War of Drekis

-----Kurt held a hand over his eyes as he surveyed Volandia’s Sea-Green fields. The sun beat down on the 478th, turning their mecha into shining hunks of metal. He couldn’t help but feel like an easy target; especially without his own machine.
-----The Lynx-tank he rode with turned to avoid a rising hill. His vehicle took point, while the mecha followed on foot. To their left the valley descended, revealing the farmlands that the Sea-Green fields were once known for. Rectangular pools of water formed tight pathways below where plentiful crops grew. Although this particular area saw little combat since the war’s start, the fields were evacuated three weeks ago as a precaution.
-----The Senki jumped forward and landed with a thud, its feet smashing through wet soil. “I’m not seeing any evidence of the explosions that the earlier team reported.” Graham said.
-----Ceceilia ran some sensor checks. All came back negative. “Bio-sensors aren’t showing anything. Still, every so often they adapt to our sensors, so…”
-----“Don’t tell me we have to recalibrate again.” Katie groaned. “Why don’t we just fly over the valley and do some old-fashioned eagle-watching?”
-----Takuma stared at his side monitor and zoomed in on the distant trees. Everything here seemed quiet, but they’d dealt with that kind of false peace before. “If there are any gunners or bio-ships in this area we can’t be sending people in blind. We’ll take it slow here Sergeant. Corporal, how you hanging up down there?”
-----Kurt knocked on the cold, hard metal of his turret. “Alright, I guess—but this thing doesn’t hold a candle to Stormbringer.” All Khazan military vehicles came with their own unique charms, but the Lynx-tank was a metal box on wheels compared to the graceful designs of the mecha. Like most tanks, it was well-armored and brooding. He operated the upper gun turret, so he’d been deprived the thrill of driving the massive thing, even if it would feel sluggish compared to his usual craft.
-----Another mech stepped up to the tank’s right flank. This emaciated design, more reminiscent of older LOTMU robotics—he remembered Ceceilia identify it as a Raider Mark 2 model earlier; the machine belonged to Roy Jones. Despite his grievances, Roy turned out to be a valuable ally. Even still, Kurt wasn’t keen on the idea of military forces receiving escorts from Marauder forces; he’d been told it was all part of the new alliance, and he would have to accept it.
-----“Enemy forces are bound to come rolling through here.” Roy’s voice sounded relaxed. “This place is too serene…just the kind of place they want to set ablaze.”
-----“Just make sure you don’t turn tail and run when it all goes down.” Paul said.
-----“Will do.” Roy’s image appeared on the shared communications monitor and he performed a bad imitation of a salute. “And you guys make sure not to lose another one of your mecha, so I don’t have to fly in and cover for ya’.”
-----“That some cheap shot at me?” Arlington turned the turret around so he could look at the Raider.
-----“Cut the chatter.” Takuma ordered. “We’re going to circle around the hills and get behind those trees. After that our recon duties are over.”
-----“Don’t let Roy’s words get you down Corporal.” Ratilda said. The Tristar walked just behind the Lynx-Tank. “As soon as the Stormbringer is repaired, you’ll be back in the pilot seat.”
-----A faded, nearly silent beeping sound caught Kurt off guard. He looked at his monitor and double checked the sensors, but saw no flashing lights or signals. Then he noticed the red glow in Roy’s picture: the noise came from the Raider’s cockpit.
-----Jones remained silent, observing his own signals with mild curiosity. Then he said, “Well, I hope the young corporal is better with a turret than he is with a mech, because I don’t think we’ll be going home with an all clear signal.”
-----“What the hell? Don’t you think you should speak up about something like that!?” Ceceilia yelled.
-----Everyone scrambled through their sensors. “I’m still showing nothing.” Sara reported in. Kurt confirmed it among the members of his team: no enemy signals.
-----“I don’t know what to say.” Roy sat back in his seat. Clearly the interior of his Raider was more casual than any military model’s; the foam of his cushioned chair warped around his head. “These aren’t the same type of signals, but they’re there.”
-----“Lieutenant Angelhart guessed right after all.” Katie said. “They’re cloaked against our sensors again. Then how…”
-----Kurt fumbled with a few of his controls, trying to recalibrate the functions of his radar, but the turret featured limited options for his monitor. “His Raider has a completely different system from ours. Maybe Jones’ sensors are still able to pick them up.”
-----All of their screens flashed. A new blip appeared, but not an organic signature. A mecha—identification flashing “unknown.”
-----“Captain, are we expecting more reinforcements from the Marauders, sir?” Graham turned his sniper scope to maximum. He got a good look at the flying machine, but he’d never seen the model before.
-----“The only person attached to us is Jones.” Takuma replied. “It’s not a bioship, but head’s up anyway—I’ve got a bad feeling…”
-----“You and me both.” Roy flipped a switch, and two long shafts draped over the back of the Raider’s shoulders flipped over, becoming shoulder-braced cannons. “That new bloke flew straight out of a mass of Drekis scum.”
-----Ceceilia watched the newcomer closely; she readied Derringer’s twin pistols while a scan swept over her viewscreen. Green and yellow squares flashed over individual parts, and soon a wireframe image of the entire mech appeared on her main console. Unknown alloys, multiple energy signatures, and erratic magnetic field readings. She could tell a lot about a machine just by looking at it, but her eyes recognized nothing other than a vague design resemblance.
-----Paul traced its movements, fingers gripping the trigger switch. “What do you say Lieutenant? Look like anything to you? Definitely not in our database.”
-----“Dollarcorp, if I had to guess.” Ceceilia replied. But even for Dollarcorp this thing looked ridiculously expensive; and the way it moved…so light despite its size, completely in disregard for the laws of nature. This was not how a mech should fly, at least not without three times the thrust this mech put out.
-----The machine landed softly ahead of them.
-----“Identify your…” Kitazawa raised Gemini’s rifle at the mecha’s head, but his words fell silent to a screeching noise. Takuma covered his ears; the noise devolved into a hoarse cry, and then slowly words broke through the static.
-----After hearing such unnatural white noise, the team found it difficult to accept the human voice that followed. The tone was light and regal, though a mechanical echo followed each syllable’s end.
-----“All this time I’ve waited here,” the voice said, “and this is all they send? I suppose you must be a scouting party.”
