3rd November, Monday
Roughly a week had passed. Some of their friends noticed the new bracelets hanging by their wrists. Using {Swap}, it directly disrupts space and interrupts spatial ambushes. There hadn't been any tests to verify its efficacy, but it's better if they kept it that way.
Glimming under the dull neon lights of the classroom, the bracelets glamorously shone under scrutiny. Their scale like texture broke up the light into shining crystals, piecing a subtle new air to the trio.
It was lunchbreak, the halls were filled with students mingling with other classes. There was no shortage of congestion as the faint humming of conversations assaulted the air with a deluge. One would have to strain to hear peace and quiet, with teachers moving to their next classes or chatting it up with students and answering more personal questions on the side.
*BOOM!!!*
An ear piercing ring ravages their ear drums as the floor below their feet shook from the impact. The distant collision of debris brings a shiver down their spines. It was a disaster, but the nature was unknown. To say the least, destruction was unprecedented. There is no dissent in the age of abundance, the Internet is closely monitored to nip things in the bud. Any who desire violence and the construction of weapons would be dealt with before they could constitute a threat. They would be thrown into what the government called a reeducation camp, a vaguely threatening term that ordinary civilians had no interest in exploring.
As the name suggests, there is no limit of resources other than space... There will always be those who covet the possessions of others, or those who have the simple desire for chaos and bloodshed.
"...!? Get away from the centre!!" (Yggdrasil)
Her warning rang with clarity, Sariel and Arin cooperated and pushed the others out of the way before a secondary impact reverberated through the classroom. A cloud of dust swarmed the room as chairs and tables deform from the force. A massive hole opens up in the ceiling with what seemed to be blood occasionally dripping onto the ground.
"... Artillery? They're not even closeby...?" (Arin)
Shrill screams pierce the air as a chilling terror seized the hearts of numerous individuals caught in this destruction. Needless to say, there were casualties upstairs and downstairs. The impact was not isolated, it was easier to say that their classroom was not the endpoint of that artillery shell, it was the middle. The biggest explosion erupted at the bottom floor against the stiff foundations of the building.
The enemy's solution wasn't complex. Spacial ambushes lost their effectiveness, so they physically situated themselves at a certain distance and launched incredibly far ranged attacks. Judging from the impact, a C grade would be lightly injured and a B grade would be unscathed. A D grade might be pinned down heavily and any further below will suffer grievous wounds or outright die. There was a certain qualitative difference between the grades and skills might make the biggest difference in battles between magical beings...
However, this was abject horror. The opponent is too far, naturally they've concealed themselves from Sariel's passive spacial survey. Sariel has a passive skill, a ceaseless intuition that allows her to examine the conditions of her targets for {Swap}. The information is directly sent to her mind and read through the limitless range of {Swap}.
"Jammers... If it was just one I could aim at the spot I can't inspect. But there's numerous..." (Sariel)
She hadn't had the need to observe numerous locations before the attack. The enemy had plenty of time to set up the decoy Jammers. The enemy should know which class they resided in, but they've launched shells indiscriminately. This building could topple at any moment. Eterna's 'Event' does not work on the, these casualties cannot be saved...
The development of the anti ambush bracelets was too smooth, peace was too good to be true. They've been set up to let their guard down... Even so, the enemy plans to thoroughly decimate their moral... The mass amount of casualties, a morbid provocation.
"!? The building won't hold on any longer! Everyone, please stay calm and evacuate!" (Teacher)
The teacher from the class next door hasn't left their classroom during lunch, likely because they still had another lesson to conduct right after. Peeking through the window, he visibly heavens a sigh of relief before issuing instructions to evacuate. Countless students were seen roaming the corridor, slowly but surely making their way towards safety amidst the chaos.
Mass panic was ubiquitous, and you would be hard pressed to find a calm student. Even the trio of magical girls had some anxiety clawing at the back of their minds. In this state, they would perish instantly too if hit directly or even grazed by the trajectory of artillery shells. They needed to transform, but if done right in front of someone they would inevitably reveal their identities.
"They're coming to save us. Magical girls are goddesses after all!" (Faramicia)
If not for the terrorist case the other day, what he said was utterly insane in this day and age. It isn't as if magical girls are a foreign unheard of concept, but it is a well established trope of fiction.
" T-that's right! That's why we a-all have to calm down, and evacuate!" (Feilin)
Her twin drills hobbled as her voice was tinged with fervour. It seemed as if she could bite her tongue at any moment,yet her intentions were clear for all to see. She held on despite the fear in her heart. Moving the students towards the corridor. Leading the way as the first to enter the corridors, the rest gradually joined the sea of students in the hallway.
The destination? Ground floor. It was better being exposed than to stand on unstable footing. Thankfully the staircase was untouched even if the elevators were now out of service. The building barely held on, but who knew if any more artillery shells would stop from plunging into the school grounds.
"Hey... If you forgot something we can take it later after we survive... Don't just stand around." (Akira)
They tried to be subtle but their efforts to stay behind were seen through.