XIV

Contempt

Dai barely contained a startled scream as he stared into the loaded barrel. "What the hell man?! Will you put that down for God's sake?! You could have shot m-!"

Before he could finish Bando's other hand was already on his mouth. "Shut up Hirano!" He hissed while gesturing for him to keep his voice down.

In the tense moments, Dai scanned the other man from head to toe. To him, Bando looked like he had been to hell and back. His clothes were in tatters, his face was covered in scratches and bruises, and a deep cut ran across his forehead. He himself wasn't in any better shape.

"You keep yelling like that and we're going to be in trouble," Bando pointed out as he gestured for Dai to look in one direction. Beyond the crates the two of them were hiding behind, a few dozen armed men were standing around, clad in what appeared to be black colored body armor. Well that was certainly different than the men they'd encountered before.

Dai made sure to keep his voice down knowing of their presence. "Who are those people? What are they doing near that large trailer?"

"No idea who these guys are but they certainly aren't Yakuza, look." He pointed towards the men in question. "Neither their gear nor their M.O. matches the Yakuza. These guys are professionals. And as for what's in the trailer… well one of the punks I interrogated earlier said something about weapon components, but I have my doubts about that."

"Well we have a bigger problem. That thing is still out there and I've seen it kill. It almost got me as I tried to get here. Say we somehow take these guys out, which is highly improbable in itself, then we'll be only targets left for that creature. If we're smart, we'll let it take care of them for us while we get the hell out of here ourselves. I keep on telling you, we can't face it! What do I need to do to get you to understand?!"

"Like hell I'm just going to slither away from this fight. We're not leaving this place until I know what's inside that fucking trailer and until I manage to fuck up the bastard responsible for. Got that, Hirano?" Bando growled in response. "Besides, we've gone through all this trouble. We might as well finish the job."

Dai sighed, just as he had feared there was no reasoning with Bando at this point. He had already figured that the man would have been too stubborn to leave without a fight but now it was starting to border on being just suicidal. "Come on now, we still have no idea how many Yakuza members are running around in here, then there are these professionals as you put it, and finally we have a literal creature from hell running loose and killing people. You must really want to die tonight."

Then, suddenly, as if on cue, all the men simply turned around and left the premises. Neither of them knew what to make of this fortunate turn of events. "It's got to be a trap." Bando whispered hotly after a moment's hesitation. Nevertheless after a few more minutes of silence, he got up from their hiding spot and quickly made his way towards the trailer while still keeping a cautious eye at his surroundings. Under the cover of darkness, he reached the trailer relatively quickly.

Keeping himself prone but ready to move at a moment's notice, Dai rushed over to the trailer as well once he got the signal that it was safe. "Alright, you're here now. Take a good look to satisfy that crazy mind of yours and let's hightail it out of here. We are taking one hell of a risk here you know."

"God, Hirano! You're worse than a nagging mother!" Bando snapped as he stared at the lock. "Damn. Bastards lock it. Hirano, see if you can find something to cut this open with, we need to see what is inside before they come back. And hurry if you wanna get out of here!"

With a sigh Dai turned around to look for a tool or something, briefly considering telling Bando to just shoot the damn thing before rejecting the idea almost instantly. That was just going to draw more attention and lead them into more trouble, he was sure of it.

When the search proved fruitless, he decided to just give up; this was getting them nowhere. "Bando, we are wasting time! What if we get cornered here? We don't ha-!" He stopped talking when the lights suddenly turned on and a sickening laughter greeted them. It was a set up.

The mood inside the inn was almost festive as Saeko's mood. Her news was met with joy, and everybody else seemed to be genuinely happy for her. The talk at the dinner table was centered on who these two new friends were, though from time to time Kouta would interrupt with rules about going out with people outside the family. That was all old news mostly, as Nana and Saeko had both heard them spoken so many times that they could recite these rules even in their sleep.

"Saeko-san I'm so happy for you," Nana mentioned though every once in a while a hint of jealousy flashed through her eyes. "So when will you be seeing them again?"

And so Saeko began explaining for the third time that both girls were actually from her class, a fact that had really surprised Yuka the first time. "And so, I'm going to see them again tomorrow in class. I'm slightly nervous about it as I've never had friends before."

