NOVEL NEXT LXV. Syphoning the Deep
His breath audibly labored, Ballo casts a fleeting glance at the chasm, before turning to their driver to deliver an audacious decision.
Ballo: D-drive... Drive us off the edge. Make sure to trust me this time...!
Driver: Dammit old man, better have something good planned!
As their car plummets down the cliff, Ballo harnesses his magic to manipulate the gravity around them, ensuring a steady descent. Despite the toll each spell took on his stamina, he remained steadfast in his casting, determined to escape from their relentless foe. An arm's reach away from him stood Virno, still manning the smoking red-hot turret, scanning for possible enemy movement.
Virno: Guy's been quiet for a while now. I got a damn bad feeling about this...
It wasn't long until his suspicions were confirmed, as a guttural low-pitched roar resounded atop the cliff, accompanied by an explosion of jet black fumes which created an immense cloud of darkness, the largest they had seen thus far.
Driver: Shit... Old man, that magic of yours -- it can stop his smoke, right?!
Huffing and puffing with exhaustion, Ballo barely manages to utter a reply.
Ballo: Yes... But I can't protect us from it and safeguard our fall at the same time...!
Driver: Then just leave the protecting part to us.
Abandoning their seat, the driver vaults over to the vehicle's bed and opens a panel adjacent to the now-vacant pilot seat. Underneath it layed the magic cell's compartment, housing the vessel's sole source of fuel. With a couple of powerful yanks, it is promptly removed from its seating, taking away the life and soul of the vehicle, as all lights and mechanisms shut off. Lit only by the glow of Ballo's spells, they take the cell to Virno's turret.
Driver: Virno, I need you to hold her steady... The kickback's about to get way more intense!
As they insert the fuel cell into a hidden slot underneath the turret's rotor assembly, the magical energy within is infused into its metal shell, breathing new life into it. With the entirety of the vehicle's fuel source now powering the manual turret exclusively, it lights up with a radiant grey glow, overflowing with energy.
Virno: Better hurry up, here he comes again!
Out of the smokescreen that now engulfed clifftop, a mass of slithering tentacles shoots out and heads straight for their vessel. With Virno steadying the turret, the driver pulls the trigger, unleashing a cloud of steam and setting the turret's barrel into a rapid spin.
Driver: THEN LET HIM COME!
It wasn't long until a shower of grey bullets erupted from its barrels and began slicing through the smoke and tentacles with ease, now enchanted with Ballo's magic. Remarkably, they now possessed the capability to inflict damage upon Nox's henchman.
Driver: Now THAT'S more like it!
As they fend off his attacks with ease, Novilunium changes tactics, abandoning his safe position atop the cliff and charging directly toward the vehicle once more.
Virno: Here he comes again...
Virno looks down, noticing that they were still a ways off from the ground.
Driver: Hold her steady, Virno! We're not backing down...!
Though their aim is true and their bullets hit their mark, Novilunium does not let up. It would seem that he would catch them before they could kill him.
Virno: He's not stopping, dammit...!
Driver: Keep firing!
Ballo himself was barely conscious, yet he realized that without further intervention, they would likely not escape the enemy's clutches.
Ballo: K-keep firing...!
In a burst of power, Ballo briefly expands the bubble of energy that was keeping them afloat, so much so that it grew to almost ten times its original size. With its diameter now large enough to engulf Novilunium himself and slow down his movements, their chances of survival increased considerably.
Driver: DIE, FUCKER, DIE!
While they continue to pour countless bullets into the sluggish Novilunium, they witness chunks of flesh torn from his body, his form now riddled with bullet holes. With the opponent getting gradually reduced to shreds as each moment passed, they could see now that there was hope -- it wouldn't be long until nothing of him was left.
Virno: We almost got him...!
Ballo's assistance, though crucial, proved unfortunately short-lived. The strain of his relentless spellcasting finally took its toll, and before long, the protective bubble slowing down Novilunium and keeping them afloat began to shrink and wane.
Ballo: Sorry... I... C-can't...
As the bubble dwindled to a size barely enveloping their vehicle, they began to descend more rapidly, yet still at a manageable pace, ensuring their survival from the fall... However, their defeat would be all but certain with Novilunium still in pursuit.
Barr: MY ARM'S GONE AGAIN... MY FUCKING ARM'S GONE AGAIN!!
