I will mark the end of one post and beginning of another with *** so that you can distinguish them from one another.

***

Some of the members of the team had already been called away. This was the nature of this war. Everything was always moving in different directions. It was all regrettably unpredictable. Luckily, the Special Warfare and Reconnaissance Group functioned in such a way that other Aeons could always link up at any time. This was how High Command of the UDF wanted it. They had learned this lesson the hard way. The first iteration of the group had been a predetermined and unchanged team. This led to incredible cohesion and effectiveness, but it also came with certain risks. When one of the team ended up with Renegade status, all of them followed suit out of loyalty. This was unacceptable, which is why High Command changed the team composition protocols for the group.

Emilia thought about why they were in Steelwater. They had brought fairly talented Aeons from the Research Division on the team. That could not have been a coincidence, and Aaron probably knew why—she meant to ask him about it the second there was a quiet moment. Then there was Ben. Why was he here? Emilia’s mind hopped back in time to that last message she had received from him. There was something that he had to do, but he could not do it while they were together and his mother was still alive. That could only mean something illegal or extremely bad in the eyes of the UDF. Why was he in Steelwater, though? Or rather, why had he been there? Emilia figured that he was long gone, but they had to find out why he had been there at all and where he was going. What could make such a legendary Aeon with an almost perfect UDF career abandon everything to do whatever it is he was doing? The thought was baffling and way too distracting at this time, in the heat of battle, so she did her best to let it go for now.

The berated and punished monstrosity was provoked beyond what it probably expected. The utter barrage of pain that Aaron and Scylla inflicted in less than a minute was enough to level an entire city block's worth of concrete. The thing let out a terrible screech during a brief moment of respite from its spirit possessed attackers. All the tinier creatures that swarmed in its vicinity began to scurry away in a hurry, as their atrocious Alpha uncannily began to spin around in a Whirlwind. Mud and rock were flung from the shallow waters of the creek and the many vile tentacles of the monster sent any stragglers flying. That such a bulky creature could move that fast, in a spinning motion no less, was a baffling sight to behold. Being caught in such retaliation would surely be felt the next morning.

"Watch out!" Emilia shouted just before the thing reached its violent momentum.

Her shotgun shells were quickly running out. Emilia doubted that any gun or blade would stop that monstrosity from spinning around, and there was no telling when it would stop. She dropped the smoking barrel onto the deck when the firepower had dried up. The tiny tree husks and insects were still an issue, but they would certainly cut their losses if their daddy was dead. Emilia crouched for a split second before forcefully jumping high up into the air—the very thing that had made her iconic in this business. At the zenith of her physical feat, slowing down at roughly forty meters above ground, she raised her arm above her head and focused her mind on the spirits within. Swirling air all around her began to gather, smokey gray and white in its heightened appearance, rapidly taking the shape of a conventional missile. Just as Emilia was about to descend due to gravity, she flung the airy armament at the monstrosity.

The rocket of air left an impressive trail in the sky. The explosion from the impact was less than two seconds after Emilia had launched the attack. A potent shock wave escaped in all directions, water in the creek was forcefully moved and nearly drained around the foe, and a grayish mist was aggressively ejected into the air in the shape of a dome. All the tiny minions were knocked off balance and about in the immediate area. The vile creature itself stopped dead in its spinning track, briefly stunned by the airy detonation. Emilia touched ground shortly thereafter. She drew her combat blade from its resting place underneath her backpack, strapped to the chest rig.

“Now! Go, go!” She shouted to the others fighting the thing. There was an opening to do some serious damage.

The plan in Emilia's head was to clear this area out and regroup at the ResDiv Research Station up ahead. From there, they would make their entry into the city. It was anyone’s guess how they would ever pick up any trail belonging to Ben. They would probably have to split up and look for anything that could be related to the UDF—something secret or off limits. It was the only logical conclusion that Emilia could come to. If he had achieved his Archon form and shown hostility with it, then he was doing something that the UDF did not approve of. And what was with these Stigma creatures and overwhelming odds? The orbiting comet was not due near Steelwater for another hour, so there was no reason for this kind of invasion to make itself known. Hopefully, they would find something in the city that could give some modest answers.

