-----“Their hearts are broken, their spirits shattered,” Horror said as he gazed towards the grassland valley of Walshin. “We are close to victory Avalon, even I can feel it!”
----- Jon glared back at his immense army, still yelling and screeching in a joyous fashion from the victory they had claimed here, in what had once been known as the city of Xaelis. The city now lay in ruins, and what little rubble remained was used as the fuel for numerous fires that the deminites danced around endlessly.
----- The second battle had gone quite well for them, but Jon was certain that New Xaelis would be a different matter. For one thing, he did not desire to destroy the city as he had this one. On the contrary, he longed to conquer it, to slowly transform it into a base for the Drekis empire. After all, if they were to truly take the central and eastern parts of the continent, they would need more than one base in the west. Still, the requirements for such a desire were only that a relatively small number of the cities resources be left intact subsequent their invasion. His attack would still have to be brutal and relentless.
----- Zegrin stirred impatiently and put its massive body to rest on the ground by Jon’s feet. The sudden thud sent ash and soot into the air. The creature was right to be tireless. It had been several days since Xaelis had been abandoned by the enemy. Word had traveled quickly of the heroes plight in Zel’Mier, and of the subsequent fall of the Zel’Miers capital to Relinqiest’s army. Even now the leader of the Khazan forces, the one who called himself Uberman, was apparently in Araelis now, and he had heard interesting news that Aigonis had already taken his army into that particular state-kingdom.
----- “I believe it is time we moved from this forsaken place,” Jon said. “It serves us no purpose anymore. Our own allies have begun moving to the east...now surely we don’t want them to have all the fun.”
----- Horror’s face remained emotionless, yet a cold chill passed through the air as the general thought of the death and destruction that could be caused. “You’re right, we should move out,” he asserted. “But we have no orders as to what we should attack.”
----- “Isn’t that obvious?” Avalon replied, pointing his glowing blade towards the innumerable city lights in the distance. “All of Xaelon will fall when New Xaelis is ours. That can be our only target.”
----- “Perhaps, but Drekis grows restless. I can feel it in his soul, even from here,” Horror said.
----- “I wasn’t aware that our master even had a soul,” Jon laughed. With but a few hand signals he alerted Zegrin of their departure, and immediately the beast readied itself; wings stretched out and tail flying through the air like a dog. “If you feel that you are up to the task, you could move on to the State-kingdom of Cretalia and begin your campaign their. That might appease the restlessness you perceive. My army shall handle New Xaelis alone.”
----- “If I feel up to the task? Perhaps you should be the one asking yourself if you are ready to face New Xaelis on your own,” Horror scowled.
----- “You need not worry about me Horror,” Jon answered as he mounted Zegrin. The creatures leathery wings flapped rapidly, carrying it slowly upwards. “The people of Khazan will likely become aware of my movement. We shall make the journey through the valley they call Walshin. If their tacticians have any relative intelligence whatsoever they will send a force to meet us there in the fields before we reach the city. While their attention is drawn to Walshin, you could move through the forest to the north and enter Cretalia without hindrance. Is that an agreeable plan to you?”
----- “Very well,” Horror said, not having to think about the plan for a second. Jon had lost few battles in the past, or at the very least had always grown beyond his current weaknesses whenever he did lose. If he was confident that he could take New Xaelis before reinforcements arrived, that so be it. “My forces will move to Cretalia. May all the Generals of our legion succeed!”
----- The two armies departed into the night, the screams of the eager deminites trailing over the horizons.
----- The sound of rushing water woke Maiinverno from his rest. At first the young wizard was angered, but his feelings were soon eased when he realized that it was late morning. He stretched out along his bed and then through himself out of the inviting cushion. He was not fatigued, not even from all of the combat he had been through, but he felt as if he had not had the chance to sleep like this in a long time.
----- Uberman worked tirelessly from deep within the Arael Council building, meticulously studying the movements of the Drekis Empire across a composite computer image of the Khazan main continent.
----- Tim nearly collapsed onto his knees as he gasped for air. Frantically he reached out and rested his arm against a nearby tree, struggling to hold himself up.
----- Drekis sat on a throne of darkstone, deep within the chambers of his castle, Drekanis Khazan, which stood tall in one of the largest clearings within the Endless Caves. Within the solitude of darkness he contemplated his current movements against Khazan. It would be here, on this planet, that his goal would finally be achieved.
----- The shrill call of dozens of birds filled the air as they scattered out of the jungles of Xaelon. Deep within the dense pockets of trees a group of mechs pushed their way through the foliage and stopped just short of the next clearing to take a look at the area ahead of them.
----- The clouds parted as the large titanium airship glided silently through the air, it’s large engines gently pushing the massive transport craft towards the State-Kingdom of Xaelon.
----- Scout pushed his way through a seemingly endless stream of branches with the young Corporal Jennay in tow. Though the forests surrounding the town were but small pockets that had extended from the SunElf Forest, they were dense and rarely traveled through. Not a single path could be found that wasn’t plagued with the branches.
----- Sgt. Ratilda Cole noticed the large explosion fill the sky not far from the village. A rain of fire was setting the clear grasslands aflame, and the impact of a large object hitting the ground could be clearly heard. That’s where the Captain went , she though to herself.
----- Kitazawa checked all of the screens from within his cockpit. All of the main systems seemed to check out except the flight systems. The entire right shoulder of the Gemini had been decimated in the explosion, so the engines were definitely out of commission.
----- Corporal Kurt Arlington carefully navigated the Stormbringer through the forest patches along the southern end of the village. There didn’t appear to be any Drekis forces around anymore, but his sensors were picking up something close by.
----- The Cougar-99’s many wheels rotated backwards as the Stormbringer lifted the front end of the ground vehicle out of ditch, setting it firmly upon the more or less solid ground.
----- As the sun finally disappeared over the horizon and night took control of Xaelon, the city of New Xaelis was still quiet, and it’s streets, for the most part, were still empty. It was a cold, dark night, but weather was hardly a thing to stop the usually robust and wild people of this city from enjoying the famous night life New Xaelis had to offer.
----- Gunfire filled the sky as Regulous Morikai stormed out of his newly acquired building to see what was happening.
----- Pharis’ Blade sliced through a Ptera-Deminite with it’s particle sword and then fired two missiles into the decimating masses of enemies. Deminite Soldiers and Hunter Killers fired gun and flame at the enemy mechs that now marched down the small stone streets of Cashar, only to be torn apart by explosion after explosion.
----- Elwin looked down upon the arena. The arena of Khazan. The massive battlefield was surrounded by an equally massive coliseum, built to represent an ancient form of architecture used by old civilizations to construct similar arenas in days long past. The arena, however, did sport some technical improvements. The look was intended mostly for nostalgia.
----- Soldiers covered their eyes as the force of the levitation engines blew against them like a strong gust of wind. The massive transports landed at the New Xaelis military station, and even more were landing at the cities air port which the military had taken control of as well.
----- North of the main continent where the glorious Khazan City rested, a foreboding island flew silently through the night sky. A single, large figure could be seen upon the island, stretching up high for miles. The Fallen Tower, constructed by the Avatar of Void, Quietus, long ago. It was and always had been the main base of the notorious group, the Fallen.
----- He walked to his window and pushed its cloth drapery aside. The light of the morning sun was welcome to Vincentzo, as was the sight of the city of Arael. Man-made waterfalls decorated the majestic place, an idea that he himself had engineered just prior to becoming governor of the state-kingdom. No doubt they were responsible for waking him up.
----- Arael looked like an ancient city that had been meticulously preserved by overprotective citizens. Its buildings and walls resembled temples of a time long past, made of white marble and polished water-stone. This was no surprise to a well learned citizen of Khazan, who knew that the entire State-Kingdom was raised as a free city for those opposed to the Khazan government at that time over one million years ago. Since then, it had been cleaned up and polished routinely, but never dramatically changed. Among the marble pillars and circular fountains that adorned the city streets, there were many large statues which were built in Maiinverno’s honor, which had made him quite fond of this city even if some of his citizens felt their presence to represent his egocentric nature.
----- Word of Rugudelon’s fall had reached every ear in the city by this time, and even now he could hear words of panic and desperation echo throughout the city. Araelis soldiers constantly begged for their people to remain calm as they frantically gathered their valuables and prepared to leave the city at once. The Drekis army had indeed entered Araelis, though none of the western cities within the state-kingdom had reported attack. Unfortunately, Vincentzo was certain that it could only mean that the army was heading straight for Arael to take out the capital.
----- Maiinverno stepped out onto the balcony and began to take in the fresh air of the city, but a dark feeling came over him as the wind swept in from the West. He sensed violence, hatred, fear, and death coming from Thenesiea, a feeling that was much different from the calm sea air he usually sensed. Something terrible was happening over there, but just as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate...trying desperately to see if he could sense anything else, he was startled by the unexpected sound of a familiar voice.
----- “You’re worried aren’t you?” Tanin said. “I hope your fears didn’t stop you from getting a good nights rest. This State-kingdom is going to need you at your best to survive this.”
----- Vincentzo turned his head and spotted the Avatar of Light laying on the roof, sprawled out as if the entire thing were his couch. Tanin’s hands lay behind his head, and his gaze was fixed on the morning sky above. “You certainly don’t feel too worried about this do you Tanin.”
----- “Hmph, well I guess you don’t have as much of a responsibility to this land as I do.” the young wizard said smugly.
----- “Well, I see you haven’t calmed down any since last night.”
----- “Of course I haven’t!” Vincentzo yelled, spinning around to face the Avatar, “Ever since I received word of their approach to Arael I haven’t been able to think of anything else. What do you expect me to do.”
----- Tanin sat up and looked down upon the wizard with that same smile still frozen on his face. “I’m sorry you feel that way Centzo, I really do, but its not my job to play the role of the pessimist around here now is it?”
----- Maiinverno’s eyes widened in disbelief, but his feelings soon turned to envy. “I wish I could share your optimism Tanin.”
----- “Hey, if there’s one thing I’ve learned while fighting evil ever since I became the Avatar of Light, its that you never give up...that you fight until the very end. Khazan is one of the most renowned planets in the multiverse, and I can tell you its not going down this easily. We’ll tough it out, you’ll see.”
----- “Is that what you believe?” Vincentzo asked.
----- Tanin scratched his head, “It’s what I have to believe I guess. It is kinda funny, you know, I always get so bored when I don’t have anything to do around Khazan. It’s always a drag to just wander aimlessly around this planet, especially once you’ve done it a couple hundred times. I always wished for a little action, but now that its come, I’m kind of looking forward to some rest. Strange, don‘t you agree? But I guess the battle is far from over, though I don’t really mind. I mean, its my duty...my job. Now you, Centzo, you have a job too don’t you?”
----- “I appreciate your help Tanin, but you should know that someone like me does not like moral advice, even coming from someone with as high a stature as you.”
----- “Well then you’ll have to excuse me, because I always love to do that,” Tanin said laughing. The Swordsman lifted himself into the air and gently landed onto the balcony next to the governor. “You do your job Centzo, and I’ll do mine...no, we’ll all do ours. With all of us together, we’ll find a way to beat them back. Don’t think for a second that I’ll let Araelis fall without a fight.”
----- Vincentzo could at least find some comfort in that remark. It was good to know that he had other people on his side, people far more competent than Woose.
----- “Now, if I’m not mistaken, we have an early meeting regarding our actions as to the current situation,” Tanin exclaimed.
----- The Wizard nodded. “Inform the group that I will be there shortly.”
Mobilization
----- He had been sitting in front of the computer for hours now, and at this early time there was no one else in the complex’s massive computer library, simply because those people had enough common sense to go to bed. Though he knew that the armies recent approach into Araelis territory was not his fault, a part of him felt responsible for the protection of Vincentzo’s state-kingdom. Many of his fellow SLJ had believed that to be his greatest weakness, for Uberman always wished to do more for the people of Khazan than he ever really could.
----- Even now his thoughts dwelled only upon the defeat of the Drekis empire, but fighting against his armies was becoming tiresome. Telissa Ravan’s experience with Drekis came in handy at times, but Uberman found that the Empire had likely been plotting for nearly a decade just to take control of Khazan. Their plan was almost perfect, and yet paradoxically unorganized. Indeed its only fault lie in the fact that the Khazan government could pull off a massive counter attack once its forces were rallied, but by then Drekis could control a sizable portion of the Western Continent.
----- As Uberman began to think of how to properly counter the wild but oddly cunning maneuvers of the army, a flashing light suddenly brought him back to reality. A glowing red square in the corner of the computer screen indicated an incoming message, the likes of which Uberman responded to immediately.
----- A new Window opened up within the screen, displaying a real time image of Captain Khazan. “Ah, Uberman, sir, I was told that I might find you here. It’s good that I got a hold of you.”
----- Uberman was shocked to see that the message was coming from the SLJ outpost in Cretalia. “Captain Khazan, I had no idea that you were in Cretalia now. You know you had me worried when no one could find you. I’d appreciate it if you told me your plans during a crisis like this.”
----- “I apologize sir, but I received an emergency call late last night,” Captain Khazan replied. “I felt that I should let you and the others sleep because, quite frankly, its probably the only night of sleep any of you are going to get for a while, and I think you could do Khazan greater justice when at your peak.”
----- “A nice thought, had that been true, but I’m afraid I’ve been up for the last five hours. I don’t suppose you have any bad news to tell me.”
----- “Expecting it are you,” Captain Khazan said grimly.
----- Uberman covered his face and sighed heavily. “Believe me my friend, I’ve received nothing but bad news since last night.”
----- “Well then prepare for things to get a lot worse than we expected. Although I do have one point of good news to share with you.”
----- Uberman laid back in his chair and prepared himself for the worst, knowing that any good news reported recently was likely to be outshined by the amount of bad news. “I’m listening.”
----- “I was contacted by the Khazan government just thirty minutes ago, by Elwin herself no less. You’ll be happy to know that they have completed the mobilization of the Khazan military. Airships and Mechs are currently on stand by, but their full force of Rangers and Combat Troops are moving out towards Xaelon and Araelis as we speak. The Mobile Police have also began a full sweep through the southern region of Xaelon with their MARS units.”
----- “Well,” Uberman responded, smiling briefly, “That is certainly the best news I’ve heard all day. But...the bad news.”
----- Captain Khazan paused for a moment, as if contemplating the best way to say it all. “Elwin has informed me of some rather unfortunate events. Thenesiea has fallen to the Drekis Armies. Elwin and the rest of the council believe that they could be using the territory as their first above-ground base.”
