Chapter 10: Does the Sheep Count the Sheep?

Leaving the safety of his office behind, President Gabriel Zepp took to the streets of his great nation in pursuit of the being known as 'Bedman'. For normal people, they'd be able to take in the sights as they ran. Zepp, however, left everything around him as a blur in his eyes. By leaning forward and kicking his feet against the ground faster than a rotating blender, the man attained speeds greater than most cars could reach. Even so, his arms were still folded behind his back and he took this as a brisk stroll.

As he ran, he spoke to his security forces "Where is the target currently located?" He received a panicked response "The barracks in Sector C! The special task force is trying to hold him back. The don't stand a chance! How could our elite soldiers be destroyed so easily?!"

Zepp shut the communicator off and mumbled "Bedman…This must be the child Potemkin mentioned in his report. I have little doubt now that he's working with the Conclave…Is he here hoping to interrupt our meeting with the king? Too little, too late…"

However, the man was not alone. Alex was keeping pace beside him, raising his brows to comment jokingly "Don't know why you're talking to yourself." Zepp's glance stayed forward as he replied with intense curiosity "…Tell me boy, why are you here?"

"I'm just working with Ky to stop the Conclave." Alex replied rather matter-of-factly, but Zepp quickly reprimanded his prior inquiry with a firm "I meant here." The boy blinked a couple times and then with a shrug of his arms out mentioned "You DID say 'you would hate to ask for help'."

Zepp grunted a prude "Hmph!" and replied to him "So breaking and entering was not enough for you, now you wish to impede upon a President's hunt?" Alex turned his head forward and said with a grin on his face "Oh come on now, more than one person can go on a hunt. Don't be selfish with the prey."

"Someone should teach you some manners, boy." Zepp remarked with perhaps a twinge of humor in his tone. For a moment, Alex paused in thought and then told him "Well tell you what, I'm feeling generous, so here's a word of advice."

For once, Zepp tilted his head a little towards Alex and let out an inquiring but dully humored "Oh? You wish to advise ME?" The boy gestured his hands out and explained "Bedman's not a foe to be taken lightly. He's already stood his ground with Sol Badguy and defeated Slayer."

Zepp commented with a tinge of surprise "Slayer? Hmph, that old bat must have let himself get rusty." Holding his hand out and charging it with bright orange energy, the President spoke confidently "These hands, which have kept the peace of Zepp itself in the balance, shall not give in to some terrorist."

Alex, with a bit of sweat inexplicitly trickling down the side of his face, said to the man "Yeah yeah, you're pretty strong, but I'm still going to help. The thing is, Bedman…might end up getting stronger." Zepp clenched his fist and left it devoid of energy as he looked at the boy, who cautiously elaborated "Look, if you see a purple aura surrounding Bedman…Be careful. I'd hate for one of the few good Presidents to die."

Zepp raised his head a little and commented "I shall trust you for now. But you should be prepared to undergo community service for your little break in once this matter has been dealt with." With a dry chuckle that weighed on how screwed up his next comment would be, Alex spoke "Yeaaaah…you'll have to wait until I'm not Ky's prisoner anymore."

With a slight glance to the right, Zepp's brows raised without disrupting his skin. The boy shook his head and whispered "I know, I'm a real delinquent ain't I?" He then raised his head up and asked "Now…are we done running around in circles? Bedman's going to get away."

Zepp, with a docile grin, told him "Get away? A cornered cub prefers to stand and fight…Perhaps I shall be able to give you a decent lesson after all, boy." Like a bolt of lightning, Zepp zipped off the edge of the circular chasm and descended towards the lone steel bridge suspended over a bottomless pit. Alex swerved sideways to brake and then leap off after Zepp, saying as he dropped "To quote Sol, 'nice to see there's someone with a head on their shoulders…'"

Around this bridge were a few thick pillars that sent power through the nation of Zepp, and on the other side of the bridge was a door leading deeper into the nation. But those sights were trite distractions in the face of the person standing eerily still in the center of the bridge. Zepp landed straight up and somehow didn't dent the bridge, and a moment later Alex slowed his descent to land beside him. Then they both looked at the nation's assailant, Bedman.