-----“Knew it!” Roy shouted. He tugged a lever back. “One enemy going down.” The shafts over the Raider’s shoulders split open and spewed a flow of red energy in radiant waves.
-----A section of the nearby hill fell apart, most of it disintegrated by the blast. The Raider leapt back as Roy eyed his surroundings. Entire sections of the field left and right were blown away.
-----“Damn it, I never gave an order!” Takuma said.
-----“Marauder thinks he can do whatever he wants ‘cause he’s not a uniform.” Paul sneered.
-----“Save me the pep talk—something’s not right.” Roy brought down a secondary visor over his right eye. An infrared display of the field showed the mech standing in the smoke. It hadn’t moved an inch. “My guns shouldn’t have that wide a dispersal. The guy deflected it.”
-----“Shoot first, ask questions later?” The voice said. “I like you guys. The attitude might make up for the shoddy equipment.”
-----“Fan out, Cerberus formation.” Takuma ordered. He fired a three round burst, but the enemy mecha slid to the side as if skating just above the ground. This thing didn’t use conventional thrust.
-----“Let’s see. Six mecha and one oversized van.” The enemy hunched over, its head lurking from side to side, watching the 478th take their positions around him. “Such a paltry force probably isn’t worth a small army’s attention. The Eversor will be more than enough to finish things here.”
-----The 478th team encircled him. The Lynx-tank climbed to higher ground, protected by the Raider.
-----“You have me outnumbered,” the voice of the Eversor rasped, “why not start with guns blazing? If you need to see hostile intent…” The Eversor swerved, bringing its forearm cannon in line with the Dragonflare behind it. The cannon’s twin booms slid inches apart, and white lightning flashed from one end to the other.
-----Dragonflare darted in, ducked below the muzzle and launched a capture net. A harmless looking projectile burst into smoke in midair, revealing an expanding web of titanium wires.
-----Eversor stepped back. A retractable blade swung from its other arm. Twin cuts tore the net apart in a second.
-----Ratilda couldn’t believe the accuracy and speed she just witnessed. Khazan technology could replicate human flexibility in their machines, but no one ever expected a mech to have the finesse of a master swordsman. The Tristar flanked the Eversor and fired two shots. The particle rifle beams went to hit their mark, but diverted off course a few feet away. One of the stray shots blew a tree in half.
-----The enemy mech waved its finger at them and took to the air. A wave of force pushed the 478th back.
-----“A gravity device?” Ceceilia said.
-----“Keep firing, don’t give him a chance to counter!” Takuma shouted. He switched to full automatic and loaded a clip into the sky. The enemy weaved back and forth with no sign of inertia but could not avoid every bullet. Rounds that found their target encountered a traditional force field.
-----“Is that all?” The Eversor held out its arms, and a green flash blinded their viewscreens. A dozen beams fired from the mech’s body. Arms, legs, shoulders, chest, as if the entire thing was an emitter. The 478th scrambled, but the beams bent and twisted out of order; what should logically flow in a straight path instead curved, homing in on their movements.
-----Everyone surrounding the Eversor took a hit. A cry of pain came over the comm. as two more shots got through the Tristar’s shields, blowing apart its right shoulder.
-----Graham lifted the Senki’s largest beam cannon over its shoulder, kneeled the mech into a stable position, and struck from long distance. The Eversor extended an arm as if greeting the laser, but the beam never touched its fingers. He watched as every last gleaming particle spun away, instead flying into the Dragonflare, knocking it down.
-----“What the hell was that?” Paul screamed. “Give me a break!”
-----“Same thing that happened to my cannons.” Roy chimed in. “That EM field must be the trick—son of a bitch rendered itself immune to energy weapons.”
-----The Tristar slowly stood, its right arm held on by wires. “You can’t be serious. That’s half my armament.” Ratilda groaned.
-----“Switching to rail cannon!” Paul said. Senki’s beam cannon retracted behind its forearm shields. Its right arm reached over its shoulders and pulled the new weapon into position. Nearly half the size of the Senki itself, the rail gun needed both the mecha’s hands to wield it.
-----“Too slow!” The enemy voice exclaimed. Twin booms opened, white lightning flashed until it formed a blinding white flash over the Eversor’s arm. A wide particle beam crashed into the Senki. The land trembled. Viewscreens fell to static.
-----“Sergeant!” Takuma cried. He switched his forward monitor to synch with the sight of his rifle, but even then he could barely make out the Senki’s massive frame in the burning light.
-----Paul struggled to grip the controls as the temperature became unbearable. He watched all his energy meters plummet to zero. One shot. From one shot. The Senki, with the strongest shields on the team, shot warning signs across all screens. Deflectors shattered. He crossed both the Senki’s arms. In seconds the beam melted through both forearm shields.
-----Then it ended. The residual energy scraped the Senki’s chest, leaving behind a warped crater. Paul gasped for air. Two more seconds and that would have reached the cockpit. His close call with death passed, his thoughts turned to vengeance. One after another he launched the Senki’s missiles, letting them fly from its shoulders, legs, and back.
-----Two dozen missiles swarmed over the Eversor, but half of them exploded in midair. The enemy mech ascended, showering the missiles with bullet fire. A few got through the flak, weaving up and down before colliding with the mech’s shields.
-----“Lieutenant Foster, call in—are you alright!” Kurt yelled into the comm. system. The Dragonflare didn’t look beyond repair, but still remained on the ground.
-----“I’m fine,” her voice carried through weakly, “not…all systems responding.”
-----“We have to keep the Lieutenant covered,” Ceceilia said, “that weapon has the power of a starship cannon.”
-----“Senki won’t be able to take another hit from anything!” Paul said. “I’ve got to pull back.”
-----Eversor tracked the Senki’s retreat. The twin booms began to separate. A shadow loomed overhead; the Eversor pulled back. A swipe from Pharis’ Blade carved through the shielding but missed contact with the Eversor’s face. “A shield piercer!?”
-----Katie directed the Pharis’ Blade into an overhead attack, constantly climbing higher than the Eversor. Her halberd clashed with the enemy’s blade. She switched between both edges, hacking one moment and piercing the next, but the Eversor parried each blow. Sparks sizzled between them.
