[Team Two]
"Get back here, Dempsey!" Sebastian shouted at the 'bone magic' user as the woman retreated into the forested area to the south of where her laundromat was situated.
'Damn, she's faster than I thought she'd be.' Maria said to herself as she trailed only a few steps behind her partner.
Needless to say, neither of the two agents were happy with how the situation was currently unfolding in front of them. Neither of them had expected Mikayla to have an emergency flashbang sitting behind her desk when they first entered the building. Nor had they planned for the woman to leave via a secret exit right after she set it off.
At the moment, the two were in hot pursuit of their target as she did her best to disappear into the treeline and tried to put some distance between them. Fleeing at a speed that they both found to be quite impressive for someone of her size and stature.
Fortunately for Maria and Sebastian, they had two things going for them. The first was that Porthos's sense of smell was good enough for him to keep track of where Mikayla was. The second was the fact that the wooded area that they were in wasn't all that big. If memory served them correctly, there was a residential area on the other side of the treeline. But that by itself really only added to the problems that they needed to take care of before everything went even further downhill.
On the other side of the equation, Mikayla knew good and well that the same residential area she was running toward was going to be her best chance at escaping from her current predicament. Even if Maria and Sebastian could sense her mana signature, it wasn't going to help them all that much if she managed to lose them in between all of those houses and apartments.
'Shit!' The curly-haired brunette cursed. 'I need to try to lose them before I make it to the river.'
The 'bone magic' user had already tossed the idea of trying to call for backup out of the window. After all, these two government dogs had just told her that the rest of her crew was being targeted along with her. So, her best option right now was to use her knowledge of the area to her advantage to try and lose them before she would be able to make her way into the city's sewer system. Once she got there, escaping was going to be a piece of cake.
Fortunately for Mikayla, her speed while using her body reinforcement was far and away her best quality. It was a skill that she had perfected after all those years she spent living as a pickpocket in California. She was more than confident that she would be able to outrun the two agents, along with their companions. So right now, it was simply a matter of proving that before she reached her intended destination.
Either way, this was going to be one hell of a tough night for all parties involved.
-(o)-
The forest swallowed sound in a way that unnerved Maria as she and her partner weaved through the dense vegetation in pursuit of their target. Almost as if the pines themselves were listening to their struggle. With each step, her boots struck the mud in sharp, rhythmic beats as she sprinted downhill, breath slicing through the cold night air. Just ahead of her, the bobbing silhouette of Sebastian Conley cut through the underbrush, steady and precise even at a full run. All while his companion, Porthos, kept in lock step with him.
And beyond the two of them, just barely visible between the trees, was Mikayla Dempsey.
The curly-haired fugitive moved with an acrobat's grace, weaving through trunks and shadows as if the woods belonged to her and her alone. She didn't look back, not once. She didn't need to.
She knew they were there.
"Fuck!" Sebastian barked over his shoulder. "She's cutting toward the subdivision!"
Maria immediately knew exactly what their opponent was trying to do here. She was trying to lose them in between the residential block that lay just ahead of them. It was a simple plan, but an effective one. One that would severely limit what they would be able to do in order to avoid being seen by the public.
Maria veered, pushing herself even harder to keep up with her partner. Harder than she had in quite a while. By now, she had lost count of how many times a stay branch had slapped her arms and caught her jacket. But the momentary discomfort wasn't enough to stop her advance.
In all honesty, the young 'beast magic' user would've loved to simply use her flying enchantment right about now. But such a thing wasn't a good idea, seeing as they were so close to a heavily populated area. Even if they were currently in the middle of an operation, they still needed to maintain some level of secrecy in the eyes of the general public.
Eventually, the thud of distant traffic grew louder as the treeline thinned, and then…
Houses.
Without a second thought, the moment the trees ended and the pavement began, Mikayla vaulted over a chain-link fence as if it wasn't even there.
Maria followed as best she could, boots digging into the dirt with each passing step, but her lack of raw speed was becoming more apparent by the second.
Following the criminal's lead, Sebastian and his hellhound leaped over the fence in one smooth motion before landing on the ground and continuing their pursuit. And only a couple of seconds later, Maria was finally able to cross the metallic threshold by giving herself a quick boost thanks to her flying enchantment.
Times like his made the raven-haired teen genuinely reconsider her chosen career path. This was way too much exercise for her to get at this time of night. However, the young 'beast magic' user put those thoughts to the side and continued running. Now wasn't the time for complaining. She needed to catch up with the others before things went sideways.
From there, the chase was on.
The group of sorcerers tore through a narrow backyard, darted past a trash bin, and crashed through a side gate onto a dimly lit residential street.
A dog barked. A porch light flicked on.
But Mikayla kept running.
'She's getting away.' Maria thought to herself, though both she and Sebastian were running at their limit.
If nothing else, Mikayla was quite the speed demon. More so than they had even thought to consider. In the time it took to blink, the 'bone magic' user was cutting through the complex like she'd memorized the layout. Ducking in and out of the concrete maze of apartments, stairwells, and narrow balconies like some sort of jungle cat. Footsteps echoing off stucco walls as the chase twisted through cramped walkways.