Living up to his name, the young boy wore a dark violet bedroom robe and laid upright on a bendable mechanical bed. He was suspended by large nails in his shoulders, yet his expression was merely a close-eyed smile. His hair was short and ivory with a strange downward arrow on the front, which appeared to point at his large rounded glasses. His bed was outfitted with two extendable arms with spiked wheel shoulders and hands, and a pair of pointed tiny legs that somehow kept that heavy thing standing. Finally, atop the back of his bed frame was a grey mechanical head with hollow red "+" eyes and an olden style regal crown.

There was something perturbing about the way the Bedman stood still, but Zepp merely held the back of his right hand towards them and spoke out "You've made quite a mess of my home! Tell me…Where should I send the invoice for all this damage? The Conclave? Valentine, perhaps?" Bedman did not say a thing, and Zepp raised a hand to his chin and told him in a dry tone "Are you too sleepy to talk, young man?"

Zepp's bones cracked as he pulled his right fist back and exclaimed "That's unfortunate, it's time for you to rise and shine!" Suddenly the man found his wrist latched onto by Alex's firm grip, and he tilted his head to look at the boy while stating bluntly "You have quite a lot of moxie, boy. That strange aura you mentioned has not yet appeared. Your concern is unnecessary."

Alex shook his head and had a tense expression on his face and let go of Zepp. Looking straight at the motionless Bedman, he commented "It doesn't appear right away. Besides…something's not right."

"To be held back by some hot-headed interloper, how the mighty have fallen Gabriel. Honestly for someone like you to even take the time out of their busy, busy schedule to confront me should've been an honor, emphasis on 'should've'." An incredibly fast-talking and condescending voice spoke out to Zepp and Alex, but their foe's mouth did not move. Rather, the voice was being projected into their heads by Bedman, who only Alex knew was standing in the white void of his own mind, likely with an arrogant grin and uncaring posture.

Alex called out in a slightly surprised tone "I can't believe you're acknowledging us. What, want to get your last words in before you die?" Bedman's mental self smiled and said "Now that's humorous, why would a god acknowledge the ants nipping at his heels? No true god should feed the arrogance that's undeserved, unearned, unnecessary."

Alex's expression did not change, and Bedman told him "Oh I'm sorry are my words too much for you? I suppose a bull's mental faculties are very lacking, perhaps you'd better reciprocate to some 'moos'."

Zepp started to step forward and said unflinching "You are sharp with your words, but can you say the same for the way you fight?" Bedman replied with a smirk while crossing his fingers before his neck "You doubt my mettle? Well perhaps you should ask the vampire, though considering his lack of bite perhaps it'd be better to call him a gnawing puppy."

Zepp stamped his feet firmly in the ground and told his foe sincerely "A pity…that man deserves nothing but the utmost respect for his dandyism." Then, without warning, Zepp's fist fired forth as fast as a bullet. Quite fittingly, a bullet-like fist-shaped projectile then rocketed straight towards Bedman. With a static-y distortion, Bedman teleported away just as the fist struck the bridge, sending up a mighty plume of golden fire that shook the very bridge.

In a moment of agape awe of seeing this power demonstrated in person, Alex nearly failed to notice Bedman reappearing behind him and going for an immediate stab at the neck. Turning around just as the sharp tip nicked the right of his neck, Alex grappled his arms around the machine's joints and magnetized his feet to the ground. Then with a firm swerve the boy began to swing Bedman towards Zepp.

"Heads up President!" Alex exclaimed. Zepp turned away from the bridge he left aflame and swung his fist straight at Bedman's chest. With knuckles bearing centimeters from his actual body, Bedman teleported directly behind Zepp and raised his right arm, spinning it around like a saw blade. When he dropped it down upon Zepp, the man threw the back of his hand up without turning and the spikes grinded against his skin without leaving a scar.

When sparks flew out and nothing else, Bedman retracted his arm and slid back before a lightning bolt could smite him. Alex had thrown it from above and quickly dropped down, charging right at Bedman with his sword drawn. Bedman raised the back of his wheel to block the blade as the force of the slash dragged the two through the fire.

Gritting his teeth, Alex swung his other hand out to try and blast Bedman with fire, but the other wheel came up in defense. Instead, Alex dug his fingers into the grooves around the wheel and tried to pull it apart while saying "You know, I'm REAAAAALLY glad you're the one I'm taking my anger out on!"

