Magical Girl City: Empire of Ice

As we made our way up to the next floor, I began to think, consider. How exactly had this place come to be like this? Was it an accident, did it involve that room that acted as a funnel, draining the mist?

It was easy to surmise that something had happened, like a window was left open, or something had broken through. The entire building felt like a ship taking in water. Though, that analogy didn’t feel quite right.

If anything, the place felt less like a boat, and more like an aquarium. Filled to the brim with water, and that was water was rapidly leaking out into the streets, and out through that window to, who knows where.

Was it the same city I saw beyond the window? Where that thing resided? I wasn’t really sure. But it was clear, something wasn’t quite right here. The flow of the mist was odd enough. The source must be from inside, and yet, the open window, or leak on the lower floor added another question.

Normally, I’d assume the mist would flow in. Yet it wasn’t, and the air was thick, heavy with it. Why was that? What had happened?

I worked my jaw, but even as we arrived at the fourth floor, no answer came to the fore. Instead, I voiced my concern. Rather, I needed more information.

“Liche, you and Joan don’t live in this area, do you?”

“Us? No, we share an apartment in the Eastern Residential District.” She said, “Why?” She followed up with.

“Well, I live in the Eastern Residential District as well. I remember hearing bits of information about the Western Residential District, but I never took the time to confirm them.”

Liche nods, “We heard things too, mainly that the Western District isn’t as well run as the Eastern one. Or rather, I suppose it has a different kind of clientele? The Western district borders the commercial district, and I heard some of the shops there can be on the seedier end.”

“Right, and the Eastern, our district shares a border with the Upper District, and the Boardwalk, isn’t that right?” I confirmed.

“Yeah, that’s right. I heard the Eastern District representative has ties with the Upper District. So, they try to keep the area cleaner.” Liche says. “The Western District is a bit different, I hear they have a lot of ties with the Merchant’s Association.”

“Merchant’s Association?” I say, “I heard they were related the Dragon Gang.”

“Related, yeah, there are rumors that the gang has a stranglehold on a number of shop owners, especially those near the border of the Western district. A lot of the buildings here aren’t exactly the best, and the prices aren’t great. The place is practically a slum.”

“I can kind of see it… After all, isn’t the Purgatory Academy in the Eastern District?”

“Yeah, there used to be a school in this district, but it was closed down, who knows when. At least, from what I’ve heard. They say it was a gas leak, or explosion? Tore through a couple classrooms, and ever since the whole place has been condemned.” Liche says.

I frown. That bit of knowledge was useful, but… was it really related? With no time to dwell on it, I focused on the task ahead.

We finally arrived on the next floor, and the door was before us. It was closed but covered in cuts and gouges and looked to be barely hanging on. We exchanged glances, and Talia took the lead. She kicked open the door, shield held up. Almost immediately something jumped her. I pulled the trigger of my raised rifle; a bullet sang out and cracked into its skull.

The bullet didn’t quite kill it, but the shot stunned it long enough for Talia to bash it aside and bring her axe to bear. She cut into another creature that surged forward. Her axe cleaved through it with ease, and she followed through with a push, opening the way for the soldiers at the front to pile in.

The hallway was packed. Weapons cleaved through flesh with startling ease. Bullets sang as I fired into the crowd. All too quickly, the rush ended. We’d stepped a bit into the hallway, and having the chance to finally take it in, something became clear.

There had been a fight here. There was blood on the walls. Bodies, corpses. Not just of the monsters, but of people. Or at least, what looked like people. Doors looked to have been kicked open, revealing empty apartments that were a mess.

There were no people here and yet, that didn’t ease me at all. I turned to face the doorway, where Shi was standing by just on the other side of the door, her gaze met my own.

In that moment, something happened. Something, a cannister of sorts landed by her feet. Even with the ice, it took me a moment to process what I was seeing. And a moment later to realize what it was.

A grenade. Over the link, my command raged. Shi leapt back, away from the door the soldiers at her side surged forward to tank the blow for her.

The grenade went off. The explosion, the shrapnel fired free. Golden barriers blocked most of it, both Liche and Joan were just far enough not be threatened by the explosion. Not so much for the rear soldiers that took the blow.

I felt their state through our link. They were battered, but alive. Their stone bodies ate most of the shrapnel without issue. As for Shi, she managed to avoid getting an injury. What shrapnel flew her way failed to penetrate her tough flesh.

But it wasn’t done.

A familiar sound rang out from above. Gunfire. The stone soldiers immediately turned towards the source of the shots, each bullet that struck chipped away at their body, chipping away stone, and gouging at ice. Without further input, they and Shi took the front and dashed up the stairs.

I took the lead, bursting into the stairwell. A burst of gunfire impacted the frame of the door, some bullets crashed against me, doing very little. Yet, each impact drained a small amount of energy. Not enough to be dangerous, but under sustained fire, it might become an issue.

Unwilling to take more damage than I had to, I threw myself behind the door frame, even as more bullets impacted the surrounding area. I peeked my head out, and glanced at what looked like figures wrapped in heavy clothing, their faces obscured under hoods and scarves, though… It almost looked like they were wearing gas masks and perhaps, even makeshift hazmat suits.

