Magical Girl Gunslinger

Chapter 22: War (Error Machina / ???)

Chapter 22: War (Error Machina / ???)

In the command and control room of Arcadias Guardian Command spire, Magical Guardian Error Machinas eyes flicked across the five monitors on his desk as he soaked in the information displayed in front of him. The command room itself was huge, designed like a theater with dozens of rows gently leading down to a massive screen spanning the entirety of the opposite wall. Each of the rows held desks of sleek metal containing sharp angled computers, monitors, and other magitech devices. The lights were dim, giving way to the brightness of the monitors for the hundreds of operators working to save Arcadia from the unprecedented Anathema attack taking place.

Error thought about that title, operator, while he adjusted the deployment orders for the Arcadian police forces around Usurpation Zone 03-06. Handler might have been a better name considering what they did, coordinating the various Guardians, Magical Soldiers, and police forces. Dispatcher would even work, though operators were expected to be able to do more than just direct forces. Research, analysis, drone support, and even acting as a communications network between teams all fell under the duties expected of an operator.

And for the few operators like himself who were Magical Guardians, there was only more responsibility and work to be done.

Error sighed as an alert popped up onto his screen, quickly tapping a button to engage the privacy field around his work station. He was the lead operator of a team consisting of ten other people, putting his desk a row above theirs and giving him space from any of the other team leaders, but he still enjoyed using the noise canceling dome of energy to help him focus when he had to take a call. The field itself appeared little more than a fuzzy orb around him, cutting the sound and vision of his surroundings, and once it was fully activated, he took the call.

Operator, Error immediately replied as the line opened up.

Yo man, its Breakdance, a mans voice said through Errors earpiece. Im done with that apartment building. Nothin more than a few thirties.

Good, Error forced himself not to sigh. What about the next apartment on the block?

Aw, man, come on, dont do me like this, Breakdance said teasingly. Theres gotta be somethin a little higher level out there? At least give me some forties.

Breakdance, thats not how this works, Error closed his eyes, trying to keep his urge to strangle the boy from his voice. You get what you get. Youre not cleared for level-parity work, and we have reports of fifties showing up in some of the forty zones.

Dude, the whole citys on fire! Breakdance yelled. Nows not the time to be followin some stupid rules! We all need to be doin whatever we can, man.

Breakdance, you are free to deviate from your contract with Guardian Command, Error replied, his voice turning sickly sweet. However, that will render the bonus points youve been promised null and void. If you want to risk your life in unscouted territory, go ahead. Just dont expect a medivac, reinforcements, magical support, or sponsored time with our contracted healers when you inevitably get hurt biting off more than you can chew.

It took a moment for a response to come, Breakdance evidently surprised by the thin, strained tone underpinning Errors words. Error knew he was going too far, that his anger and frustration were getting the better of him, but at this point, he just didnt care.

Geez, man, Breakdance finally replied, dropping the whimsy from his tone. Dont gotta be rude. You know Im just playin.

Now is not the time for fooling around, Breakdance, Error snapped back. We already have one Death Wish on the table, and were nowhere close to solving this mess!

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line before Error heard Breakdance clear his throat.

Ah, sorry man, I didnt know, Breakdance mumbled. There hasnt been a notice yet, so is there anything I can do?

No, Error sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Not unless you can stand up to a horde ranging up to level 150.

Another quiet ensued, and Error heard something like a slap.

Right, right. Ill get on those apartments. The block will be cleared in the next call it fifteen minutes?

Dont push yourself, Error told him. It took you five just to clear that one building.

Yeah, Breakdance. But that was before I knew we were losing someone Is it anybody I know?

Error closed his eyes.

No, Error whispered. Complete newbie. She just contracted today.

Fuck me. Make it ten minutes. Breakdance out.

The line disconnected with a beep, and Error deactivated the privacy field, the murmur of hundreds of operators communicating returning to him. If it wasnt for the silencing runes built into the room to divide specific areas, the sound would be overwhelming. As it was, he could only really make out the conversations of his team below, and even those were mostly tuned out unless he deactivated the specific enchantment.