"Hmhmhm, you are looking for satisfaction is that it? How dull, satisfaction is something you can obtain but never something you can truly permanently contain. Think of it like money, you can have it but eventually you have to get rid of it and then you're just left wanting more." Bedman paused for a nanosecond and continued "Not that I expect you to get the metaphor, when someone says 'penny' you probably think the girl's name."

Alex grit his teeth a little and replied sarcastically "Yeah yeah, good one brainiac." Bedman held his arms out and said "Curious, I don't know whether to register your remarks as stupidity or a defense mechanism. Certainly you could bother to expend those efforts towards protecting your brain instead. Do you not seem to understand that I am a mind reader? Then again there's something peculiar about you interloper, you know me but I don't recall you, personally I despise that."

As Alex pulled the right arm away and got a good look at Bedman's face, he bit his lower lip and for a moment realized he forgot the extent of his foe's powers. Bedman clapped his hands and said "Ah of course, bravo, the anger washed away and you realize just now the extent of your stupidity…Alex Whiter? Yes that's the name I've just plucked out, congratulations, you're now a part of my mind. Unfortunately the body shall not receive such a luxury, so lets dig a little deeper and see what we can use…"

The boy is unable to do anything as Bedman's gaze penetrated the recesses of his mind, digging into the black void within and commenting all the while "Yes yes, Elemental Overlord, powers of the seven elements, Phoenix Form how pretentious…This is all stuff I gleamed from your spat with the Flames of Corruption, come on show me something more. What exactly makes you tick, little sheep?"

Barely a few seconds into Alex's mind, Bedman smirked and commented as a flicker of light came into view "There we go, now this looks rather in-" Then, in a single moment, the hollow visage of a middle-aged man shot forth, his body's outline engulfed in a dark, burning crimson hotter than hellfire. With just a piercing widening of that figure's eyes, Bedman's body in reality shot back and his mental self let out a blood-curling gasp.

His glasses made ajar, Bedman's shaking hand propped them up as he stammered while Alex looked at him in confusion "What manner of unholy hell was that?! Such power, impossible, improbable, indescribable…! Who are you…What are you?! Something like that should be explainable by the logic of the world if it's not than am I supposed to believe you have contained the power of God himself? No, such a power should not be perceivable, I refuse to believe that!"

Then, with the bed frame swinging it's arms out, a purple aura burst forth into existence around Bedman, with the machine's eyes glowing a pale yellow. Alex grit his teeth and swung his sword aside while thinking about the outburst "Wait, it couldn't be…" Pondering on that would have to wait as Bedman's power had increased, with them mentally declaring "For you I will give TEN percent!" while having sweat on their face.

Zepp stormed back into battle by leaping over the fire and declaring "Hmph, a meaningless boast!" Then, with arms folded back, he kicked his legs down and struck the air so hard that friction kicked in and caused his efforts to make a slicing blade of energy down at Bedman. Suddenly, Bedman teleported away from that and got directly in front of Zepp while swinging his left arm out.

Zepp thrust his fist to punch the back of the wheel but then was taken off-guard when the other arm shot up with the speed of a recoiling pistol. Even as he pulled his head back in the nick of time, Zepp's face was cut. With a firm kick, Zepp pushed Bedman away and flew back towards the fires on the bridge. Alex swiped his hand out to blow away the fire with a moist wind and then jumped up to grab Bedman by the back of his frame.

Charging his body full of electricity, Alex spun around and kept holding on to Bedman while ascending further into the air. Bedman remarked "You think your little powers are a match for an intelligent mind? Ha! Laughable!" Then the machine summoned a distorted bomb and threw it towards the ground right before Alex turned them both upside-down and began his descent.

When the bomb touched the bridge, Bedman teleported right out of Alex's grip and landed on the ground. Alex spun around and with the electricity gathering in his hand. Cracking a smirk, the boy thrust his hand down and sent a giant thunderbolt towards his foe. Bedman was struck hard by the attack and his mental self grit his teeth, commenting in slight surprise "D-Damn it! Why am I letting this interloper get the better of me?!"