Quickly their attention shifted to the approaching soldiers, Shi was staying back, using them as shields while closing the distance. The soldiers threw another grenade, only for Shi to bat it aside, sending it hurtling down the stairwell.

In a brief lull of gunfire as they reloaded, I pulled out and fired in their direction, startling them. My bullet found its home in the chest of one, taking them down, yet not quite killing them. The others immediately ducked.

As I ejected a casing, I took stock of our position and theirs. They were a few stories up. They had the height advantage, and the railings up by them had been reinforced with random bits of junk and furniture. Even reinforced, it looked ramshackle at best.

Shi and her soldiers were already halfway up, which meant…

“Talia, you and the of the soldiers up front, Joan, Liche, follow behind them, I’ll provide cover.”

They didn’t argue. Liche did give me a look, as if asking permission to use her uniform. “Not yet.” I answered, and she didn’t question.

Those above blindly fired, I returned with bullets of my own. Taking the chance I gave her with my own covering fire, Talia burst out with her shield held high, and Soldiers at her rear. Liche and Joan followed shortly behind.

In the brief moment when I was reloading, those at the top burst out and opened fire, splitting between Shi and Talia’s group. For Shi’s group, spears jutted out of the ground, taking a majority of the gunfire. For Talia, she and the soldiers formed a wall taking the brunt of the gunfire, and golden light blocked what remained.

Once I had reloaded, I opened fire, clipping another of the shooters in the shoulder while the others continued their ascent.

Just before Shi and company reached the shooter’s floor, a figure leapt from the landing above. They crashed into Shi’s soldiers at the front, making one of them lose footing. Before anyone could react, the soldier slipped and crashed into the flimsy stairwell rail. It didn’t hold, and on contact, it gave way, sending my soldier hurtling to the ground floor.

There was a final sound of stone impacting a solid floor. Along with it, a final spurt, as the line between us cut. The impact, having shattered the fragile ice holding their body together.

I froze. Gunfire opened up, impacting the frame I was using as cover. With grit teeth, I pulled out of cover and fired above. My aim kept steady by ice. My bullets sang true, cracking into bodies. Forcing them back behind cover.

Undeterred, I began my climb. Running up the steps, two at a time. Above, the surviving stone soldier clashed with the cloaked figure. I caught glimpses of them, wielding what looked like a rusty pipe. A pipe that easily clashed with enchanted steel. All the while avoiding jutting spears and Shi’s attempts to join the fight.

She’d grown quite a bit, but her movements were still a bit stiff. Something the assailant abused to no end. Working around her as he continued to beat and batter the stone soldier. Luckily, the soldier wasn’t near as stiff, able to block, parry, and at times strike back, but they were still not as skilled as the assailant.

I fired a shot in their direction, the bullet was bashed aside by a swift strike of their pipe, and about then was when Talia and company closed the distance. They hesitated a brief moment before pulling a retreat. Avoiding a series of spears that burst out of the ground and further assisted by a spurt of gunfire as the shooters covered their retreat.

I quickly caught up with the others as I ran, only to be met by a wave of thrown explosives that forced us back. Buying time for the assailants to climb higher. The moment we climbed to floor where they had been, the door on that floor burst open. A crowd of individuals wielding a wide variety of weapons surged out of the hallway beyond and crashed into us.

There was a brief moment, A teetering moment where the weight of their charge nearly forced us into their makeshift barricade and right over the edge. Only… at the center of their charge, with shield held high, was Talia.

In the brief moment we had, she interjected herself, taking the full brunt of their bodily charge. Her body boosted with her totem took the majority of the blow and held long enough for the surviving stone soldiers to join her. The two groups quickly hit a stand still. Granting us the smallest measures of safety before we could be thrown over the edge.

A small mercy, but that was when the gunfire came back. Bullets came in from behind, covering a large area. They didn’t bother to aim and merely fired in our general direction, with many hits cracking into my soldiers, or Talia’s back, with some even cracking into their own allies. Even then, under fire from their own comrades, the enemy did not relent. They pressed forward. At least, until Liche threw herself into the fray.

With a single swipe of her hand, a swathe of braced weapons simply ceased to be. Weapons they had been using to brace and shove. With the leverage just, gone, the line collapsed. Talia and company pushed back, toppling the horde, and thus began the grizzly work of putting them down.

None even tried to surrender. Some tried to flee. Few succeeded. And those that did, were either shot by the wild gunfire, slipped and broke their neck upon the stairs, or crashed into the railing and fell to the ground floor.

The moment the last of them died, we were forced to hunker down. Fleeing into an open door into the hallway as those above us unleashed another volley of gunfire. Only, this time they had much larger caliber weapons. With each bullet punching holes in everything they hit.

Even inside the hallway, the gunfire didn’t quite stop. The rate of fire slowed, but with it, their accuracy increased to the point that we were stuck. Not to mention the occasional thrown explosive that just added to our troubles.

With the ice slowing my perception, even the smallest of glances enabled me to get a good overview of our situation.