-----A loud boom ended their exchange. Eversor nearly fell out of the sky, assailed by a 150mm tank round.
-----Smoke trailed from the Lynx-tank’s main gun. Kurt scanned the enemy for signs of damage, but it looked like the shields still held. “We need another shot.” He requested.
-----“Annoying gnats.” The Eversor held the Pharis’ Blade off with one arm and pointed its main cannon at the tank.
-----Kurt saw the lightning charge. “Too late.” He pulled out of the turret and jumped. He landed into a tumble, rolling down the hill with no control. A deafening shockwave hit his back, launching him faster. He closed his eyes, experienced nothing but the scrapes and bruises of his blind journey. By the time he stopped, his limbs felt numb and his hair stood upright, covered in mud. He looked up. The Lynx-tank, and half the hill top, was gone.
-----Pharis’ Blade’s halberd locked with the Eversor’s claw. Katie pushed between the talon-like blades, shoving the spear tip into its shoulder. The armor was tough; barely two inches penetrated, but that was enough. She kicked the engines to full power and pushed the Eversor back.
-----“That’s it, keep him engaged!” Takuma flew behind the enemy, releasing a spray of bullets that splashed against flickering shields.
-----Eversor’s shoulders opened. Two missiles launched backwards, converging on the Gemini. “Nice try.” The pilot laughed. The machine kicked Pharis’ Blade’s torso, breaking their contact. As the Gemini shot down the missiles, the Eversor snuck into the explosions, emerging on the other side of the smoke to cut Takuma’s assault rifle in half.
-----Bullets struck from above, preventing the Eversor from following through with a blow to Gemini’s head. Roy Jones led his Raider into a dive. With his main weapon rendered useless, he gathered all the momentum he could to ram into the enemy with his lance.
-----Eversorspun away. The Raider dived past, but caught a spinning backhand from the Drekis mech and went tumbling towards the ground.
-----The Gemini unleashed twin beam sabers. Crossing both blades, it fell on the Eversor, slowly pushing through the weakening shields.
-----“You left yourself wide open!” The voice cried. Eversor brought its arms down and prepared to jab at the Gemini’s hip, but then the Khazanian mecha fell away.
-----“Now!” Takuma yelled.
-----The enemy turned back to the Pharis’ Blade, but the trap was already set. A dozen remote levitating mines were deployed around it. They circled the Eversor, rapidly closing in. Green beams fired in all directions, desperate to counter, but only a few were hit. Bright shockwaves enveloped it.
-----Katie shook her fist at the main viewscreen. “Seven confirmed hits!”
-----The smoke quickly pulled away from the blast center, revealing the Eversor, still standing. Several exposed circuits and some burnt armor plates stood out, but otherwise it appeared undamaged.
-----“I underestimated you.” the pilot seemed pleased with the outcome. “That’s no ordinary equipment you’re carrying. No one’s ever brought my shields down before.” The Eversor took off, reaching for the clouds. “I’ll remember you…your machines, your voices. Don’t go getting yourselves killed before I find you again!”
-----“He’s getting away, heading north!” Katie said.
-----“Let him.” Takuma ordered. “We’re in no position to finish this fight, not with half our team out of commission.”
-----Derringer helped the Dragonflare stand. Sara’s machine seemed to be regaining some functionality. The Lieutenant noticed the burning hilltop. “Arlington…what happened to the Corporal?”
-----“I see him.” Roy’s Raider carefully stepped down the hill and bent over Kurt. The young man was still laying flat in the rubble. “He looks a little shaken, but fine otherwise. Hey there Corporal…you don’t have much luck with your machines, do you?”
-----Kurt gazed at the Raider’s face, gave a quick thumb’s up, and promptly shoved his face back into the dirt.

-----Michael Cortelloni walked down the palace halls, rubbing the back of his neck. He felt several tight pops and his shoulders tensed. Axia Prime may have afforded him some luxurious treatment, but he still couldn’t help feeling stiff. Most people who lived their lives in the slums would jump at the chance to grab a sliver of the royal lifestyle, but he found it unfitting. Sure enough, he just wasn’t meant for this kind of fluff.
-----He kept away from the frontlines of the war since he found it a bother, but a month of rarely seeing combat made him feel unmoving—trapped in a daily, mundane routine. He hated that feeling, and given the choice between the two extremes, he was ready to throw himself back into the war effort; even if it meant being a part of those meetings.
-----All things considered, the team leaders should get medals for working together this well, but good intentions could only take them so far; every meeting was bound to devolve into the kind of political maneuvers that he detested.
-----A few maids ran past, not giving him one look. They’d trained themselves to ignore the soldiers and warriors in the palace, carrying on their daily tasks like they weren’t there.
-----He turned the corner and walked into an area set aside for the military and the alliance. An entire section of the palace was converted into a base thanks to the Princess’ creation powers. Separate wings of the facility were designed to accommodate their individual guests: dark, miserable chambers for the Fallen; lavish, pompous rooms for the Marauders; technobabble-laced bunkers for the Maniacal Reavers; and polished, brightly lit military planning rooms for the Sentinels. A hodgepodge so ridiculous it actually made him laugh, but he supposed this was the only way to create the illusion of coexistence.
-----Now in one of the hangar bays, he watched the large arched doors slide apart. A group of people with tired, darkened eyes shuffled in, all too happy to shelter their rifles on nearby weapon docks. Shinsuke and Natsumi emerged from the group. They looked rather relaxed; even the girl, who was prone to shaking in the presence of a war zone, stood firm at Shinsuke’s side.
-----“You made it back after all.” Michael pocketed his hands.
-----The pair walked closer. A few repair bots dashed between them, carrying large sheets of metal to be used for airship repair. “Been a while since we could get away from the battlefield.” Shinsuke said.
-----“So you finally pushed them back?” Michael asked.
-----“On our end at least,” Shinsuke replied, “But I hear there isn’t enough man power to keep them out at every front. I hear the North…”
-----“Is getting their ass kicked, that’s a good way of putting it.” Michael muttered. “That’s the reason for another riveting meeting. Since you’re here I guess that means he’ll be there.” Vincentzo Maiinverno always caused a scene, even with his own people.
-----Shinsuke looked in the direction of the control room. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy hearing of his tales of bravery and victory.” He pointed his thumb at the kid. “We won’t be attending though. I’m going to be training her while we have the spare time.”