----- “That doesn’t make things any better for Xaelon or Araelis. Can the Khazan forces liberate the state-kingdom?” Uberman asked.
----- “No, I’m afraid not,” Captain Khazan replied, “They’ll have their hands busy. The other news is that the Galactic Defense Force was here earlier. They began sending messages to the SLJ base in Khazan city, but sadly we only received a portion of it. From what interstellar sensors could indicate, nine GDF ships entered Khazan space, but once they came within a few million miles they disappeared. Some reconnaissance drones were sent out into space to see what had happened, but they too vanished without a trace.”
----- “Are you implying that our enemy is in Khazan space as well?” Uberman asked.
----- “There is no evidence currently, and it is strange that we never detected anything else in Khazan space during the incident. This is getting more and more aggravating as it goes on. Well, enough of all this depressing jargon, how are things coming along down there. Elwin said that you might have already found a pattern to their attacks by now.”
----- “Our first lady puts a lot of faith in me does she,” Uberman replied solemnly, “perhaps too much faith. I haven’t been able to decipher a single pattern among their attacks. Their tactics vary, as if planned to an extent, but not fully realized until the heat of the moment. Their movement is nothing short of chaotic, they just move eastward, attacking cities wildly, ranging from taking them out one at a time, to ignoring them all and taking out the capital first. Truly I don’t know what to expect from these monsters.”
----- “Well then we’ll just have to wish for the best then, won’t we sir. Hopefully with the full might of the Khazan military supporting the SLJ, and with recent news of the Maniacal heroes taking up the call for action, we will have enough courage and strength to push these demons back. I wish you even more luck that Schrödinger’s cat himself in the coming battle my friend. As for myself, I must sadly inform you that I am staying here at the outpost in Cretalia. I will be receiving support from a division within the military by tomorrow and will oversee things here. If you could send me any additional help it would be deeply appreciated.”
----- Uberman closed his eyes and clenched his fist in frustration, “I understand the need to protect all of the State-kingdom’s from possible attack, but I don’t thing a single warrior can be spared in Araelis. It will be hard enough to defend Maiinverno’s land from them without the full support of all we have here.”
----- “I’m aware of that,” Captain Khazan said, “and I’m sorry that it has to be that way, but Elwin has already sent out orders for you to transfer to New Xaelis immediately.”
----- “They have! Well…yes I suppose I’m not too surprised. I haven’t been updated by Scout ever since I left him in charge there. I can only hope he’s holding his own.”
----- “Attacks against New Xaelis have not yet occurred, which is exactly why Elwin wants you to meet up with reinforcements there. Remember, if New Xaelis falls we will have to consider all of Xaelon to be under their control.”
----- “I understand my duty, but what of Araelis.”
----- “A small division of the military will be sent to back Maiinverno up. Appoint several of our heroes to defend his land, then have the rest join you in Xaelon. At least that would be my suggestion.”
----- “And a fair one at that,” Uberman said. “I will inform everyone of this at our meeting.”
----- Captain Khazan nodded and then the message screen went blank. The tiny window disappeared and once again Uberman was looking at the map of the main continent. Hours had been spent on this machine, using all of the available resources from online databases and interstellar information centers to try and find anything possible on Drekis. Yet in all of his research the only things he found out about them were things he could already discern from his limited encounters with the Deminites and their generals. Drekis himself was an enigma, the only data on him being conjecture and rumor.
----- As he walked out of the computer library, the leader of the SLJ council knew that he knew little or perhaps even nothing about the true nature of his enemy, but it did seem as if negations were out of the question. All he could do now is fight for what he believed in.
Separate Ways
----- The sound, he heard it again. He had hoped that he had lost his opponent, but she was too good for that. He found it rather peculiar that he would end up underestimating her of all people.
----- Tim raised his shield up, a gift from Vincentzo Maiinverno for saving him from the Marauders, but already its weight seemed to be increasing. He knew what was happening, he was getting tired…exhausted.
----- Yet even with rivers of sweat trailing down from his silver hair his eagerness never faltered. Raising his sword up high he spun around the tree to face his opponent, only to stare directly into a blinding red light. A volley of heated plasma struck violently against his shield, the impact sending him to the ground and knocking whatever wind was left in his body out of him. As the young warrior staggered to get up he almost didn’t notice that his shield was now charred and broken, a useless shell of what it had once been.
----- But he had no time to worry about its condition, save that now he knew he had no real defense. Without hesitation he ran, using any energy he had left in his body and soul to scurry through the courtyard of Maiinverno’s palace. He heard the sound of the incoming rockets. They could very well finish this match if he wasn’t careful. The buzzing sound of their approach got louder and louder, until for a moment he felt as if the heat of their propulsion was scarring the back of his neck. Quickly he dived through the bushed and rolled harshly onto the concrete ahead of it.
----- The explosion came, the shockwave sent a storm of leaves into his face as he struggled to stay on his feet. He held his sword in front of him, praying that it would grant him the same defenses…the same power it displayed in Zel’Myas just yesterday. But the ominous glow did not return, and the shockwave of the explosion continued to push him back.
----- Stumbling about, Tim moved backwards and attempted to regain his composure, trying to figure out where his opponent was, but before long he was suddenly falling backwards and found himself submerged in water.
----- Raea landed on the ground in front of the fountain, hands on her hips and a smile on her face. Even then she was containing her laughter, if only for Tim’s sake. Timothy’s head reared where once a cluster of bubbles dominated the surface of the water. She couldn’t help but notice that the statue of the wizard Maiinverno, which stood at the center of the fountain seemingly pouring water into the fountain via a stone urn, was now pouring directly onto Tim’s head.
----- It took Tim a while to realize what had happened. In the confusion he had taken one too many steps backwards, and stumbled into the courtyard’s fountain without realizing it. He looked at Raea, standing there victorious, her red hair as dry was when they began and not a pant coming from her. He also noticed the movements in her shoulders and chest as her laughter was plainly there yet not coming out of her mouth.
----- “Very funny Raea,” Tim said, lifting himself out of the fountain. “I can see your using all of your strength just to keep yourself from falling over.”
----- Raea brought her fist gently to her mouth and let out a few coughs. “Yes, well, you have to admit it was quite amusing.”
----- “For someone that just joined the SLJ?!” Tim shouted, “I’d say it was damn embarrassing.”
----- “Maybe you just don’t like losing to your girlfriend,” Raea taunted with a big smile.
----- Tim gave her a big smile of his own as he removed his armor and began to squeeze the liquid from his clothing. It wasn’t as if losing to Raea was a disappointment for him, after all she was much more experienced than he was. Nevertheless, he had shown an incredible amount of weakness, an amount that he himself deemed unforgivable. He had been enlisted to be a member of the SLJ, and while he was definitely new at the game, he was likely to get his first experience in a conflict the likes of which Khazan had not seen since the days of Quietus. He didn’t expect perfection, but he did expect professionalism, and that was something that he just couldn’t seem to attain. He had stumbled where a hero was supposed to be quick and nimble, panted where a hero was supposed to be tireless and strong.
----- Even then he was quite surprised by Raea’s performance. It had been a long time since he had seriously sparred with her like this, and he could see that her time with the SLJ had already improved her combat skills immensely.
----- Raea could practically read his thoughts through the frustrated look on his face. No words were necessary for her to know how he was feeling. “Cheer up Timothy, you did a good job, you just didn’t realize it. You held your own for a good fifteen minutes, and while the end may not have been the most impressive thing, you have to expect some mistakes when you’re just starting out.”
----- “That’s not the only thing that frustrates me about all of this,” Tim said, staring endlessly at his blade, his eyes fixed on it like it was a puzzle he couldn’t wait to figure out. “You know what I did in Zel’Myas don’t you? And….and Telissa can tell you what happened with the Hunter Killers in the streets of Khazan City. I brought out whatever powers are hidden in this blade, and I…I, well for a second I became a true warrior. At least that’s what it felt like to me. It’s kind of indescribable in a way, I don’t know how to explain what comes over me when I get like that, or even how I get that way in the first place.”
----- “Being in mortal combat can change a man,” Raea said, “or anyone for that matter. Something inside of you awakened in those moments, but you just haven’t really mastered it yet. But you have to believe that you will. You know what they always say among us heroes don’t you, that you always have to look towards a bright future no matter how dark today is?” She walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a friendly shake for good measure. “You’ll become a great hero someday, I know it. In fact, we’ll both be great heroes someday, you and me together. You can’t let a few early failures disenchant you from our dream, alright.”
----- Tim looked up to the sky of Arael, a look of wonder and determination returning to his eyes. “Our dream. That’s right, in all of this combat, in this war where all of this fighting seems so unnecessary, I think I lost sight of that and just concentrated on staying alive. But you’re right, that dream was the most important thing to us wasn’t it? You and me. Hey, maybe we could be one of those legendary duos, you know, the ones that are always talked about in the streets.”
----- Raea placed her head onto Tim’s shoulder. His clothes were still wet from his fall into the fountain, but it seemed that Tim had managed to forget about that. “Yeah, the ones who were always having an adventure. That could be us someday. You know that hopeful smile fits you much better than that melancholy look.”
----- “Perhaps I should leave you two alone and schedule this profoundly important meeting for another time?” Vincentzo Maiinverno stated as the wizard marched down the stone stairway that led into his courtyard.
----- Raea stepped away from Timothy, her embarrassment easy to see. “I’m sorry, Tim and I were just training a little in your courtyard. I’m sure you’ll recall that you gave permis…”
----- “Yes I know, I know. Now are you two the only ones here right now. Great, here I was worried that I might be late and no one else has the decency to show up!”
----- “You shouldn’t speak so soon,” a voice called down from above. Tanin slowly floated down to the ground and landed right next to Timothy, subsequently giving the young warrior a hard slap across the back. “Hey, nice footwork there, it was the most amusing thing I’ve seen in quite a while.”
----- “What? How long were you watching us Dragoon T, sir?” Timothy asked.
----- “Oh, I’ve been sitting here for a while,” Tanin explained, pointing up to the sky where few other than him could actually ‘sit.’ “I couldn’t help but notice the training session of course. I’d say you’d become a pretty good hero as well, though I too am very interested in this hidden power that you say is in that sword there. The most effective thing to do would be to train you in the ways of sword combat, so when I have the free time I’ll have to give you a few pointers.”
----- Tim nodded eagerly at the notion, “It would be a great honor to learn even a little from someone like you.”
----- “Save all that talk for after I actually show you anything, right now I think we have more important things to talk about,” Tanin replied, shifting his eyes in a new direction.
----- Tim and the others turned their heads to see what had caught the Avatar of Light’s attention, and there was Uberman, his armor shining like gold with the morning sun behind him. He stood tall like a hero among heroes at the top of Maiinverno’s garden waterfall, and then swiftly descended from that high ground. His jets activated with a thunderous boom and the grass swayed violently as Uberman’s descent continued to slow until he landed softly beside them.
----- “Good morning everyone, I’m glad to see that you’re all here.” Uberman announced.
----- Tim had barely noticed that Shirai Natsumi, POWAAA-MAN, and Yagami Shinsuke had arrived as well. Everyone took their places: Tanin floating effortlessly as if he sat on air; Tim and Raea sitting next to the fountain; Yagami Shinsuke and Shirai Natsumi ever so slightly cloaked by the shade of a nearby tree; Woose and Maiinverno sitting in garden chairs by well crafted stained glass tables; Uberman standing in the center of all, and even the enigmatic Michael Cortelloni leaned against the brick wall that marked the end of Vincentzo’s massive backyard.
----- “Even the ex-marauder decided to show up,” Yagami said. “I must say I’m surprised.”
----- Cortelloni shook off the comment and said nothing, making it quite clear even without words that he was indifferent to say the least. It was likely, or so the others thought, that he had only decided to become this involved due to the fact that they stood to lose everything if they lost this war. The rogue was a part of this conflict, whether he liked it or not.
----- As Uberman prepared to speak, Tim looked around at the heroes that had gathered here in this court and realized that something was amiss. They were one less champion now, it seemed. “Excuse me, Uberman, before you begin,” the young man said, “What has happened to Captain Khazan?”
----- “You need not worry about him,” Uberman replied, “Our Vice-President asked that he go to Cretalia. He departed for, and arrived in that State-Kingdom overnight.”
----- “And what of the young woman, the outsider from the Seeker Bounty Hunter clan?” Yagami asked. “She too is missing.”
----- “I have already informed miss Ravan of my plans,” Uberman said. “I would have had her join us, but she felt compelled to visit her friend in the hospital one more time before taking off.”
----- Tanin laid back in the air as if resting upon the most comfortable bed in all of Khazan and let out a sigh, “Ah, well, so that’s where he was going so late at night. I can’t help but have this peculiar feeling that we’re about to go our separate ways as well.’
----- ‘Well, am I right Uberman?” Tanin asked, lifting his head up to look upon the SLJ leader.
----- Uberman closed his eyes and smiled, “You don’t overlook much do you my friend? I’m afraid you’re right. I will make this point clear as quickly as possible, for we do not have much time.” He looked upon each of the heroes standing before him with a hopeful, yet somehow worried look in his eyes.
----- Tim didn’t know how to feel as Uberman continued his speech. It felt invigorating to be among the Sentinels of Liberty and Justice, a true honor that was the first step to accomplishing his most precious dream. Yet at the same time he was scared. He was facing a situation where death was all too real a consequence. As inexperienced as he was, he couldn’t help but be a little nervous, no matter how much faith Raea had in him.
----- “We can no longer look at this as the actions of mere villains. These are not the petty power trips and Marauder antics that the SLJ have dealt with day in and day out over the past decade. It has been 10 years since the Avatar of the Void, Null-Quietus, was sealed into the void, and now I fear that we are facing a threat of at least equal proportions to the Fallen during their prime in the Ages of Conflict. This is not battle my friends, this is war. Thenesiea has fallen, and Xaelon, Cretalia, and Araelis stand ready to fall.”
----- “So its true then,” Maiinverno said. “I felt something terrible in the wind blowing in from Thenesiea. Call it a strange sense if you will, but I knew that something bad was happening over there. So it has fallen then, and Xaelon has been crippled, save for its Capital.”