Fortunately she had been reassured by Yuka earlier that it was fine if she wanted to go out with her friends. It would do her good after all. "Just make sure you're back in time for dinner and don't forget to leave some time to do your homework. Also, if anything happens then be sure to call us."

While some concerns still remained, Saeko was happy for the most part and pushed the negative feelings aside. "I will, Yuka-san." She promised feverishly, hoping that nothing would happen where she needed to call home. She wanted nothing more than to be able to have a nice time out of the house and she prayed that her new friends were honest.

"Alright now, go and finish dinner. After that you can do your homework. I will get the bath readied for you." Getting up Kouta picked up the dishes and left for the kitchen.

"Nozomi-chan and I will do the cleaning, so you girls can go when you're finished." Yuka added as she and Nozomi gathered the empty plates and dishes before disappearing into the kitchen as well. Even with the door closed Saeko and the others could still hear them talk.

"So Mayu?" Nana spoke up quietly. "These new friends of Saeko-san... you have seen them right? Did they look like nice people to you?"

Nodding her head Mayu quickly informed her on her impressions of both Yuzu and Azusa. Though she had only met the two briefly, Mayu had a very positive opinion of the girls and was delighted that Saeko would be surrounded by such nice people. From what Saeko had told her earlier, they seemed to be acting on honest intent, though until she could get a chance to speak to them again personally there wasn't much she could go off of apart from that.

Nana listened intently with an equal mix of joy, concern, and a hint of jealousy. Just hearing about it all was making her yearn for going to school along with the others even more. Being stuck in the house all day was beyond boring, but unlike Saeko she was cursed with a body that aged too fast. That said she was still really happy for Saeko having friends which made life so much easier to bear, and in bad times having a friend could really make a difference.

She herself knew all too well how it had felt when she met Mayu, her first real friend. It had been a revelation and Mayu's company had let her forget about all the sad things for a bit. Friends were important to have; being alone was just a sad way to live one's life.

The owner of the laugh let out a slow applauds as he approached Dai and Bando. "Welcome! Welcome! Well I guess I have you two little blighters to thank for all of the needless commotion! My admiration for the two of you! And my sincerest irritation, as we were supposed to have already finished this off," He tilted his head slightly. "But you two just had to mess it up! You just had to waltz into this acting like heroes! Well let me tell you this, we don't live in such a clear cut world. You two are nothing but pests!"

At the lift of his arm, dozens of guns were suddenly loaded and aimed at the two intruders. The Seventh was definitely ready to get this annoyance over with. They were trapped with no way out.

"Honestly, it's a shame this will end like this. My employer would have certainly been able to provide two skilled associates such as you with appropriate employment. Still, I can't afford to take such an unnecessary risk, you two have already caused me more than enough trouble as it is. You can die here. There's nothing you guys can do to save your asses so might as well surrender your weapons obediently. Then I can at least guarantee you a swift death."

Dai hesitated at first, and his jaws almost dropped when he found that Bando was already in the process of dropping his weapons. That was the last thing he'd expect his rash partner to do. Reluctantly, he too got rid of his gun, though not before noticing a faint growl coming from Bando's side. The guy was planning something alright.

"You have led me on a merry dance but this ends here."

With a quick glance around, they could see little else than the black clad men with plenty of Yakuza were amongst their ranks. There easily had to be somewhere near four, five, possibly even six dozen men standing there. Dai was feeling uneasy as even with Bando's confident facade; they were heavily outnumbered.

"Don't worry about your next of kin; nobody is ever going to find your remains. I will see to that personally. Any last request or shall we just cut to the chase and get this over with? I'm starting to run late with this shipment thanks to you and we have a tight schedule to keep."

At this moment Dai noticed that Bando still had his pistol tucked in his belt. While the idea of having a weapon nearby brought some level of comfort, he wasn't going to get a chance to actually draw and fire it, not without them noticing first. "Bando, don't." He whispered but his plea seemed to fall on deaf ears, still he counted himself fortunate that so far he had been able to resist pulling it out.

"Now please step away from that trailer, I would hate to see the shipment damaged because you two are planning on doing something stupid." The Seventh gestured for them to walk towards him. "Also hands in the air. Don't needlessly complicate this anymore than it needs to be."