-----“The kid?” Michael raised an eyebrow. “You serious?”
-----Yagami nodded. He was serious. “She’s made her decision on her own.”
-----The girl smiled as Shinsuke. She looked at Michael, but her eyes quickly turned down.
-----He wasn’t sure how much good the girl could do, but her creatures did show some promise. The little ferret scurried up her body and propped itself on her head. The bat flew in and perched on her shoulder, while the blob hid behind her legs. She still looked unnerved by them, but didn’t break down the way he’d seen her before. Michael waved off to them and left for the control room.
-----When he entered, Maiinverno was already addressing the council, shouting with his loudest, proudest voice. Each mention of victory led to talk of a plan to free Arael from enemy control, but both Sentinels and Fallen alike struggled to keep the young wizard’s plans in check; no one else thought they had the power to take back one of the conquered State-Kingdoms just yet.
-----“We appreciate your attitude, your persistence…” Devyn Soyokaze said with a straight face. “But I won’t let your attachment to that little plot of land ruin our chances here in Axia.” The dark dancer pressed a switch on the center table. The rectangular counter became a display, showing the main continent. It zoomed closer, highlighting Axia. Hundreds of blue triangles—alliance military positions—moved across the Northern and Western borders. The edges of Axia’s territory were bloated with red triangles.
-----“Despite the problems we’ve been having up North, we have an opportunity to punch into their territory.” Vincentzo waved his arm at the Fallen. “I know I sound like I’m giving Arael personal significance, but the fact remains…we can’t win this war on the defensive. We need an attack.”
-----“I agree.” Zalrafel said. The Fallen angel stood at the front of his group with Devyn. Behind them, the Fallen representatives Fail, Tundra, Dr. Vizeman, Resho, Kaas, and the Chronomancer gathered around the display. “But the offensive should have a certain outcome. If we make a move and it fails, out stance here in Axia will be crushed. I’m not convinced Arael is the best choice.”
-----Uberman gestured to Scout, the Khazan Ranger recently promoted to Commander. Along with Tim, Raea, and Maiinverno, then made up the Sentinels presence. “The recent problems we’ve been having in the northeast seem to coincide with the appearance of a new type of enemy.” Uberman nodded to the commander.
-----Scout raised a small clipboard and flipped a few sheets. “After a string of defeats, the Khazan Military has officially declared a pull out of Xaelon. We had no countermeasures for this new enemy, and the tactics of this General Avalon character continued to put him one step ahead of us.”
-----“Which means it won’t be long before the Drekis forces in Xaelon come down here.” Lexington folded his arms. He was the only Reaver present, with Lara and some others still resting their wounds from the recent battle.
-----“That won’t do.” Toc Darkone rubbed his chin as he looked over the display. The Marauder leader was joined by Unsubtle, Izohn Falaris, Gazra, and…Razor.
-----Cortelloni hadn’t seen that muscle-bound fool since the incident in Zel’Myas. Razor eyed the rage master and seemed to brush him off as insignificant. Who did he think he was? Last thing Michael could recall was throwing his ass through several buildings.
-----“We’re going to need more support from Dollarcorps unmanned machines.” Toc continued. He glared at the viewscreen hanging over the front of the display counter, where Queen Relissan and her daughter sat. Marc Dollar was on screen, broadcasting from his office in Khazan City. He looked a lot like the Queen the way he sat at his overdone desk.
-----“So nice of him to be here in person.” Unsubtle chimed in.
-----Dollar didn’t flinch. “I’m not the kind of man who makes his plans near the frontline. I have a business to run here at Dollarcorp, and much more to oversee than just the war.”
-----“Since when did you work in anything other than war machines?” Raea asked.
-----“Dollarcorp has its hands in everything young lady.” He countered. “Anyone who’s ever marinated a steak for two days in five minutes with a time dilation oven owes us thanks.”
-----“Enough. Can you send more units or not?” Zalrafel said.
-----“Not an option. Our resources are taxed right now.” Dollar swiveled in his chair and pointed out the window. “Ever since Drekis took the Fallen isle while it was over the Saedeen coast, that place has been a red alert district. They could make an aerial assault on Khazan City, so my forces are busy guarding that front, and my fleets are busy fighting in orbit.”
-----“There are more terror-beasts than we anticipated,” Telissa added. She and Robert stood in the corner by the Sentinels. They had no stake in Khazan’s well being, but apparently years of hunting Drekis made them stay in the war. “Without Dollarcorp’s fleet, our ground forces would be at risk.”
-----“We’re trying to coordinate with the GDF about that.” Queen Relissan folded her hands over her lap. “Let’s worry about what we can do on the main continent right now.”
-----“The key problem is the North, and it’s easy to see why.” Uberman waved his arm over the holograms and the display enlarged. The regions of Cretalia appeared, covered in a blot of red. “Every inch of the border is constantly under attack. Our forces are doing well but, ultimately they’ll just be exhausted.”
-----Toc came close to the display counter. He eyed the shape of Cretalia’s land and pointed. Wisps of frost fell from his fingers, hovering over the holograms of Cretalia’s major cities. “The problem is the Saramach.”
-----Lex scratched the back of his head. “Losing the port city to them was bad—I was there, but I haven’t seen anything from them in the last month.”
-----“Exactly.” Toc replied. “With them guarding Cretalia, Drekis doesn’t have to allocate a single resource to its defense. Every single soldier he has available there is heading South. That’s where we must attack.” He clenched an icy fist over Cretalia’s visage. “Remove Saramach from the war, take away their territory, you lessen the strain on the northern forces.”
-----“A small part of Cretalia leads into Evangeles.” Zalrafel added. “If we don’t retake that State-Kingdom, they could send armies east without any resistance.”
-----Devyn looked at the small strip of land the fallen angel described. “Nothing has stopped them from taking that course this whole time. They seem driven to take Axia by any means.” He eyed the Queen and her daughter.
-----Izohn Falaris’ metallic laugh resounded through the command room. “After all that, we have a target, but where will we get the power to make it happen? At best we have exactly enough forces to defend the borders and hold our ground; any significant deployment anywhere else will mean our defenses get overrun.”
