Hi again yay I've finally gotten chapter 2 written up and posted! I'm sorry that it's taken a while to get the next chapter up, coursework has been piling up and needed to be finished as I yet again left it all till the last minute XD But never mind I've been off ill and have had time to write this next chapter up MUHAHAHA! I mean whaaaaaaaa I've been spending my time of getting better and worrying about my health drinking loads of liquids and what not. Ahem so anyway I hope all my fabulous readers enjoy this new chapter that I've put up and I hope if you like it you will review. Because a review for me is a review against disease ^^

Oo.

"And there are no problems to report?" His master asked in that cool voice that almost made her sound like a reasonable leader.

"No Master Cyclonis, nothing to report." The mustached talon bowed and scampered out of the room after being dismissed. As the door closed behind him he sighed with relief, and gave his sore arm an itch. He had no idea why those locals near the mines decided to randomly attack him, but he certainly wasn't going to tell Cyclonis if it wasn't necessary, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

The screaming sirens boomed in his ears, and woke the sleeping Dark Ace as he fell out of bed with a loud thud, this particular alarm had never gone off before. It was only for worse case scenrios, which sent a surge of panic through his body, although it was quickly replaced with adrenaline.

The commander hurried into his uniform, and grabbed his sword that was carefully hanging on the wall.

The Dark Ace hastily opened his door that led into the hallways of Cyclonia. As he did, one of the most unexpected things occured. An actual talon, the people who fearfully respected him and wouldn't dare challenge him with eye contact, lunged towards him and pushed him down.

"What the Fu-"

His body hit the hard floor, and the sudden impact caused him to lose his grip, sending his sword flying just out of his reach.

He had never actually felt so panicked in all his life. This was mainly because of the fact that this weak talon was managing to keep Dark Ace pinned down.

The Dark Ace grabbed the attacker's jaw with his hand, as he seemed like he was trying to bite him. The commander thrusted and thrashed around but it was no good, the talon wasn't moving, and all this time his teeth were constantly clamping down as if hoping to catch the Dark Ace's finger tips.

He didn't want to bring attention to his embarrassing situation by yelling or screaming, but he soon roared "Get the fuck off me!" right in the talon's face. However there was still no reaction from his attacker, what on the atmos was going on!

He kept the him held back as long as he could until eventually, the stupified talon dropped on top of him.

The Dark Ace lay there silent for a few seconds. Until another talon, who looked much more wiser than the previous, ran in scanning the room and his commander, sweat running down his bloodied forehead.

The black haired man rolled the now dead talon off his body with one effortless push, and practically tripped over himself to stand up and appear presentable, like he always did infront of other people.

The talon asked if he was OK and if he had been harmed in anyway by the zombiefied talon. Dark Ace simply replied by grabbing hold of him and lifting him up so their eyes were in line with each other.

"Of course I'm fine you idiot! What the hell is going on?" He barked in the talons face.

"I'm not entirely sure sir!" The talon whimpered, trying to hurry his words before being hurt by his superior. Whether you were on the same team with him or not, Dark Ace was not the kind of guy you want to piss off. "Some kind of virus has been spread throughout Cyclonia, literally over night! Just don't get bitten sir, that's how the virus spreads."

"Virus? What the hell kind of virus? Can it be cured?" Dark Ace asked, he was beginning to get a little too worried for comfort now, although he would never show it upfront, his rage made sure of that.

"I don't know sir it just...turns you savage!"

"...Savage?" Dark Ace released the man, and they stood there in silence for a few more seconds. The commander just stood there staring at the stained floor, trying to get a grasp of it all. The other talon simply stood there watching him. The logical thing would be to keep moving but he figured he would wait for his superior, what better guy to team up with than the violence loving Dark Ace right?

The thoughts about all this in his mind whirrled around. Although he was snapped back into reality as another zombie talon entered his room, and was now stalking towards them with his hands reaching out ready to grab.

Since Dark Ace was unarmed, the talon who saved him leapt forward to protect him. He was only carrying a metal bar but it was better than nothing, as he kept it busy Dark Ace grabbed his sword and turned his attention back to the struggled talon. Only to find that he had just been bitten.