----- “Of course, we do not intend to let them fall,” Uberman said. “A time of war calls for serious action. Over the past few days the Khazan military has been mobilizing. I’m glad to say that at the very least we’ve bought them enough time to organize a fairly large force of well armed men and women to fight for the freedom of Khazan. Elwin herself appealed to Joe BIGG GUNNS of KOMBG fame, and managed to get him to sign a temporary amendment to his contract that will allow the SLJ and the Khazan military to use some of KOMBG’s technology in the coming battles. However, we are still required to split our forces throughout the land. Drekis’ forces seem poised to strike all 3 of these State-Kingdoms at once. Maiinverno, I assure you that the Khazan government and the SLJ will see that a commendable force protects Araelis, and I have no qualms with leaving you here to defend your own State-Kingdom.”
----- “Thank you Uberman,” the wizard said. “And you can trust me…I give you, no, the people of Araelis my word that I will not let this land fall before those despicable creatures. After all, I have a reputation to keep up don‘t I. Araelis wouldn‘t have a good track record if its first leader let the whole State-Kingdom be destroyed by a bunch of petty demons.”
----- “That’s the attitude that we should all have,” Uberman said proudly, “Now as for the rest of us, Timothy and Raea will both be coming with me. We shall make for the city of New Xaelis, where the Ranger known as Scout is currently leading their dwindling defense force. We shall bring reinforcements for them, and I pray that the Mobile Police have sent enough forces in to help them survive until we arrive. Telissa Ravan will be joining us as well, though she will travel through a different transport. Woose and Tanin, I want the two of you to stay here in Araelis and help Maiinverno protect this land. “And as for Yagami and Shirai, I would like to ask that you rendezvous with Captain Khazan in Cretalia. Michael, I ask that you accompany them there as well, if you are still interested in helping us that is.”
----- “Would that be a direct order Mr. Commander-in-Chief?” Michael replied sarcastically, his eyes still closed and his face still staring directly into the grass.
----- “I know very well that you aren’t one of us Cortelloni,” Uberman retorted, “And while I can’t help but think of you as inconsiderate, to say the least, should you choose not to help us, I would fully understand your decision not to. You are a very different person from me Cortelloni, probably different from all of us here, and I know it would be selfish of me to think that everyone on this planet with even a little power should jump at the occasion to fight this war. As you are neither a part of the government, the police, or any hero association, you have no obligation to assist us. I’m simply asking you for help, the decision is yours.”
----- “Well isn’t that nice?” Cortelloni said as he briefly exerted a casual smile. “To tell you the truth, it’s against my nature to participate in anything like this, given what has happened to me in the past when I got involved in, well, just about anything. In just about any other circumstance I’d turn my back on this situation and forget about it. After all, it’s not my problem, at least not from my point of view.”
----- “But?” Tanin said inquisitively.
----- “But…” Cortelloni at last looked up at the others who stood in the courtyard around him, “In the past I learned two things. The first was that the only person in this world you should ever trust is yourself and no one else. The second thing…is that if you don’t take care of your problems right away, they come back to haunt you. Worst thing is, they become a pain in the ass to deal with by then. This may not be my problem now, but it will be. God damn it I’ve been through a lot, but being forced to leave this planet…that’s not something I look forward to, and that would be the only way I could escape this thing. This will be exactly like the Fallen was back then won’t it? World wide. I can run and run, turn my back all I like, but eventually I’ll get caught up in all this crap, just like in Zel’Mier.’
----- ‘So yes, I will help you, but I just want to reiterate one major point. I’m doing this to survive. Helping you doesn’t mean I’ve sold myself to the SLJ, the Military, or anyone else.”
----- “I understand that,” Uberman said, “and I thank you for being a little more considerate than I took you for at first.”
----- “How nice of you to say,” Cortelloni said coarsely. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll be taking the next airship to Cretalia. I’ll fight any Drekis goons I encounter there, but don’t expect to be hearing any updates from my voice anytime soon.” With that the rogue walked through the arched doorway and disappeared into the dimly lit hallway.
----- Uberman seemed to understand the way Cortelloni thought, but to Tim, the man was an enigma. Though he knew it was wrong to pry into someone else’s history, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to make a man so bitter. Uberman had said he was a ‘different person’ from the rest of them, and as far as Tim was concerned, that appeared to be true. He had always been the hopeful type, the kind who believed that pursuing one’s dream was the ultimate purpose of life. Cortelloni, though, reeked of pessimism and darkness. Sometimes he found himself surprised at the very fact that the ex-marauder was an ally. Still, he had been told many times that the world can not stand on the efforts of the heroic alone. The hopes and dreams of an entire planet rests on the shoulders of all who inhabit it. He remembered his father saying something like that to him when he was young.
----- Thinking of his father once again, he took his sword into hand and drew the blade ever so slightly from its sheath, revealing only a few inches of the sparkling metal. My hopes and dreams, can I achieve them with this sword? Will this be the true test of my courage? As many times as he asked himself that question in his mind, the truth was already in front of him as he faced the horizon with the city of New Xaelis looming in the distance. This would be his first major test…he would be fighting a war.
Conversation in the Dark
----- The irony of the events at hand amused the Avatar of Chaos greatly. To think that what had first began on this planet in the days before its current civilization had even been established, that had escalated on another planet, the first nexus of all realities, would come to a dramatic close on the world where it all began, now regarded as the new nexus of all realities.
----- Perhaps it was part of the “Great Irony” that he heard the people of Khazan refer to.
----- His eyes shimmered in the dark, getting brighter and brighter as his dark gaze peered across the land to follow the movements of his chaotic hordes. His generals were doing well to lead his legions to the locations where they would unleash their hellish chaos, but there was something else that Drekis could see as his magic extended his sight across the continents. A shadow loomed over this land, a darkness that was welcome to Drekis, yet at the same time stood opposed to him. It was a different kind of destructive force, one that was so like and yet so unlike chaos. The void.
----- In his visions he saw that the shadow crept over the ground from above, and so he looked up to see the massive floating island, and atop of it the tower that had stood for two decades unchallenged. The pyramid at it’s top with the black eye that forever looked upon the world was unmistakable. The Fallen.
----- The Fallen had been in his thoughts since his first year on Khazan. Conflict with the servants of the Void was inevitable, for as similar as the forces of Chaos and Void were, in truth they were at odds with each other over who truly wielded the better understanding of destruction. Since the start of this war Drekis had felt nothing of the Fallen save for a few of their movements in the western cities, none of which were of any concern to him or his minions. Now, however, the shadow they cast was an unambiguous symbol of their threat. They were preparing something, and whether it would involve a direct counter to his own movements or something else that would use the current situation to their advantage he did not know. One thing was certain, they would have to be eliminated, for their plans would always eventually clash with his own ambitions.
----- Drekis rose from the dark throne and glided across the floor without a sound, coming a stop by the one, large circular window of his chamber. From there he stared down at the countless creatures of his horde who marched through his underground city. This city and its grand hive, constructed of darkstone by his workers, would soon be put to the test. The hives were producing hundreds of new minions for use within his armies, but now they would have to be pushed to their limits. He had more targets to destroy now that the Fallen would enter the war.
----- “Their shadow stretches out far,” Drekis said. “It is interesting that though Quietus is now trapped within the void itself, the power of the void still exists with such vigor within the Fallen themselves. Though their avatar is gone, they will still be problematic should their forces, be it intentionally or unintentionally, join with the other factions of this planet. I shall have to obliterate them before they get the chance to move beyond their home island.’
----- ‘It should be a delightful surprise,” Drekis sneered, “I’m sure the Fallen are not used to such large attacks on their own land. Seryko is there already, I’m sure he can be of assistance in getting passed their defenses.”
----- Drekis laughed softly as he thought of the many ways by which he could bring about the destruction of his enemies. Few things satisfied him more than thinking of the ways in which his chaos could be unleashed. However, his thoughts were broken by a new presence. Within the darkness of his chambers, another dwelled. His spirit was strong and easily recognizable by Drekis. He could only smile at the fact that he chose to make an appearance now.
----- “So, to what do I owe the honor of the Avatar of Fate coming before me?” Drekis boomed, his back still turned to the presence.
----- A small flash of light briefly illuminated the chamber as Drekis turned to watch the entity take shape. A humanoid body appeared, glowing brightly but void of any details among his figure. Deep within his body which had no perceived eyes, ears, or muscles, one could see the ever moving stars and gases of space, as if he was a small reflection of the greater universe.
----- “Drekis,” the being spoke with a voice that descended from an unknown realm to meet the Avatar of Chaos’ ears. “I have come merely to watch the events that you have instigated on this planet. One such as you should think nothing of my presence here, for I have not come to fight you.”
----- “So do you have nothing better to do then, Sphere?” Drekis replied. “One such as you should not have to bother coming before me to watch me. Don’t insult my intelligence, Sphere, for I know very well that you have been watching the movements of my empire for a long time.”
----- “Perhaps not as long as you would like to think,” Sphere said. “Though my duties as Avatar of Fate do require that I keep an eye on you and your people, you should not think my existence to be so limited as to be your personal watcher.”
----- Drekis’ laugh traversed the many chambers of his castle and filled his underground city with its boom, “Of course not Sphere. After all, I know you have many other tasks to attend to, such as the crushing of people’s free will.”
----- “Your absurdity almost amuses me Drekis, for you to think that your chaos somehow frees people from the bonds of fate.”
----- “But doesn’t it? Even if the result of that freedom may not be to their liking? And isn’t that while you’re here personally. You who control so much power in the universe, the Avatar of Fate itself, and yet are compelled, somewhat ironically, against your own will to follow some ill code.”
----- “Such an ‘ill code’ is nothing more than the preconceived notions of fate. I can do nothing more than enact and carry out that which the hand of fate has already written. You know this, for it is how you know I bear you know ill will at this time.”
----- “Yet your very nature compels you to come before me for this very reason does it not. Does it frustrate you, Sphere, that even as the Avatar of Fate you cannot see what the pages of destiny say of my future?”
----- “Do not become so bold just because of the piteous benefits chaos has granted you. I said your absurdity almost amuses me, but do not think yourself so wondrous that you frustrate me. Truly, I had overcome the distress which your very nature caused inside me within a few months of becoming Fate’s avatar.”
----- “You mean you’ve simply accepted it. Don’t get me wrong, I do not think lightly of your position Sphere. As the Avatar of Fate, you ensure that what must happen, happens, and that what isn’t supposed to happen, doesn’t. As the Avatar of Chaos, I find the order which you upkeep painstakingly disgusting, regardless of how respectable the power you wield is. What interests me time and time again, however, is the fact that you obviously have at least one interest in regards to me, and that is the fact that I exist outside of fate. Chaos is not that which opposes Order, it is that which ignores the very existence of it. To me there is no preconceived destination, and you must admit, that could cause quite a problem for that book of destiny you follow.”
----- “Your actions, Drekis, are one of the few things which I have been instructed to look upon from time to time, simply because of this fact. No one can seen what the future holds in store for you or your empire. The fact remains that, while the seeds of the future have already been placed by Fate, the chance still exists that you could succeed in brining this universe to chaos. Should this be the case, it will be in direct violation to the history that has already been written for this realities future. I look after you for no reason other than that your actions coincide with my duties. As the Avatar of Fate, it would be helpful to know if your ambitions would be realized, or if you shall die like so many other pitiful beings who sought the power of the universe.”
----- “Not unlike yourself,” Drekis snickered. “Only some would argue that you embarked upon a fate worse than death.”
----- “A matter of opinion perhaps, but opinions are of little use where I am concerned. When everything else in this universe has only one true course of action…one true outcome, differing opinions mean nothing. Chaos has always been different, for in its rebellion of fate it seeks to instill chaos and then proceeds to unimaginably declare itself a savior who frees others from the chains of fate.”
----- “Like I told you before, there is much truth to that statement, even if their freedom comes at the expense of their souls. They are not losses after all, just mere sacrifices for the advent of chaos. You, Sphere, must know what I stand to gain once this planet is mine.”
----- “Confident, aren’t we? For someone so intent on opposing fate, your certainty of victory is quite apparent. Such was the same during the War of Oblivion’s Fall, was it not?”
----- “That war served its purpose well enough. I needed only to come to this world to set things in motion for the end. To randomly jump across the sea of stars destroying planets as I did during that war would have become meaningless.”
----- “Many would call you a fool for thinking it had any meaning to begin with.”
----- “Undoubtedly, but the fact remains that my ambitions required me to come here. The ravaging of the galaxies had served its purpose, and therefore I would be quite interested to hear you tell me how the War of Oblivion’s Fall ended in defeat for my legions.”
----- “Most of the Universe and the Galactic Defense Force that has forever pursued you would think so.”
----- “But those are mere opinions the likes of which mean nothing to someone like you.”
----- “Drekis, do not think me blind to the existence of the other factors in this war of shadows that you now bring upon Khazan. Your transcending the hand of fate, as great as it may be in your own mind, is not unique to this universe.”
----- “So have you come to tell me of Sarachus’ offspring?” Drekis asked. “Well of course his being on the planet has not escaped my notice.”
----- “And of the other?”
----- “Ah yes, her. I have not learned of her location, as I’m sure you have, but all things point to her being on this planet as well. She, however, does not transcend the boundaries of destiny as I and the other do. Her involvement in this conflict is simply, how should I say, more intimate than most that have stood against my empire.”
----- “But certainly, Drekis, you are aware of the forces that Sarachus’ offspring will command. The only other power that transcends fate. He too has no destiny…no future which has been determined. Most interesting of all, is the fact that as this war goes on, he shall oppose you, and thus shall this war likely be decided by two people who have the insolent ability to carve their own paths in life.”
----- “And I’m sure it will keep you entertained as you watch.”
----- “How could it not? I will leave you now to your meanderings, and you, of course, would gladly see me go back to my own. I shall watch from my own domain the events which will unfold from this point on. I have never before been witness to a war where I didn’t know the outcome ahead of time.”
----- Sphere disappeared as abruptly as he had arrived. The room once again faded into darkness as Drekis sat upon his throne. “Yes, Sphere, it should prove interesting for you. As long as I know I have the Avatar of Fate as my audience I feel compelled to make this story as entertaining as possible. But a story is only good when it has conflict. And so, let my conflict stain this planet with mortal blood!”
Mecha-nized Division
----- Lieutenant Cecelia Angelhart flipped a few switches in her cockpit and watched as scans and radar information radiated a light as blue as her own eyes. The scans found only one thing, a severely damaged mech that was motionless on the ground with no life signs detected.
----- “This is AngelHart here,” she said into her earpiece. “Captain Kitazawa, the clearing appears to be safe. No familiar enemy signals detected.”
----- “Good work Lieutenant,” the Captain’s voice responded. “Is there anything at all beyond that clearing of any importance.”