***

The thing had to be close to death by now. Despite its obvious injuries and affected movement, the monster was determined to continue the struggle to the bitter end. Did it even have a conception of preserving its own life? Perhaps these things truly were completely mindless. At least it had a sense for detecting threats against itself. Robert’s presence and lavish entrance provoked the thing to a vile screech and following hostility. Its mouth gaped and showed its bizarre assortment of fangs and other incomprehensible things. A violent stream of grotesquely colored water spewed forth towards Robert’s frame. The amount of it was too much to have ever fit inside the thing, so it had to be some kind of magic—but was it based on spirits? Did spirits possess these things as well? Emilia could not even begin to imagine an answer. She was just a WarDiv grunt, so she know little to nothing about these kinds of things.

However, how the Stiggies used magic was not what truly had Emilia’s attention. On her way down from the jump, she noticed movement and lights a bit further into the forest area. There were people there that were not part of the S.W.A.R.G. team and it was doubtful that it was anyone from the World Eaters battalion. They were either civilians trying to escape the city, another team that the UDF had not informed about, or a hostile force about to flank the position. If the latter was true, then this was the perfect opportunity to do it. Emilia had to make an executive decision. McMahon had not designated a proper leader for the team, but had rather suggested it to be Emilia by way of implied punishment for insubordination—the ‘punishment’ being the position of trying to lead a team of leaders.

"Keep at it. I saw some movement to our west. I’ll be right back." Emilia said over the communication channel.

Hopefully, someone took note of her call out even if they were in the middle of a fight and distracted by all sorts of things. Emilia drove her blade through a couple of the tree husks and insects on her way towards the general area where she had seen the lights and what she presumed were people—it could just as well have been more of the creatures or some other monster they had not seen yet. An effortless jump to cover the last bit of distance made her arrival after the airy explosion appear uncanny. Emilia sheathed her sword and shouldered her rifle again before making contact with what she thought to be humans. From her experience, people were generally more afraid of a firearm than a melee weapon. So, even if her weapon was dryer than a desert and craving for bullets, it would certainly do its job to instill fear nonetheless. Emilia’s approach was from behind the tree that the strangers seemed to occupy.

The first impression was the tip of the spear as Emilia rounded the tree. The scene was no stranger than any other scene in a war such as this, yet unique in its own way. Emilia instantly noticed the BlackRock logo on the chest rig of a female soldier. This was not the first time that she had dealt with mercenaries, special operation groups, and other such things based on the big corporations. They were not always hostile, but they were not necessarily helpful either. The other person there seemed to either tend to or mourn the dead on the ground. Emilia did catch a glimpse of the crossbow, so the assumption was that this other individual was a combatant as well, probably UDF of some capacity. Emilia kept her eyes on the BlackRock operator, though.

“You guys got here fast. Do you mind putting that weapon away or is this going to be one of those ugly encounters you hear the grunts complain about all the time?” Emilia said while keeping her gun pointed at Christina—still dry of bullets.

***

"Yes. UDF Guardian Corps to be more precise." Emilia kept her focus on the stranger. UDF regulation mandated that all soldiers would identify themselves when interacting with civilians or unknown combatants, especially before starting a shooting gallery. These rules were no different for Aeon, even if there were mixed opinions about that. A moment after Emilia had diligently followed the wishes of the UDF overlords, the other unknown made himself present in the conversation by the all too familiar gawking.

Clarke...? Almost there, buddy. She thought to herself.

Emilia slowly lowered her weapon while the man continued to speak. She ejected the empty magazine of the rifle and tossed it to Christina in a slow arc, easy to catch. The woman did not seem like a threat at this time. Besides, there were civilian lives at stake. Even if BlackRock operatives could be heartless, they were not all bad apples. Emilia stepped closer to Peter and the injured girl to see what the situation was and if it were salvageable. From what Emilia could tell, and she was no medic, the little one could see yet another day if proper treatment arrived sooner rather than later. Luckily, as Peter mentioned, the Research Division PRS nearby would have the equipment to fix this, not to mention highly skilled personnel.