-----Uberman and Scout whispered between themselves, then the SLJ leader said, “It might be easier if we knew more about the new enemy that’s been giving us problems. Tim, Raea, have you seen anything unusual while on the frontlines?”
-----The young couple shook their heads. “Not while I was there.” Tim said. “Reports of these new ‘devils’ are pretty recent.”
-----Telissa raised her hand. “They were bio signatures that our database didn’t recognize. Officer Chase with the KMP mentioned them in her report, but no one has gathered any concrete details…”
-----“I have your details right here.” The doors hissed open. Dreiden Adonis stormed in, hair covering his eyes, his outfit singed and torn around his legs. He dragged a carcass behind him, or what might be half of one. The lord-tyrant tossed the thing in front of the counter. Everyone backed away, but observed closely.
-----Cortelloni had never seen such a bizarre creature before. What he could see of its body resembled a horse crossed with an insect. Broken appendages pointed to the thing once having at least six legs, and its bladed forearms were like those of a praying mantis. But from this sickening, oblong body came something like a human torso, and an elongated head and extended mouth—the jaws of a demonic crocodile.
-----Dr. Vizeman rubbed his hands together and approached the specimen. “Oh, you brought me a dead one to experiment with!” He said with a giddy cry.
-----“I wish.” Dreiden retorted. The beast’s body reared. Its mouth flew open to all sides, revealing circular rows of teeth. A high pitched roar spewed waves of heat in their faces. Week-old dragon meat had a more pleasant aroma. Adonis stomped on the creatures head, holding it down. Blood spewed from its cracked skull, but the thing didn’t die. Limp arms slashed at the air.
-----Deviana Ash-Meadows walked in behind Dreiden. With a silver flash she bisected the arms. Even then the limbs twitched on their own. “They don’t die. Not unless you disintegrate them, or hack them into very, very small pieces.” She licked the blade clean and sheathed it.
-----“You’ve seen them fight have you?” Vizeman asked.
-----Dreiden increased the pressure on the beast’s head. “This one was a particularly tough one. To the best of my memory, it used optic blasts, telekinesis, at least three kinds of breath attacks including fire, acid, and some kind of freezing liquid. It regenerated from extreme wounds, moved close to the speed of sound, could stretch and harden its body, and it had enough strength to cut through tanks.”
-----“That’s a lot for one minion.” Lex said.
-----“I cut them in half and they just kept coming,” Deviana added. “Both halves, crawling along the ground if they had to. First hand I watched one burn to a skeleton, only for that skeleton to rise up and continue killing soldiers before it was blown to bits.”
-----“More evidence of Saramach’s hand in this war.” Toc said, gesturing towards the monster. “Don’t you get it? Drekis has created something new, something that incorporates the twilight of undeath. It doesn’t take a genius to guess where he claimed access to that.”
-----“So we attack the Saramach, remove their influence from the war…but with what?” Izohn asked, repeating his earlier point.
-----“We do have the manpower,” Unsubtle said with a smile, though it faded into a sigh, “but not the power, exactly. I mean, we’ve lost so many Raiders.”
-----“Our repair docks are constantly full.” Scout nodded. “We can’t get our mechs back on the field fast enough. We have more soldiers we could send to Cretalia, but not machines, and without mechanized support you’re not defeating those undead any time soon.”
-----The Chronomancer raised his cane in the air. Everyone in the room took notice, if only because it was rare for him to contribute at all. Like all previous meetings, he’d spent most of this one sitting in the Fallen’s corner, his hat tipped over his face, and said nothing unless addressed first.
-----Once he had their attention, the Chronomancer stepped forward, his cane lightly tapping the floor. “I have a suggestion.” He thrust the tip of the cane into the hologram. “If you please, magnify here.” The same strip of land leading into Evangeles.
-----The area grew out, filling most of the countertop. “You mentioned that Drekis hasn’t tried crossing this area yet. There may be a reason why. There is a base here after all.”
-----“There is?” Lex looked surprised.
-----Michael studied the diagram. He’d never heard of a base in that region either.
-----“A secret military base.” Chronomancer continued, “but even the Sentinels and the government haven’t factored it into their resources, because it doesn’t belong to them.”
-----“I’m surprised you know about that.” Scout rubbed his hand over his mouth. His shoulders twitched.
-----“A little history lesson.” Chronomancer raised the brow of his hat. “Just one year ago, this base was taken over by a hostile enemy, Bramd. The creature is a hard one to kill, and since they abandoned the base and no one was in danger, they decided to leave it be. Why expend that much effort to retrieve something you’re not even using. Correct?”
-----Uberman leaned in close and took a deep breath. “One hundred squads of mecha-nized units are stationed there. All inactive. Mostly older Triton and Thorian class. We abandoned it because of the kind of enemy we faced.”
-----“So the Sentinels actually gave up?” Devyn said. “But you talk of it like it’s an animal. What beast has this much power?”
-----“A Syre-Wolf.” Uberman answered.
-----A few people stirred and murmured. The room fell silent. Obviously someone knew what that meant, but Michael only vaguely recalled seeing it in some history book. “Alright I’ll be the first one to say it,” Cortelloni held his hands up, “What the fuck is a Syre-Wolf?”
-----“An ancient beast, among the first of the elder-kind to be created on Khazan.” Zalrafel stated. “As old as dragons.”
-----“A giant wolf, its fur jagged and hard like scales, and wings like a demons that shadow the sky.” Kaas said, as if recounting something.
-----“One of those is really that big a deal?” Vincentzo scoffed. “The ancient creatures are all the stuff of overblown legends. I bet we could take it down no problem.”
-----“It is possible, after all he is the last known of his kind.” Uberman said. “But it won’t be easy. We’ve let him keep that base as his sleeping den this last year because the governments always considered our estimated losses to be greater than the value of the equipment inside.”
-----“All true.” Chronomancer said. “Syre-Wolves are tough contenders, and their natural force fields render them immune to most conventional attacks.”
-----Cortelloni shrugged. “So it’s got a barrier. Big deal. So do half the people in Khazan city.”
-----Toc smiled. “Well, if the legends are true, then the greatest ice master who ever lived—the one who stopped the ancient advance of the Saramach by freezing the northern oceans and inadvertently created the frozen wastes—was unable to break this barrier, instead freezing Bramd for centuries.”