----- “Found a mech of some sort. It’s badly damaged,” Cecelia reported. “It’s hard to tell, but from these scans it would appear to have been a MARS unit.”
----- “A MARS unit?” came the voice of 2nd Lieutenant Carl Dezzman. “So all of that gunfire we heard back there must have been the Mobile Police. Damn, and I thought for sure we’d find Scout and his crew out here.”
----- “We should have expected something like this,” Lieutenant Sara Foster said. “Word did arrive at out camp that the Mobile Police had made their move into the southern regions of this State-Kingdom. If they are in this area then I would say they are probably engaging the enemy at the town of Leibrook…about .8 miles ahead of us according to my EKM.”
----- Captain Kitazawa rubbed his chin and smiled with an eagerness for combat. “Well, our orders were to destroy any Drekis movements in this general area. So what choice do we have but to move in and help the Mobile Police. Corporal Arlington…”
----- “Yes sir,” The young corporal responded.
----- “I want you to keep StormBringer near the back of the group. If at all possible stay inside the pockets of trees here. I know these little things are just small extensions of the SunElf Forest, and they don’t provide for much cover, but if you can stay back and just provide cover fire that would be perfect. More than anything I want you to continue monitoring communications for any sign of Scout and his team. Understood?!”
----- “Yes Sir!”
----- “Right, now here is the plan. According to my EKM, we’ll be approaching the Northern tip of the village. Myself and Fortune will come down the center and cover the northern area of the village. DragonFlare and Tristar will go to the left and approach from the Eastern side. Derringer and Pharis’ Blade will take the West. As for you Sergeant Major Graham, the Senki has the longest range of any of our mech units, so you’ll stay back with StormBringer for cover. Does everyone understand their assignments?”
----- An emphatic “Yes sir!” filled the radio transmissions.
----- “Then GO!”
----- The large metallic machines took off under the thunderous power of the jets in their feet and on their backs. Their great weight crushed into the ground as their feet marched in perfect human fashion, and in no time at all the various groups crossed the clearing and blazed through the small collections of trees until the burning village of Leibrook was in their sights.
----- Sergeant Major Paul Graham stopped as soon as he had reached the village entrance and let the other mechs pass him by. As he lifted his Burst Cannon up and peered through the smoke and fire that filled the town, he spotted a massive Devonox ripping a MARS unit apart with its bare hands.
----- “Drekis presence confirmed!” Graham yelled. “Taking target down!” The Burst Cannon fired with a thunderous, explosive growl that made the otherwise fierce sounds of combat seem tame in comparison. Everything in the given area brightened with an intense white light, even for just a moment as the explosive shell struck the Devonox in the chest and blew a gaping hole through it. The blood red creature, with it’s distorted face, long muscular arms, and long silver claws staggered from its wounds, and yet it did not fall. The creature moved forward, pushing itself through the weak foundations of the nearby houses, hell-bent on taking revenge on whatever had wounded it.
----- “Damn thing is still alive,” Graham said.
----- “I’m taking it down!” Dezzman cried as the Fortune flew into the middle of the city. The unique, chicken-walker mech aimed the long shafts that were its primary beam cannons at the abomination and fired them consecutively. The bright blue beams pierced the weakened Devonox and tore its right arm off with ease. The creature seemed to gasp in disbelief as it gazed upon the smoking, charred wounds that covered his body and subsequently fell face down amongst the burning rubble.
----- The entire mech unit of Captain Kitazawa’s 478th Mecha-nized military force had successfully penetrated the flames surrounding the village and entered the chaotic fray. Deep within the towns center the team could see dozens of Khazan Rangers and Mobile police shooting side by side at the approaching Deminite Soldiers that continued to push them back. A handful of MARS units, the automated mechs employed by the Mobile Police, still stood strong against the approaching menace.
----- Gunshots and beams took down the countless Deminites and Reapers who zoomed in with incredible speed, only to meet their end at the gunpoint of a Khazan soldier. But their persistence tore at the stamina of those brave men and women, and soon the wicked fire of the Deminites began to take horrifying forms, faces and fists that flew through the air and crushed the nearby Khazanians.
----- As the defense forces fell back, more and more Devonox’s appeared, all of them suddenly tossing Mobile Police vehicles and tanks around the city at will.
----- The 478th Military force ran in firing, making sure to backup the MARS units that had their hands full firing their already depleted resources of ammunition and weaponry at the approaching Devonox’s.
----- “I’ve never seen this many Devonox-type creatures gather before!” Yelled Sergeant Ratilda Cole as the shoulder-mounted Double-Beam Cannon of the Tristar cut straight through the eyes of a of one of the approaching giants.
----- “We’re just lucky enough to have never seen a full blown battle yet,” Cecelia stated, her 60mm Explosive Artillery guns firing away at what seemed like a tide of raging brutes. Each time a Devonox fell to the overwhelming rain of explosions and lasers, it seemed like two more took their place. “These guys just keep on coming. Wait, I’ve got multiple readings from above! Sergeant Cole you have Ptera-Deminites coming in overheard!”
----- “Roger that,” Cole replied. She lifted the gatling gun attachment on the side of Tristar’s left arm and fired at will. The ptera-deminites spiraled through the air to dodge the bullets, but ultimately the scattered shots brought them down. A few survived their initial attack run and brought down arcane bolts of lightning from their mouths that shook the Tristar’s shields.
----- “Are you all right in there Sergeant?” Captain Kitazawa asked.
----- “I’m fine captain, my mech’s shields are holding.”
----- These creatures have such strength! The captain thought to himself. The Devonox creatures were, at best, as smart as a dog, but the towering beasts matched the size and weight of any mech in Khazan’s Mecha-nized army. They had no weapons save their own claws and teeth, and those alone proved effective at tearing apart machines which had been built to survive missiles and particle weapons.
----- Lieutenant Angelhart maneuvered the Derringer ahead of the team and strafed through a group of three Devonox’s with her guns. “I’m almost out of ammunition. I’ll need to switch to my beam weapons soon, but we need to push forward, those MARS units are starting to fall back against this pressure.” Even as the explosions raged across the Devonox’s bodies, they continued to move forward, never once giving any indication that her efforts had given them any pain. The Derringer moved back to avoid the barbaric slashes and swings that the closest Devonox released, and held both of its 60mm guns at the creature’s head. Cecelia shook violently in her pilot compartment as she fired the guns simultaneously. The left foot of her mech was forced to step back and dig into the ground to stop it from toppling over under the pressure. The guns were small, but the explosive artillery shells were launched like canon shots and pierced deep into the Devonox’s skin just before their explosions tore apart it’s innards. Her last few shots took off the lumbering beast’s right arm and removed car-sized chunks of skin from it’s chest, but even as it fell to the ground lifeless, the other two approached without any regard for their dying comrade’s life. She ordered her mech to squeeze the triggers once more, eagerly awaiting the steadfast boom that would take down her enemies before they could reach her, but the silent click that followed shook the very foundations of her soul.
----- Everything seemed to move in slow motion from that moment on. The smoke rising from the barrels of her guns, the approach of her blood-stained adversaries, and even the movements of her own mech as she struggled to move it back from their advance. Her shields had enough power left to survive a few direct attacks, but she couldn’t take down both of them before the Derringer would be severely damaged. Taking to the air wasn’t an option either. The Ptera-Deminites crowded the skies, all along knowing very well that the 478th force could easily take out the Devonox’s with ranged weapons in the air. Just as the first beast to reach her extended its claw out to attack, a large shockwave brought Cecelia back to reality as the entire ground in front of her mech was thrown up from the explosion.
----- “Cecelia!” Captain Kitazawa yelled. “Fall back now! Graham is providing cover fire, we have to regroup now!”
----- Graham began to grind his teeth as his next shot from his burst cannon took off half the face of one of the Demonic creatures standing in front of the Derringer. “I count about six MARS units remaining. Captain, the Mobile police forces here are beginning to dwindle, we should have them evacuate so they don’t get caught in this mess!”
----- “Agreed,” The captain replied. “Lieutenant Cole, I need you to take out the Ptera-Deminites remaining in this area. They are the only thing preventing us from gaining air superiority. If they’re gone, we can attack the Devonox’s from outside of their reach.”
----- Inside of her cockpit, Cecelia pressed a combination of buttons on her console which opened a small hidden chamber in the leg of the Derringer. The mech’s bulky arm reached down and pulled out a small pole that subsequently extended out to become a large metal lance. At its tip, a large blade gleamed in the light of the setting sun. Without fear or hesitation she walked her mech into direct combat with the one remaining Devonox in her sights. The monster reached out with his hands to grab the Derringer , but its shields batted the claws away.
----- “Now you’re mine you ugly son of a bitch!” Cecelia yelled as she swung the staff horizontally across the beast’s torso, ripping a large gap in it’s stomach. Blood dripped upon the charred ground of the village as the Derringer lifted its hands into the air and brought the front of the blade down into the creatures head. The Devonox’s skull was spilt in two, but even in its dying moments the creature reached up with its hands and struck at the Derringer’s shields repeatedly. At last the beast’s hands fell to the floor as Cecelia drove the blade deeper into its head and then quickly pulled it out, sending streams of deep red liquid high into the air.
----- An explosion to her right caught Cecelia’s attention as a Devonox they had not perceived erupted from one of the burning houses and tore a nearby MARS unit in two with two quick strikes and then leapt at the Derringer with speed unseen among the ranks of the Devonox-type creatures in the past.
----- Cecelia managed to turn and stab the tip of her bladed lance into the Devonox’s shoulder, but it was too late to stop it’s powerful motion. It’s huge arm swung through the air and put all of its weight into one blow to the Derringer’s mechanical head. It’s weakened shields protected it still, but the sheer force of the hit pushed the Derringer back nevertheless.
----- Cecelia screamed as her mech tripped over the rubble and stumbled into one of the village houses. The quiet looking abode crumbled under the weight of the Derringer as it fell to the ground.
----- The Devonox moved in, but just as it moved it’s other, undamaged arm to pierce her mech’s cockpit, Ratilda Cole’s Tristar swooped down from the sky and rammed the Devonox with it’s shoulder. The beast raised its arms up and tightly hugged the Tristar’s shields to avoid it from making a quick getaway into the sky, but Lieutenant Cole pushed the barrel of her Particle Beam Rifle into the creatures gaping mouth and down it’s throat.
----- “You things are tough, I’ll give you that much,” Ratilda said, “But let’s see you survive this at point blank range!” The sound of the blast was muffled inside of the Devonox’s mouth, but the beam looked just as brilliant as it blew out of the back of the creatures head. The Tristar shook the dying creature from its metal body and took off into the air once more.
----- “You should watch your back Ms. Angelhart.” Ratilda announced. A group of lightning blasts struck the Tristar’s shields from behind, and just as Ratilda managed to turn her mech to face her enemies, the swarms of Ptera-Deminites were almost upon her.
----- Bursts of gunfire came in and blasted the aerial creatures into mounds of bloody flesh that fell to the ground and disappeared among the fires of war. Ratilda checked her peripheral monitors to see the Senki standing just outside of the northern entrance with smoke emitting from the machine guns on it’s neck.
----- “Looks like I’m the one watching your back, Lieutenant,” Graham said smugly.
----- Corporal Arlington’s voice came over the communications system just as Captain Kitazawa was about to push forward to save the few remaining Mobile Police units who were struggling to stem the tide of the Drekis hordes. At least six more Devonox beasts remained, and were just now entering the war-torn village, and the only thing the Captain wanted to hear from Arlington was good news.
----- “Captain, I’m beginning to receive a communication from Scout. I’m going to play it over all of our communication systems for you to hear.”
----- There were some muffled sounds and static coming through the communications speakers, but eventually the voices became clear. It was definitely Scout. “My forces are pinned down just outside of the town’s west entrance. We were attempting to stop a large number of Reptillions and Deminites in the area but most of my forces are gone now. I would appreciate any back up you could provide.”
----- Captain Kitazawa smiled at their fortune. “I’m glad to have finally found you Scout. This is Captain Takuma Kitazawa of the 478th Mecha-nized division. Our pals back at New Xaelis were scared when your team didn’t come home last night. Tell me, how many people do you have left to hold out over there. My team is near your position but has encountered heavy resistance. We have to provide ground cover for the evacuating soldiers and mobile police in the area before we can take to the sky. Can you hold out until then.”
----- “Sad to say,” Scout’s voice came back, “I only have one more ranger with me now, Corporal Jennay. The Connelly brothers were also stationed aboard a Cougar-99 Assault Vehicle, but their comm system is down, I’ve been unable to contact them for a while but I’m confident they are still alive. I can buy maybe five more minutes, but I need to get out of here if we’re going to survive! Over.”
----- “Understood. Listen up soldiers! I want the rest of you to continue protecting the evacuating forces here. I’ll go ahead and try to assist Scout,” he ordered as the Gemini’s engines roared. The mech took to the air, rising just enough to pass over the smoking buildings and escape to the town’s western border.
----- “Yes sir,” the team responded as they moved steadily forward, their weapons blazing ahead into the approaching wave of Deminite soldiers.
300 Miles to the Battlefield
----- Tim, having been fortunate enough to secure a window-side passenger seat on the vehicle, took notice of the many military fighters that had joined up with them as an escort. They zoomed through the air at a speed that was exhilarating just to watch, and their engines gave off loud booms that could be heard through the thick armor of the transport ship. Knowing that this journey was taking him to a place of violence and hatred, he was almost relieved by the sound of the fighters circling around him. They felt alive…with an energy and strength that matched their purpose in combat. It was nothing at all like the silence that permeated the aircraft and it’s people within. It felt more like an airline cruise than something that was carrying him into battle, and somehow that just didn’t sit right with him.
----- Raea, by his side now as she said she always would be, was quick to recognize his uneasiness. “You should lighten up. We don’t want you to be tense on the battlefield.”
----- “I don’t have any fears. Not anymore. Believe me, you’ve reassured me of my abilities,” Tim responded. “I have no doubts anymore.”
----- “Doubts?” Raea said. “That’s true, I wanted to get rid of those doubts in your head, but fear, that’s something different. You’ll be afraid, just like I am when I go into combat. Fear is something so absolutely natural, there’s just no way around it you know?”
----- Tim glanced at her with a puzzled expression. The young redhead sat back in her chair with her head up in the air. Her body seemed relaxed, though her face was fixed on the cold metal ceiling and her expression was serious.