"I could jump her there, but I don't want to risk any further injury if something goes wrong." Emilia said, and then tilted her head towards Christina. "You up for this? I'll carry her if you cover me." Emilia squatted next to the young girl and employed the standard rescue carry across the shoulders. Being an Aeon with enhanced strength, Emilia could not even feel the weight of the tiny one when she stood up again. At that moment, the shockwave of a violent explosion came from the fight between the rest of the team and the abomination further down the creek. A numbing, whining sound from the initial crack of Robert's attack rang in Emilia's ears, but slowly faded away. Everything was intensely bright for a brief moment as if the sun had broken through the dark clouds above.

Robert's inferno and Scylla's barrage of penetrating beams marked the final end of the horrid monstrosity. The thing abruptly became lifeless. A loose gurgling sound escaped the various exits of the beast, as it fell over into the barren creek, which slowly had its water return from various places. The remainder of the tiny insects and tree husks quickly scattered, fleeing in all directions, being killed off by entrenched soldiers of the World Eaters battalion. The previous order that Emilia had given was still in effect, even if she could not see the abomination die. The team was to rendezvous at the ResDiv Portable Research Station. From there, they could finally continue into the city.

***

Emilia watched as the shadows twisted and contorted in the darkness, her eyes narrowed and focused on her target. A hulking beast, unlike any she had encountered before, lurked just beyond the edge of her vision. She knew that hesitation could be the difference between life and death, but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of uncertainty. This creature seemed different, more cunning and dangerous than the Stigma monsters she had faced before.

As she took a deep breath, the air around her grew charged with tension. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she felt the familiar power of the spirits within her begin to stir. She listened intently, her senses heightened, as the creature's heavy breathing and the rustling of leaves betrayed its movements. The moment of uncertainty faded, replaced by a steely determination.

"Alright, you ugly bastard, let's dance," Emilia muttered under her breath, gripping her combat blade tightly.

In a flash, she leaped forward, the ground beneath her feet exploding with the force of her jump. As she closed the distance between her and the creature, she called upon the spirits to aid her in the fight. A whirlwind of air and energy enveloped her blade, humming with power and anticipation.

The creature, sensing her approach, turned to face her with a guttural snarl. Its eyes glinted with a malevolent intelligence that sent a shiver down her spine. This was no ordinary beast—it was something far more dangerous.

As Emilia descended upon her foe, she swung her blade with deadly precision, aiming for the creature's exposed neck. However, the beast proved to be faster than she had anticipated. With a swift, fluid motion, it dodged her strike and countered with a vicious swipe of its claws.

Emilia barely managed to twist her body out of harm's way, the creature's claws grazing her side as she somersaulted through the air. She landed with a grunt, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps as pain flared in her side.

"Damn it," she cursed, quickly assessing the damage. The wound was superficial, but it would slow her down if she wasn't careful.

Refusing to let the pain distract her, Emilia charged forward again, her blade slicing through the air as she engaged the creature in a deadly dance. With each strike and counterstrike, it became clear that this battle was far from a simple skirmish. It was a test of wills, of strength and agility, and of the bond between Aeon and spirits.

As their battle raged on, Emilia could feel her energy waning, but she refused to back down. With one final, desperate surge of power, she called upon the spirits within her to unleash a devastating blow.

The air around her blade crackled with energy as she brought it down upon the creature, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through the air. The beast let out a pained, enraged howl as it fell to the ground, defeated and mortally wounded.

Emilia stood over her fallen foe, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. She knew that this victory was hard-won, but it was only a small part of the greater conflict that raged on in Libra. As she turned to leave, she couldn't help but wonder what other challenges lay ahead, and whether she would be able to face them with the same determination and strength she had shown today.