Just as the bearded man was gaining ground on her, Mikayla pumped more of her mana into her leg and used that power to kick a nearby motorcycle behind her. As the vehicle careened through the air, Sebastian hurdled it, but Maria barely had enough time to clear it by ducking under it to avoid getting hit in the head.
'Bitch!' Maria sucked her teeth before getting back up and running.
By now, their group had already drawn a bit of attention from some of the local residents. Fortunately, most people were still inside of their homes around this time of night. But with all the commotion going on, a few onlookers were already coming outside to see what was happening.
"She's heading toward the creek!" Sebastian shouted.
Of course she was. It was the only place that made sense. Not only was the creek the only dark stretch of land left, it was also the only place wide enough for Mikayla to lose them in. Along with being the best place for the kind of fight Mikayla Dempsey seemed intent on delivering.
Moments later, the group burst from between two houses and skidded down a nearby embankment cluttered with wet leaves and some garbage. In the distance, the faint roar of water filled the air, the creek a restless ribbon of silver beneath the moonlight.
Mikayla stopped the moment she reached the water's edge before turning around and finally looking at them.
'Shit!' The 'bone magic' user thought to herself before giving the two what looked to be an amused smile beneath the faint glimmer of the moonlight. She was hoping to have lost the two by now, but apparently, things didn't work out that way. She was still a fair bit of distance away from her intended destination, but she wouldn't be able to make it there in secret without the two agents following her. Besides, she had used more of her mana than she planned, trying to get away from them, and she needed a moment to catch her breath.
It was in that moment that Mikayla decided to just bite the bullet and try to do her best to fight the two off before making her next escape attempt. Fighting may not have been her strong suit, but she was confident that she would be able to do enough to give herself a chance at getting away.
"You two are persistent." The 'bone magic' user then said, her breath steady despite the chase. "Looks like the DPA does a good job at keeping its dogs in good shape."
"It's over, little girl! Hands where we can see them!" Sebastian ordered the woman with a growl.
"Not happening." Mikayla murmured, stepping back toward the creek's drop-off. "Besides, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."
Suddenly, a flash of maroon colored mana appeared directly above the young woman's head. Followed by another, and another.
'She can use baangs?' Maria wondered after witnessing the display of skill before her. She didn't know a lot of people who had the mana control do that. The only ones that she had encountered so far were her father, Robin, and Cyrus.
Mikayla wasted no time in making her next move. And just like that, the fight was on.
The fight erupted like a snapped wire, sudden and violent. Maria lunged to avoid Mikayla's initial strike while Sebastian reactivated his body reinforcement and used his speed to round a nearby tree and attack Mikayla from her flank. Unfortunately for the two agents, the Iznana operative moved like water, slipping between them with terrifying speed to avoid them getting a chance to attack her. The curly-haired brunette then sped herself up before slamming her heel into Sebastian's ribs. The move forced Sebastian to stumble for a moment, but he somehow managed to catch her wrist before she could vault away again.
Seeing that she had miscalculated her attack, Mikayla activated her magical attribute and created several spikes of pure white bone out of her arm before twisting midair, stabbing Sebastian in the arm a few good times in the process. Then, by using his grip for leverage, Mikayla flipped the man over her shoulder, forcing him to hit the ground hard.
"Sebastian!" Maria called out, only to duck as an orb of Mikayla's mana whistled past her head. Before the raven-haired teen had a chance to fully get back on her feet, Mikayla was right on top of her.
The two crashed together, sliding perilously close to the water's egde of the creek. Maria tried to grapple for her opponent's non-spiked hand, but Mikayla quickly countered with her free elbow, catching Maria's jaw hard enough to send sparks across her vision.
But Maria didn't let go.
She seized Mikayla's wrist, wrenched downward, and in the blink of an eye, brought out Asmodeus to try and keep the 'bone magic' user in place. But the woman was just quick enough to avoid the green snake cryptid's bite.
By this time, Sebastian was already back on his feet, wiping blood from his lip.
"You're fast…." The man growled in between ragged breaths.
Mikayla grinned at him after putting some distance between herself and Maria. "You have no idea."
-(o)-
[DPA Mobile Command Center]
"Damn, she's faster than she looks."
"Agreed." Chief Chandler responded to her subordinate's comment. "It's a good way to offset her abilities."
The woman had kept her eyes glued to the screen, which displayed Team Two for the last couple of minutes or so. This Dempsey girl was quick on her feet; there was no doubt about that. And her ability to create three baangs and maintain them in the middle of a fight was admirable to say the least.
However, the Iznana operative was now basically cornered. Of course, Chief Chandler wasn't exactly happy about how Sebastian and Maria had let the woman lead them all the way through a residential area, but such is the risk when it comes to operations like this one. And she was worried about the injury that the bearded man had just incurred due to his own lack of foresight.
But in any case, the woman was confident that her two APS agents were going to bring an end to this fight relatively soon. It was only a matter of time before they got the upper hand.
