catches his attention. A slim woman, her face covered by long, jet-black strands of hair, walks from behind a pillar. Wearing a dirty white dress, she turns to face Richard, who immediately picks up on what this thing is.

He goes airborne, pumping Source into one of his legs. This was a mistake. The woman did not need to chase him. Instead, she unleashed a shrill cry that shakes up his nerves. His muscles tensed up, but more importantly, it disturbed his Source flow.

“O-oh crap!”

Falling to the ground, Nunnalé dives in to save him. She lands with the click of her boots, kicking up dust below.

“Master Richard, are you okay?”

“I am, but I think there’s another Source-user!”

“Where!?” He points to the building he fell from. The woman in white stands by the edge, watching both of them with sullen eyes. “No, that is not a Source-user!"

It disappears, and a battle cry follows after that. Nunnalé swiftly gets out of the way of Cade’s next attack. He smashes into the ground, destroying the spot he lands on. Debris flies everywhere and a cloud of dust covers his body.

“Nunnalé, that woman! You saw her too, right?”

“I did, but she was not a person, but a–”

She cut off when Cade comes darting out of the dust cloud like a cannonball. He used the monster that has been making all his attacks until this point as a launcher. It follows close behind.

The being attacking Nunnalé is able to become independent, focusing on a single enemy as long as it's a mile within Cade’s range. Any longer, and it’ll take up more of his Source to keep it out. Also, its power is also dependent on how much Source it uses from him. However, it does not have the overwhelming majority of it, Cade does.

Richard flees into a nearby home. He notices that the support beams are barely holding together. When Cade enters, Richard grabs a large enough rock and throws it at the beams. They snap on impact, bringing down the upper level. Richard throws himself through a window, escaping by the skin of his teeth. The second floor crushes Cade, burying him in its remains.

“Did that do it?” Richard pushes out a breath, relieved that he achieved victory quickly.

Cade isn’t able to recall the monster instantly to his side, and dismissing it wouldn’t be viable since he would need a moment for it to manifest. However, Cade did not need to do that. Unlike Richard, who can’t harden his whole body, Cade can. He burst from the building, spreading debris all over. A silver glint catches Richard’s eye. He immediately evades the incoming attack.

“How do you know how to enhance!?”

A question that is appropriate to ask. How is Cade able to use his Source in the first place? During his fight with Wildcard, his immense hatred, despair, and lust for vengeance, but most importantly, his desire to survive gave way to his technique. Cade’s natural attribute is Conjurer, and his technique falls into that category as well. But, if he is in conjuration, then why can he enhance his body since it’s under guardian?

Cade’s technique counts as a single technique. However, he is able to summon two beings, a hulking monster, and the female wearing the dirty white dress. Before, they couldn’t fully manifest, since Cade did not have a trigger. Then, they were aiding him. With the monster, it was battle advice, and the female would help him understand how to use Source such as enhancement since Cade only cares for raw, physical strength.

But who are these creatures supposed to be? The center of Cade’s sadness, his anger, even his survivors' guilt; his parents. Both voices would plague his nightmares, spurring him on to avenge them, to not allow the existence of any bandit.

Strength like this comes at a price, however. For his speed in learning basic Source techniques such as enhancement and using his technique, he has to give up more and more of his sanity.

“Each and every one of you bandits are all the same, so just die already!”

Richard’s confusion is cut short when Cade darts toward him. The silver knife in his hand barely grazes his head. A single swipe of that blade would spell death for Richard. Even if he were to enhance, it would be a coin toss if it would slice through his arm or not. And since he isn’t an expert in combat, this match-up is unfavorable for him.

He makes a break for it. Cade follows close behind. There’s an obvious gap between their speed, with Cade being able to enhance both his legs. This fact didn’t escape Richard, however, he also knows that running is pointless.

“Nunnalé, over here!”

He figures that fighting together gives them better odds than fighting alone. She responds to his call. The father follows behind her, quickly closing in on her. Its fist aims for her back. She leaps off the ground, using her sword to block the attack. Not only was this to shield herself, but thanks to the father’s heavy blow, she travels quickly to her master.

“Put away your sword!”

She doesn’t question her master’s request. Having it away, she readies herself for whatever is next. Richard seizes her ankles. This bizarre move puzzles Cade for a moment, but a moment that leaves him defenseless. Not missing a beat, Richard swings Nunnalé at him like she was a bat to help her deliver a devastating punch.

The punch pushes through his skin, cracking a rib.

“Are you okay?” Richard asks the doll, worried that he might have pulled that off too suddenly.

“That was an excellent move. Do not worry about me. At the moment, we must defeat him with haste!”

