Free Web NovelChapter 477: Arc 6, Chapter 93: Captured Pieces
The blast of a bullet puffed out into a thick cloud of purplish smoke, catching Fumeko’s immediate gaze. "Woosh!" "Crumble..."
Her eyes widened for a second as she tried not to move, stood on top of the rubble and in the dispersing smoke. She squinted down, "Mrs Aetherton!?"
...
"I... thought I told you not to come here..." a breath rasped out in reply.
Fumeko could glean half of Morgana’s body under the rubble and the glow of her pistol. ’If she’s not dead, then all the debris must just be pressing down on her. Well fuck, if anything moves she’s getting crushed.’ She pulled her scarf down so she could inhale a tad better.
"Hey. Hey kid! Get down from there!" some of the paramedics yelled over from outside. A couple of firefighters noticed the girl and quickly began climbing the wreckage to get her.
"Don’t! Stop moving! There’s someone under here!"
Despite Fumeko’s words, they continued to clamber up to get her.
’Are you deaf you halfwits!?’ "Hang in there Ms Aetherton!"
"...I ain’t going nowhere kid..."
’Dammit, shit! ...! Can I blink her out of there? Can I even fit there?’
"Don’t do anything stupid," Morgana uttered from below.
Fumeko looked back at the firefighters already causing the rubble at the edge to shift. "Eugh!" "Woosh." Fumeko reappeared outside, next to the ambulance. "Hey! I’m fine, look!"
The firefighters turned as their target disappeared. The paramedics who called out to her glanced at her confused, "An affinity? Wait aren’t you that kid with the Thundering Blade?"
’Great, out of my dad’s shadow and into another one.’ "Fumeko Namora, detective," her eyes glazed over.
"The Namora? As in Kazuo Namora? You’re his daughter?"
"Yeah don’t wet yourself, look," she pointed. "There’s someone under there; someone who knows what happened too. Stop sending people up, there’s already someone to get the director injured further in."
"Oh well, we’re not sending people up, we’re on the scene waiting. You’ll have to tell that woman over there," the medic pointed to a firefighter checking in on a radio.
With a groan Fumeko blinked towards her and explained the situation again. While the incoming traffic was already at a standstill or parked to a side, another carriage came to a stop behind the line.
"Woosh!"
Rushing up to the scene were the others left behind. "Oh my..." Hotaru eyed the damage from the shattered roof to the piled up wreckage, a hand over her mouth.
"Did a dragon do this?" Asobi held her wand tightly.
"Where is she?" Tiffany was more focused on searching around, before the brunette appeared in shadows next to all three.
All three called out her name. "Are you hurt?" Hotaru checked.
"What happened?" Asobi queried.
"I’m fine," Fumeko took a step back. "It was like this when I got here. Quinn is dead, Mr Werner might never walk again and Mrs Aetherton’s stuck under the rubble," she reported.
"A-are they getting her out?" Tiffany asked.
"I asked the firefighters to not put any more weight over on the left side over there," she pointed to the wreckage. "But I don’t know if they’re gonna listen. Some of them are already getting Mr Werner out." ’Bet they’d listen to Jotou in a heartbeat, tch.’
"I can heal them if they can get them here," the redhead’s palms already glowed blue.
"Can’t you?" Tiffany asked the brunette. freewebnøvel.com
"I’d rather not risk blinking someone if they’re that injured and I don’t know if I can get to Mrs Aetherton, it’s cramped in there."
"We can get Detective Aetherton out," Asobi chimed in.
"How?" Fumeko raised a brow.
The magician glanced over at the pale blonde, "Tiffany can scream really loud and blast all the rocks into smithereens! Or just away," tiny illusions played out the plan.
"We’d have to wait till the people inside are out," Hotaru stated.
"Who cares about inside, that’d just crush Mrs Aetherton," the brunette glared.
"Mmm, not really. We just push from the inside and push the mess somewhere else silly. You said there was a hole, we can do it from there," Asobi insisted.
"Ahem, I do apologize, however upon mine postulation if the adventuring detective’s ratty stature was ill suited to enter said narrow chasm, mine illustrious form most assuredly would not fit," the blonde proclaimed.
Fumeko side-eyed. ’Yeah I’m sure your fat tits would be a problem, you fucking cow.’
"That won’t be a problem, come on, it’s an emergency," Asobi assured and ran forward.
"S-Sobi," before Hotaru could call out, she was already off. The others followed behind.
Asobi stopped at the tape, "Meko, where is it?"
"Woosh." Fumeko pointed to the left side.
"Hold on ladies, area’s been cordoned off-"
"Azure Firefly, please move aside, we’re allowed to act and aid in emergency," Hotaru caught up to the two. The paramedic at the side raised her arms and moved aside.
’Of course they listen to her...’
Asobi took a leap and hopped up, knocking over chips of loose stone. "Woosh." Seeing where Fumeko now stood, Asobi made her way and peeked down the gap, "Woah, that’s tiny."