No more questions or worries, his killer instincts took control and his adrenaline surged through his body. With a spring in his step he ran towards the two talons, and sliced his blade through the zombie's neck, leaving it to drop to the floor headless.

He hadn't been this gruesome with his victims for a while, and it gave him a pleasurable urge to continue the slaughter.

He turned to the now bitten talon, panting with excitement at what was now a fight to the death.

"Don't get bitten huh?" He said with a cruel smile. The talon gasped with a horrified look smacked across his face, as the Dark Ace swung his blade towards him, quickly ending his life. "Thanks for the tip."

There was no worthy supplies or weapons to grab in his room, so he headed straight for the door with his craving for more killing.

The hallways were darkned as the power was starting to fail. He kept at a steady pace because he didn't want to run out of energy or run into something he would regret.

Anyone who got in his way he would sleigh. Whether they were a zombie or not it didn't matter, he didn't stop to find out. Lets face it the other talons probably never stood a chance at survival anyway, they hadn't mastered the skills he had, or were ruthless enough to survive this war

He made his way towards his queen's chambers, and prayed to any Gods out there for her to be safe. Although he figured she must be, she was wise and skillfull. There was no way she would let herself get bitten.

Side stepping and hopping over dead bodies that lay mutilated on the floor, he edged closer and closer to his master's chambers.

He had sworn since the day he arrived on the terra that he would selflessly protect the young master cyclonis, and those rules still applied in a situation like this where looking out for yourself was probably the best option.

Besides teaming up with Cyclonis was a great idea, they worked well together and could easily survive this whole...war against the dead. He believed in her and she trusted him with her life. That's the way it was and always will be between them.

Finally after gutting and beheading countless talons on his journey, he pushed hard and fast on the door and did the same to close it.

Everything seemed so placid inside, his footsteps echoed through the high celiengs as he made his way towards her.

"Dark Ace?" Cyclonis called out to him with a weak tone in her voice. There she sat against a wall with her crystal staff locked in her hand. She had a fierce look in her eye that the commander only recognised on the battle field. The Dark Ace rushed to her side hoping that the blood trails on the floor weren't from her.

There was a zombie laying dead on the floor with it's head seemingly bashed in.

Dark Ace's words were rushed as he spoke to her.

"Master, I came as soon as I..." The rest of his sentence was lost when he saw that his master had a deep wound on her neck...had she been bitten? "What happened?"

"Urgh those canabilstic talons bit me! I feel too weak to get up. Dark Ace would you care to fill me in?" Despite her weakened state, she found the strength to fill her voice with bitterness. She was furious with what had happened to her and her empire.

Dark Ace just knelt there silent from shock and a little fear. How...How did this happen? How could his ruthless queen of all people fall victim to this?

"You...You've been bitten master?" There was a quiver in his voice now, despite trying to cover his fear.

"Yes that's what I said. Crystals don't work on them." Of course she was an easy snack to make. Without her crystals she was only strong enough to fend off another girl her age.

He didn't know what to say, her life was now...over. This though haunted his mind, how could he let this happen to her? Regardless of the fact he was trying to search for the right and easiest thing to say, no words formed, he just knelt there staying in horror at her wound. His eyes were filled with sorrow.

"Dark Ace pull yourself together." She said in that calm voice of hers, she was obviously oblivious to the danger she was in. "What's wrong with you? Just help me up so we can get out of here."

Even in a state like this she was right, he had to regain that firm, sensible state of mind. Yes this was a shock but he had to rise above it, he felt like a traitor thinking this way, but there was no other option. He needed to tell his master the truth and he had to do it now, who knows how long it took for this virus to take effect on it's victim.

"Master Cyclonis...I'm afraid that once you're bitten. You become one of them." He had managed to push the fear he felt right to the far end of his mind. He needed to be strong, it was the only way he would survive this. No one lived long when their emotions got the better of them.

"You think I'll-"

"I'm sorry Cyclonis but it's true theres nothing we can do. Soon you'll become one of them, it's happening all over the terra." His voice was almost robotic as his sense of logic fought a battle with his emotions.

"So soon I'll..."