“I agree. If we run now, it might come back to haunt us.”

“Then, master, we must hurry before that thing is able to aid him.”

“Right! But be careful of that other one.”

“Yes!”

The duo dash at Cade on two opposite sides. He goes after Richard, seeing him as the weak link. Nunnalé was aware of this possibility. She blocks his path. The two exchange fervent attacks. Cade thrust his knife at Nunnalé's heart. However, her precise movements allow her to easily catch his arm. She lands a few quick jabs at his face. Then, reeling back her arms, she slams her hands against his chest. The powerful body blow skips him across the street.

Nunnalé, being the decisive warrior she is, dashes forward, wanting to hit him with the finishing blow. Richard follows behind her. His chestnut-brown eyes catch a glimpse of a woman with long black hair and a dirty white dress; the mother.

“Cover your ears!”

It was too late. Nunnalé looked back at him right when the woman bellowed the scream of a banshee during a cold night. Richard was the only one to cover his ears, avoiding the effect of her voice.

Cade hops to his feet, blasting off with a powerful kick against the ground. He blows past Nunnalé, slashing her waist. It was a careless attack that didn’t make a deep wound, but his target wasn’t her. The decorated blade in his hand drives forward at Richard. Since he negated the Mother’s ability, he can still use his Source. Even so, he is no match for this opponent. Regardless, he charges ahead, running at full speed without enhancing his leg.

The silver blade swipes the air, surely killing whoever is its target. However, Richard was well away from the blade before Cade swung it. Instead of fighting him, he slid under Cade, getting behind him.

Empowering his fist with Source, he slams it into Cade’s back. A hit that lacks the finesse and expertise that Proxy’s liver shot toward Jed had. But it was enough to damage him. Since Cade was enhancing his whole body and Richard was only enhancing his arm, Richard’s blow broke through his defense since his arm was harder than his opponent’s whole body was able to defend against. Nunnalé strikes him with a blunt kick.

“Master, do not let up!”

“Yeah!”

At that moment, they synch up with each other, throwing blows at Cade, trapping him in a cascade of punches and kicks. Nunnalé’s strikes make up for Richard’s lack of hand-to-hand combat experience. It is also worth noting that despite their past issues of sharing their Source in combat, they’re able to enhance their bodies without any struggle.

Cade is backed into a corner, up against two assailants that won’t give him the time to respond. If this keeps up, he will be defeated before he can summon. However, after Richard’s last attack, he put a little too much power into his punch, knocking Cade back. Not missing his chance, he summons the only thing that can fend the both of them off; the mother.

Understanding what it can do, the duo covers their ears, waiting for the scream of a banshee, but it never comes. Cade bolts past the image of his mother. He swerves in front of Richard, slashing at his chest.

“Master!”

Reeling back from the pain, he enhances his foot for a final attack. The kick lands, repelling him. Richard was quick enough to focus his Source around his chest, enhancing it to minimize the damage. If he had been a moment late in guarding, he would have been killed. The cut he received isn’t deep thanks to his quick thinking.

“Nunnalé, don’t worry about me! Fight!”

They both understand the threat that Cade poses. Faltering doesn’t even cross their minds.

By herself, the doll re-engages into combat. Alone, she’s able to unleash her skills as a doll of servitude. Their blades clash briefly, never lingering for a moment to make their next move. Nunnalé would not call herself a swordsman, but her abilities outdo Cade’s, whose proficiency with the knife is second-to-none.

Cade calls out his father to throw off Nunnalé’s attacks. The doll already knew he was going to call it out. She evades its attack entirely. The hulking beast blocks her direct attack at Cade using its arm. Its wrist is sliced off without resistance. There isn’t any blood, but the monster reacts to the damage.

It’s dismissed, being swapped out for the mother. Both Richard and Nunnalé quickly come to the realization that the two monsters can’t be out at the same time. The doll’s blade slices through the mother before she can unleash her voice. Cade’s shock leaves him open. A critical hit to the chest sends him flying into a building. 4 of his ribs cracked from impact and his arm feels numb. Nonetheless, he stands back up.

“Stand down… I will kill you if you don’t.” Her harsh tone hits Richard, who wants to raise a complaint but holds his tongue. “...I suggest you surrender the fight.”

Cade pauses. The wind howls, brushing past the combatants. A moment of calm that could lead to anything other than violence rests on the shoulders of the young man. But that was only an illusion. The moment Cade unlocked his technique, his path was set.

“Not enough… More power, I need more!” Cade’s Source spikes once again in volume, releasing a shockwave. Nunnalé brings out her sword. The air around her opponent grows dense once again. “...I’ll kill all you bandits, no matter what!”

