“This former soldier of Arachnos stands before you, guilty of the greatest of crimes!” the Arachnos Crab Spider declared, his voice amplified by his armor, nearly deafening the crowd of nervous civilians gathered in the courtyard below. “Treason against Arachnos!” he growled, turning towards the battered and broken Bane Spider kneeling next to him, helpless in the psychic field two Fortunas had trapped him in. “Treason against Lord Recluse.” The contempt in his voice carried to the civilians below, and to the tens of thousands watching on their televisions across the Isles.
“He failed, as one would expect,” the man growled. “No one can stand against the Master of Arachnos. But that does not change his crime. Attempted treason against Recluse, our lord and savior, has only one punishment.” Turning, he picked up a large axe from where it had been resting on a table, waiting. One of the guards reached down and forced the prisoners head into place on the chopping block, then stepped back. “No mercy, no forgiveness. Death is the fate of all traitors,” the man declared, raising the axe... then looked away at a sudden scream.
He had just enough time to recognise the gleaming white form of Arbiter Kim, before the screaming man collided with him hard enough to break several bones and send them crashing into the wall behind them. The guards stared at the broken pair in confusion, then looked back in the direction the Arbiter had come from.
A single woman stood there, standing out against the dark metal of Grandville in the blue and gold of the Legendary’s uniform. “Gentleman,” Purrfect Archer called out, her voice clear and unafraid. “I’ve come to collect a friend of mine. If you’ll kindly step away from the man you plan to murder, I’ll be able to leave without further incident.”
For a long moment, the guards stared at her, unable to believe what they were seeing. One woman, all alone, at the very seat of Lord Recluses power? Was she insane? She couldn't hope to survive... could she?
Then one of the guards went for his weapon. “Take the hero down!” he ordered. “For Lord Recluse!” That snapped the other guards out of their shock, and they raised their own rifles and shock maces.
Smiling, the catwoman leapt into the air, Vanguard bow powering up in her hands as she almost flew over the crowd towards the Arachnos soldiers.
***
“You’d think they’d have killed this by now,” Ifrit mused, watching the broadcast from the Isles thoughtfully.
“Hmm, they’d love to do that,” Nene replied with a playful grin. “However, it seems that someone has taken control of Grandvilles own security system, and is using that to broadcast this insult to Recluse and Arachnos to all that wish to see it.”
“Oh dear,” Ifrit chuckled. “How truly horrible...” Her smile widened as she watched her daughter duck under a mace and send the weilder flying with just a wave of her hand, a pair of arrows quickly following to make certain he stayed down. “Remember how she was the first time we saw her?” she asked.
“Mmm. Shy little thing, paranoid and trying to pretend she wasn’t.” Nenes grin had become a soft smile as she remembered. “Scared of the Hellions and Outcasts, ready to run... and now, she’s storming Grandville all alone, taking down Arbiters and throwing spiders around, utterly unafraid.”
As they watched, Alice was moving again, taking down one of the Fortunas holding the prisoner in place with a rain of arrows, before simply turning and looking at the other one. The woman doubled over with a scream as the feline tore through her mental defences with ease. “You teach her that?” Nene asked the young woman sitting next to them. Inyme only replied with a rather delighted smile, and the Sabre chuckled before turning back to the television.
“That’s my girl,” Ifrit laughed as Purrfect Archer ran through the cheering crowd, many of whom were vanishing into the side alleys and slums that surrounded Grandville. The heroine stayed ahead of the rebelling Bane Spider, hitting any Arachnos soldiers between her and her exit hard enough to make sure they stayed down. In minutes, the pair were on the Longbow ship as it turned and moved away from the island, the bulk of Arachnos forces in the area still too stunned to catch them.
“That’s our girl,” Nene agreed, leaning against her wife with a proud smile.
“He failed, as one would expect,” the man growled. “No one can stand against the Master of Arachnos. But that does not change his crime. Attempted treason against Recluse, our lord and savior, has only one punishment.” Turning, he picked up a large axe from where it had been resting on a table, waiting. One of the guards reached down and forced the prisoners head into place on the chopping block, then stepped back. “No mercy, no forgiveness. Death is the fate of all traitors,” the man declared, raising the axe... then looked away at a sudden scream.
He had just enough time to recognise the gleaming white form of Arbiter Kim, before the screaming man collided with him hard enough to break several bones and send them crashing into the wall behind them. The guards stared at the broken pair in confusion, then looked back in the direction the Arbiter had come from.
A single woman stood there, standing out against the dark metal of Grandville in the blue and gold of the Legendary’s uniform. “Gentleman,” Purrfect Archer called out, her voice clear and unafraid. “I’ve come to collect a friend of mine. If you’ll kindly step away from the man you plan to murder, I’ll be able to leave without further incident.”
For a long moment, the guards stared at her, unable to believe what they were seeing. One woman, all alone, at the very seat of Lord Recluses power? Was she insane? She couldn't hope to survive... could she?
Then one of the guards went for his weapon. “Take the hero down!” he ordered. “For Lord Recluse!” That snapped the other guards out of their shock, and they raised their own rifles and shock maces.
Smiling, the catwoman leapt into the air, Vanguard bow powering up in her hands as she almost flew over the crowd towards the Arachnos soldiers.
***
“You’d think they’d have killed this by now,” Ifrit mused, watching the broadcast from the Isles thoughtfully.
“Hmm, they’d love to do that,” Nene replied with a playful grin. “However, it seems that someone has taken control of Grandvilles own security system, and is using that to broadcast this insult to Recluse and Arachnos to all that wish to see it.”
“Oh dear,” Ifrit chuckled. “How truly horrible...” Her smile widened as she watched her daughter duck under a mace and send the weilder flying with just a wave of her hand, a pair of arrows quickly following to make certain he stayed down. “Remember how she was the first time we saw her?” she asked.
“Mmm. Shy little thing, paranoid and trying to pretend she wasn’t.” Nenes grin had become a soft smile as she remembered. “Scared of the Hellions and Outcasts, ready to run... and now, she’s storming Grandville all alone, taking down Arbiters and throwing spiders around, utterly unafraid.”
As they watched, Alice was moving again, taking down one of the Fortunas holding the prisoner in place with a rain of arrows, before simply turning and looking at the other one. The woman doubled over with a scream as the feline tore through her mental defences with ease. “You teach her that?” Nene asked the young woman sitting next to them. Inyme only replied with a rather delighted smile, and the Sabre chuckled before turning back to the television.
“That’s my girl,” Ifrit laughed as Purrfect Archer ran through the cheering crowd, many of whom were vanishing into the side alleys and slums that surrounded Grandville. The heroine stayed ahead of the rebelling Bane Spider, hitting any Arachnos soldiers between her and her exit hard enough to make sure they stayed down. In minutes, the pair were on the Longbow ship as it turned and moved away from the island, the bulk of Arachnos forces in the area still too stunned to catch them.
“That’s our girl,” Nene agreed, leaning against her wife with a proud smile.