Reluctant as he was, Dai didn't see any other option but to comply. Even if by some miracle of God Bando managed to draw the pistol without someone shooting them half dead, he only had so much ammo. There was not nearly enough to take on all the men. The end was near; he could feel the fear permeating in every inch of his being. Just as Dai was going to say a few last words Bando interrupted.

"Hirano, get ready. When I give the sign you run towards that door." He whispered towards him. "I'll distract them long enough for you to bring back a surprise. Just don't stop for anything."

The grin on his face wasn't a good sign at all. Looking down he noticed that Bando was balancing a sheet of metal on his foot, though where he got that sheet from was a mystery to Dai. The whole situation was getting stranger by the second.

Dai wasn't too content with just following orders, though. He could understand running towards the door and out of danger but it was madness for Bando to stay here and try to take on these guys with just a pistol and a sheet of metal. Besides, what surprise was he talking about? "What the hell are you talking about? You really have gone mad, haven't you?"

Bando was chuckling as he looked back. "Use your head Hirano. I want you to get out there and get the attention of that thing, make it chase you."

"What?! Have you gone insane?!" Dai hissed underneath his breath, no this went even beyond insane. "Has getting hit in the head so many times finally gotten to you?! You want for me to get chased?! By that?! How the hell do you suggest I do that?!"

Shaking his head in disapproval Bando had no words to describe the scene that Dai was making, they didn't have the time for that right now. "Just shut up and listen Hirano! You're going to play bait whether you like it or not! You will make that damn thing follow you and then lead it back here! I suggest you do run like hell when it's behind you!"

"B-Bando… you… sick… bastard!"

His concerns were simply waved aside by Bando. "Other than you stumbling or it being a lot faster than you what could go wrong?"

Dai's fists clenched. "I'm… not even… going to point out… just how messed up… this is." He was grinding his teeth. "I swear to God… that if this goes wrong… you'll pay… this is your worst plan ever." He kept on grumbling, the things that could go wrong with this likely went up in the thousands, his chances of actually surviving this mad scheme not so.

"OI YOU TWO! YOU'RE STARTING TO ANNOY ME! NOW SHUT YOUR TRAPS AND GET YOUR WORTHLESS ASSES OVER HERE NOW! TRY ANYTHING STUPID AND WE WILL SHOOT!" Seventh's face clearly showed that he was getting pretty irritated. "I won't warn you again, I certainly don't like hearing you two talk like that."

Bando cracked a smile. "Come on now, get ready. Don't let me down or else we're both dead," He mentioned and before Dai could react, he had kicked up the sheet of metal high enough to grab and throw towards the Seventh's men.

Three of them were knocked down instantly. Seizing the moment Bando, reached for his gun and racked the arming slide. "HOW'S THIS, YOU ASSHOLES?!" He yelled.

Before their bodies had even hit the ground, he ran back to the trailer, using it as a shield to protect him from the other men's guns. From behind the container, he fired specifically in sections, picking off the men from left to right. Some of the attackers crumbled, their black body protectors breached by his shots. Four men were downed by this as he continued to shoot into the fray. When he heard a click, Bando dropped the magazine and slammed in a fresh one before opening fire once more. In the midst of action, he almost missed one of the men sneaking up to his right. Said man leveled his submachine gun, but he wasn't fast enough and Bando pulled his trigger, knocking out the new threat. His jaw hardened when he noticed the clenched fist icon on the guy's left shoulder guard.

Grabbing the submachine gun he emptied the full clip into the body of men. He screamed in fury as the hammer slammed empty, throwing aside the weapon and drew his pistol as he dropped to one knee and took careful aim. Two men dropped instantly.

He felt impacts slam into his chest, but nothing, not even death itself would prevent him from taking out his enemy. Pain ripped through him, but he ignored it, hammering his boot into the man's chest. He reversed his grip on the dagger's hilt and drove it downwards through the chest of the fallen man, hate-fueled strength driving it hilt-deep into its victim, Blood splashed him. His breath pounded in his throat, his heart beating wildly against his chest.

Finally forcing himself to a stop, Dai halted reluctantly, taking in deep breaths of air while also listening to see if anyone had followed him. The silence that greeted him was enough to signal that Bando's distraction had worked. It appeared that sometimes those insane plans of his actually weren't so crazy after all.