"Yes. I'm...I'm sorry...Lark." And that was it his emotions had won. The bond he had with his queen was too powerful, there was no way he couldn't not have a sentimental moment with her. This was his last ever time with her. He didn't love her romantically but the love was still there as a servant and companion none the less.

"Dark Ace" She paused and looked at him, there was a glint in her eye he had never recognised before. The servant waited for his master's next words, promising to himself he wouldn't get too upset no matter what it was.

"This is all your fault." The emotional look on his face twisted into a sort of confusion. His fault? surely she didn' mean it. Unfortunately this scowl at him was dead serious, and was recognisable from whenever she punished her other talons.

"...What?" Was all that managed to escape his lips, as his master stared at him like she was about to erupt with anger.

"What do you mean what? If you had gotten here sooner none of this would have happened! You're supposed to be my best warrior and you couldn't even protect me! It's a shame really that only now am I realising how useless you can be. It's just as well I'm dying Dark Ace, otherwise I would have you thrown to the wastelands before you could whimper the words 'Forgive me master'!"

Was she seriously mad at him? But this wasn't his fault! However her last words made him feel like such a failure, he couldn't even look at her. He just wanted to hide away in a pool of his own self pity. Every hurtful word stabbed at his pride. So much for the bond he thought they had, was this what she really thought? Had their 'partnership' just been to keep his pride in tact so he would remain a better tool for her? These were questions he now feared, and would never be answered.

She was dying, leaving her servant feeling like nothing.

Not even Repton and Snipe combined could give him enough strength to help him kill his master, as her body began the transformation. The words she left him with made him feel distressed, he didn't even have the will power to end her life before she became a walking corpse. He felt so ashamed that he simply got up and walked away, he couldn't kill her. He knew that when he looked in her eyes, he would still see the disappointed girl looking down on him like he was nothing, and it scared him enough to hold his sword back.

As the Dark Ace stood in the hall with his sword in his hand, gazing at the devastation before him with empty eyes, never before had he like felt like he had no purpose.

But he couldn't exactly stay here. 'For fuck sake legs move!' He thought to himself as his legs held firmly in place, preventing him to run through the scene before him. It's not like he couldn't live without his master, but her critism knocked him back a bit.

He didn't even notice the zombiefied talon just seconds away from biting his shoulder, until it fell flat on it's face infront of him with an arrow pierced in it's skull.

The gloomy thoughts evapourated in his mind as he realised where he was. It was a battle field and he was just standing there like an idiot.

Ravess ran towards him with another arrow at the ready.

"You haven't been bitten have you?" She asked him, her voice raised to be heard over the carnage. It sounded like she was worried but he figured he was just hearing things.

"Of course I haven't!" He yelled back feeling offened that she thought he would actually let himself get bitten.

His killing nature was returning now as he remebered who he was. He couldn't think about his master now he needed to get out of here.

He sprinted towards the hanger bay without another word to Ravess. Although she caught up to him pretty quickly, firing arrows square into the eye of any zombies who dared to get too close.

"I think it would be better if we teamed up Dark Ace." The commander prefered to work alone, but the archer made a lot of sense, they both had skills that would help them both a lot more if they worked together.

So he replied with a simple "Fine." and they ran off togther towards their skimmers.

He didn't bother asking about Snipe, despite their sibling rivarly, he figured if Snipe was still alive there was no doubt him and his sister would have teamed up.

As they flew away Dark Ace looked back only once at his home, as it slowly fell into ruin from the blood bath it held.

There was a few groups of talons who had managed to escape Cyclonia, darted around the sky. But Dark Ace didn't plan on joining them, Ravess was enough.

He looked at Ravess, who looked like she was trying to hold back tears. He never thought of her with a soft feminin side, but then again he was misjudging women a lot today.

The two of them flew off together with no plans and not a lot of hope between them. It was a first for the ruthless talons and they didn't really like it.

No words were exchanged between them, truth be told they both felt kind of awkward now that they had nothing to do or fight off. Dark Ace was again mulling over what Cyclonis had said and Ravess was just releieved to have found Dark Ace alive.

OoOo.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope there aren't a lot of Cyclonis fans who are pissed off with the fact I killed her off in the second chapter.

sorry!