Alex landed on the ground and dispelled his sword to pull his fist back, replying in a quick and arrogant tone mockingly similar to Bedman's "You shouldn't have spent so much time trying to tear me down, I'd say that was futile, foolish, a flop. Perhaps you'd have been better off using that time to maybe, hmmm, get good?"

"Don't mock me as though you have a leg to stand on, you're still just a cog in the machine. Once I figure out where to place you then everything will continue on the way it should. Your interference is just a minor distraction, nothing more, nothing less." Bedman's response got Alex to roll his eyes before he charged forth and said "If you're going to keep that mouth flapping then enjoy chewing on this spicy knuckle sandwich!"

With his fist on fire, Alex was suddenly joined by Zepp in going for a straightforward punch on Bedman. The boy swung his mechanical arms up for defense, but when those punches connected not even the great defense of his frame could stand against their power. The wheels cracked at the center and the joints broke apart a bit too.

Bedman widened his eyes and remarked "I-Impossible! This 8th generation reinforced high-density bed frame shouldn't be bending to mere physical force?!" Zepp pulled back his fist and wiggled the fingers around, looking up and revealing the tiny cut under the right side of his mustache "How delicate…If you truly defeated Slayer, I can only imagine it was through cowardice."

"Damn you Gabriel!" Bedman's declaration was followed by him being spoken to by a gentle, feminine voice "Bedman…You've done enough, retreat."

Bedman's mental self grit his teeth, his body trembling a little outside as he looked at Alex, and he suddenly blurted out "With all due respect, no. Letting this anomaly preside in his current state will only backfire on us tremendously. I am not concerned with the President, I shall eliminate this interloper swiftly."

Zepp raised his brows a little and then swung his arm out towards Alex, telling him gently "Allow me to handle this. If this child thinks I am one to be brushed aside…I shall give him a rude awakening." Stamping a foot on the ground, Zepp thrust both his fists out from the chest and a twisting spiral made up of two fist bullets shot right out, only for Bedman to teleport over to one of the pillars.

Bedman leaped from the pillar and prepared to drop all his weight atop of Alex. Zepp, however, charged from the bridge like a bullet and crossed his arms to strike Bedman in the neck, pinning him back against the pillar. "Gck…!" Bedman grunted and then swiftly teleported away to another pillar. Zepp spun so his feet stuck to the side of the pillar and then leaped out after his foe.

A series of teleportations and high-speed dashes occurred between Zepp and Bedman, with the occasional blow thrown between them. Alex stayed on the bridge and kept up with it all, commenting with a slight chuckle "Wow…Even against a powered-up foe, Zepp's just too strong." the boy then widened his eyes and proclaimed out to the man "Hey Zepp, try and get Bedman back to the bridge!"

Bedman remarked upon hearing that "He really is a fool isn't he? Now I will simply avoid the ground and his traps will not impede me." Zepp, however, smirked and leaped off the pillar out of the way of Bedman's attack, landing on the bridge. With Alex having his arms raised, he looked at the calm Zepp and said "Oh hey you picked up on that. Guess that's why they used to call you General."

Then, with Bedman perplexed, Alex swung his arms right down and churned a powerful downward draft that began to drag Bedman down towards the chasm. Zepp gripped his fists tightly and said "Now…it is time to put an end to this. I had thought fit to use my ultimate attack on you, Bedman, but instead I shall use something a little stronger…"

To escape the winds, Bedman teleported back onto the bridge, but he could not escape the pain that would soon be inflicted upon him. With his back to his foe, Zepp hunched over and his body surged with a furious energy. "An attack powerful enough to wipe out any living thing within eight meters…concentrated upon a single foe. This is my…AGNI! XII!"

Alex watched as the energy was about to be unleashed upon Bedman, but then widened his eyes and realized "Wait, that means me!" He then flew high enough to avoid what was coming next. Erupting from Zepp's body were hundreds of fist bullets, all of which flew skyward for just a brief moment. Then, helpless to escape, all those fists rained down and smashed into Bedman's body from all directions. It was the most unholy of massacres, with not even Bedman's surprised cries of pain able to be heard.