His appearance takes on a change; his hair gains length, his arms grow bigger than they were before, giving him a slightly better build, and the hood from his cape obscures his face from view, leaving only the eyes of a boy who desires vengeance.

“Stronger, must grow stronger!”

Immediately, the two Source-users understand that their opponent isn’t holding back anymore. Stopping him at this point would require Nunnalé to fight to kill him. She closed the distance at blinding speed, slamming him into the building behind them. They separate at the other end. Cade summons his father. Its fist shoots at the doll’s body like a bullet. But she dodges it in midair. Without fail, she closes at her enemy, who's just standing there, waiting for her to close in. Behind her, however, the father would disappear, and then comes the mother. Her sudden appearance catches Nunnalé by surprise. A piercing shriek erupts in her ears. Her Source was thrown off. Now was the worst time for her to get hit with an attack, but best for Cade to finish her.

He kicks her with his boot, then summons out his father to deal the finishing blow. Its knuckles push into Nunnalé’s sword, blowing her away with absolute force. She throws her sword at Cade. He swipes it out of the air with his blade.

Before the girl could mount a counterattack, the father hovers above her with its fist aimed at her. The knuckles from the beastly spirit dig into her forearm, from the arm she used to block. Although that brought down the damage, its strength alone still overwhelmed her defense. Her body crashes through a torn-up building, landing back on the street Richard is on.

“Nunnalé!”

Unable to enhance her body to defend against the blows, she took massive damage. The fight has reached its conclusion.

Richard lumbers over to Nunnalé. He picks her up gently as to not worsen any wounds she received.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t any more useful, Nunnalé.”

Despite his regret, he doesn’t allow himself time to wallow in pity. He picks her up and gets ready to run away before Cade can catch up. His wound is considerably light, so he figures he can heal it later.

Tires screeching against the stone street catch Richard’s attention. A light reaches him from the other end of the street, closing in quickly as the sound of an engine grows louder. The light dies off, showing two familiar faces riding on a single bike; Proxy and Puck.

“Richard, what happened!?” Proxy, who jumps off his bike at the sight of Nunnalé and Richard, gasps.

“Cade! We were fighting Cade!” Proxy and Puck share a concerned look. “...We sensed something awful, so we went to investigate. I-I’ll explain later! We need to get out of here.”

“Then let’s get going!” Fitting four people on Proxy’s bike is going to be a tight fit, but somehow, they manage to make it work. “All aboard the S.S. RoadBurner!”

Cade comes busting through a wall from the top floor of a small house. Proxy hits the gas before he could hit them.

“Proxy, turn around,” Puck urges him. “...We can show him I’m–”

Her voice goes silent at who she sees up ahead. Jed, wearing his usual smile. The chain from his weapon is touching the ground, and Proxy notices this. There was nowhere to go but forward or backward. Either way presents a problem.

“Everyone, hang on to something, and I mean it!” His decision to ride off the street and toward the wall of a house confuses everyone but Richard, aware of RoadBurner’s speed capabilities. “This is all yours, RoadBurner!”

Given the okay, the bike’s engine roars, bursting forward like a hurricane. Puck lets out a feminine scream as the bike darts up the wall. Her heart pounds harder than it ever has before.

To say the least, Jed is caught off guard by the bizarre events that just unfolded before his eye.

“Huh,” he mutters to himself, unable to come up with anything else to say, which is a first for him.

“I’m going after them!”

Jed is quick to stop him. “No! We must focus on our march. They can come later.”

He barely spoke him down from chasing after them, showing that Cade’s reasoning wasn’t totally out the window, which Jed picks up on. This discovery stirs concern inside the pits of his stomach; he already knew that Puck was alive, and if she were to get into contact with Cade, then it would undo everything he achieved until this point.

“Cade, you lead everyone towards the bandits. I’ll go scout ahead.”

He leaves without waiting for an answer. His wound aches when he reached the top of a building. The pain has died down, but it still eats away at him.

“Honestly, this is the worst.” A ping of anger boils in his chest for Proxy. His punch caused this persistent pain to meddle with him. “I’ll kill him for this!”

Jed isn’t what you would call a spiteful person, but with pain like this, how could he not be? At this very moment, he wants to kill him for inflicting such agony, but Jed exercises control over his impulses. For now, he must fulfill his current mission: kill Puck and Wedge if he determines if he’s still alive.

“It’s coming, it’s almost here! I will not let anyone get in the way!”

Biting back the pain, he hurries after Proxy and the others, wishing to stop his plans from crashing down around him.