User:BrickBreak/The Dragoon

A VERY rough draft for something I'm writing. Title is non-definitive, format adapted to fit wiki style (double spacing, as single is too short: still looks crappy, I know).
I understand it's not proper wiki material, but I am putting it here to remind myself (and while I'm still a lazy ass who forgets to get an account at FFN), and for your own enjoyment.

Prologue

For how long have I been doing this… I can’t recall…

She was picking up ever stronger signals.

It’s close, I must-
-what?

The signals suddenly vanished. She rushed down the street and around the corner, but there was nothing. It was gone.

No one could have got here before. I would have known.

She walked around the empty alley, but there was nothing. Until she noticed something on the floor.
Blood. Fresh blood.

Was I... too late?

She closed her eyes in disappointment, and turned around, disappearing into the darkness of night.

Chapter 1: The awakening

“Amazing!”

She couldn't hold back her excitement over what she’d just seen. The sunset made her smile all the more beautiful.

“This is a Grief Seed. A witch’s egg. If you’re lucky, sometimes witches will have one of them.”

The blonde girl proceeded to show the two curious girls how it worked, and threw it down a dark hallway afterwards.

“There’s one more use in it. I’ll share it with you… Homura Akemi.”

Damnit.

“It was your prey. You should keep this for yourself.” She said, as she threw it back.

*bang*

What the-

GYAAAAAAAAAH!

The Grief Seed shattered mid-air, releasing a malevolent smog into the air, followed by a demoniacal scream and a powerful shockwave, which sent the girls flying across the hallway.

“Madoka, Sayaka, are you okay?”
“Auch… I’m okay… Madoka? Madoka!”

Madoka was out cold, lying against a pillar. As Sayaka ran to check on her, she saw what she feared the most: blood. She’d hit the wall with the back of her head, and was bleeding badly.

“Madoka!” Homura shouted, as she got up. She rushed to her, but and ominous thought crossed her head. She looked back at where they stood, and saw a large hole on the ground.
It could only mean one thing. And looking back to the girl, she saw Mami running across the hallway.

There was no time. She ran and dived towards Mami, throwing her to the ground, just a millisecond before a large bullet pierced her head, millimeters away from her Soul Gem’s ring.
Mami screamed in agony, but she was aware enough to roll to safety, behind a pillar, which Homura also took cover behind.
“Mami!”
“Stay hidden!” Homura warned “There’s a sniper outside!”
“A-a sniper?”

Another bullet clipped the corner of the pillar they’d hidden behind, cutting some of Homura’s hairs.

“Yes. Take care of yourselves, I’ll deal with it.”
“O-okay” Sayaka answered ”but- Uh?”

She’d vanish into thin air.

“She… she disappeared?”

I can’t waste time, I must save my power.

Homura ran outside, and the deduced the shots could only have come from a nearby building’s roof. She released the time lock as she reached to the building’s dead angle, and ran up the fire ladder.
She drew her Desert Eagle from her shield, and jumped up the last steps.

*cling*

Crap!

A Claymore mine awaited an unfortunate soul at ladder’s top. There was no time to activate her power. She plunged off the building, narrowly avoiding the deadly blast, grabbing and holding on for dear life on a ladder step mid-fall. By the time she made it back up, all she was able to see was a shadow sliding down a downspout and speeding away in a Kawasaki that waited at the bottom.
Chasing after would cost too much of her power. She’d lost.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before investigating the rooftop. Apart from a few large-caliber bullet casings on the floor, there was only one thing worth noticing: a blood-soaked bandage. And it was fresh, still dripping.

Blood again… They aimed at the Grief Seed and Mami’s Soul Gem. Whoever did this knows the truth. I must get to the bottom of this.

“Ugh…”
“Madoka, are you okay?” Sayaka asked, worried.
“My head hurts…”
“I’ve stopped the bleeding, but we should still take you to the hospital. I’m not used to healing humans.”
“But your hand…” Sayaka replied.
“It’s okay, I heal fast.”
“…The shots have stopped. Is it safe?”
“Wait-
“Yes.”

They turned around to see a returning Homura slowly walking up the stairs.

“It’s safe.”
“Ugh” Madoka tried to stand up, but nearly fell, being caught by Sayaka “Thank you, Homu-
“You two” Homura said, interrupting her “have just witnessed how fleeting a Puella Magi’s life can be. Your life could end in a flash, without having accomplished your dreams, without having fulfilled ay purpose, abandoning anything you hold dear, and” she paused, and stared harder at Madoka “having brought no hope or salvation to the world, if you so desired. That, or... you might meet a fate far worse than that.”

“Homu-

“Mami Tomoe. You are seasoned in battle, and should know better than to mislead them into such a fleeting life. If you truly care for them, you should keep them away from these dangers. This is a battlefield: it was foolish of you to bring them here.”

And with that, she walked away, leaving the girls with her thoughts.

Sayaka broke the silence. “What’s her problem?”
“I don’t know.” Mami replied “But she is partially right. You must understand just how dangerous witch hunting can be. That is precisely why I brought you here.
Now come. I'll take you to the hospital.”