For fifteen seconds, this attack continued on while Alex could only imagine how much pain HE'D be in if he had to face this head-on. When Zepp decided he had enough, his energy stopped instantly and he turned around and immediately broke into a stroll towards Bedman. The purple aura was gone, and his bed frame had gained a few more cracks. Zepp raised his brows and said "So you're still alive? Well then, maybe you can answer some questions…" The man picked Bedman up by the chest and hauled all that weight over his shoulder like he was light as a pillow.

Alex landed behind Zepp, who commented on his presence quietly "And that's the end of that." The boy nodded his head and said honestly "If only you weren't busy being a President…"

"I cannot solve all these other nations' problems. You are lucky Bedman was foolish enough to attack MY nation." Zepp firmly turned around and then extended his free hand out. As Alex approached he gave a couple puzzled blinks. It was only when Zepp commented "The people of Zepp thank you for your help regardless" that the boy understood what this meant.

With his heart skipping a beat, Alex pointed at himself and commented "Y-You're pulling my leg. A president wants to shake my hand?" When Zepp gave an unamused glance, the boy smiled and quickly extended his hand out to shake it. Zepp's firm grip made Alex's hand feel a little sore afterwards.

Zepp then inquired "Before I return…Did I not hear that right? Did you say that you joined the fight to relieve some anger?" Alex closed his eyes and thought "Oh great, he's going to give a lecture now."

Turning around, the scuffling of Zepp's shoes against the ground got Alex to widen his eyes in surprise. The man simply said "You have technique but lack control. Work on your emotions, and perhaps I shall spar with you someday." He then bent down, giving a brief glance back to say "Tell the King that he is welcome to use the communication line. Farewell, Alex Whiter."

With a rocketing leap, the man shot out of the chasm and vanished from sight. Alex rubbed the back of his head and commented "Why can't more leaders be that kick-ass?" Afterwards he shrugged his shoulders and decided to make his way back to Ky and Sol. It was a short flight, and when he entered the office he found Ky sitting on a chair with a hand on his chin and Sol leaning against a wall. Zato had disappeared.

Ky looked at Alex and said in a hesitant tone "You're back. What happened to the President?" The boy gestured his hands out and mentioned "He's busy performing the most poin-" With a pause, Alex shook his head and decided on sounding a little more respectful "Errr, he has Bedman in custody for interrogations."

"That old fart beat him? You expect me to believe that?" Sol commented while pulling away from the wall. Alex swung his hand out and said with a proud smile "Well, I was there too." Only for the man to grumpily say "Then I believe it even less."

With a shift to a small frown, Alex shook his head a little before pulling a Bedman on Sol and telling him "Are you just talking like that cause you're stupid or is that a defense mechanism?" The man widened his eyes a little and with a grumpy grunt turned away. Alex then looked at a sighing Ky to tell him "Anyways, Zepp said you could use the communications system. Luckily Bedman didn't break them."

Ky got up from the chair and said "I will get on that immediately. Before that though…Mind explaining why you were spying on our meeting?" Sol joined in with his own comment "Not only that, you left your fellow dumbasses alone on the ship. They're probably tearing it up with their party as we speak!"

"P-Party?!" Ky and Alex stuttered in differing tones of surprise. The more aware sounding Alex received Ky's stare immediately, forcing him to answer "It was Shina's birthday party ok. Don't worry, we kept it in the interrogation room, and nobody is harmed or drunk."

Sol grit his teeth and looked like veins were popping out of his forehead. After a few seconds, he started heading for the door while saying "Well now I need a goddamn drink. Zepp better have some good shit in their bars."

When he was gone, Alex looked at Ky and the man shook his head a little, unable to explain that attitude. The boy told him "Well, whatever, I'm going for a walk. Not every day you get to explore a floating continent. Hopefully we'll have something to go on with the Conclave soon…" Then he was gone, and Ky was able to get in contact with his ally in Illyria not long after.

Hours passed until it was nighttime again, and in the interrogation room Ramlethal sat by herself petting the magehound as moonlight basked in on her quiet figure. The room had been cleaned of the party, but that still weighed heavily on her mind. Soon though, her peace would be disturbed as she'd find the room around her distorting until her body was carried away into a white void. There, she was greeted by Bedman nearby, who leaned back against empty air and said "Hello Ramlethal…We need to talk."

Next Time: I Am Human