-----“More to the point,” Chronomancer said, “the base itself has a pretty strong shield too. Oh, we could blow through it I’m sure, but that would attract too much attention. Instead, I believe I have the means to get a small team inside the base. If the Syre-Wolf is removed, we gain control of a base in the far southern reaches of Cretalia. Then you secretly march an army to this base, arm ourselves with the available machines, and directly storm Saramach’s doorsteps.”
-----Everyone agreed that it was a sound plan, but still it remained a gamble. Bramd may have destroyed the mecha, and no evidence existed that they were in good working order after a year with no upkeep. On the other hand, it became readily apparent that this would be their only option for a viable offensive. To take the risk meant destroying the Saramach and flanking the Drekis forces that were attacking Axia. To play it safe meant slowly sitting, waiting, rotting at the border while more deminites attacked every day.
-----“So we have a plan for a counter attack.” Queen Relissan smiled. “I’ll help orchestrate something between the GDF, the military, and Axia’s forces to prepare for the offensive. I’ll let you form the team.”
-----“I suggest that several representatives from each faction be present.” Aliana said.
-----Uberman stood upright. His head nearly reached the ceiling. “Since Captain Khazan is still out of commission, I volunteer myself for the Sentinels. I would have Vincentzo, Tim and Raea escort me.”
-----Devyn closed his eyes. “So be it. I’ll have Dreiden and Tundra go to represent the Fallen’s contribution.”
-----“Take Resho too,” Dr. Vizemen pointed at his muscular creation, “It’ll be good to give him some exercise while I study this new undying specimen here.”
-----Deviana stepped forward. “Devyn, you would have Dreiden go without me?”
-----“Does he require your presence.” Devyn slowly opened his eyes.
-----“I…suppose not.” She scowled, but stepped back.
-----“All Lord-Tyrants are expected to work independently, as well as a team.” Zalrafel said.
-----Toc looked over his subordinates and considered their strengths. “If the mission is of a delicate nature, perhaps its best to entrust this to Razor and Gazra.”
-----Cortelloni rolled his eyes. ‘entrust’ was not a word to be uttered in the same sentence with Razor’s name.
-----Lexington bent his head back and looked at the ceiling. “I’d love to go, but I better stay and look after Lara. But with that, I don’t know who’s really going to go to represent us.”
-----“I’ll go.” Cortelloni spoke up. Everyone stared at him, not saying a word. Damn uncomfortable. “What?”
-----Sure, he hadn’t volunteered for a mission in weeks, but he had enough connections with the Maniacals to count himself as their representative. Besides, he’d grown weary of just sitting in Axia Prime, not doing anything. This was just the thing he needed to get going again.

-----Sylvia dipped a white cloth into a water bucket. She carefully folded it into layers and placed it over Maya’s forehead. Her patient breathed deeply, but sneered at each exhale.
-----“She’s getting worse.” Eric leaned over the bed. He clasped his partner’s hand. “She’s burning.”
-----“Normal treatment isn’t working.” Sylvia wiped the sweat from her face. She traced her fingers along the dark lines that were spreading across the girls face. Maya’s skin felt rough, uneven. Something dark grew inside her. As droplets of water washed over these lines, Sylvia focused a golden radiance on her patient; the light reflected in the drops, growing in intensity. Maya rolled, twisted in the bed. The sheets kicked to the side.
-----“No good.” Sylvia shook her head, panting. She fell to her knees and braced herself against the bed’s edge.
-----Maya’s fingers grasped the mattress as if they were the only thing holding her down. Her mouth opened wide, but her cries were inaudible now.
-----“She’s completely out of touch with everything around her.” Eric said, squeezing his partner’s hand. “She doesn’t respond to anything anymore.”
-----The battle involved Maya’s soul; her body merely showed the signs of this. An internal battle did not necessarily mean the only cure was internal as well, but in this case, Sylvia feared she had no alternative.
-----Several maids entered the room with worried expressions. “Is there anything we can get you? We have plenty of medicine nearby.” The girls had already helped convert this royal bedchamber into a mockup hospital room, but traditional medicine would be of no use here.
-----“I have to do something drastic.” Sylvia replied. “Bring me more water. Much more. At least three buckets full.”
-----“What are you planning to do?” Eric asked. The maids rushed out at once as he helped Sylvia stand.
-----“This curse is on her soul…” she fumbled with her hands, trying to diagram the condition, “Like…a tumor on the body. I’ve tried tracing back to the source from her afflictions, but that won’t work on a curse this strong. What I’m about to do has good odds of succeeding, but its dangerous.”
-----Eric released Maya’s hand and took the wet cloth away. “Well, if it’s her only chance, then take it. She’s not the kind of woman who backs down from risk.”
-----The maids shuffled in, each carrying two buckets. “Set them there.” Sylvia pointed to the room’s center. She sat next to Maya. “Help me lift her.” Eric and Sylvia took Maya by the shoulders, pushing her into a sitting position. Sylvia slowly embraced her, resting her chin on the girl’s shoulder.
-----“Now, I’m afraid this bed might be ruined.” She smiled, clasped her fingers together over Maya’s back. Water leapt out of the buckets, became an airborne stream. It slithered and weaved in midair, circling the two women. Then they joined, became one sphere of liquid. It enveloped the pair, drenched most of the bed.
-----The maids looked on in shock. One of them protested, certain that the two would drown. Eric held a hand out, told them to stop. Sylvia was the only person who could help Maya now; he had to trust in her judgment. A golden light seeped out of Sylvia, crept over Maya, and then spread through the bubble. Now he could see nothing.

-----She opened her eyes. Sylvia floated in a bright void. Bubbles escaped her lips. She felt weightless, empty. Warmth overtook her. Like the warmth of a body. Maya! She’d been holding Maya.
-----Sylvia waved her arms, feeling as if submerged in an ocean with no surface; but she breathed easily. Before her stretched a body of light whose shape changed with each blink of the eye. A soul. She’d seen this many times, but Maya’s soul looked faded. Small flashes of brilliance seemed to rise up from deep within the soul, occasionally breaking the surface. It was festering.