Errors eyes flicked back to the main display, the big screen that made up the wall on the far end of the room. Currently, it showed a complete map of the city of Arcadia. Symbols marked various squads of Magical Soldiers, police, EMS, and Guardians as they worked their way across the city. Most of the symbols were clustered around the circles of red marking the Usurpation Zones, with only the Guardians venturing inside. Well, them and a few Wardens, the elites of the Magical Soldiers.

Of the many red circles, only one stood out to him above the rest.. UZ 15-01. It was the first zone to officially appear on the island due to the shield generator responsible for that section failing, and it was also currently the biggest. The shield giving way had let the Anathema turn the outer perimeter of the zone into a virtual fortress, scattering all kinds of high level and dangerous Anathema to prevent Guardians from getting inside.

And it was in that incredibly fortified zone where his newest khai was currently heading to her death.

A flicker of motion stole Errors attention as his Familiar moved across his desk, a green turtle whose shell looked like it was made from hexagonal LED screens. The Familiar wore a top hat, a monocle, and an impeccably curled mustache adorned his face like it was the most natural thing in the world.

[Sir, you seem to be letting yourself get distracted,] the British voice of Errors familiar observed. [You have two requests for electronic support that came in sixteen seconds ago.]

Error bit back a curse, and he called up his magic. With a flick of his will, a holographic keyboard appeared in front of him. The mouse on his computers screen responded to his thoughts, leaving his hand free to type away as he opened the various requests.

The first request was for a camera view inside a store, and the other was for supplies. He chose the camera request first, noting the address deep into his mind before he called up his mana and began shaping it.

Find, Connect, Error cast the spells in rapid order, magic pouring from him into his magitech computer, a focus item hed spent 5,000 points purchasing to help empower his spells. What would have taken a normal operator several minutes to accomplish was executed in seconds as his magic worked through the Arcadia network and accessed his target. A half-dozen camera feeds popped into life across Errors monitors, and he found himself frowning at them. The feeds showed the inside of a gas station, but the lights were out, making it hard for him to see anything.

Observe, Error added, and one of the cameras suddenly shifted, a highlight appearing over a dark mass. A moment later, a second camera did the same. Noting their locations, Error quickly contacted the request owner.

Fortunes Fool, a girl responded in a calm, smooth voice.

Fortune, I have two confirmed targets on the cameras. First appears to be a Winterbane Fiend hiding behind the counter, second is a Floran Deceiver near the fountain drinks. No view of the backroom, and the cooler camera is hazy. Estimated level range is in the sixties.

Copy, operator. Well clear the store. No further assistance required. Fortune out.

The line went dead, and Error closed the camera feeds before moving on to the supply request. The request stated that a team of Guardians needed him to open up some vending machine? Error opened the details and found it came from team Magical Cakes, a B-rank group of Guardians belonging to the guild of Guardians known as Maid Cafe.

Checking on their operating time, he winced before calling up his magic again and began casting, silently incanting the spell names in his head. Find, Hack, Override Infect Local. He didnt bother casting them higher than their tier two adept variant, and the low mana cost of the basic spells was almost instantaneously recovered by his nearly fifty-two mana regeneration per second.

[Congratulations! Your Augment Digital Magic Affinity has leveled up to 44!]

Error blinked the notification from his vision with a snort. In the past seven hours hed cast more spells than in the entirety of the last three months combined. The level up was early, but not particularly surprising. With a quick thought directed to silencing further notifications, he pressed the button to call the team leader of Magical Cakes.

Cutie Pie, an out of breath girl answered a moment later.

Cutie, I just opened all the vending machines in your food court. You should also take a break, though, youve been at this for seven hours straight. Caffeine and junk food isnt going to keep you fighting forever.

Thanks, Error, Cutie replied, taking a deep breath. But no can do. Not when theres so much work to be done.

Error winced. Maid Cafe was one of the top Magical Girl guilds for a reason, recruiting only the most dedicated and passionate of teams into their ranks. Of the bigger guilds, it was also probably the one with the best reputation. Error was pretty sure hed never heard anything bad about them except for how hard their members tended to push themselves.

Regardless, cleaning up the city is going to take a couple days, Error responded. Dont push yourself. Some of the other backline Guardians and I have already had to step in to save some teams who didnt know their limits.

Roger that, Error. Maid Cafe already told us theyre pulling us out in another five hours by force if we dont take a prolonged rest before then, but

Cutie trailed off, a thick silence coming between the two.

