Chasing Treasures

by Yukito


15 - Beware a Siren's Wrath

"That's right. The magic worked like a charm and we've captured the enemy command post! There are two girls here that we don't believe are military…"

Aria glared at the two men pointing their guns her way, whilst the small group's leader conversed on a walkie-talkie behind them. Another man was keeping Sonata at bay, whilst the other two were stripping the place apart, having already killed the soldiers that were left to guard it.

"Yes? Yes. Ah, one moment. I'll check." The guy talking on his walkie-talkie turned to Aria. "Hey, empty your pockets!"

Aria glared for a few seconds, but complied when she heard the clicking of a gun. "Just so you know, if you don't let us go soon, you'll regret it," she said as she emptied her pockets. There wasn't much; a few coins and a retractable knife were all she had on her at the time.

"No jewels… You next!"

Sonata frowned. "Please mister, just let us go. Pretty please?" she asked with a nervous smile.

"Fuck it, I'll check," the soldier holding her hostage said, swinging his gun at the girl and smacking her in the face with the butt. Sonata yelped and fell to her feet, clutching her face as she shook and whimpered. The soldier knelt down and put a hand in one pocket. "Nothing."

Aria shook her head solemnly. "Nice knowin' ya," she said, to all of them.

The soldier reached for Sonata's other pocket, but was stopped by a hand suddenly grasping his wrist. "Hey, let-"

Sonata stood suddenly, pulling the soldier up with her, and delivered a kick to his stomach. The soldier passed out, and she grabbed his sidearm from his holster.

The squad's leader aimed and fired, but Sonata used the unconscious body as a shield as she fired three shots, all of them hitting her foe.

Aria took her chance as he two captors turned their sights on Sonata, and tripped one of them up with a sweep of her leg, and then sprung up to tackle the second guy to the floor. She looked up to see Sonata dodging bullets from the remaining three enemies, using her heightened attunement to sounds to weave a path towards a weapons cabinet in the corner of the room.

Aria took one of her captors' guns and fired a few shots at the three in the distance, forcing them back long enough for her to run to cover behind an overturned table. "You guys have done it now!" she warned, grinning as she sat and waited. "Sonata Dusk is the strongest siren there is, when she's angry! Even without magic, pissing her off is not something I would do!"

Sonata pried open the door to the weapons cabinet, and pulled out a grenade launcher from inside. She turned and found the two soldiers Aria had felled clambering to their feet, and smiled as she fired a grenade between the two of them.

Following the explosion, the sounds of screaming, accompanied with cries of 'Retreat!', told Aria that the three remaining soldiers were making a run for it. "Alright, now let's see if we can contact Shining Ar-" Aria climbed over the table and saw Sonata giving chase after the three soldiers, laughing maniacally as she fired grenades at the poor fellows.

"Or, we could storm the enemy stronghold and- Why am I even bothering?" With a reluctant sigh, Aria followed Sonata, choosing to stay low as she moved through the trenches, towards the enemy base.

Once inside, Sonata lost track of her prey, and stood at a fork in the path as she wondered which way to go. Aria caught-up, her breathing ragged. "S-Slow down, a-already," she said, stopping to catch her breath whilst Sonata closed her eyes and listened.

"… Sounds of fighting," she said, pointing down the left pathway. Suddenly, Sonata's eyes widened and she tilted her head. "Wait, what was I doing again?"

"Looks like you're back," Aria said in a deadpan voice. "Well, we've come this far. Let's go meet with Shining Armor. We'd stand a better chance with him than out there."

"You got it! Thought I don't know how we even got here, I'll just go along with it!" Sonata giggled as she walked down the left hallway, Aria following behind her, keeping her gun ready.

As they went on, they encountered no resistance. Aria noted that the cameras were not moving, suggesting that they were still off. However, eventually, the sounds of fighting had gotten close, and Aria told Sonata to step back so she could lead.

"Not that I care, but if something happens to you, Adagio would blame it on me," she said.

"Awww, that's so sweet!" Sonata said, before tilting her head. "I think?"

"Quiet." After the rounded a corner, they were greeted to a bright light ahead of them. As they moved closer and closer, they could see Shining Armor fighting alongside seven of the soldiers he had ventured into the base with. The general was not among them.

She rushed towards the light, soon finding the foes that he was fighting against. She recognised the barrier and knew she's be safe on one side of it, and would be trapped if she passed it. "Hey! Shining Armor!" she shouted, getting the agent's attention.

"Aria! What're you- No, never mind! You came just in time! Come in!"

"Are you crazy?!" Aria shouted, but gasped when she noticed the jewel in Shining's hand. "That's…"

"Aria… permission to use magic, granted."

Aria froze for a moment, and then grinned, before stepping forward, passing the barrier. Sonata entered, too, firing grenades to cover them as they approached the group at the centre.

"Hurry!" Shining shouted, giving the jewel to Aria.

"Heh, you can't rush art…" Aria took the jewel and held it to her chest. The warm, familiar feeling washed over her, and she felt a joy like none she had ever felt since her first time singing for a live audience. She realised that she had missed this power more than she knew, and a tear rolling down her cheek proved that.

Taking a breath, Aria stretched out her arms and sang. The song was in siren dialect, a language lost to her own world long ago, and unknown to the one she was currently trapped in. She made sure that only her enemies would be affected by the magic that her music carried, and as she hit her chorus, the fighting stopped. All around her, her enemies fainted as magic drained from their bodies.

Aria's wounds healed, her complexion brightened, and her singing grew more powerful as she was flooded with the magic that she absorbed.

And then, it was over. With hostiles down all around them, and the barriers shattered by Aria's song, what remained of Shining Armor's squad were free to move on.

"… Thank you," Shining Armor said, holding out his hand. "I'll be taking that back now, Aria."

Aria shook her head. "It's not over yet."

"Somebody's coming," Sonata said, pointing down one of the hallways.

All guns trained on that single door, and soon, the footsteps became audible to the humans as well as the sirens. From out of the shadows, something small emerged. It was a woman, old and limping and dressed in purple robes. She had two fangs protruding from her bottom jaw that compliment her wicked smile as she looked over the group.

"Well, well. Magic! Magic beyond even my years of expertise!" The woman cackled, and snapped her fingers. "You are all… very interesting!"