Arha was flung backward and skidded hard into the wall with a breathless grunt. She wasted no time getting back up again, using the Force to steady her. They didn't need to be fighting each other, not now. But that was what the King of Nightmares wished. Confusion. Disarray.
"You must reassert control," she snapped and moved forward once again, her hand on Nanoha's staff and her feet planted. She was dimly aware that she ached, but it didn't matter. "You have the strength in you to do so." Arha was sure of that, as sure as she could be and she leaned forward, locking her eyes with Nanoha's.
"Find it," she said, her blue-within-blue eyes intense.
This wasn't right. None of this was right. Who was this person? Why were they talking to her like this? This - it wasn't the TSAB building, was it? Was any of this real, or just a vivid, horrible nightmare?
Her body still moved.
"Flash Move."
In the blink of an eye, Nanoha had closed the gap between the two of them, swinging Raising Heart around in a sideways blow - and a gout of violet flame burst from its side.
"Reassert yourself," Arha hissed as the flame bit into her upraised arm and promptly slammed her sideways. She gritted her teeth as pain exploded through the right side of her body and kept talking even as black spots danced in front of her eyes. "Whatever you saw. It was not real, but I am. You must focus. Focus on my voice. Wherever you were, such was not a real thing. You know this."
She didn't look away from Nanoha's eyes, but kept her own locked on hers. Arha pushed herself up stubbornly. She would not stay down.
"Look around you! Look at this place. Do you not see what is happening? You are not stupid. See such with your own eyes, see the truth before the lies, the nightmares, destroy you."
That rang a bell in Nanoha's mind. Nightmares.... nightmares... this - this is a nightmare. It can't be real!
Even as her body moved, leveling the staff at Arha and gathering more blood-red magic at its tip, Nanoha's mind raced. This wasn't real. Fate, Vivio - they weren't dead. Nightmare King. The name rang out clear in her head like a church bell, striking her deep to the core.
None of this is real. I need to stop! Everyone is counting on me!
And then, suddenly, the muted world snapped back into reality with all the shock of a cold flood of water, the energy gathered at the tip of Raising Heart vanished, and Nanoha's knees buckled beneath her.
Arha caught her awkwardly, and braced them both up against wall with a soft sigh as she gathered her strength and wits. That was better. For the moment.
"Much better," she murmured, as the rush of adrenaline began to ebb and various injures made themselves known. She hurt, but it was nothing vital and anything bloodied had begun to heal. "Knew you could do it."
Nanoha immediately started to push away once she'd regained some strength in her legs - not because she found the contact repelling, but because she had somewhere she needed to be.
"I... t-thank you," she mumbled, still trying to push to her feet. "Where are we? I need to get to the cathedral."
"Glad to see you're still alive." Given the size of the pack strapped to Gauron's back, the fact that the pockets on the field jacket and cargo pants he's thrown over his plantsuit are all bulging, and he has an AK-47 and an M32 grenade launcher hanging from his shoulder, the phrase "the cavalry has arrived" might well apply.
It looks like he tried to bring half of Weapons and Possessions with him, though in actuality, most of the stuff is from his personal caches - he moved a fair amount of it up from the city, in case the Nightmare King's spreading magic made it impossible to get to. Both of his visible weapons are modified with thaumaturgical batteries, courtesy of Isaac - whom he definitely owes a favor, if they both survive this. "I've got a couple extra weapons if you need any help staying that way."
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no subject
"You must reassert control," she snapped and moved forward once again, her hand on Nanoha's staff and her feet planted. She was dimly aware that she ached, but it didn't matter. "You have the strength in you to do so." Arha was sure of that, as sure as she could be and she leaned forward, locking her eyes with Nanoha's.
"Find it," she said, her blue-within-blue eyes intense.
no subject
This wasn't right. None of this was right. Who was this person? Why were they talking to her like this? This - it wasn't the TSAB building, was it? Was any of this real, or just a vivid, horrible nightmare?
Her body still moved.
"Flash Move."
In the blink of an eye, Nanoha had closed the gap between the two of them, swinging Raising Heart around in a sideways blow - and a gout of violet flame burst from its side.
"Strike Flame: Armageddon Shift."
no subject
She didn't look away from Nanoha's eyes, but kept her own locked on hers. Arha pushed herself up stubbornly. She would not stay down.
"Look around you! Look at this place. Do you not see what is happening? You are not stupid. See such with your own eyes, see the truth before the lies, the nightmares, destroy you."
no subject
That rang a bell in Nanoha's mind. Nightmares.... nightmares... this - this is a nightmare. It can't be real!
Even as her body moved, leveling the staff at Arha and gathering more blood-red magic at its tip, Nanoha's mind raced. This wasn't real. Fate, Vivio - they weren't dead. Nightmare King. The name rang out clear in her head like a church bell, striking her deep to the core.
None of this is real. I need to stop! Everyone is counting on me!
And then, suddenly, the muted world snapped back into reality with all the shock of a cold flood of water, the energy gathered at the tip of Raising Heart vanished, and Nanoha's knees buckled beneath her.
no subject
"Much better," she murmured, as the rush of adrenaline began to ebb and various injures made themselves known. She hurt, but it was nothing vital and anything bloodied had begun to heal. "Knew you could do it."
no subject
"I... t-thank you," she mumbled, still trying to push to her feet. "Where are we? I need to get to the cathedral."
no subject
It looks like he tried to bring half of Weapons and Possessions with him, though in actuality, most of the stuff is from his personal caches - he moved a fair amount of it up from the city, in case the Nightmare King's spreading magic made it impossible to get to. Both of his visible weapons are modified with thaumaturgical batteries, courtesy of Isaac - whom he definitely owes a favor, if they both survive this. "I've got a couple extra weapons if you need any help staying that way."