-(o)-
In the middle of all the chaos, the group of sorcerers ended up getting so close to the edge of the creek that they all wound up tumbling across the slick mud, and kicked up cold sprays at the water's edge. Immediately after falling down, Maria had the wherewithal to scramble to her knees just in time to block another strike. All while her heartbeat thundered loud enough to swallow the creek's roar.
The struggle once again pushed them dangerously close to the rushing water. And none of them were interested in trying to fight in the middle of such unstable footing.
At some point in the middle of the brawl, Sebastian had managed to duck under an oncoming baang before firing off a mana burst in Mikayla's direction. Unfortunately for him, the curly-haired woman had used her magic to create what could only be described as a forearm-sized shield of bones to protect her face from the attack.
Mikayla knew good and well that this fight couldn't go on forever. She had already expended nearly a third of her mana, and it was looking like she would run out before she managed to get away. She needed to finish this as quickly as possible. Otherwise, she was going to end up getting captured.
'I guess I have no choice!' The 'bone magic' user told herself before channeling her mana throughout her entire skeleton. She normally never did something like this due to the high mana cost that was associated with it. But as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Mikayla instantly encased herself in a sphere of maroon-colored mana just before either of the two agents or their companions could reach her with their next series of attacks.
Maria and Sebastian hesitated for a moment as they wondered what exactly the 'bone magic' user was up to. But the two quickly got their answer thanks to what they saw next.
As if it were some scene straight out of a comic book, the two watched as Mikayla's body suddenly became engulfed in what could only be described as dozens of large bone spikes all the way from her collarbone down to her ankles. The woman looked like something right out of a horror game, and even under the moonlight, Maria could see how dangerous she now was.
"Is that supposed to scare us?" Sebastian questioned the woman.
"It is." Mikayla replied with a smirk after finally dropping her mana barrier. "And for the record, by bones are stronger than steel thanks to my magic. So good luck trying to take me down when I'm like this. Even guns can't do anything to me."
'I'll admit, that does look pretty cool.' Maria thought to herself.
What the two agents didn't know was that maintaining this transformation burned through Mikayla's mana like no one's business. This wasn't like overdrive, so the mana consumption couldn't be regulated to the same level. But the increase in lethality was well worth the payoff.
"We need to end this quick." Sebastian looked to his partner, only to receive a simple nod from Maria in return.
Neither of them knew what Mikayla would be capable of in this form, and they weren't planning to wait and find out either. They needed to handle this as quickly as possible before either of them got more hurt than they already were. Which meant that this next move was going to be the most important.
Just as Mikayla readied herself for her next strike, the raven-haired teen decided that it was best to use her biggest gun to do the job. Although a part of her really didn't want to do this, she knew that all of her other companions would be at risk trying to handle their opponent when she was in this state. All of those bones across her body made any attempt at biting or grappling Mikayla basically impossible for all of her companions. Well, impossible for all except for one.
"Sebastian, get back, now!"
"What, why?"
"Just do it!"
The senior agent decided to trust his partner for the time being and quickly put some distance between them. He had no clue what the woman had in mind, but for her to take the initiative like this meant that it had to be something big.
At the same time, Maria recalled Asmodeus back into her body before focusing all of her attention toward Mikayla. The raven-haired teen had a pretty serious expression on her face, one that Mikayla didn't particularly like.
"I'm only going to ask you this one more time." Maria said in a low tone. "Surrender now, and I promise that you won't get hurt."
"Bring it on, bitch! I can handle whatever you got!" The 'bone magic' user replied with a wicked smile.
What happened next was truly something.
Out of nowhere, a sudden wave of dense mana filled the air around them, and the air itself began to vibrate with sheer and utter power. The kind of power that was reserved for only the strongest of their kind. The kind of power that made you stop in your tracks and marvel at its mere presence.
"Come out...Attuma..." Maria said in a slight whisper as silver mana particles began to appear around her body.
"What the hell?" The Iznana operative said in disbelief as a dark figure with glowing yellow eyes suddenly appeared behind the government agent.
"Oh, shit…" An equally amazed Sebastian said as he looked up at the being before him. 'So…this is the dragon, huh? Damn, that thing is scary. My sister was right.'
The last thing Mikayla felt before everything went dark was the sudden impact of a wall of scaled flesh colliding with her body. It happened so fast that the curly-haired brunette didn't have the chance to react before she found herself in the middle of a wet crater on the bank of a creek. Reduced to nothing but an unconscious sack of flesh and broken bones in an instant.
For anyone nearby, all they would've heard was the loud roar of victory from a beast that most would only be able to describe as a living legend.
-(o)-
[DPA Mobile Command Center]
"Wait…what just happened?" The Chief's subordinate asked out of genuine confusion. "I blinked and I missed it."
"I do believe that Ortega just used her trump card to finish this fight. And not a moment too soon." The woman replied.
"You're talking about the dragon, right? Man…that thing must be dangerous."
"Indeed it is."
Chief Chandler observed the screen in front of her for a few seconds before determining that this part of the mission was over and done with. She had no clue whether or not Mikayla was alive. But that was something she needed to worry about later. For now, though, she directed her attention to the other screen directly to her right. The one that she was the most interested in watching play out.