We weren’t in a good spot. That much was obvious. The lower caliber gunfire wasn’t much of an issue on its own, even as their numbers grew. The issue were the higher caliber rifles.

Sure, I could tank a number of them with my uniform and ice. Talia might be able to, but Joan and Liche were not so able. Even transformed, Liche would quickly run dry if she took any kind of fire, and Joan’s shields were only so powerful. That, and a single miss would spell her doom in her untransformed state.

As for my soldiers, or what remained of them, their bodies were chipped and damaged. The lower caliber weapons merely shaved off bits of their body, but the larger caliber bullets left notable marks on stone and blasted away chunks of ice. Making for some worrying wounds as their bodies began to falter.

Shi was probably the only one of us capable of taking the shots without issue. Even then, how many before she gets beaten down? How much damage could she take before she too falters?

Honestly, I wasn’t in the mood to find out.

One option was to blitz. Have Liche and Shi transform, and have Talia take the front with the soldiers flanking her. Liche and Shi would follow at the rear while I take potshots from here, giving them a measure of covering fire.

At this range, explosive rounds would work, but I was cautious about using them, especially with the current state of the stairway. Regardless, the soldiers would likely die. Talia would take some damage, and Liche might get exhausted…

And that was just to reach them… If they had more people waiting in the rear, or if that pipe wielding individual came back… Honestly, there were too many variables at play to make a gambit like that.

As for the best option, which was also the most annoying option. That being, to take my time, to plink away, and take them down little by little. Whittling away at their numbers with my rifle until they either break, or something shifts or changes.

With a sigh, I settled in. With a motion of my hand, I kept everyone back as I started to slowly pick them off.

Joan’s shields spared me a lot of damage. The ice covering my person was enough to blunt the majority of the gunfire heading my way. A mix of standard rounds and piercing rounds kept them on their toes, but it was slow going.

Worse… those I failed to kill in a single shot would slink off and come back before long. It wasn’t immediately obvious. Only, after shooting the same hooded figure for the umpteenth time, a fact I was only clued into after noting their clothing that was riddled with holes. Only after that realization, did I realize a grim truth.

They had a means to heal. A way to get their people back to the fight. With no other recourse, I had to tighten up my aim. Taking precious seconds more to line up killing blows and shots. Precious seconds that cost me dearly with each exchange.

Quickly, I had to re-evaluate the situation. A fighting retreat may be in our best interest. Perhaps reconvene at the base floor, collect my knights, and the ice soldiers and try again. Possibly, it might just be better to call this whole thing off…

I didn’t like that, but I especially did not like throwing my people into a fight I wasn’t sure we’d win, and for what? The source of this phenomena? Some unknown treasure?

Was the prospect of unknown gains and satisfying my own curiosity equal to the value of those under me?

If it were just my soldiers… admittedly, I would pay that price. Add on my knights? That… perhaps. I’d be willing to give it a gamble. For those that couldn’t be replaced so easily? For them, I don’t think I was willing to risk it.

As for retreat, it was quickly becoming an appealing option. Or at least, we’d retreat and re-coordinate. With a decision made, we hashed out the plan, and how it would look. And just as we were ready to move, a scream ripped through the stairwell.

Rather, a high keening wail that seemed, oddly familiar. The gunfire came to an abrupt end. The following silence was oppressive. A pregnant pause followed. Even when I stuck my head out for a better look, gunfire didn’t greet me. Only more confusion and hesitation.

A few floors up, near the top of the stairwell, I noticed our assailants huddled about and craning their necks to look down the stairwell. To where, I couldn’t be sure. But their muffled conversation, haltingly spoken words that were rough and crude to the ears rang in the otherwise desolate space.

They too seemed unsure, uncertain. A temporary truce, armistice even seemed to form as I stepped out. Before I could step closer to the ledge and get a look for myself, a shadow shot by. Barely a blur, even with my iced perception. I did, however, see when a body came flying down, screaming, and the sound of rapid gunfire that quickly followed. And to cap it all off, the countless other keening wails that answered in turn.

Before my very eyes the figure that was falling came flying back up, only, this time, they weren’t alone. Numerous winged creatures were latched onto the body. Lamprey like maws eating and ripping at its flesh, long, nail-like talons puncturing flesh and bone. All the while sightless eyes gleamed.

In that next moment, I hit the ground. Countless of those creatures came flying up, up above, gunfire rang. As did blood and gore as the monstrosities were ripped asunder by gunfire. I had barely a moment to scramble back to the hallway, yet even in that brief moment I was drenched in blood and had numerous of those things snapping and clawing at my back.

The moment I was in the hallway, those following were swiftly slain as Talia’s axe came down, chopping them up. Those left were quickly skewered by Shi’s spear. Not an instant later, the door frame was packed with living, writhing, squirming meat. Meat that keened and wailed, revealing lamprey mouths filled with teeth.

A lot of options came to the fore. New opportunities, another gambit, only… this one felt right.

“Shi, Liche, transform. We’re moving.”

With a thought, a small shout, a bayonet of silver formed into being at the tip of my rifle. Gleaming and keening for blood. And just behind, Shi and Liche began to transform.