----- “You can be the most courageous person on the planet, or even the most powerful person, but there is always a hint of fear present within you. The best of the best are the ones you never show their fear, but it’s there, deep inside them. I don’t want you to think that you can’t be afraid of this Tim. I get edgy some times over catching a few criminals. This is going to be much bigger than that.’
----- “Now is the time that we all have to relax. We know what’s ahead of us just as much as you do, but that’s all the more reason to enjoy our time together now. It’s a moment when we don’t have to be afraid or tense. A time where we can reflect on those people and things that are most important to us, and what we fight to protect. Those things will help you in battle Tim. And when we do get there, in New Xaelis, I want you to know that we’re both gonna be scared, but we’ll get through it because we’ll have each other.”
----- She suddenly turned her head and looked straight into his eyes. She was happy now, smiling at him in the same way that she did when they first met so long ago. “Isn’t that right, Tim?”
----- Tim laid his head down against hers gently. “Yeah, you’re right. Of course you are. You’re always right aren’t you.”
----- “Well,” Raea giggled, “Then you shouldn’t have any fears at all should you? With me saying were going to make it through and all.”
----- “Yeah, that’s true,” Tim replied. “Now…I guess we just need you to say that this war will be over in a few days, and everyone is going to go home happy.”
----- The doors ahead of their seats sprung open and Uberman entered the chamber still shouting last minute decisions to the pilots of the aircraft. “Alright, everything has been set into motion. Tim, Raea, are you both ready for this?”
----- Tim sat up straight in response and spoke loudly as if he had been a true hero his whole life. “Of course sir. My sword is always ready to serve the people of Khazan!”
----- “Raea has reassured you has she,” Uberman said. “Well good. Your levity and determination will come in handy in the next hour.”
----- “We’ll be arriving in New Xaelis soon then?” Raea asked.
----- Uberman nodded. “No more than forty-five minutes from now, we’ll arrive deep within the heart of the city. About twelve other transports carrying military personnel will be arriving in tandem. Word has it that the Drekis forces are splitting up into groups and attacking the many towns along the way, but they expect them to re-group for the attack on the main city. We’re likely to enter combat as soon as we land.’
----- He peered through the large windows of the aircraft and caught sight of the burning valley they were approaching. The place that was Xaelon, one of the oldest State-Kingdoms on the planet. ‘I only hope that Scout has been able to hold out.”
Retrieval
----- It was normally a problem Scout was used to, one so small he would hardly ever care. But they were being pursued, and even the single second it took for him to bat a branch out of their way gave the enemy time to catch up with them.
----- “Scout…sir…” Jennay began, clearly out of breath. She had undergone much training in the Academy, but still, they had been running for over an hour around the town since the battle began. Even scout himself had not expected to encounter this much resistance from a invasion force sent to occupy a single town. “Sir, I believe that we should stand and fight right here. We can’t run much farther anyway. If we enter the clearing up ahead we’ll only be caught in the wave of the Devonox’s.”
----- “I’ll stay and fight when I have to soldier, and you’ll do the same!” Scout shouted. “We’ve had some long-awaited reinforcements arrive. We just need to stay alive until they can pick us up!”
----- As the two ignored the pain in their legs and the throbbing of their lungs, their bodies carried them with whatever energy they had left. The sheer will to survive empowered them to run, and keep on running.
----- But their hearts stopped for only a moment as a deminite landed on the rocks just ahead of them. Blood covered it’s shoulders and rushed down it’s arms. The beast had been injured in the fight, yet it still moved on, showing no sign of pain. It’s unsullied arm raised until it was outstretched in their direction; small, candle-light wisps of fire forming in each finger tip and subsequently gathering together in it’s palm.
----- Whether by chance or instinct, Scout thrust his leg out to the side and shoved Corporal Jennay down to the ground just as he himself threw his body in the opposite direction. The bolt of fire that was expelled from the Deminite’s hand flew like a comet between them and exploded in the distance.
----- Scout lifted his head out of the soil and looked back into the burning woods. The light of the flames made visible the shadowy figures that were their pursuers.
----- “Damn, the other deminites caught up with us.” Scout said.
----- Though he found it hard to move his entire body, Scout somehow matched his adversaries tenacity and took his crossbow in hand. His arm raised and his fingers pulled the trigger without a second thought - the flight of the arrow was silent amidst the explosions.
----- Corporal Jennay forced herself up just as the Deminite fell back behind the rocks with Scout’s arrow in it’s skull. Suddenly her arm was grabbed by the veteran scout and she found herself rushing towards the nearest opening.
----- “We’re going back to the clearing?” She asked.
----- “In my experience hiding in the trees was always an effective means of hiding yourself from the enemy, but obviously that’s not going to work with them. We’re no better in here than we were out there.”
----- Scout dragged both of them through the remaining thrushes and came to stand upon the clear, open field overlooking the town that they were still fighting to protect. As he looked upon the ruble that littered the ground and the silhouettes of giant mechs firing their guns through thick smoke, the idea of defending the town seemed a moot point. By now all innocent civilians who just an hour earlier had been enjoying the sun set were either dead or had fled to the northern hills; an action he himself was beginning to consider. However, there was still something they had to do before they left.
----- Both of the tarnished Rangers staggered forward, their weapons both raised as they prepared to join their dying allies in the flame. But screeches from behind alerted them to the presence of their pursuers. The Deminite soldiers were approaching fast, and indeed, Scout had known that as tired as they were, it was only a matter of time before they had caught them.
----- Scout counted twelve Deminite soldiers and no other type of minion among them. They were clumped together in a tight group even as they ran towards them, and for a moment Scout believed that he and the Corporal’s combined fire could take them down before they could get within striking range.
----- The two soldiers turned to face their opposition, but their hopes were diminished as five of the impending beasts leapt into the air and came down behind them. Scout yelled out in disgust as he found themselves surrounded. There would be no escaping this alive.
----- Jennay raised her pulse rifle at the Deminites who had just landed behind them, her hands clearly shaking but her expression still strong. “I’ve got seventeen shots left sir. I can take these five down if I’m quick.”
----- Scout found her optimism encouraging, but only one Deminite on either side would need to get in close to kill them both, and as he watched the bright flames collect into the Deminite’s hands, he realized that they wouldn’t even have to close the distance before they could strike.
----- Just then the grass beneath them began to part under the explosive gust of a descending mech’s engines. Renewed hope invigorated Scout as he saw the massive battle-mech land on the ground with a thunderous boom and waste no time in bringing it’s many weapons to bare on the Deminite soldiers. A flash of gun fire strafed through both groups of Deminite’s, leaving nothing but tattered pieces of flesh in a matter of seconds.
----- The welcome sound of a human voice emerged from the Khazanian mech. “Scout and Corporal Jennay I presume. This is Captain Takuma Kitazawa of the 478th Mecha-nized division. We spoke earlier via VA-Radio. Please climb aboard.” The mech kneeled down to the ground and a small platform extended out of it’s chest. Scout and Jennay eagerly watched as the platform lowered to ground level and wasted no time in getting on board.
----- Scout let out a sigh of relief as they were carried up to the middle of the mech’s chest where Kitazawa’s cockpit opened with a hiss and a release of steam.
----- The Captain smiled as he saw that the two Rangers were, for the most part, unharmed. “Looks like I made it just in time. I would have been here sooner, but we’re having a hard time controlling the situation back there…you understand.”
----- “We are in your debt Captain,” Scout said as he and the Corporal took to the Gemini’s passenger seats. “At least in here we can recover some of our strength. But this isn’t over yet.”
----- “I know,” Kitazawa replied. “Time to go regroup.” The Gemini stood once more and turned back towards the village, only to find two objects standing in it’s way. The two giants that suddenly appeared were metallic, and certainly not any kind of creature they had seen among the ranks of the Drekis hordes.
----- “What are those?” Scout managed to ask and he continuously gulped for air.
----- Takuma looked closely at the design of the two metallic humanoids. They were mechs, standing about sixteen feet tall and brandishing large scale plasma rifles. The symbol of the mobile police could just barely be made out on their left shoulder. “From the look of things, they’re MARS-500’s.”
----- “The mobile police’s robot armor?” Jennay said.
----- Takuma nodded. “Yep, as far as I can tell. The MP symbol is kind of scratched out for some reason, but I’ve seen it enough times to recognize it. Short-range bio-scan is indicating no pilot aboard, so they must be using the onboard A.I.. There is something though, something the bio-scanners are just barely picking up. It’s not a human, that’s for sure, and nothing remotely similar either. I’ll try to see if I can get a response from the computer.”
----- “No?” Scout shouted. “Get out of here, now. I’ve seen this before, you need to get this thing moving before they shoot us down!”
----- Kitazawa hurriedly pressed for a sharp turn, but Scout’s warning had come too late. The first barrage from the MARS robots rattled against the Gemini’s shields. Kitazawa squinted through the flash of gunfire and flipped a switch on his console. The engines of the Gemini flared and mounds of dirt flew into the air as it began to lift above the ground.
----- The sound of metal scraping against metal caught the Captains attention as the shield suddenly failed. The gunfire was now chipping away at the silver mech’s precious armor.
----- “Their relentless bastards,” Kitazawa yelled. “I guess my shields took too much damage back in the village, but don’t worry, my machine’s a tough one!”
----- Red lights filled the cockpits as Kitazawa noticed the words Missile Lock flash on his main screen. “What the hell, a missile lo…”
----- Scout pointed towards the left view screen, “Incoming!”
----- The Gemini turned to face the approaching missile just as it was seconds away from impact. Kitazawa maneuvered his mech to the side, but the missile was far too close to avoid now. The next few seconds seemed like an eternity as the three soldiers watched the missile swiftly mirror their movements. There would be no escape.
----- Instinctively Kitazawa fired the Gemini’s shoulder mounted rail guns, praying that just a single second of intense fire could prematurely detonate the explosive. He watched as the bullets cut through the air like bolts of fire and curved down to strike the land below. A single stray bullet scratched the surface of the missile just as it came within arms reach of the Gemini.
Tarnished Victory
----- “Sgt. Cole, what are you doing, concentrate!” Atatsuya screamed.
----- Ratilda shook in her cockpit as bolts of lightning finally pierced her shielding and began to char the Tristar’s metal body. She cut the engine power and came crashing down to the burning ground below, conveniently landing her mech on its feet and crushing some small Deminite Soldiers in the process.
----- Carl Dezzman quickly focused his view screen on the sky above and strafed through the clouds with machine gun fire. The Ptera-Deminites responded by wildly taking off in all directions. “Try not to be so careless Sergeant. Those things are trying to keep us from taking to the air. I count about fifteen more of them. We’re getting close to taking them out, just be patient.”
----- “Yes sir,” Ratilda replied.
----- Dezzman’s ‘chicken-leg-walker’ mech moved through the rubble as the triple machine guns beneath it’s cockpit fired across the ground, tossing hordes of panicked Deminite soldiers into the air. “It looks like the ground forces are beginning to diminish too, and I think our ground forces have successfully evacuated.”
----- “That’s because there’s nothing left to protect,” Sgt. Graham said pessimistically. “Look around you, the entire town ain’t nothing but rubble.” The bulky Senki moved its way up to join the rest of his division. “I think the only reason the Devonox’s are dwindling is because they realize they’ve already accomplished their mission.”
----- “None of the things we do here are for nothing Sgt. Major!” Lt. Foster yelled as DragonFlare fell back to line up with the Senki. “At least we prevented all of the people in this city from being killed, and the Mobile Police did their job here as well. Now we’re the clean up crew!” The tall, slender mech lifted it’s assault rifle to the sky and sent a barrage of bullets into the air.
----- The relentless retaliation of the Ptera-Deminites came upon them as lightning bolts flew down form their mouths and struck the ground around them. The entire team began to concentrate their fire on the flying creatures, and before long the dead bodies of the aerial creatures began to fall like hail stones.
----- “Now the skies are ours,” Lt. Angelhart said. “There are five Devonox’s left. Let’s take them out in one pass!”
----- Derringer, Tristar, and Pharis’ Blade took off into the air once more, this time unimpeded by any flying creature. The Devonox’s tirelessly jumped towards them, but to no avail. The mechs were far too high for the bewildered red beasts to reach now.
----- “You guys are tough, I’ll give you that much,” Cecelia admitted. “But you aren’t so dangerous without your air support are you?”
----- Beam cannons rained down upon the creatures. Having outlived their usefulness, the Devonox’s made no attempt to run or hide. To the very end they desperately reached their hands up towards the mech’s that flew above them, still thinking of nothing but the kill. The last few blasts finally put their thoughts to rest.
New Menace
----- He was glad, at least, that all three of them had survived, and the powerful Gemini was still ready to fight as Kitazawa maneuvered it back to a standing position. The rest of the armor plating seemed to have been intact, albeit a little charred and cracked here and there. It appeared they had a stray bullet from the Gemini’s guns to thank for that. A direct hit from the missile itself would have resulted in a much more severe damage.
----- His curiosity getting the better of him, Kitazawa first focused his view screens to the left to gain sight of the culprit who first fired the missile. There was not one, but two additional MARS-500 robots marching towards them from that direction. He quickly split his view screens to accommodate both pairs of attacking robots. “I don’t get it. What the hell is happening here. Why are KMP robots attacking us. I can’t imagine them being stolen, how could chaotic creatures like that learn to pilot advanced machinery?”
----- “Obviously we’ve severely underestimated the Drekis legions,” Scout said angrily. “And I think that’s exactly what he wanted us to do. We though we had a technological advantage, but it’s quite clear that they are well informed about our so called advanced machinery.”
----- “What are you trying to say?” Kitazawa asked. “My bio scans aren’t detecting a humanoid life form in the cockpit.”
----- “I know that. Drekis’ forces are employing some sort of strange biological organism that is like a living weapon, not quite a machine and not quite a monster. Their small at first, so small our rangers didn’t even notice them sneaking up on us while we fought with the Deminite soldiers. They pushed through our ranks and oozed their slimy bodies up the Mobile Polices MARS units. They forced their way inside of the cockpits and nested in there.’
----- ‘Somehow, someway, they are capable of bonding with technology. They infected the MARS robots, completely overriding their programming and taking control. Within seconds they were using them just as effectively as any pilot I’ve ever seen. It caused a major turn in the battle here, allowing the Devonox’s to push their way through after our mech contingent had been cut in half.”
----- Corporal Jennay watched the first pair of MARS robots lift their pulse rifles once again. “What can we do about it. This is a military mech, right, it should be much more powerful than those.”