-----She moved her arms, kicked her feet. As if diving she navigated the soul, swimming around its core. Warmth gave way to a dead chill, a sure sign of the curse. In the direction of that unearthly cold she found it, a curse in the form an amorphous blot. Black and deep purple, the writhing lesion gripped the soul through lengthy tendrils that pumped something into Maya’s spirit.
-----This girl had an amazing inner strength. It was clear to her now that something of this level would kill most healthy adults in an hour at most. But Maya’s soul still fought, even if holding on by a thread.
-----Surrounding herself in a golden aura, Sylvia dived towards the blight. Her throat stiffened. She gasped, barely moving her body as the chill became freezing. Almost suffocating, almost paralyzing, almost…there. Her vision clouded, but the black pulse only grew before her. She drew her right arm back, and with all her strength she struck the curse. Golden light cracked the surface. Black tissue scurried away, afraid of the radiance. Her hand seeped in deeper.
-----Images raced through her mind. Faces of those afflicted with this curse in the past, the results of their terrible fates. She understood the curse, knew its functions, its purpose.
-----Black whips lashed from the lesion. Some took her by the hair; others ensnared her body, wrapped around her neck. They squeezed. The darkness spread, digging into her skin. Dark lines slid down her cheeks, approaching her eyes.
-----Had to get deeper! She reached in with both hands. The blot shook violently, shaking her around. More purple ooze slipped out of the curse’s wound, blocking her hands. She clawed through. Piece by piece she tore it apart. The curse couldn’t stop the golden light, but it delayed her, made her waste more time while it strangled the life out of her.
-----She tore her way to the core. Her fingers fell numb, but she made them work, made them pick at the fleshy pieces. “Please…let this work.” She tore one last piece of blubber, and behind it laid a purple core of ooze. A single round eye formed in that mass, revolved around it and then centered on her. Its pupil shrunk.
-----Sylvia closed her eyes. “Powers that be, lend me your strength.” She plunged her fist in, striking the eye. She felt the material collapse under her. Black tendrils flailed around her wrist, but she grabbed them, pulled them. Her radiance poured through them, filling the core with light.
-----“I can do this.” She said. The hold over her neck weakened. She took one last breath. “I can…” She clenched her fist tight. The light burst. All went white.

-----White faded away. Color and focus returned to her eyes. Sylvia awoke, drenched in water. Her soaked hair stuck to her cheeks. In front of her, Maya Reichard opened her eyes. No sign of the black lines.
-----Sylvia’s body shook. She could still feel the hold of those black tentacles. Her hand explored her throat, certain that some scars remained, but she found nothing. The young woman in front of her smiled. She returned the sentiment, then rolled off the bed, landing with a splash on the soaked carpet.
-----Eric rushed to Maya’s side. “You’re alright!?” He cupped her face and looked into her eyes. She touched his fingers and gently pried them away from her.
-----“Yes, I’m fine.” She realized she was sopping wet and promptly wrapped the bed sheets around her. “Last thing I clearly remember was being cut by that man. I’m…not sure what happened.”
-----Eric laughed as he brushed her unkempt hair with his right hand. “We’re in Axia Prime. To be honest, I don’t know what happened either, but…” He looked down at Sylvia. The priestess from Evangeles lay still, breathing quickly.
-----“She’s really cold.” One of the maids said.
-----Eric knelt down. “What happened to you? All I could see was this bright flash, and several minutes later the water just comes gushing down.”
-----Sylvia closed her mouth and tried to slow her breathing. “I told you it was dangerous. I never said it was dangerous for her.”
-----“You mean for me…you—” Maya tried to shift out of bed, but her muscles ached. “Exposure to the essence of a curse is pretty bad, no matter who you are,” Sylvia moaned. “But I should be fine. I just need to get warm and—and sleep, yes I just need some re…res—” her head fell to the side.
-----“We owe you a great deal. Thank you.” Eric said. He nodded at the trio of maids. “Make sure you warm her up and get her a chamber as nice as this one. She just saved the life of the Queen’s attendant.”

-----Michael rotated his head as he exited the meeting. That ordeal was exhausting, but at least a plan came out of it this time. He recounted the current list of popular drugs circulating in Khazan’s underworld and cycled through them as options, wondering if there were any quick ‘outs’ that could help him deal with all these authority figures. He’d never been much of a user—in fact, hated most of the stuff and the people who used them—but he wasn’t sure if he could make it through another one of those ‘sessions’ again. Hell, the fact that he lasted this long…
-----“Christ, I’m getting too soft.” He pulled his outer-jacket off and slumped it over his left shoulder. Late afternoons in Axia Prime became unbearable in the hangars. Apparently the princess didn’t bother crafting a decent air conditioning system in the base. Not like the palace proper of course; in the palace you could make it any damn season you wanted it to be.
-----He intended to leave the palace, go spend his last day off at some street bar, but along the way he passed the central courtyard. Thick frost covered the grass. Michael gazed at the sky, and sure enough the unforgiving sun sat up there, cooking Axia medium-well. A blue flash raced across his sunglasses. By the time he turned his head, another section of the grass froze, covered in a fresh new sheet of ice.
-----Shinsuke and Natsumi ran around like madmen. They dashed and rolled between statues, hedges, and extravagant fountains. They thought they were soldiers in the movies or something.
-----Yagami closed the distance between them. The kid jumped back, not wanting to bring it down to a fist fight. The green blob rolled out, but then it bounced, up and down like some kind of spring. The shikigami fell, almost hitting the Sentinel dead center on the skull, but Shinsuke dived, rolled back up, and shot waves of ice which knocked over statues.
-----The kid came running out of her former cover. She pointed, shouted some order, and the overgrown bat dived at its target. Shinsuke raised his arms, building a wall of ice piece by piece. The bat crashed, cracking the construct a little before falling unconscious.
-----The green blob opened its mouth, moving to bite Shinsuke’s leg. Too slow. The Sentinel had full control of this battle. He circled around the confused creature, but then it warped its body, changing from a ball to a puddle that dispersed. Now the expert found his leg covered by some of the goop. Without hesitation, Shinsuke froze the leg. He fired another ice beam, this time at Natsumi. The girl’s pet launched into the air, taking the shot for her, but this only rendered the ferret frozen as well.
-----“That’s it.” Shinsuke said. “Next shot would have hit you.”