Our guild contacted us and said a Death Wish is on the table, she said, her voice thick with emotion. From a complete newbie. That the only reason Guardian Command hasnt sent out the notice is they dont want anybody getting reckless.

There was a pause, as if she was seeking confirmation, and Error swallowed the bile in his throat.

You heard correctly, Error replied, doing his best to keep his emotions from spilling into his tone. Command doesnt want people knowing, not when the worst weve had is some severe injuries requiring a month of healing. Theyre afraid sending out the notice might well, you know. Ive been ordered not to send out the alert, but I wont lie to anybody who's already found out.

Words and meanings passed unsaid in the quiet that followed. It was a conversation in itself, both Guardians struggling with what felt right and what they knew would happen. It gave Error a savage, bitter flash of triumph to know the Death Wish had already leaked to a few Guardians, but

In all honesty, Guardian Command wasnt completely in the wrong. Error had seen it himself with Breakdance how the Guardians would react as a whole. Theyd managed to avoid any deaths among Guardians so far, but it had been an extremely close thing. If word went widespread about the Death Wish and its circumstances, Guardians all over Arcadia would start pushing themselves to their limits.

After all, losing a Guardian was already horrible enough, but hearing it was for a Death Wish from a complete newbie? A girl with no combat experience, no training, and no reason to give her life except that it was to save others?

It would be a reminder to every Guardian about their first day contracting, about the joy and excitement they got to experience as a whole new world opened up to them. It was a dream made manifest, the chance to be a hero and the ability to use magic. It was the day their future opened up before them, and it was bright. For many Guardians, the contract had saved them in more than one sense, giving them a chance to live a life filled with meaning.

But not for this girl. Not for a girl who had been given power only to be told to die with it all in the same day.

She hadnt been saved.

Shed been condemned.

Hearing about the day-one Death Wish wouldnt just light a fire in most of the Guardians fighting. It would ignite their souls. What was happening was the complete antithesis of what a contract should be, and at an instinctual level, it burned.

Error Cutie interrupted his ruminations, her voice quiet. Its not my place to decide what we do but I dont think its Guardian Commands either. Being a Magical Girl, a Guardian, is doing what we think is right. Thats part of the reason why we were chosen, isnt it? Because each of us has something special inside that pushes us to be more than just smart or strong. It pushes us to be good, even if it is dangerous or scary. If the alert went out, maybe some Guardians would push themselves too far. Maybe they will get themselves hurt or worse, but the thing is, none of that is on you or anyone else. Its ourchoice what we fight for, and nobody gets to decide that but us.

Errors throat felt tight as a flame lit up in his chest, burning away his weariness and replacing it with a strong, determined warmth. He knew it was probably more than just her words, that she probably had a Skill of some sort at work, but that didnt mean that Cutie was any less right.

Thank you, Cutie Pie, he breathed out. I needed that. You really are a Pink, arent you?

A pure tone of laughter echoed on the other side of the line, bringing a smile to Errors face.

Yeah, I guess so, she giggled. But somebody has to be. We all know how you Greens get if youre left alone to brood too long.

Error barked out a short laugh, shaking his head. Fair enough. Still even if I send out the alert, I expect you and your team to take a break soon, okay? No funny business.

Of course, Cutie replied with exaggerated innocence. Unlike some people, I wouldnt dream of going against what Guardian Command says. Cutie out.

The call dropped before Error could retort, and he chuckled as his gaze turned back to his display. The amusement inside him began melting away, his smile dropping as his eyes turned back to UZ 15-01. Cuties words had done a lot to push away the feeling of despair that had grown inside Error, but in the end, it still didnt change the situation.

Error called upon his magic, creating his holographic keyboard in front of him even as he used his thoughts to flick through a few of the different windows displayed on his monitors. He checked the displays for what felt like the hundredth time, letting out a frustrated growl as he got the same answer back.

[Sir,] his Familiar said. [You already have alerts in place to immediately contact you should the situation change. You are allowing yourself to become too distracted.]

