Plan B. Otherwise known as the backup plan. It’s a plan created for when the main plan inevitably fails. The main plan was to infiltrate, locate, and acquire. It was simple enough in its basic parts, but the innumerable variables that could render the plan useless made it necessary for the backup plan to be formulated. And the backup plan decided on was fairly simple.

To quote Yuki’s words, “Smash and grab. I don’t care how you get out as long as you do.” Most people at the meeting hated it. Akira seemed indifferent to it. Erica loved it.

Swinging her spear wildly about as rushed to intercept the swarming guards that streamed into the ballroom, Erica had a wide smile plastered to her face that was hidden behind the purple mask she wore. The only thing other’s saw were two bright electric purple eyes. She began slashing and stabbing about with enthusiasm, taking on multiple enemies at once. Akira was next to her doing the same as she wielded a sword.

‘Stall until Zero gets the jewel,’ Erica thought as she smacked the back of one guard, cracking the helmet the guard wore. ‘Should be easy enough. Maybe I’ll use this as physical wave clearing practice~.’

Erica fell into a rhythm of cuts, thrusts, and parries. She made sure to not critically wound any of the incoming guards. Having more people fighting would mean more practice for her. And people not dying would make all interested parties less mad.

Around her people screamed and yelled. Bangs and gunshots rang out and echoed. The sound of things breaking and shattering normally followed all of that as well. To Erica, these weren’t the sounds of destruction. They were the sounds of the artful disorder of the battlefield that was mayhem. 

Another gunshot. Off to the corner of her eye, Erica spied a guard’s head snapping back, their foot step forward, and then fall face first into the floor. She slammed her spear to the ground in response. A wave of static erupted out from her, shoving everyone around her away. 

“Want to clean this up, Eri?” Zero’s voice asked cheerily somewhere behind her. 

“Why not,” Erica replied. She crouched and launched herself up, back flipping until she landed beside Zero. “How do you want to do this?”

“Big bolt?” Zero suggested.

“It might make a hole up there,” Erica smirked.

“Does it matter?” 

Erica laughed and gripped her spear tightly with both her hands as the guards relocated her and began to advance. Akira was still whirling about in a tornado of steel, fending off dozens of the guards at once.

Zero waved her hand with a flourish, a shimmering concave barrier instantly forming in front to intercept the speeding projectiles that were being launched their way by the guards. With her other hand, she held it open beside her waist. Erica could feel the mana rushing to it.

“Want me to group them closer or are they all tight enough already?” Zero asked. A magic circle flared in her palm. 

“Yeah,” Erica nodded, giving the wall of guards a contemplative gaze. “I want to hit them all in one shot. Why are there so many of them?”

“Guards? Money can do that for you,” Zero laughed. “Get ready.”

“Autumn?”

“Don’t worry, I already told her.”

On cue, Akira disappeared. The people she was fighting suddenly crashed into each other. Beside Zero, a column of sand rose from the ground, and Akira appeared. Zero gave her a nod before pressing the palms of her hands together. Mana compressed between them, her hands glowing a pale green. 

“I’m ready,” she said quietly.

“Got it,” Erica replied. She twirled her spear as sparks began to erupt out from it. “Go ahead. I got this.”

Zero nodded again and thrusted a hand to the ground, her thumb and first two fingers sticking out. Her eyes changed color, the grey changing to a pale emerald. The ground underneath the guards lit up as a magic circle inscribed itself. Barriers rose out from the ground, trapping them in a sphere. Then she clenched her other hand. The wind within the room whipped as it began to flow towards the barrier. 

“You ready?” Zero asked, her glowing eyes sending shivers down Erica’s spine. 

“Bring it.”

She punched her clenched hand downward. The guards trapped within the barrier were sucked together as a vortex formed inside. Erica followed. Slamming her spear on the ground, violet electricity erupted out from it. 

“Oh yeah. You should cover your ears,” Erica said.

Just as Zero and Akira did so, a giant bolt of lightning came crashing down from the sky. It struck down upon the spot the guards were sucked into with a mighty roar as it split the air. The shock rammed into the barrier Zero had erected between them and the guards. Debris soon followed it, crashing into the ground. Erica looked up and saw the stars blinking back down at her through the ceiling. 

“Are they dead?” Akira asked, blinking rapidly. 

“No. It just looks worse than it is. They’re just knocked out. Maybe paralyzed at worst,” Erica replied. “Did I get all of them?”

“I think so,” Zero nodded. “I can’t really see all that well right now. Anyway, time to go.”

The barriers fell. The sounds of pounding foot steps came from behind them and Zero looked behind. Erica followed her gaze to see Yuna running towards them. Behind her, a stampede of guards followed. They seemed to have come from the back rooms of the mansion.

'More of them?'

“You know what, we really should go,” Erica said.

“I agree.”

They turned and blasted off towards the door that had been blown open by Erica’s lightning bolt. On the way out, they stepped on a few unfortunate guards before they leaped off the stairs that led up to the entrance of the mansion. Then they sprinted off into the distance.

---

 

“Good job,” Yuki said.

Erica was back in the base, the others who participated in the mission there as well. Minus Zero, who said that her job was done for the day and gave the Heart of the Wyvern to Akira before promptly disappearing.

“Is it on the news yet?” Erica asked, grinning. “It has to be. That was crazy.”

“That’s the first question you ask?” Yuki replied. She raised an eyebrow. “And to answer you, yes. There are a few reports. Nothing really big yet since it just happened and damage control.”

“Did we come out clean?” Sarah asked. She still held a sniper in her arms. “I looked around, but I’m not sure.”

“You’re clean,” Yuki nodded. “Well done. Your help made it really easy to get out of there.”

“Thank you,” Sarah smiled.

“And the rest of you did well too,” Yuki continued. “Akira, you have the jewel still?”

“Yes. Here.” Akira procured the Heart from her ring. “No one will be able to trace us, right?”

“No one will probably be able to trace us. Uriel will be helping out in that field so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. It’s unfortunate that the plan had to go to plan B. But you seemed to be having fun.”

“I think that was mainly Erica,” Akira replied.

“That was the most fun I’ve had in combat for a while,” Erica grinned. 

“How about when we skirmish?” Yuki asked.

“No. Those are competitions. I don’t have time for fun when those happen.”

“Really now,” she smirked. “Well. One of you had fun at the very least. You guys did a good job wrapping it up quickly. Anyway, you’re all dismissed for today.”

“What are we going to do with the jewel?” Yuna asked, speaking up for the first time.

“Stow it somewhere no one can steal from,” Yuki replied. “Or at least have a really hard time stealing it. You all can go home or wherever you live. We’re good for the day. We might have another meeting tomorrow though.”

“Thank you, boss,” Sarah said. “If there is a meeting tomorrow, I look forward to it.”

“Be on time.”

“I’ll try,” she said with a small laugh. She left the meeting room.

“I’ll be going as well. Good night Yuki,” Zoe waved before walking out as well.

"I guess we should go as well then,” Erica said, nudging Akira. “Want to eat or are you full from the party?”

“I didn’t even eat that much,” Akira frowned.

“I didn’t say that,” Erica laughed. “But do you?”

“A snack maybe?”

“Sure.” She turned to look at Yuki. “We’ll be going then. See you later?”

“See you later,” Yuki nodded.

Erica hooked her arm around Akira’s and marched out of the meeting room. 

“You know, that party was really fun,” Erica remarked as the two of the walked down the hall. “Especially that last part.”

“It was okay,” Akira sighed. 

“We should do that again,” Erica grinned.

“Let’s not.”