In a fit of rage, breaking through the weakened hold of the darkness, Barr himself appeared to regain control of his thoughts and body. Suddenly, the demonic quality in his voice dissipated, revealing a somewhat familiar tone to Virno... As the vehicle continues its descent to the ground and the three of them brace for impact, he can't help but recognize it.
Virno: That voice...
Barr: SHOULD'VE SHOVED THOSE BROKEN RIBS DOWN YOUR THROAT AND RAPED THAT BITCH DEAD WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE...!
Virno: It can't be...!
Charging at full speed towards the hurtling car, Barr readied himself to cleave it in half. With his only remaining arm morphing itself into the shape of a massive black blade spanning several meters wide, he was quickly gaining on them once more, intent on subjecting the passengers to the same rending fate as their vehicle.
Driver: Shit... Ballo, what do we do?!
Yet Ballo did not reply.
Driver: Ballo...!
Though his spell remained, Ballo seemed to have lost consciousness. Unresponsive, the driver did their best to hold onto him as they fell through the skies, having all but abandoned the turret, which would not prove devastating enough to ensure their survival now that Barr had sped up once more...
Virno: You two have done more than enough. It's my time now.
Virno approaches the back end of the vehicle.
Driver: What are you doing?!
Virno: Giving him what he's come here for.
He stands at the very edge, bracing for the perfect moment when Barr gets close enough.
Driver: You won't survive the fall, Virno!
He looked back towards Ballo and the driver, smiling.
Virno: My legs won't, but I just might. Still beats all of us dying, though, right...?
All he was met with was the driver's shocked gaze, their arms strained as they held onto Ballo, who remained unresponsive.
Virno: I know it seems reckless... Acting hot-headed does tend to be my modus operandi when shit hits the fan. Yet, strangely, my mind's clearer now than at any previous point in this battle... At least, I feel it is.
As Barr approaches their position, Virno stands up, ready to jump. Still, within him, an unfamiliar drop of doubt remained.
Virno: Am I just lying to myself, letting panic take hold again...? Could I be so afraid, so blinded with rage that I would twist my own perception to that degree...?
Driver: I believe you...
Virno: ...?
Driver: I believe you. Kick his ass, Virno...!
Virno: You must be an even bigger idiot than me, then. If you knew how much of a push-over I am, there's no way you wouldn't be second-guessing my words right now...
Grasping the blade in his hand, he takes a deep breath, calmly taking in the visage before him one last time.
Virno: Can you hear me, Greed...? You seem to know me better than I do. Am I about to do something stupid again...?
His eyes begin glowing with an eerie green light, as a voice echoes within his mind.
Greed: ... I-I don't know.
Virno: You don't know?
Greed: No... But I can tell you what I see -- you don't seem driven by fear. Though danger is imminent and you are falling through the skies, your hand grasps your blade steadily and true.
Virno looks at his sword hand... He was right. Despite the circumstances, it remained stable.
Greed: Neither do you seem consumed by rage... That you were able to calm your mind and analyze your own motivations at such a critical moment stands against that claim.
Virno: Dammit... Then what is this doubt I feel?!
Greed laughs.
Greed: It is the burden one must carry when not emotions, but sound judgement guides their hand. Get used to it, Virno...
Virno: Guess I'll have to...
His eyes begin to glow more fiercely than before, so much so that they seem to interact with the silver blade mysteriously, causing its radiance to grow larger and its grey hue to become slightly greenish in colour.
Virno: Is this your doing...?
Greed: No... 'Tis not my doing. Though the magic you feel is my own, I did not relinquish it to you. Much like you first learned to shut me off, then to communicate with me at will...
Greed's tone carried a hint of bitterness as he witnessed what unfolded before him.
Greed: You have somehow gone a level deeper... By tapping into my power, the power that has been locked in the cradle of the world for centuries.
Virno's senses were ablaze as the sword surged with a newfound, electrifying energy, coursing through his veins with an almost palpable vim.
Greed: Make no mistake, Virno von Virtus... There will be a price to pay for wielding such power, a cost your body may not be prepared to incur... I am warning you now -- be mindful how you use it.
As Barr drew closer, Virno made the decisive choice to silence Greed and brace himself for the leap. In that moment, he felt an unstoppable force surging within him, as if he were invincible.