Shots and screams could still be heard in the distance, even with the doors shut tight. Dai couldn't imagine what kind of a war had broken out inside the area, but he offered a quick prayer for Bando's safety. He knew the man was a competent soldier, but the odds were against him this time, so how much longer he could hold out would really depend on how quickly Dai could do his part of the job.

"Goddamnit, come on! Don't waste any more time, you need to get going. Face that thing and make it follow you." He told himself, trying to steady his nerves. "Every second counts here."

All he needed to do was to think of how to find the creature and then get it to the fighting before it got a hold of him first. Dai stopped in his musings, realizing how simple it all was. "Damn beast is going to find me first anyway. I just need to make enough noise." He coughed as he gazed down as his weapon. Firing it would certainly make the noise but he didn't want to run out of ammo. "I need to defend myself when it comes to that..."

There was every chance that this could go horribly wrong if the beast didn't play along as they wanted. If he got trapped or if it managed to corner him then it would be over for both him and Bando. No, he couldn't let them end that way, painfully and tragically with no remains to even bring their families comfort. Reassuring himself he started to walk further down the hall, every part of his body protesting as if telling him not to go through with it, for him to turn back. "I have to," he told himself trying to shake off his doubts.

Any doubt on his part, however slight, could lead to him making a mistake and he couldn't afford any. This plan was all hinging on timing and split second decisions. "Hold on Bando! Don't you dare to die on me before I get back." Taking note of where he was and other markings to help him find his way back Dai continued further into the darkness.

A sudden explosion in the distance caught his attention, which was a good indication that he had already found the creature. Whoever it was that made the explosion definitely wouldn't have done so without good reason. A deep voice, rich and full of threat drifted towards him.

"You are going to die, little man. You have led us a merry dance, but now it is over."

Dai closed his eyes and swallowed slowly. "Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn…" Suddenly, he knew what to do. He broke into a sprint, running the way he'd come all the while screaming and yelling at the top of his lungs. Under normal circumstances, he would be bothered by the fact that the men would laugh at him for sounding like a wimp. In this case however, the more noise he made the sooner it would notice him.

"Hey you!" He could hear them yell. "Get back here you coward! Face us like a man and fight! Coward!" With a grin on his face he ran even faster, let them shout.

Cursing and growling the Seventh picked himself off the floor. The bodies of the men who were killed were strewn around him. "What the fuck?!" He couldn't believe it, but that bastard had done the unthinkable and actually attacked him. "You are braver than I took you for...Or dumber!" He chuckled as he said those words. Truly he had underestimated his opponent, cursing himself for not having shot the guy as soon as he had them captured.

The madman was exchanging shots with his troops, a pitiful sight really. Although the troops greatly outnumbered him, it seemed that his sudden brash attack had shaken their resolve. "Bunch of amateurs!" The Seventh spat as he tried to locate his adversary once more. This situation was quickly becoming one of the biggest headaches he'd ever had.

He was appalled by the sloppy approach his men were making. "Will you fools stop pretending to be idiots and just fucking kill him?!" He yelled in frustration. "Do I have to do everything myself?! YOU GUYS ARE FUCKING USELESS!"

Two more men dropped to the floor all of a sudden, blood pouring out from punctures in their torsos. Not even their body armor seemed to protect them. "Damn bastard. Just who the hell are you?" He asked himself for the millionth time that night as he loaded the gun he was still holding. Though it wasn't as graceful as a knife, it would certainly get the job done. This had gone on for long enough; it was high time that he would end it. A part of him was admiring the man for his defiance, and he made note to get his name before he'd kill him. Such a valiant, though irritating, effort was worth being remembered. "SURROUND HIM YOU IDIOTS! HE CAN'T COVER ALL SIDES! USE THE SHIELD!" That finally brought some sense to the troops as several of the men left, shortly returning carrying the large shields to use for cover. Using good use of the protection offered by the shield, the remaining troops began to advance slowly, seeming to have gained the upper hand.

Seventh watched, advancing himself. "NOW DIG HIM OUT! AND FINISH HIM OFF!"