----- “The Gemini is damaged,” Captain Kitazawa replied., “I can’t fly and I doubt I can move it very quickly. I’m outnumbered four to one, have no shields, and I’m being attacked from two different directions. I can probably take out one whole pair before we go up in smoke. In other words it doesn’t look good.”
----- All four of the possessed MARS had their weapons raised now. Rifles and large-scale missile launchers were poised to strike the Gemini tenaciously.
----- Captain Kitazawa readied his weapons for one last, glorious battle. Three cohesive beam guns, a single rail cannon, and one missile launcher were the only ones he had left. Still, at least it guaranteed that Gemini wouldn’t go down without a fight.
----- Just as the Captain was prepared to unleash hell, a stream of gun fire, seemingly endless, crossed the grassland valley and strafed through the first pair of MARS. The two robots fell to the ground in pieces while black ooze dripped down the sides of the burning cockpits.
----- The remaining pair lifted their weapons to the sky only to have their heads torn off from beam cannon fire.
----- Wasting no time, Captain Kitazawa turned to the damaged MARS and fired his own beam guns, making sure to target the cockpits and destroy whatever hellish beast was inside. The screams of the creatures echoed alongside the crackling of flames and the bursting of circuitry.
----- “What was that just now?” Scout asked.
----- “A miracle,” Captain Kitazawa said feverishly, his adrenaline still pumping from the scenario. He looked up to see six mechs slowly descending towards the ground. None of them were any he recognized. It was a different mecha-nized team, all from the Khazan military. “Yep, it’s a miracle.”
----- A muffled voice came through the Gemini’s communication system. “This is Captain Jenkins of the 898th Mecha-nized division. My team has come here to assist you.”
----- Takuma smiled. “Well, Captain, you couldn’t have picked a more dramatic time to enter the fray.”
----- “Yes I apologize,” Jenkins responded. “My team didn’t exactly make it here unprovoked. I lost two good men a few miles south of here.”
----- “I’m sorry to hear that Captain,” Kitazawa said. “But it’s good to have any help we can get. The rest of my team isn’t very far from here, I’ll contact them and inform them of your arrival.”
----- Takuma prepared to open a radio channel, and was glad to see all seven of his pilots connect. It looked as if most of the combat in Leibrook had died down, but nevertheless there would likely be stragglers they would have to eliminate.
----- “Captain Kitazawa,” Scout suddenly said. “Are you detecting anything on your scanners. Outside of your allies I mean?”
----- “No, why do you ask?” he replied, looking back at the Khazan ranger inquisitively.
----- Still trying to catch his breath, Scout weakly raised his hand and pointed at the main view screen. “There, straight ahead and up in the sky. Can you see it in the distance? I hope my eyes aren’t deceiving me.”
----- Takuma squinted at the object Scout was pointing too. It was moving quickly through the air, but looked to be nothing more than a bird from what he could see. “I’m detecting anything, even on bio-scanners. It is a little suspicious. I’ll go ahead and magnify the image on the screen to take a look.”
----- A small square surrounded the image of the object on the main viewer and then expanded to fill the entire screen. The image increased in size once, then once more before they could get a clear understanding of what they were dealing with.
----- There were two objects, both flying close to one another and impressive speeds. With the magnification, the three could plainly see that they were nothing like birds at all. Rather, Takuma noticed they had a hard, shell like exterior and a body similar to that of a shellfish. There were a number of small spines extending from their shells, as well as two larger spikes protruding from their sides and expanding well beyond the tip of their bodies.
----- “What ugly things,” Takuma observed. “Although they are strangely sleek. They almost look like fighter craft to me, but I’m not detecting anything at all.”
----- The two objects unexpectedly accelerated past their already impressive speed and rapidly dove down towards the ground.
----- “Alert Jenkins’s team!” Scout yelled. “They look like their going to strafe the ground!”
----- Captain Kitazawa didn’t hesitate to shout a warning to his comrades, but before any of them could act on his advice the swift fighters were already upon them. Laser beams flashed out and struck the ground, sending dust into the air and blinding everyone to their approach.
----- The mech’s blindly fired through the cloud of dirt, their sensors completely useless against this new threat. Another flash of laser fire pierced through the cloud, striking two of the 898th division’s mechs in the chest. Their torso’s flared and the bloodied cries of their pilots could be heard across the radio.
----- The two fighters flew over the heads of the remaining Khazan machines, the force of their pass so strong that several of the mechs flew off of their feet and onto the dirt below.
----- “Erzei 6 and Erzei 4, please respond!” Jenkins yelled repeatedly and he struggled to keep his mech standing. “Erzei 6 and 4, please respond now!”
----- “It’s no use Captain,” Takuma said solemnly. “Their both dead.” He looked back to see if the two mysterious fighters were coming around for another pass, but much to his surprise, they were leaving them behind and heading straight for Leibrook.
----- “My God, their going for the village,” Takuma said.
----- “But why, they’ve already torn that place apart,” Corporal Jennay exclaimed.
----- “My team,” Takuma explained. “The bastards are going after my team!”
Demons of the Sky
----- As the mech ventured deeper and deeper into the patch, Arlington caught sight of a large vehicle in the ground, it’s front end thrust deep into a ditch, but otherwise undamaged. Being an aficionado of military equipment, the young corporal recognized it as a Cougar-99 Assault vehicle, just as Scout had told them.
----- “Well, well, this is Corporal Arlington reporting in, it looks like I’ve found the two military personnel and their vehicle.”
----- He motioned the Stormbringer towards the vehicle and prepared to lift it out of the ditch with brute strength, but his efforts were interrupted by a faint transmission. It appeared to be coming from a mech with a damaged comm. System, but the voice was one he would never forget. It was his own Captain.
----- “Wait, guys, are you receiving this transmission too? It’s the captain, he says something dangerous is coming our way!”
----- Amidst the rubble of the once beautiful village of Leibrook, the ostrich-like mech Fortune surveyed the skies. “Yes, we received his communication,” Dezzman replied. “But I don’t see anything coming from the sky.”
----- “Nothing on radar or bio-scans here either,” Lt. Foster reported.
----- The Tristar flew higher into the sky and circled around until Sgt. Cole couldn’t help but notice the two approaching fighters. “I’ve got them in my sights, coming from the west, I’m taking them down now!”
----- The Tristar’s particle beam rifle screeched as it let out two bright beams streak across the sky towards their target. The two fighters suddenly fell into a barrel-roll and barely avoided the beams. Both craft were spinning wildly and then abruptly balanced out and matched the Tristar’s altitude.
----- “That maneuverability!” Ratilda cried. “No human I know could perform a maneuver like that safely!”
----- The fighters moved in closer and began to fire their lasers rapidly. The beams struck against the Tristar’s surface, tossing car-sized chunks of armor plating into the air.
----- Cole staggered within the cockpit, but regained her composure in time to fire her particle rifle just as the two demonic fighters swiftly passed by. She adjusted for their speed and hit one of them dead on, but the beam encountered some type of shield and harmlessly bounced off.
----- “That was no good, they have some sort of shield like ours,” she said.
----- Sgt. Atatsuya had Pharis’ Blade descend just in time to avoid the shower of lasers and quickly turned to fire at the enemies as they passed over head. “Well that’s all well and good, but shields aren’t invulnerable!” She fired her gauge rifle twice at one of the fighters, striking it’s shields both times. Pharis’ Blade’s targeting system managed to gain a positive lock on the mass reading of the two craft, and Atatsuya was happy to see the red ‘locked on’ message appear on her screen.
----- “Alright, you can still get a mass lock,” she said enthusiastically as the shoulders on the Pharis’ Blade burst open and a missile flew out of a each opening. The two fighters promptly split into two different directions. It was clear that both intended to perform a semi circle and converge on their location for another strafe, but both of Atatsuya’s missiles followed the fighter that verged to the right.
----- “Let me see if I can slow that one down a little,” Graham said, and he lined his cross hairs up. “I won’t need any mass lock on.” The Senki raised it’s bulky Burst Cannon and began to trace the movements of the fighter. Even as it was ever so slightly turning to come back at them it’s speed still exceeded the missiles that followed it, but an ace marksman like Sgt. Graham wasn’t about to let fast movement spoil his infamous accuracy on the battlefield.
----- The Burst Cannon roared, and a mere second later the impact could be seen against the distant enemy fighter as it was covered in smoke and flame. It emerged for the smoke seemingly unscathed and still in flight, though noticeably shaken from the impact. It tilted off course and slowed down just enough for the missiles to catch up. The missiles struck consecutively, the first exploding against the bright blue shield protecting it’s shell, and the second blasting through the hard exterior and breaking a few spines off of it’s body.
----- “Damn,” Graham said, puckering his lips and letting out a small hoot. “Shot it with a 150 millimeter and then it got hit with two missiles and we’re just now getting some results. I didn’t know Drekis had things this resilient in his arsenal.”
----- “Save your impressions for later,” Lt. Sara Foster ordered. “Their both coming around for another pass. Concentrate fire on the one to the right, it’s shields are obviously down now!”
----- “I’ll get it with the missile lance sir,” Lt. Angelhart said. The Derringer fell to a kneeling position and lifted it’s long, silver lance up and onto it’s shoulder. The tip of the lance opened up and the head of a single missile slowly popped out. “Let’s just get a nice lock and…there!”
----- The Derringer shook back as the missile flew out of the lance like a fireball and blew straight threw the target. Half of the fighter broke into small, fleshy pieces that joined the rubble that permeated the ground while the other half began to spin through the air uncontrollably.
----- The entire team began to howl in victory, but their celebration was cut short as the spinning half began to slow down until it finally came to rest floating casually in the sky. The pilots were stunned to see black ooze spill out of the damaged side of the fighter like a flow of oil. The thick liquids began to pulsate and move as if a vigorous creature, and right before their eyes they saw it lift, bend, and shape itself until the missing half of the fighter craft had been completely restored. The ooze hardened into a thick, smooth shell, and even the tiny spines that had been broken from the missile impact returned in mere seconds.
----- “What the hell?!” Cecelia yelled. “That thing just pieced itself back together damn it!”
----- “What about the other one?” Sara said, just as the second fighter dove past her and sent the Dragonflare spinning violently to the ground as if it had been caught in a tornado. The fighter descended to within a few meters of the ground and skimmed past the burning wreckage that now decorated Leibrooks streets.
----- Paul tried to turn the Senki to face his new adversary, but he had been far too concerned with the fighter that had just healed it’s wounds to respond properly. Desperately he fired the Burst Cannon, but the blast barely scratched the surface of it’s shields as it opened fire; lasers blazing against the Senki’s shields.
----- Sgt. Graham was blinded by the pulses of blue light as his mech’s shields flickered rapidly against the heavy beam fire. As he struggled to get a good lock on the target he managed to get a small glimpse of the fighter’s illuminated figure as it passed straight by his side. The final laser shot from the fighter tore through the destabilized shields and tore the Senki’s left shoulder in half.
----- “Sgt. Major! Hold on!” Dezzman shouted as he watched the Senki fall to the ground with a tremendous thud. He focused all of the Fortune’s shaft cannons on the fighter craft just as it was once again lifting high up into the air and fired repeatedly.
----- The fighter dodged the beams left and right before several of the combined shots hit their mark on the main body of the thing. It’s shields ruptured and pieces of its outer shell broke open to spill out more black ooze.
----- “I don’t know what these things really are,” Dezzman said, “but their not regular fighter craft. Their biological weapons, living things that are acting like star fighters!”
----- Sgt. Cole noticed the black ooze beginning to fill in the gaps and cracks that Dezzman’s weapons had made in the creatures skin and was quick to fly towards the rising fighter, despite the injuries to the Tristar. “That thing is going to heal just like the last one. Don’t let up on it!” She set her crosshairs at the rear of the creature and fired a particle beam that ripped it’s way through the large, right spine of the fighter, causing a large explosion that shook it into a downward spiral.
----- The Tristar matched the sharp fall of the bio-fighter and continued to attack it relentlessly. The mech’s shoulder-mounted double lasers continuously chipped away at the organic shell armor. The fighter attempted to gain momentum and take off to avoid the fire, but another shot from a particle beam melted a wide, gaping hole through the center of the creature. The dark ooze flew up into the sky and tried to repair the damage, but the fighter plummeted towards Khazan and landed with a sickening splatter. Cole put all of her available power into the engines and managed to avoid the same fate, coming to a sudden stop not far from the ground and then taking off again.
----- “I think the thing is dead now,” Cole stated. The black ooze and pieces of the organic fighter could be seen spread out across the ground after the impact, but several of the pieces were still twitching, and mounds of the ooze tenaciously pulsed.
----- “Good job Sergeant, but I don’t like the look of that slime,” Lt. Foster said. A flip of the switch revealed two missile launchers in the DragonFlare’s legs. The missiles launched into high into the air and arced downward until they fell upon the effervescent remains. “That was for good measure.”
----- All eyes fell upon the most recent explosion, and not a single soldier would rest easy until the smoke cleared and they saw the remains of the bio-fighter splattered across the ground and undoubtedly lifeless.
----- Lt. Foster, however, was quick to remind everyone of the other fighter which they had yet to ground. Knowing that their enemy was not beyond death, the pilots faced their enemy with renewed confidence.
----- The Fortune and DragonFlare stood in front of the fallen Senki to provide cover fire against the now rapidly approaching bio-fighter. The Pharis’ Blade and Tristar , meanwhile, flew directly at the creature without hesitation.
----- The Drekis fighter responded immediately by launching what appeared to be large missiles that glowed an eerie green as they flew through the sky, leaving a thick green mist in their wake. Like the fighter itself, neither radar nor bio-scanner picked them up.
----- With her trust placed entirely in her own human eyes, Ratilda lifted the left arm of the Tristar and fired the gatling gun at the missiles. The stream of bullets smashed into the flashing explosives and released an incredible shockwave that filled the air.
----- Sgt. Atatsuya pushed the Pharis’ Blade’s engines to the max and carried the mech through the light of the explosion to meet the bio-fighter head on. She drew her particle sword and thrust the glowing heat blade straight into the creature. The tip of the blade cracked the outer shell and black ooze covered the crackling sword as it’s blade delved deep into the monster, but the fighter showed no sign of weakness and rammed the mech at full force. Atatsuya nearly felt her neck snap as she bounced around inside of her cockpit from the impact. The bio-fighter continued to push the Pharis’ Blade backwards in the air, but Katie refused to be thrown off. Vigorously she moved the Pharis’ Blade’s arms around the creature and grabbed onto it’s sharp spines, determined to hold on at all costs.