I dont know what else to do, Cipher! Error threw up his hands in exasperation. We have hundreds of Guardians fighting across the island, but nobody who could go and rescue her! We dont have anyone available whose level is high enough to do it alone, and the strike teams are all radio silent while theyre inside the high level Usurpation Zones. The only chance that girl has is if a strike team manages to finish clearing their zone in the next twenty minutes. Even then, Ill still have to convince them to go against commands orders, mess up the official battle plan, and risk their lives fighting a horde of Anathema to save a completely new Dark Magical Girl!

[I understand the situation, Sir,] Cipher responded politely. [And I also understand that there is only really one strike team who you think would be up for the task. I am merely suggesting you refocus your efforts on what you can affect.]

Im trying, Error growled, leaning back in his chair. But I just cant get her face out of my head. Her expressions, Cipher. Its like Zero all over again.

His familiar was quiet for a moment before letting out a huff of air.

[Right then. If you cant get her out of your mind, then perhaps you can at least work to help her as much as possible in the meantime.]

Error frowned at that, straightening his posture as he frowned at his Familiar.

What do you mean?

[There is a pending censorship request regarding the young miss,] Cipher said, his voice quiet, and Error felt his blood freeze.

The air left Evers lungs, her muscles clenching instantly. Had the battle for Arcadia truly gotten so desperate? The briefing had said Arcadia was covered in Usurpation Zones, but the vast majority of them were relatively low level. The Familiars, Zenith, and Council had developed a battle plan that seemed like it would progress the defense of the island at a relatively safe and steady pace, but if a Death Wish was on the table, it only meant something had gone very, very wrong.

Hold, Ever ordered, and using her mana, switched her communication channel.

Team, form up on me, priority orders incoming, she ordered calmly before switching channels again.

Whiplash, spool up and land on a building near my position, prepare for priority orders.

Roger that, Everglaive, show us three minutes out, her strike teams helicopter pilot instantly replied, and she switched channels back to Error.

Alright, Error, Ever said, keeping her voice smooth and cold. You have three minutes. Whats our status?

Retaking of the city is progressing smoothly, no fatalities, but do you remember that Usurpation Zone that showed up way before the others because of the shield failure?

Affirmative.

Well, long story short, the shield failure happened because someone was siphoning power from the mana generator. The shielding station detected the tampering when the shelters came online, and thats what caused the shutdown.

Everglaive frowned, absently noting the two shapes blurring towards her position as her team reformed. Her third teammate was already waiting beneath the traffic light Ever stood upon, leaning against it as she regained her breath.

I see. How are we aware of this information?

There was silence on the other line before a sigh finally broke through.

In that zone, a girl got caught outside the shelter trying to save a kid when the shield went down. Turns out she was a candidate, and she fought off an Anathema but had to do an emergency contract afterwards. She got to the shelter and contacted us.

Ever felt an eyebrow raise. Fighting off an Anathema as a civilian was no small feat, but it made sense that someone capable of doing that would have already been a Magical Girl candidate. The emergency contract implied shed been injured pretty badly, but that wasnt very surprising either.

What worried Ever was she was being told all of this in the context of Error explaining the Death Wish. A pit had already formed in her stomach, but she refused to let the emotion rule her thoughts.

Continue, Ever said, thankful that Error seemed to be giving her time to process.

Ever, she was on the third floor but ended up having to go to the first floor shelter because the one on hers activated its emergency shield. She had to escort the kid she originally went out to save the entire way, too.

Everglaives gut twisted further. That sounded like a nightmare, contracting and being forced to immediately fight for not only your survival, but also that of a child without any training? Ever wasnt sure how-

Wait, Ever said, her eyes twitching as a realization sent a cold shiver down her spine. If the shelter activated their emergency shield-

They have no way to get power with the shield station down, Error confirmed her fears, his voice increasing in pace to a frantic babble. This girls entire class is trapped in that shelter. They were on a field trip to the mall when this all went down, or something. Anyway, this new girl and I didnt realize the power supply being tampered with was what caused the shield to go down. So, she went down to the mana generator and restarted it. It was only after that we realized what the real problem was, and if she wanted to save everyone in that shelter, she would have to go directly to the shield station. But restarting the station requires a manual activation to start the sequence and a second at the end. But with the station drawing up that much mana-

Shell be lighting a beacon, Everglaive murmured, dread curling inside her. All the Anathema in the zone will be drawn to her.