"Really, not like anyone said it was."
"Sarcasm won’t help the stress Meko," the elf stood up and rubbed her hands together. She beamed, "Fear not, for the Amazing Asobi won’t be beaten so easily!"
...
"It might get rocky," Asobi blankly said.
"Woosh."
Asobi hopped around to the other side and faced the public, "Excuse me, could everyone move away from the hill?" her voice projected across the vicinity. "Stella! Hurry up!"
Tiffany put her arms out, "Pray tell, what am I to do!?"
"Alrighty! Mrs Investigator, watch out for incoming light!" Asobi shot out a rope of light that fit into the gap. Brighter than the daylight poking through, Morgana had to wince her eyes.
The rope hissed as a bright tongue and two duller eyes appeared on the illusory snake making its way down. It slithered down to Morgana’s location and looked at her.
Tiffany stood at the ready, still a bit unsure how she was going to get herself through while the firefighters and medics began to move back. "Did it hit the ground!?"
"...It is. I hope you ain’t gonna suggest for me to grab on."
"Nope! Just keep your head back," Asobi stuck her tongue out and held her wand with both hands forward. "Just have to..." The snake began to stretch wide, thinning out left and right of it.
Bright white light seeped through the minute gaps and spread throughout the wreckage. It made a curve around the hill, till both sides appeared out of the debris.
"And!" Uttering a little noise, Asobi twisted her wand. "TSH!" A butterfly wall instantly emerged causing yelps and loud mutterings from the public.
Wedged carefully in between the rubble, Asobi’s fingers strained to grip her wand.
Fumeko watched intently, curling her fingers. ’If it crumbles, Mrs Aetherton’s dead ASOBI.’
"DFFF!" The butterfly flapped, compacting the debris forward, but created a second layer behind it so as to keep the rubble behind from shifting much. "Now Stella!" Asobi squeaked labouredly.
Tiffany found a gap she could easily squeeze through at the side and pushed her way through, avoiding the light wall on both sides.
The magician rotated her wand around like a fishing rod and manifested another butterfly wall within the cordoned off area. The light began to fade away from the front of where Tiffany entered as rubble threatened to fall on the blonde.
"AAASSOBI!"
She ducked her head slightly, but her scream blasted the front of her. Silvery-white echoes rippled against the wreckage and sent debris flying back. "BTSH!" It hit the outer butterfly wall, protecting the onlookers.
"W-why didn’t she just say that was her p-plan..." Tiffany exhaled her panic. She cleared her throat and shouted as loud as she could.
Much of the rubble was blasted back, allowing more room for Tiffany to walk and Asobi to let go of while still concentrating on keeping steady the wreckage she stood on.
Over the span of a minute, random bits of concrete and rebar smashed into the road. A section had been cleared like a slice of pie till Morgana’s head was exposed at Tiffany’s feet. A small dome of light was covering her body.
"Discovered the detective one has," Tiffany stated.
Sweat dripped down Asobi’s temple. "Can you get her, I’m getting really sleepy," her voice cracked. Firefighters from behind had a fainted Peter on two of their shoulders and paused upon seeing the act.
Blood had run over Morgana’s eye from a slit on her forehead and ashy dust coated her face and hair. The air was so clear now out of that space. "I can tell you now, if I move I’m giving my legs up."
"Can you wedge further in?" Fumeko shouted up as she approached Tiffany and Morgana.
"Further???" Asobi replied as the outer butterfly wall began to fade.
Fumeko sighed and drew her dagger, "You really thought I was not gonna come here?" She crouched down and poked the blade into the rubble.
"I can think what I want after I get outta here."
Hotaru ran up and crouched down to grab Morgana’s hands, "It’s okay, I can heal whatever necessary."
’Cutting her free was a good thought in theory.’ "We’re gonna have to pull you out quick," Fumeko grabbed one arm and grabbed Morgana’s pistol with the other.
Tiffany reached down and took the other arm before they all pulled! Morgana slipped out with their aid and fortunately with all of her intact.
"Crsh!" Her small cavern disappeared the instant she was gone and crumbled down. The entire mound shifted. "Woah-Ah!" Asobi displaced one foot and all the manifestations shattered into mana and nothing.
Putting Morgana’s weight on themselves, Fumeko and Hotaru dragged the detective in blue out; the pile of stone came avalanching down- "AHHHHHHH!!!"
Tiffany’s scream gave them some time to flee and allow the blonde to move back. The silvery-white echoes flew overhead Asobi and knocked down the loose bits of rubble on the roof while the magician hunkered down.
They offhanded Morgana to the paramedics; the rubble came crashing down with an Asobi in tow. She rid the wreckage down on a chunk of floor, unharmed. She coughed and glanced back, "Well that wasn’t so bad."
Hotaru was already healing Morgana’s bruises and cuts up while she sat on a stretcher.