----- Pharis’ Blade’s engines roared and sparked as they reached their limit. Atatsuya was putting all of her mech’s available power into stopping the beast from moving another inch. She could hear the pressure crushing the torso of her mech and knew that this could not go on very much longer. With an aggravated scream she lifted the particle sword up high and brought it down against the dark shell of the fighter. Sparks flew off of the glossy armor as the blade slowly carved chunks of the creature off with each slice.
----- With one final thrust she sent the blade deep into the creatures back and subsequently pulled out her gauge rifle. “I’ve got one more bullet left, isn’t that convenient!” She fired the rifle at point-blank, sending the creature spiraling backwards and at last separating the two from their face off.
----- As the fighter attempted to gain leverage, a storm of gunfire flew through the sky and ripped the fighter apart. Even as the numerous pieces fell to the ground and created rivers of black liquid upon the surface of Khazan there were missiles and grenades being launched where it fell.
----- Though the pilots of the 478th division were at first distracted by the firework show, they soon realized that the fire was coming from another group of mech’s that had just arrived on the scene. Among them, a damaged Gemini carefully walked through the desolate town.
----- “It’s the captain!” Cecelia said cheerfully. “Looks like everyone on the team made it out alright.”
----- “Speak for yourself!” Graham yelled. “My poor baby is in need of serious repairs after what those bastards did to her.”
----- Captain Kitazawa laughed as his mech rejoined his division, “You shut up and have some respect Sergeant Major. At least you’re alive. We all are. And we have a lot to thank Captain Jenkins here and his team for their assistance. Although I must say I’m glad you were able to hold out against those things until we got here. I know we weren’t very far, but those things were blindingly fast and they hit us pretty hard too.”
----- “It’s no problem Captain,” Lt. Foster replied. “The area is now secure sir. Not a single Deminite soldier left in the area. Corporal Arlington has successfully located the Cougar vehicle and has reported that both soldiers are alright.”
----- “Good, good,” Kitazawa said. “I’ve got Scout and Jennay with my as well.”
----- He turned to look at the weary Khazan Rangers with a smile. “All in all, I’d say things turned out good save for the town itself.”
----- “You mean good so far Captain,” Scout said gravely. “We aren’t quite finished yet.”
The Leibrook-Cashar Bridge
----- One of the Connelly brothers that piloted the vehicle issued a cheerful thanks as the Cougar-99 rolled back and then finally managed to move forward. The tank-like machine hissed as the wheels tore through the dense collection of plants and mud beneath it, but before long the Cougar blasted it’s way through the forest patch and was once again safe in the clearing.
----- Corporal Arlington brought Stormbringer out into the open as well to join with his team, who were still surveying the wreckage that their battle had caused to the town. It was hard to imagine that when the team had arrived here, more than half of the town had been undamaged. It was unfortunate that they could not stop the Deminite soldiers from setting Leibrook ablaze with their perkiness, but they had to admit, it was an impressive attack.
----- Scout knew that they had all made a grave error in predicting the movements of the Drekis forces. They never imagined they would needlessly tear through small villages just to get to New Xaelis, especially if it meant facing Mobile Police forces. In the future, the Khazan military would have to use more of everything to defeat any Drekis offensive without incurring too many losses. It was true that they had scored a victory in this town, but when the soldiers looked at the destruction around them and the fires that still burned, they questioned themselves if it could really be considered a victory.
----- Captain Kitazawa and the rest of his division helped to raise the damaged Senki off of the ground, much to the appreciation of Sgt. Major Graham. Kitazawa noticed that the split in the shoulder had ruptured numerous circuits and had probably cut the power to several weapons, not to mention rendering the left arm useless. “Well, at least you can move, that’s good enough. Once we get back to a base we can get all of these machines repaired.’
----- ‘By the way, Scout,” he said, looking back at the Ranger. “You said we weren’t done here yet. Mind explaining what you meant by that?”
----- Scout pointed to the east, but all Takuma could see out of his view screen was more patches of forest that encircled the village. “It’s beyond the forest patch there. This town, Leibrook, it’s not the only one in the area. About two miles out, there’s a white marble bridge, an ancient one, that connects this town with another, the town of Cashar.”
----- “A bridge eh?” The captain said curiously. “Why a bridge, we’re far east of the river?”
----- “It crosses a large chasm. It’s a full mile across and a few hundred meters down. The chasm itself isn’t very wide, but it still slowed travel between these two villages, so representatives of both decided to go in on the construction of a bridge to make travel easier.’
----- ‘That village, Cashar, was the first to be attacked earlier today by the Drekis army. Their leader, was someone who called himself Regulous Morikai, and he said that they had plans to use that village for some purpose.”
----- “Use the village?” The captain said.
----- “Yes. Don’t ask me what that means, all I know is that they occupy that town, and they haven’t burned it down yet. My forces first led an attack group into Cashar alongside a Mobile Police force that was situated in Leibrook. The battle was going quite well until about fifteen of the MARS-500’s were taken over by those things. We lost a good half of our mechanized forces in that battle and were forced to retreat. By the time we made it back to Leibrook, Regulous sent that whole division of creatures after us.”
----- “So, we have to take out this Regulous guy and his occupation. Is this guy one of those generals that was mentioned in Uberman’s report?”
----- “I don’t believe so. He seemed more like a commander of sorts. His army wasn’t very large, just suitable enough for swiftly taking command of the village.”
----- “What do you think is the status of his army now that we’ve wasted the attack force he sent here?”
----- “I couldn’t say for sure, save that I know he now has only six MARS units under his control since the other four were destroyed. I don’t know if he has any Devonox’s left.”
----- “Hmm, I wonder,” the Captain said to himself. “If we can quickly take out the MARS, and they have no Devonox, then maybe it’s possible we could do this without any losses. Just maybe.’
----- ‘Ok, 2nd Lieutenant Dezzman, have you completed your analysis of our remaining forces?”
----- “Yes Captain,” Dezzman replied. “Six Mobile Police officers, about twelve Rangers, and fifteen ready soldiers, Sir.”
----- “God, we got hit harder that I thought,” Scout muttered upon hearing the status of his men.
----- “Alright, that I won’t stop us,” Takuma said. “Gather everyone together, we have one more thing to do before we go home, and this is how we’re going to do it.”
The Powers that Gather
----- Tiara walked down the streets of the city alone, noticing only a few shoppers here and there scouting through the collection of stores and shops that were lined up and down the streets. The cold was a welcome feeling to her, but the emptiness of the streets was disconcerting. She had walked her many times, if for no other reason than to see the happy faces of the young as they tirelessly strolled down the lanes that were illuminated by lights of every imaginable color.
----- Store signs and advertisement posters flashed, while holographic images of drinks and food filled the air, but tonight their advertisements were wasted. Most people had locked themselves in their homes, frightened of what was to come. Ever since Xaelis fell, they knew that this would be the next city to be attacked. For them, it was only a matter of time. The unmistakable presence of the Khazan military and the rather large contingent of Mobile Police forces only increased the tension of New Xaelis’ citizens.
----- She was, by all appearances, a young woman, tall and slender, with crystal blue hair and eyes. Her features were exotic, and some had even told her she had the presence of the ancient elves. Tiara stood out in a crowd, but among the wild party animals that typically adorned the big city, she could actually blend in and appear to be just a normal woman.
----- But a normal woman she was not. For as long as she could remember, she was different, even among all of the powerful heroes of Khazan. For there were few who could claim a connection to the Powers that Be.
----- The Powers that Be, a name and a phrase. They were mysterious even to her, and she had the blessing of being one of their apprentices. The gods of Khazan who ruled over this area of space. Their purpose was unknown to Tiara, and all that was certain to her was that they were responsible for Khazan coming to be.
----- Even now, as their apprentice, she walked Khazan bewilderingly, often times simply waiting to see if she would be contacted…contacted with new information regarding a mission. Her assignments were always of some great importance, typically something that either couldn’t be handled by the other heroes of Khazan, or something that Shouldn’t be handled by only the heroes of Khazan. Yet she followed the will of the Powers that Be simply out of loyalty, often confused as to what she was really accomplishing in completing her task. She was given just enough to understand how the task must be done, but she could never really understand what her masters were trying to do.
----- Tiara had been frustrated by that fact for some time, but she learned to deal with the lack of information and followed her masters without question. To be an apprentice, after all, made her special. She was of the Powers that are Yet to Be, as they were affectionately called by their masters. Beings that were now mortal, but are destined to take their place among the Powers that Be in the future.
----- With almost no one around her, Tiara fell into a state of solitude, thinking back on all of the things she had done as an apprentice of the Powers, but a presence interrupted her thoughts. A strong presence, and a familiar one at that. She stopped walking and put all of her concentration into her senses. It was not a dangerous presence, but it begged to be noticed. It was someone important, or rather, it was someone who carried with them something of importance.
----- Tiara glanced over her left shoulder and saw a figure cloaked in a simple hood and cape made of brown cloth. He stood motionless atop one of the smaller buildings of the street. The figure’s face could not be seen, but he was obviously looking at Tiara. Suddenly he disappeared, leaping away at great speed and leaving only a blurred trail behind. Tiara traced the movements and then quickly followed.
----- With a gesture of her hands, the cold winds picked up and gathered beneath Tiara’s feet, pulling her up into the air. The stranger was going higher and higher among the buildings until he was beginning to ascend the tallest of the skyscrapers of the district. Tiara raised her hands into the air and the wind shot her upwards like a cannon and then gently slowed her down as she caught up with the cloaked figure.
----- The mysterious person came to a stop on the edge of the building while Tiara, in turn, landed on the edge of another building across from the stranger.
----- Tiara looked upon the person emotionlessly. “You, that presence. The same as mine.”
----- The figure raised his hand to the hood that cloaked his face and ever so slightly lifted it up. The face was that of a woman, and strings of dark blue hair were suddenly expelled from the confines of the cloak to fly freely in the winter breeze.
----- Tiara smiled. “Yes, you are. An apprentice of the Powers. What a surprise. It has been so long since I have met another such as myself.”
----- “The feeling is mutual,” the woman said. “I too, rarely see another apprentice outside of my partner. My name is Maya, and I am already familiar with you Tiara.” The woman’s voice was extremely soft and quiet…almost diffident.
----- “If that is true,” Tiara replied, “Then you must have a specific reason for seeking me out.”
----- “Yes, and I have little time to explain,” Maya continued. “You see, in the coming days, this war will see a major battle in this city. That much is unavoidable. Among the countless soldiers who will be defending this city, is a boy that you must seek out.”
----- “A boy? Someone specific?”
----- “Yes, a young man actually. My lady said he would be around twenty years old in fact.”
----- “You want me to find him? How will I recognize this man among the others. There are thousands of soldiers stationed her already, not to mention hundreds of SLJ and even some Maniacal Heroes.”
----- “The young man will have silver hair, and carry with him a blade that shall glow a radiant blue. You should be able to find him with this information alone.”
----- “And what do I do once I find him?” Tiara asked. “Is there a particular reason the Powers that Be have assigned me this task?”
----- “I have not been informed by our Masters as to why this must be done. I am sorry.”
----- Tiara sighed. “No, that’s quite all right, I should have known.”
----- “To be honest, most of these orders come from my Lady, Queen Relissan,” Maya said. “But the Powers gave strict orders to stay by her side and do as she says. I am only allowed to come here before you now because my partner is still with her.”
----- “Relissan? Do you mean Queen Amanda Relissan of Axia?”
----- “Yes.”
----- “Are you saying that the Queen is an apprentice as well? I should think I would have known that…”
----- “No, she is not,” Maya explained. “But my partner and I suspect a connection between my lady and the Powers. Sadly, we do not fully understand even this, and perhaps we are not meant to at this time. Nevertheless, she has asked that you protect this man upon finding him.”
----- “Protection? Is he not a hero of Khazan? What protection should he need. I know we have responsibilities as apprentices of the Powers that Be, but the people here on Khazan are not helpless.”
----- “He is young, and not yet quite aware of who he is. His survival is in question, yet extremely important to us. He must live the coming battle here, in this city. Do whatever it takes to make sure that he lives on.”
----- “Very well then,” Tiara said. “Does this person have a name. It would make it that much easier to confirm that I have found him.”
----- Maya lowered the hood over her face and turned around. “His name is Tim. That is his first name. I was not told his last.” She began to walk away, but after a few steps she turned her head back towards Tiara. “One last thing. Although my lady is sure that he, and indeed most of Khazan’s heroes will come to Axia sooner or later, she has asked that he be brought to Axia when the time is right. I believe lady Relissan wishes to speak with him personally.”
----- The apprentice leapt into the air and disappeared down the side of the building. Tiara stood alone atop the skyscrapers, looking down at the bright lights that now appeared to be so small from where she stood. So, she thought, this is what the Powers that Be ask of me. Tim. A man with silver hair and a sword that glows a radiant blue. A man who does not yet know who he really is. He must be someone of great importance, but why to the Queen of Axia?
Regulous Morikai
----- A glowing figure appeared before him, a Drekis shadow-priest that floated like a ghost in front of the commander. “Regulous, the forces we sent to Leibrook have failed.”
----- “Failed?!” Morikai yelled. “So, they did not destroy the village.?”
----- “The village is nothing but rubble,” the Shadow Priest stated. “But a strong Khazanian resistance persists. Our Deminite Gunners have been eliminated by a long range tactical vehicle that has situated itself at the other end of the bridge. Over a dozen Khazanian mechs have entered Cashar via flight, and a small group of soldiers has managed to cross the bridge under the protection of their cover fire.”
----- Morikai walked passed the many buildings that blocked his view of the combat. Upon entering the open court of the small town he saw the large battle-mechs land with a force that shook the entire foundation of the village. Their guns blazed and Deminite soldiers were being shredded like paper. A truly embarrassing sight.
----- “Well, they certainly are persistent, aren’t they,” Regulous said. “But no matter, everything is happening as Avalon said it would. This town is inconsequential.”
----- “Do you mean to evacuate our forces here then?” The Shadow Priest inquired.
----- “Just us,” Regulous responded. “We’ll see if we can catch up with Avalon’s main forces before they approach Walshin. Leave the rest of the minions here. Make those Khazanians fight for this pitiful village!”
----- “And the MARS units, sir?”
----- “Ah, yes, have four of them attack the enemy. The other two shall retreat and go directly to Drekis’ main fortress. We have plans for those.”
----- Morikai calmly turned and walked away despite the battle that was brewing. Despite it’s intensity, this battle meant nothing in the long run. The Drekis commander smiled at the fact that a much larger battle would take place soon.