Bando scoffed as he noticed what the troops were doing, almost applauding the dolts for finally using their heads. Sure the shields were going to be a problem, but it wasn't an issue he couldn't overcome. Darting from cover he observed as their shots whizzed right by his form. "Well that certainly looked impressive!" Bando chuckled as he had dodged their barrage rather easily; that was some lousy aim on their behalf. When he ducked down into cover again he pulled one of the grenades he had taken earlier, thanking himself for having saved it. He just needed to make sure that it landed behind the shield, where it could do the most damage. He chuckled as he waited. The closer they got the easier it would be to accomplish that. Quickly checking the ammo of the weapon he had picked up he noted that it was also starting to run low. It was hardly a surprise considering how many rounds he'd shot already. Above the commotion he could hear the guy in charge ranting and raving. Damn the guy had an annoying voice and that horrible accent of his wasn't making it any better.

His eyes closed as he focused again on the approaching footsteps. It was time. Opening his eyes he made his move. Leaping from the trailer he used a quick burst of speed and took aim. Tossing the grenade, it skittered across the floor deep into the mass of men who were too slow to react. The grenade exploded within their ranks.

The confined area they had gathered in soon became a raging inferno, fire and shrapnel flying everywhere and the smell of blood mixing in with the screams of pain and fear. Grenades cooked off by the heat exploded as well, adding to the carnage. Bando also let out a scream as fire and whickering fragments lashed his body. The force of the explosion picked him up and slammed him against an assortment of crates, splintering under the impact. Bright lights burst before his eyes and the pain swallowed him whole. He grunted. Maybe that hadn't been such a good idea after all.

As the dust settled, Seventh stepped across the shattered debris and surveyed the devastated remains of the loading dock. Blood clotted on his chest where debris had hit him. Of course, that was the least of his concerns. This bastard had turned his carefully planned operation into a bloodbath, with dozens of his own men as well as the Yakuza now lying dead at his feet. Countless pieces of equipment were damaged beyond repair and worst yet, he had no idea what the condition of the cargo was.

He kicked the blackened, smoldering corpse of a soldier, taking out his frustration on the dead body. He wiped the dust from his face as he spat. Now more than anything he wanted to kill that bastard, and the dead would definitely be a slow and painful one.

"YOU BASTARD! SHOW YOURSELF! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS! YOU HEAR ME! MAKE YOU PAY! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He howled as he tried to look for his opponent among the ruins. With that blast even he must have taken a big blow. "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE HERE ALIVE! I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY OWN BARE HANDS!"

Kicking over another pile of rubble he searched, ignoring the pleas for help from his men. He could care less about them right now. If they couldn't look out for themselves then that was their own problem. He was their leader, not their babysitter.

"Hey you, mercenary!" A Yakuza member called out as he approached. The man's face bloodied and his clothes were a mess but otherwise he seemed unharmed. "Just what is going on here? This was not part of the deal! Our boss will not be pleased with the way this transaction is preceding! We supplied the requested goods, now you deliver the payment! Otherwise we leave and won't be so friendly when we come back!" It was clear that this guy wasn't going to concede. Great, just what he needed.

"I see," Seventh growled as he eyed the man closely; they were going to become a liability in the future. "You will get paid as per the agreement once we have taken custody and inspected the goods. There will be no exceptions, your job isn't over! You were charged with security and your men failed miserably. This entire mess is on your hands! In fact, I should charge you right here right now for the losses your incompetence has cost us!" He was going to make sure that this vermin understood what it meant to disappoint him in a manner that the Yakuza understood best. "You want to leave now? Fine! Take your damn fucking reward!"

In the blink of an eye before the man could even react, Seventh drew his dagger and grabbing hold of the guy's shoulders, rammed the full length of the blade into his throat. In one violent move he jerked it to the left, causing blood to squirt out in every direction. Having fallen to the ground, the man clutched at his throat in a vain attempt. Gurgling and gasping for air, he died in the puddle of his own blood.

"Any other complaints? No? Good. Now do your fucking job or else you're next!" He placed the dagger back into its scabbard before glaring at every single Yakuza member. Once this fight was over he was going to have them killed anyway. "Now get out of my sight! All of you! Find the guy and kill him, no exceptions. If you can't do that then I'll kill you instead! Understand?! Now get out of my sight you worthless pieces of shit!"

