Arc II: “Universal Threat”
Chapter II: “Mythical Kaelithian”
Episode VI: “The Chase”
[After Riella left the arena]
Riella skimmed the ocean’s surface, in swift pursuit of Ronin and Kyte; the sea furrowed beneath her in twin ripples.
She looked down at a device on her wrist; a radar pulsing in faint green arcs, mapping residual aether wakes like footprints on water.
Without this, I wouldn’t be able to track them down.
She continued flying, following the readings from her radar.
[A few hours later – The Southern Drifts]
Riella hunkered behind a rock formation to stay hidden.
There— found you.
She peered at the ship; it dwarfed the cliffs, a slab of shadow with engine haze bleeding into the wind.
Below, crews humped crates across humming gangways, sigils flickering as cargo cycled in and out.
They’re trading goods… with who?
She tried to get a closer look.
“Well, well, well... Look what we have here. That looks like a Guardswoman, doesn’t it, Kyte?” Ronin sneered.
Riella turned around.
Kyte was slowly nodding his head.
Shit.
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A cold pressure swept her nape, and before she knew it, everything went black.
[A few hours later]
“Ugh…” Riella groaned as she held the side of her head.
She pried her eyes open to thin, stuttering lights and the metallic taste of stale air.
Where am I?
“Oh, she’s awake! Look, brother, she’s awake!” A short man said.
“Shut up, I can hear you. It doesn’t matter whether she’s awake or not. Our job is just to watch her,” A taller man said.
Riella looked at them closely.
“I… know who you are.”
“Oh yeah? Are we famous enough that even a foot soldier in the Cosmic Guard knows of us?”
“Hmph. Don’t flatter yourself. I just happen to be well-informed about you criminals. You guys are the Matt Brothers— Frame, and Sheets!”
Frame, the taller man, had a crazed look on his face.
“Heh, you really do know about us. Then, that means you must also know how powerful we are!”
They’re both definitely insane…
[Kona Island]
The competitors were still recovering from the battle. There were countless casualties among the audience.
UFA officers and Cosmic Guardsmen fanned out through smoke and sirens, holding triage for the wounded and sealing ruptured wards.
[In the Infirmary]
Asuka worked through the grey hour until dawn, palms glowing a soft green as fatigue gnawed behind her eyes.
“We have to come up with a plan,” Malek said, “I don’t know how we’re going to beat them.”
“I mean, it’s not really our problem, is it?” Draig replied. “But I’ll help, 'cuz there’ll be strong opponents there.”
And I need to get my revenge against Sikira.
“We have to work together if we’re going to beat them,” Zane butted in, micro-drivers whirring as he snapped another ceramic plate onto a half-built Amp Suit.
“Well, first we have to find them…” Leo said, sitting up in his bed, “Their ship can’t be tracked. So first we have to find a way to locate them.”
“Then we should start with Kyte,” Asuka said, wiping sweat from her forehead.
“We have to find him before he can regroup with them… if he hasn’t already. Beating him may be one thing, but if we can at least find him, we can find Akira.”
“How will we do that?” Malek asked, “Kyte seems to be extremely skilled at hiding his power. No one has been able to pick up his aether since he left.”
“I know someone who can find him…” Asuka said.
[The next day – New Woodberry City]
“You need me to help you find someone?” Fevee asked.
“Yeah? Think you can do it?” Asuka chirped.
“Well… I can try. But I don’t know what their aether feels like.”
“Don’t worry, I have someone who can help,” Asuka gestured to introduce Lian.
“Hello. We appreciate the help,” Lian said, walking into the room.
“Normally, I would be able to use my powers to find people myself, but in this case, I can’t lock on to minuscule aether signatures.”
Lian and Fevee worked together to find Kyte. Lian used his powers to peer into Fevee’s mind, threading his memory-imprints of Kyte’s aether into her focus.
Afterwards, she was able to locate him on an isolated island in the south.
“It’s less than a day’s flight from here.”
“And you couldn’t locate Ronin or the ship, right?” Asuka asked.
“No, I’m sorry. Either they aren’t near Earth, or they’re still on the ship.”
“If they open the ship, we should be able to sense them, right?” Asuka asked.
Lian placed his hand on his chin as he thought.
“I believe so. It was brief, but I felt a few other strong signatures around the time Akira was kidnapped. But when I tried to view the arena with my powers, I didn’t see who the signatures belonged to.”
“Then we’ll know the moment Kyte tries to board.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Alright! Thanks for the help, Fevee!” Asuka said as they left.
“Of course! Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with!”
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Confrontation”
[Yield Levels]:
Riella: 500m
Ronin: ???
- Suppressed: 1qt
Kyte: 5t
Frame: ???
- Suppressed: 1qd
Sheets: ???
- Suppressed: 100t
Asuka: 50b
- Aether Resurgence: Surge: 100b
- Aether Resurgence: Blossom (Full): 1t
Leo: 1t
- Potential Unbounded Full: 10t
Draig: 10b
- Aether Resurgence: Surge: 10t
Malek: 800m
Zane: 3b
Lian: 40b
Fevee: 5000