Unpleasant Sight
----- The lesser minions, distracted by the large battle-mech’s impressive charge, were caught off guard by the soldiers who crossed the bridge and attacked with every weapon they had left. The soldiers marched through enemy lines, using debris from earlier explosion to sneak through the city and surprise the confused enemy troops.
----- Lt. Angelhart swung the Derringer’s lance from side to side, sending the helpless Deminite soldiers into the air with each swing. A beam shot suddenly crashed into the Derringer’s shields, nearly toppling the small mech despite it’s protective barrier.
----- Cecelia saw the two MARS units rise above the houses of the village, weapons raised and ready to fire. “I’ve located two of the infected MARS robots over here!”
----- At the other end of the bridge, the Cougar-99’s main cannon rotated to fix on the Derringer’s position. Just beyond it, the two MARS were clearly visible. “I’ve got a good shot,” Jeff Connelly said.
----- “Then by all means take it,” his brother David retorted.
----- The Cougar-99 shook violently as the blast took off like a rocket, crossing the distance of the bridge, passing straight by the Derringer’s head, and hitting one of the MARS in the chest. The KMP mech collapsed to the ground as it’s torso was ripped apart. Black ooze spread out across the stone roads, indicating that the creature controlling it was dead as well.
----- The other robot, distracted by the Cougar-99’s sudden attack, was holed through by three consecutive shots from the Derringer’s beam laser attachment. “We took down two of them,” Cecelia reported. “That leaves four more to find.”
----- Atatsuya glanced at her scanners and found that two of the MARS were running away, but the remaining robots stood their ground at the southern end of the town. She found it strange that only two would leave at this time, but she soon realized that the retreating robots were heading south-east, where the nightmare had begun.
----- “I’ve got the four robots by the south end of the village. Two are escaping to the ruins of Sevarian City. It’s possible they’re trying to get back to their main base. Moving in to intercept.”
----- Pharis’ Blade took off into the air and flew straight towards her target, but even as she began to catch up, the remaining two MARS were suddenly in front of her.
----- “Get out of my way,” Atatsuya screamed as she thrust the particle sword downward, slicing the first MARS’ face in half. She swung the blade once more, this time horizontally across the robot’s chest, splitting and sending out a fury of sparks and dark liquid.
----- The other robot circled around her and shot it’s pulse rifle directly into the mech’s back, sending it’s face straight into the dirt. Atatsuya prepared to have her downed mech shot to pieces, but a bright red beam pierced through the MARS’ chest from behind. The robot staggered to the left and then to the right before collapsing to the ground lifelessly.
----- Gemini and the rest of the mechs, including Jenkins’s division, rendezvoused in the center court of the village.
----- “Thanks for the backup sir,” Atatsuya said as she motioned the mech off the ground. “I’m afraid I didn’t catch the other two though.”
----- “That’s all right Sgt.,” Kitazawa responded. “We’ve cleared the village, and most it seems to be intact.”
----- Scout, now on foot and looking upon the quiet streets of Cashar, peered through the night and noticed the shadows of the two escaping MARS disappear in the distance. He didn’t want to think about what Drekis had in store for those two things. He now had in his possession some of the most advanced technology used by the Mobile Police, and it was based on KOMBG designs no less. Still, the town was in one piece, so their victory was a much different one then the one they had all shared a few moments earlier.
----- “Arlington,” Kitazawa said. “Let’s try to get a contact with New Xaelis. They have plenty of transports, let’s see if they can send one to pick us up.”
----- The Stormbringer flew high into the air, spinning around as Arlington observed the surrounding area, making sure that not a single inch of the territory held a dangerous surprise. “I got that sir, I’ll start contacting them right away.”
----- Something peculiar caught his attention, and although at first he though it to be of no importance, he felt compelled to look at it again. He could just barely see it, far off in the distance, but it was something, it couldn’t be his imagination. Arlington quickly magnified his image viewer, but even at maximum magnification it was hard to see what he was looking at. It appeared as if the ground was moving, but no, that couldn’t be it. The sky, even the sky above it was black and looked like a swarm of insects. It was a Drekis army. He had no doubts now.
----- “Sir, we have a major problem.”
----- “What is it Arlington, did you contact New Xaelis?”
----- “No, Sir I’ve spotted a Drekis Army. About one hundred and fifty to two hundred miles east of here, traveling up around the vertical stream of the Falcon River. They’re heading for New Xaelis Captain!”
----- “What! How many!?”
----- “I…I don’t know,” Arlington replied. “My God, ground is littered…and…the sky, the sky is black. There must be millions of them.”
----- Scout’s eyes widened in terror as he heard the news. “This was all just a diversion. They didn’t care about this area at all. Their main army isn’t anywhere near here, it’s been taking a different path to New Xaelis the entire time! Damn it! We need to get back to the city! Right now!”
The GDF
----- Each year battles were held in this arena to decide the best of the best among the fighters and heroes of the planet. A prestigious event that had existed on Khazan for as long as Elwin could remember. Those battles themselves were nostalgic for Elwin, for she herself had fought in them in the past.
----- She wondered endlessly if her position as Vice-President would effect the way she would handle this new conflict. Everything pointed to open warfare, no matter how much she hated the thought of it. Drekis was someone that meant business, and if reports of his deeds elsewhere were any indication, there would be no peaceful resolution to this. Yet she knew that she would be forced to approach the war in a different way now. She was Vice-President of Khazan, and with that came an entirely different responsibility than what a normal hero carries.
----- The days of old came back to her, when she fought side by side with some of the greatest heroes of Khazan, charging Quietus fearlessly with fireballs in hand. The passion for justice was still inside her, and with that passion came the power and courage to fight for what she believed in. No doubt she would take up her bow and become Sailor Archer once again to defend Khazan before this war was over. Nevertheless, a new generation was dawning. The older heroes, though still strong, were beginning to give guidance to the young. A time would come when the future of this planet would be decided by them, after all.
----- She only prayed that the young would follow a righteous path, and not fall to the void like others had.
----- A young man dressed in a business suit approached Elwin, waiting silently by her side until he heard an acknowledgment.
----- “Yes,” Elwin said. Still looking down upon the arena.
----- “Miss Vice-President, you have a communication coming in from you.”
----- “Is it from Uberman?” Elwin asked.
----- “No, I’m afraid not. This transmission is being carried through Hyper-Space, from many light years away in fact. It’s the Galactic Defense Force Ma’am, and they wish to speak with either you or Mr. Pharis immediately.”
----- “The Galactic Defense Force…” Elwin said. “Very well, tell them I will speak with them shortly.”
----- “Very good then,” The man left as quickly as he had come.
----- Elwin looked up at the stars above, “It was only a matter of time I suppose. This could only be about Drekis. I fear that they could overstep their boundaries in attempting to enforce this planet, but it would pain me to neglect aid where it would be appreciated.”
Arrival
----- Hundreds of soldiers and mechs joined the thousands that were already standing guard over the city. Tanks and combat vehicles rolled out as the doors to the transports unfolded so that their cargo could be unleashed. Men holding glowing rods navigated the vehicles into position. Even in the most rural parts of the city people could look out of their windows and see the soldiers and their weapons mobilizing.
----- Uberman, Raea, and Tim walked out of their transport to see with their own eyes the true mobilized form of the Khazan military. Even Uberman couldn’t help but look in awe. Military airships covered the sky while vehicles and soldiers carrying advanced weapons and robotic armors marched in and out of the city. No army he had seen on Earth matched this.
----- “Wow, this is incredible,” Tim said. “I guess they expect an all out battle around here don’t they.”
----- “The older Xaelis city was around during the first age of Conflict when Quietus first began to wage his war against all living things,” Uberman said. “This city is only ten years old, and so it doesn’t have the mighty wall that encircled the older one. New Xaelis is larger, though, and I hope that we will be able to protect it. If this city falls, so too will the entire State-Kingdom of Xaelon.”
----- “And considering what happened to Thenesiea and Zel’Mier,” Raea added, “That would give them control of the West.”
----- Uberman was quick to spot Scout, who looked extremely uptight as he talked with the bounty hunter Telissa Ravan. The SLJ leader carefully moved through the rapidly deploying troops and machines and came up to the Khazan ranger. “Scout, I’m glad to see you held out here. As promised I’ve brought some reinforcements.”
----- “We’ll need all of them,” Scout replied sternly. “I just made it back here about ten minutes ago with a few mecha-nized divisions. One of the pilots spotted a Drekis army marching towards New Xaelis.”
----- “An army?” Uberman said. “Already, coming here?”
----- Scout nodded. “I’m afraid so. And it isn’t any small army either. There are millions of them, filling the ground and the sky.”
----- “Where could all of them be coming from?” Uberman pondered. “Millions of them you say. How could an army of millions just come out of no where?”
----- “I suppose stranger things have happened on Khazan,” Scout responded. “We obviously underestimated them. In fact, I think their attacks on the previous cities were child’s play for them. They wanted us to think that they didn’t stand a chance against our army.”
----- “The truth is,” Telissa broke in, “Drekis’ forces have been here for at least ten years according to my calculations. Every day since he got here his empire has been growing, and in the last few years it’s been by exponential levels. He hasn’t even begun to bring out his big guns yet Uberman. But this battle, this one will be the first major offensive.”
----- “When will they be here?” Uberman said.
----- Scout sighed. “According to a some Rangers that came back a few minutes ago, the army will enter through the Valley of Walshin, and they will arrive in under a half an hour.”
----- Tim turned his attention to the south and looked upon the enormous grassland valley called Walshin. There were sparsely any trees or large rocks upon the area. It was nothing but grass and clear land for a good seven miles. And it would be that open field that would be the site of the first battle of New Xaelis.
Darkness Rising
----- The servants of the void were those who sought to carry out the will of their master, who now was trapped within the void itself. They were looked upon with disgust by the good, and with fearful respect by the wicked. Indeed, their power demanded respect, for in the past they too had launched wars against the world. Not a single member of their cult-like legions desired anything less than either world domination or worldwide annihilation. They were the enemies of all the people of Khazan.
----- The tall tower was made of a dark, obsidian-like stone, magically reinforced to be nigh indestructible. At it’s top sat the ominous pyramid with a large eye drawn on each side, forever watching the surface world below and forever standing as a symbol of the Fallen’s might.
----- Though the tower was only several miles high, dark magics from within the building made the tower larger on the inside than it was on the outside. Large labyrinths, catacombs, and mazes filled the lower regions of the towers innards, while more accommodating chambers could be found inside the gigantic fortress.
----- Blitzkrieg made his way up the spiraling stars, ascending them quickly even though it was a mere walking pace for him. He flung open the large metal doors and stormed angrily down the corridor that led to the councils chamber on one of the highest levels of the tower.
----- A man with a chiseled face and long, light green hair approached him as he made his way towards the council chambers.
----- “What do you want, Seryko?” Blitzkrieg asked impatiently. “I must speak with the council.”
----- “Some of the council is away at the moment,” Seryko Rheomyr replied. “I’m afraid much more important things are going on than your feud.”
----- “Don’t you dare imply that my grudge with Uberman overrides me being a part of the Fallen Rheomyr! Who is left among the council that I can speak with?!”
----- A cold voice echoed from within the darkest parts of the chamber, “Well, well, I thought I heard a familiar roar.”
----- Tundra emerged from the shadows with a sneering smile. “I do believe you would come back with a certain someone’s head should he get in your way this time.”
----- In a second Blitzkrieg crossed the distance between him and the icy fallen and thrust his finger out in front of Tundra’s face. “And I would have it, as well, if it had not been for that pathetic adversary of yours Tundra.”
----- “Gentleman, Gentleman, please, although I suppose I use the term loosely,” came the voice of Professor Vizeman. The Dwarfish scientist also emerged from the shadows, and behind him the colossal man Resho, the professors bodyguard and so called ‘pet.’
----- “If you are looking for the Fallen council,” the professor continued, “you will have to settle for Devyn and Zalrafel. They are still in the council room. Go, if you’re still interested.”
----- Blitzkrieg shrugged off Tundra’s comments and continued down the hall. He quietly entered the large, circular chamber, and in the middle saw Devyn Soyokaze and Zalrafel sitting at the obsidian table.
----- “So, Blitzkrieg, you finally return to the Tower,” Devyn said. “Zalrafel and I have been discussing some of the recent events which have transpired down below. As one who has spent much of his recent time down upon the surface, we would be interested in hearing your opinion of the matter.”
----- “I have traversed the lands many times in the past few days,” Blitzkrieg announced. “These Drekis legions take control of the west. No presence is seen of them elsewhere, but I did notice them move towards Cretalia.”
----- Zalrafel sternly looked at the Dark Dancer. “You see, they waste no time. If the fools of the SLJ do not get their act together soon, then they will be torn apart.”
----- “Do you truly believe that will happen?” Devyn asked. “Only the void has the right to do such a thing to this or any other world.”
----- “Perhaps,” Zalrafel said. “But there are those who see the void differently, and those who wish to see it carried out differently. Certainly, Shadowcast is proof of that.”
----- Devyn’s face became serious, “Shadowcast is an outsider as far as I am concerned. He is uncooperative, but nothing more than a minor nuisance. Such wasted material, sitting all day and night within the Fallen Tower, doing nothing at all.”
----- “But we do not intend to do nothing while this war occurs,” Zalrafel stated. “I see this Drekis army as opposition. They seek what we seek, but they seek it on a different path, one that we cannot wholly agree on.”
----- “Indeed,” Devyn said. “Neither one of us would ever agree to help the other. If we allow them to do as they please, it is only a matter of time before we become their enemies.”
----- “And just think of the possibilities,” Zalrafel exclaimed. “With the world in such chaos, it should be the perfect time to take action.”
----- “Agreed,” the Dark Dancer replied. “But the question is, what kind of action? Do we play both sides? Do we willingly help our old enemies deal with this new presence, or do we secretly help the Drekis forces prevail, and then battle our new enemies subsequently?”
----- “If I may be allowed to give my suggestion,” a new voice boomed.
----- Blitzkrieg turned to see a new figure standing at the door to the council chamber. An unmistakable figure of ominous stature.
----- Devyn smiled. “So, Kaas, you have come back to us at last. The Fallen are honored to have the Avatar of Darkness stand in their halls once more. Tell me, why have you appeared before us so suddenly?”
----- “I must speak with you,” the Avatar of Darkness said. “It concerns the new presence on this planet, and it is of grave importance.”
Chapter 8
Inevitable Storm