"The cult struck? What happened?" Hotaru inquired.
"Forallei, single-handedly apparently," the brunette replied.
"You’d be correct," Morgana winced from the sting of the water. "She busted down through Kazuo’s office window."
Fumeko handed her pistol back, "Where is dad?"
Morgana took the gun and solemnly stared down... She closed her eyes, "She took him."
’...WHAT!?’ "Why!?"
"Kid, if I knew I’d be saying," she held her head. "The building came crashing down, she didn’t say nothing. Me and him tried to move out and get a better angle, anything. He... pushed me out of the way at the last second.
Would have been impaled otherwise. She boxed him in and beat him to a pulp before dragging him away. It seemed, personal... She then shot up spears from the floors and crashed the rest of the place.
I got something written and sent it off with Kira before everything came collapsing around me. She was meant to find you kid."
"Woosh!"
Fumeko stood in the ruin of her father’s office. ’Come on dad, you wouldn’t be taken that easily. Not without leaving something behind, come on, anything.’ She started examining under the rocks and shattered wood.
"Where’s she? Kira," Morgana queried.
"Wouldn’t you know?" Hotaru uttered and took a step back.
"My head’s a ringing," she grunted. "She can find anyone I know, the fastest way possible. She was supposed to get to Fumeko, then check my house, then Kazuo’s house to warn Howllett.
If they targeted here, it’s possible other locations were attacked. But chop it up however you like, she should have been her by now," she recalled each step.
A slow-rolling car pulled up to the scene and out came a cat-man with gold piercings and thick-rimmed glasses. He kept looking at the wreckage and the injured Morgana over and over as he darted into the scene, showing his badge.
"Heath you alcoholic bastard..." she cursed.
"Heard the damn news all the way down at my flat, what the hell happened?" Heath bewilderedly looked around.
"You being hungover might’ve saved you."
"Uhm, Peter Werner has major injuries and Quinn is, dead... if I heard right," Hotaru relayed.
Morgana’s lips pursed as she inhaled and sank into her palm further.
"They’re...? Shit..." Heath’s ears fell and his tail waved in alarm.
Meanwhile through all the mess, Fumeko’s search was in vain. Nothing was there that would signify Kazuo left it behind. Hearing how it happened, it was of course no surprise.
But even so, she kept searching. Her fingers wound around rubble and rock, "Owgh!" she scraped her palms against concrete, reddening her skin. The rubble fell, causing other bits to shift and landslide.
Fumeko panted, rubbing her palm on her skirt. ’He must’ve done something, there must be some evidence, something that can be used to track them, maybe he had a plan to...’
Each thought was a waste of hope; there was nothing she could piece together, no matter how many strings she tried to connect. Ambush and panic was not the verdict she was going to settle on, it was not possible—not possible at all. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
...
She fell to her knees... No walls stood around her. Evidence, files, papers were everywhere. Perhaps some of them were stolen or destroyed? Even then what good would it do to know if that was true?
’He’s not... No, he’s smarter than that. He would’ve... he would’ve...’ Something gleamed purple in the corner of her eye. Fumeko’s eyes glimmered with purplish-black shadows as they darted to the shine.
Once the dust had settled, the faint glow peeked through the rubble—a hue similar to her dagger. She rushed up to it and examined... Shadows encased her injured palm and warped the object into her grasp.
"What happens now?" Asobi asked as her and Tiffany had convened with the others. The firefighters lifted Peter’s unconscious body over the hill and down the slope.
"We need to get to Jotou, I’m sure she’ll have a plan. Yeesh, she wouldn’t even know anything’s gone on here," Hotaru sighed.
"Then she’ll know soon enough," Fumeko walked back to them.
"Well, let me help Mr Werner first," the redhead watched him be put on a stretcher.
Morgana held the side of her head as her piercing green eyes began to glow. Her eyebrows then furrowed; her eyes widened. "Kira’s at the detective’s house. It’s being surrounded by Dolpool Police... the door looks, busted? The windows are shattered."
Hotaru’s ears bristled and her tail spiked up in an instant. "Jotou, where’s Jotou!?"
"I don’t see her; Kira fly in close girl," Morgana relayed.
Tears formed in the wolf-girl’s eyes. Fumeko stood upright and her eyes stared daggers ahead. "The cult couldn’t’ve gotten Jotou, she would’ve won!" Asobi stated.
"Shut up! Shut up, shut- Go! I’m going," Hotaru without another word ran for the carriage they had arrived in.
"Still don’t see her," Morgana stated. "Don’t see the little one either, I’ll try sending Kira through one of the windows."
"S-surely the Blade is merely a-away," Tiffany stammered.
"Doesn’t matter," Fumeko strode back to the carriage. ’Save my magic, save my magic... Jotou can survive anything, it’s impossible to get her...’ She hid the object in the waistband of her skirt and under her arm. Desperate determination lingered in her eyes; she barely blinked.