Yes Its a Death Wish level quest, Ever, and theres nobody else I can turn to. Command doesnt want to risk any forces for one girl, not when the city is already under siege. They wont even let me send out the Death Wish notification! Im begging you, Ever, help her. You and your team are the only ones who are strong enough, and

He trailed off, and Ever realized her heart rate was beginning to race. She hadnt heard her friend this panicked in a long time. She understood he was upset and desperate, anyone with half a heart would be given the circumstances, but

Error, what arent you telling me? Ever asked calmly, leaning into her Leadership Augment to keep her composure.

Error cleared his throat, his next words coming out with a dry rasp.

Shes a Dark, Ever. She did all this without her Astral Shift. She defeated a fucking level twenty-one Arachnomantis guarding the mana generator. She lost her arm on the way back to the shelter because the shield station didnt restart and clear her path, and now shes walking to her death and to top it all off, command wont even let anybody even know whats happening. Ever, if you heard what her last wishes were

Errors voice cut off as he choked up, and Everglaive felt herself close her eyes as she processed the information, a surge of emotions drowning out the world around her.

So.

It was a new Dark Magical Girl.

Her first day.

She had already fought something that should have killed her.

She lost her arm.

And now she was going to sacrifice herself with no hope of surviving.

The memory of Evers first day as a Magical Girl flashed through her mind. Before the contract, she had always been tense. It was the tension to always be perfect, to be in control. Shed watched and reacted to things with care and planning, striving to never make a mistake. Every step was delicately placed, and every breath she took was always shallow.

Then a hummingbird made of wood and metal had shown up, and everything changed. By the end of her first day as a Magical Girl, after the explanations and first steps, she felt like the world had opened up. No longer was it pushing against her, trapping her into being the essence of perfection. The constant tension wrapping around her muscles had disappeared, and shed learned it was possible to just relax and breathe.

Evers first day changed everything for her, and she often felt like it was that day her life truly began.

This girls first day would change nothing for her, and it would be the day her life ended.

Evers mixture of emotions and racing thoughts coalesced, fury and revulsion snapping into existence inside her, cold and sharp as it froze the blood in her veins. Her mana reacted, exploding in a shockwave of green light from her before she could regain control. She opened her eyes, forcing herself to resume breathing as she reined in her magic. She only vaguely noticed her teammate below reacting, each of them snapping into a combat stance on pure reflex, and a flicker of shame washed through Ever that shed lost her composure.

I see, Everglaive finally said, struggling to keep the emotion from her voice.

I know Im asking a lot, Error cleared his throat. Surviving the horde that will come your way wont be easy even with your levels, and-

Error, stop wasting time, Everglaive murmured, her words frost on a midnight wind. Tell me where she is and how much time I have.

There was a startled silence, but Ever didnt regret her tone. There was only so much she could take, and between this poor girls circumstances and hearing her friend like this again She needed Error to focus. Not just for his well being, but for the girl they both needed to save.

He wasnt the only one with regrets, and this time, things would be different.

I just sent the coordinates to your helicopter, Error replied. If you went straight there, you would make it just before shes scheduled to start the shield generator, but-

Wed be intercepted the moment we entered the zone, Ever nodded. Flying Anathema would swarm us. Well have to fly over the zone and drop down.

But then you wont make it in time. Youll have to fly over 10,000 feet high, and descending down will take too long.

Only if we take the helicopter, Ever said calmly. Well combat drop. Shouldnt take us more than 50 seconds to reach her. Less if we use magic to fall faster the entire way.

From 10,000 feet? Ever, thats-

The only way we have a chance of saving her, if we really are that short on time, Ever told him. We can manage, between our stats and support magic. Even our Blue. Dont worry about us. Just focus on what you need to do.

Error went quiet for a moment, and Ever began to hear the faint hum of her teams helicopter drawing closer.

Okay, Error finally sighed. Are you sure your team will be up for this, though?

Error, you know them, Ever chided him softly. My team consists of a battle maniac, a guy with a heart of gold, and one of the most blue Magical Girls a Blue can be. The danger isnt the issue, not when it's for something like this.

No, I suppose it isnt, Error took a deep breath. Okay then. I I need to do one quick thing. Ill contact you again in a minute, and we can form a more detailed plan while youre enroute.

Agreed, Ever nodded, and the line went quiet with a click.