-----A minute passed before Natsumi exhaled. She collapsed into a sitting position, her fingers sliding over the frozen block that trapped her ferret. “That was too much.”
-----“You’re not used to working out so hard.” Shinsuke said. “You’ll get used to it with time.” He tapped the frozen leg. The ice quickly thawed. “This is already an improvement. That new maneuver caught me off guard, and you could do the same to an opponent; but if this were real combat, I’d be left with a bad predicament, and you’d be dead.”
-----The scattered blob reconfigured itself. The thing wobbled around as if dizzy.
-----“That was pathetic.” Cortelloni said, walking out into the sun. “You call that an improvement? The kid’s not going to be a real fighter unless you hammer a killing instinct into her.”
-----“That’s not the way everyone learns to fight.” Yagami replied. “That’s not the way Sentinels learn to do things.”
-----“Then you’re all fools.” Cortelloni kicked the frost off a patch of grass.
-----“Is the meeting done already?” Natsumi asked. She placed the frozen ferret on her lap. The area around its head thawed and the little shikigami looked up at its master.
-----“Obviously.” Cortelloni said. “Guess I’ll be heading out this time.”
-----“I’m sure you’ll be missed. Well, good luck.” Shinsuke said.
-----“You’re not throwing yourself into the fire this time?” Cortelloni laughed. “Not volunteering yourself for the seventh mission in a row? Surprising.”
-----“Not this time. I’ll be training Natsumi for as long as I can.”
-----Cortelloni looked at the girl. She was clearly out of it, already in need of a night’s rest. “You should forget about that. You’d be of better use to the Sentinels if you were out there fighting.”
-----“I don’t want to be lectured on contributions by someone like you.” Shinsuke glared at him.
-----“Oh, pardon me.” Michael said, holding up his hands in defense. “Don’t take my advice if you don’t want it—I’m just letting you know that you’re wasting your time.”
-----“Not everyone is born with great power; some like her had it thrown on them, didn’t know what to do with it. They have to learn to use it, unlike you who was handed power on a platter.”
-----Michael pointed, inches away from Shinsuke’s face. “You don’t know anything about what I…”
-----“And you don’t know anything about her.” Shinsuke countered. “So why should I take anything you say seriously?”
-----“She’s not a fighter. No matter how much she learns to use her powers, no matter how much of her shivering fear she conquers, she’ll never have the most important thing: the instinct—the actual drive of a warrior.”
-----“I told you before.” Shinsuke looked at the girl. “This is her choice. Her decision—”
-----“She’s an eleven year old brat for Christ’s sake—”
-------“and she has every right to make that decision. Just like anyone else who had power tossed onto their shoulders—young and old.”
-----“And who helped her make that decision? The Sentinels probably. People like you. You want kids like her to just jump and get killed while playing your hero games. That’s always been the way of ‘liberty and justice’ hasn’t it?” He began to turn away.
-----“What’s this really about?” Shinsuke said. “I’m serious, what is it that bothers you so much Cortelloni?”
-----“Nothing.” Michael stepped into the shade.
-----“No, I want an answer.” Shinsuke grabbed his arm, pulled him back. “Do you have some kind of moral code against young people fighting, or can you just not stand seeing people work hard to become something more than they are?”
-----“More than they…” Cortelloni spat the words back at Shinsuke’s face. “You want to know what my problem is? This is exactly why you—the Sentinels—make me sick. You take these people while they’re young, full of ideals and dreams, and you pump them full of your holiday bullshit.”
-----“We…”
-----“How many people who’ve barely lived long enough to drink a god damn beer have died trying to…to fight crime, stop ‘villains,’ trying to be one of your flashy heroes. All of them could have been a normal person. All of them. They…they could have been some suit in an office building, gotten married, settled down, died with some dignity after a long life, but they’re dead now. How many?”
-----“Everyone joins the Sentinels on their own, we don’t recruit…”
-----“You always recruit, whether you think so or not. You spout talk of ‘justice’ at them like its all cut and dry, right and wrong just written on a chalkboard for them. You make the whole thing look glamorous, colorful, a spectacle. ‘With great power comes great responsilbity,’” Cortelloni mumbled the words, “It all means nothing.
-----“What did those people die for,” Michael continued, “every one of them six feet under and they never accomplished anything in their little flicker of life, because people like you pushed them into believing that leaping across town wearing a cape and taking a bullet for some guy who goes home and beats his wife every night is some kind of honor!”
-----Shinsuke nodded. “Yeah, we could all look at it that way. We could all look at the negative side of it, wonder why we risk our lives to protect the dark side…”
-----“There’s no dark side, no negative. It’s all shit. All of it. That’s what kids like her need to learn. They need to learn that the world will eat you alive unless you grow a pair and start biting it first.” He pointed at Natsumi. “Right now it’s the war against Drekis for that girl. But there’ll always be some nut-job sending threats to Khazan; twenty years from now it will happen again and you’ll spearhead the next generation down the same road.”
-----“You can say what you want.” Shinsuke walked closer. “Say that its all pointless. Maybe it is, but some of us want to believe that there’s something in our lives worth protecting, worth giving everything for.”
-----“Nothing…”
-----“That’s the end of it! That’s what we want to believe; it’s what she wants to believe, and she wants to protect it. She wants to conquer her fear because she thinks there’s something she should fight for if she has the power. She doesn’t want to just sit still; you can sympathize with that can’t you!? That’s why you’re going on this mission.”
-----Michael shook his head. “Don’t try to psychoanalyze me.”
-----“I’m not.” Shinsuke let go of Cortelloni’s arm. “This isn’t complex—you’ve got things you want to fight for. Things you want to protect, you know exactly what the Sentinels feel like, what she feels like.”
-----“I only fight for myself.” Cortelloni smacked his right thumb against his own throat. “There’s nothing outside of my own interests that I’ll risk my neck for. There’s nothing worth that.”
-----“Now that’s bullshit. I don’t believe you for a second.” Shinsuke turned away, walked towards the fountain and began picking up the statues.
-----Cortelloni stood there. Silent. He felt like hitting the young punk right over the back of his head, beating some sense into him. The image rolled into his mind again and again, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t even say anything. He tried forming a fist but his fingers just shook.
-----The little girl held the ferret close to her chest. She looked up at him.
-----And he looked away.