Chapter 2: Struggle

The opposite tall buildings they stood in provided a deep contrast, fitting their confrontation. An old brick tower in one side, and a glittering, brand-new office building on the other. The bright bolts of lightning emitted by the active barrier, down in the alley in between, reflected on the crystal-clear glass from the former building, shining on her golden eyes, as she watched the arriving figure land in front of her.

“So, you came as well.”

Her long, black hair floated ominously with the mild wind.
“I am merely after the witch. Your presence is irrelevant.”

“I did not come here to fight you” Mami said, as she summoned a musket “but I guess it will be unavoidable.

“As I said, I am merely after the witch. Whoever takes it down is not a factor. You can have it, if your heart so desires.”

This one… it’s not dangerous. She can handle it.

“That was rather unexpected of you, Homura Akemi. But very well. I sense a human inside, so I must hurry.” Mami said, as she prepared to jump down.

However, just as she said that, Homura noticed something: a flash-green Kawasaki Ninja at the bottom of the alley.

“Wait!”
“I cannot.”
“You will.”

Homura suddenly appeared behind Mami, holding her at gunpoint.

“I’m sorry. I had a change of heart.”
“You.”
“I must handle this one alone. If you need it that badly, I will relinquish the Grief Seed to you.”

She then drove a hard chop to Mami’s neck, knocking her unconscious.

This ends today, she thought, as dove down from the rooftop, drawing a Type 59 from her shield and ripping the barrier open.

Landing inside, the stench of oil and fumes made her want to puke, but took the safety off and proceeded forward.
The witch’s maze had countless tire tracks running through the walls, with asphalt spewed everywhere. A few racing helmets rolled down the road she was walking up: they were empty, but frightened eyes could be seen through the visor, which were shut and padlocked.

At the top of the hill, dozens of wheel-shaped creatures broke through a nearby cabinet, rushing through the asphalt, setting it ablaze, intending on annihilating her. With pinpoint accuracy, she shot the tires, puncturing them. But the creatures spun around, redirecting the air stream to propel them at ludicrous speeds.

Now!

Stopping time, Homura placed a pipe bomb at where she stood and leapt over the wheels, watching as they disintegrated when she released the time lock.

I need to save my sand, but I don’t have time to waste! I must do anything it takes for this!

Detonating a large garage door with a C-4 charge, she reached the witch: a hideous, giant serpentine creature, made of what appeared to be a racing track, with a wrecked stock car for head.
As soon as she noticed Homura, she spawned more wheels from a pit lane-shaped area in her chest. Wanting to preserve her power, Homura engaged them with her Type 59. However, while she was busy, two wheel familiars ran up the witch’s circuit-shaped body, carrying a lifeless body: a young man. As they approached her head, she opened her mouth.

That’s it! Time!

Homura pulled a FN Minimi from her shield, emptying the machine gun’s ammo box on the frozen opponents, and took a high jump while restarting time. The wheels were destroyed, but more poured out of the walls, one of the landing right on her back, forcibly throwing her against the ground. She managed to turn upwards and land on one knee, but she instantly noticed the floor was wet: looking forward she saw a large oil drum leaking. It ignited before she could react, causing a huge explosion, which sent her flying against a concrete wall, with her clothes on fire, and lighting a large portion of the battlefield ablaze.

However, most familiars were killed by the blast, leaving the field clear to Homura, who, although wounded, got up and put out the fire in her left leg. But time was running out, the man was about to be eaten. She had to activate her power.

“Stay back!”

Homura’s heart skipped a beat, as the man, who seemed lifeless up to the last moment, stood up and shouted.
Pulling two MP5Ks from his back with lightning-fast reflexes, and annihilated both familiars with a full salvo from each. The witch reacted quickly, firing dozens of engine parts and tools from her mouth, with a screwdriver causing a deep slash in his left arm. Even though he screamed in pain, he held on and unhooked his belt, full of grenades, and threw it down the witch’s mouth, which caused massive explosions from inside her serpentine body, terminating her.

The man fell down, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. He was smiling. But he was falling from at least 10 meters high, and into the unforgiving flames.
Homura, who’d been watching in shock, leapt over the inferno, catching the man mid-air and landing on the other side, as the fiery barrier dissipated into the night sky.

“T-thank you”, the man said, with elaborate breathing, and while coughing blood.
“But…

He drove a hard kick to her stomach, causing her to flinch momentarily, just enough for him to stand up and draw a Beretta 92 from his jacket.

“I cannot allow you to live.” He could barely aim steadily “I’m sorry-

Homura prepared to stop time, but the man passed out again: the bleeding on his left arm was severe, soaking the cold concrete floor. She quickly made a tourniquet out of a piece of cloth, and sensed his pulse: it was very weak.

Damnit, you’re not going to die here! I need answers!

She lifted the man’s body over her shoulder, and picked up the Grief Seed, leaving it at a still-unconscious Mami’s side and rushing back to her apartment.