[New Subquest! - Defense of Arcadia: Death Wish Rescue]

[Description: A new Guardian has been tasked with a Death Wish. Work together with Error Machina and any other forces to rescue her as she restarts a shielding station. The thickness and potency of Miasma in the Usurpation Zone suggests there are many Anathema but none higher than level 150. Defend her from the oncoming horde and extract her from the area.]

[Difficulty: Very Hard]

[Reward: 20,000 Points]

Everglaive blinked at the point reward before dismissing the notification from her sight. It was the single largest quest reward shed ever personally seen, and she was pretty sure the only thing preventing it from being higher was her level. It was a nice incentive, but she hardly needed it. Not when a life was at stake, and not when the person in danger was so willing to sacrifice her own life to save others.

Ever shifted her balance and was about to jump down from her perch on top of the traffic lights when she felt a wave of mana wash over her. It was a tingly sensation, like that of static electricity forming, and a moment later, the emergency loudspeakers scattered about the city squealed to life.

Attention all Guardians of Arcadia, this is Error Machina, her friends voice echoed through the city. This is the official notification that a Death Wish has been issued.

A silence fell over the city. The distant sounds of spell detonations, and even the gunfire from Magical Soldiers quieted as the city held its breath. Death notifications were usually delivered through the magitech communicators, but by hacking directly into the citys emergency loudspeakers, hed made sure every Guardian, Magical Soldier police officer, and any citizen outside of a shelter knew what was happening.

And the death of a Guardian was always a big deal, maybe now more so than ever. Every year since the beginning of the Anathema war, humanity had lost less and less Magical Guardians, growing stronger and more proficient at keeping the monsters at bay. Last year, only 173 Guardians had lost their lives. That amounted to about fourteen per month in the entire world.

And with a Death Wish, one of those fourteen had all but just been confirmed.

A strike team is attempting to rescue her, but by the time they get there, it may already be too late.

Evers hand clenched around her glaive hard enough that the wooden pole creaked. Whether they made it in time or not was the only thing she couldnt control. But if the girl managed to just hold on

If Ever could reach her, she would live. Of that, there was no doubt in Evers mind.

Her name is unknown. She never got a chance to pick one because today is her first day.

The silence in the city became palpable, and Ever closed her eyes. For a shocked moment, nothing happened.

Then, below her, three different bursts of mana exploded into existence. The first mana signature felt like a whirlpool opening up in an endless, beckoning maw that stretched to the bottom of the ocean itself. The second felt like the low growl of an ancient and massive creature awakening, its predatory eyes opening as it searched for what had disturbed its slumber. The third and last burst of mana felt like a storm breaking open the sky, the heavens themselves ripping apart in a web of endless, crackling lightning.

As quickly as the bursts of mana came, they disappeared, vanishing from existence as the owners of the mana reined in their emotions and magic. The air itself seemed to ripple for a moment before settling, and Ever imagined other Guardians were having similar reactions across the city. She could hardly criticize their lack of control when she herself had reacted the same way.

What more needs to be said? Errors voice echoed through the city. Just know that while you are fighting out there, the least of us has been asked to do what only the best of us could and she did not hesitate. Not even for a second. Error Machina out.

The loudspeakers went dead, and before Everglaive could consciously place what she was doing, she had raised her hand upwards. She gathered her mana and cast the spell as the pressure in her chest built around her heart.

A flare of green light shot from her hand, rocketing up far into Arcadias sky. Only when it had reached far above Arcadias skyline did the simple spell explode, turning into a glowing star of emerald light.

A second later, three more flares shot up from under her. Red, yellow, and blue flashes joined her own. Then a purple flare from across the city went up. Then a pink and a white. Then more. Then dozens. Flares went up from across Arcadia as Guardians sent up their own signals in a seemingly endless stream, and soon the darkness had all but disappeared.

1,075 stars hung over Arcadia in defiance, and Everglaive swallowed down the surge of pride and pain that washed through her at the tribute. Knowing that her helicopter would be in position to pick her up soon and that she still needed to brief her team, Ever forced herself to close her hand and release the spell. Her emerald star winked out of existence, and almost in unison, every other star flare followed suit.

The light of a thousand stars died, and in that moment, the defense of Arcadia ended.

And the war to retake it began.