He had just about had it with these Yakuza and their bloody damn customs. Give him mercenaries any time. At least then he could be certain that they would get the job done for the pay. "Honor? Tradition? Morality? Code of conduct? What the hell. Worthless maxims, just words for the weak." He spat as he kicked the body to the side. He would see to it that the bodies would be disposed of and then report it to their employer, the rest would be up to them. It wasn't his concern anyway. He wasn't being paid to do that kind of work. First things first, the main priority now was killing this rotten bastard and then securing the cargo. Once that was done he would deal with the other one who'd run away. Suddenly the Seventh was pulled from his thoughts by a scream. He turned around just in time to catch sight of a blow that cracked the side of his face.

"You're going to face me first!" Bando spat as he struck again, reveling in the feel of bone cracking under his hands.

"Found you!" The man sneered, raising the fire axe. "Time to die!" Throwing himself to the side, Dai barely managed to avoid a blow that would have taken his head off.

"Stand still you coward and fight! You will pay for your transgression against us!"

Already the man had recovered from his previous swing and was about to attack again. Dai had to act fast, within the confined space they were in it was going to be difficult if not impossible to avoid all of the swings, so he had to seize the initiative. Fighting back would enable him to keep the man from swinging that axe. He may not be as good as Bando in a brawl, but he certainly wasn't a pushover when it came down to it.

"Don't take me lightly!" He yelled as he delivered a kick to the man's groin, grabbing onto the axe as he wrestled the man.

Though the man sank to his knees with a pained grunt, he didn't let go of the axe. "You're resorting to such cheap blows? Looks like you really are a coward!" He snarled as he pushed himself back on his feet. "I will show you what it means to fight like a man!"

With a violent tug, he jerked the axe from Dai's fingers before pounding said man's skull with a vicious blow that made him see stars. Before Dai could recover a low blow caught him in the jaws. The third blow almost made him fold. Coughing up blood he dropped to his knees. This wasn't going as planned. Still, he wasn't out of the fight just yet. Pushing himself off the ground he delivered a thunderous head-butt which caused his opponent to stagger back. Not giving the guy a chance to recover, Dai lashed out hard, his elbow smashing the man's nose, he could hear the bones crack. Hammering his fist the man's face seemed to do the trick as the man finally lost his grip on the axe as he tumbled back. Plucking it from him Dai got ready to continue his way back when from the corner of his eye he noticed that in his moment of laxity the other man had already regained his composure and got back up. Ripping the axe from his grasp the man grinned as he swung it down in a vicious arc that would certainly taken off his head.

Dai had but only the briefest of moments to leap to the side before the man's head exploded suddenly, letting the axe fall, clattering on the floor while the rest of the body crumpled in a ruined mess. It appeared that razor-sharp bolts had been the cause of such a gory scene. Dai had counted himself fortunate that it had been the man who had taken the hit first and not him, no telling what had shot those bolts though he felt he knew the answer.

He did think that he had seen the creature briefly out of the corner of his eyes before the blast went off that caused him to be covered in blood and bits of brain. "Just what the hell…?" Nothing of it made any sense. Where the blast had come from, what kind of ammo those bolts were, any of it. But he couldn't worry about that now; there was a bigger problem that needed to be addressed.

From around the wall its armored head appeared, swinging from left to right as if searching for something. Ignoring the bloodied body of the man the head turned towards him and hissed. As the light reflected of it Dai could see the segmented o armor that covered its broad neck and shoulders.

Not waiting for it to finish Dai resumed his sprinting as if his life depended on it. He had the monster's attention and now he was going to lead it back. He just hoped that he could keep ahead of it. The thunderous footsteps of the beast were not far behind him and it was slowly gaining speed.

"You fucking bastard!" Seventh spat as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "You got me good there but now you're finished! You got some real guts, but you should've stayed where you were hiding. At least then you'd be able to live a bit longer! Now let's find out what you are made of!"

Bando readied himself. "Bring it on!" He was aching for a fight and if this guy wanted one, then he was happy to give it to him. "I have dealt with assholes far tougher than you! When I'm done nobody is going to recognize you anymore! Why don't you try coming at me and putting your damn money where your fucking mouth is!"

Not waiting for Seventh to respond Bando leaped forward, fist raised and ready to strike. Their blows connected, causing both of them to stagger back. Bando was surprised that his opponent had been able to react so fast. He'd felt his ribs crack and knew that a brilliant bruise was definitely forming.

The Seventh was soon back in a fighting stance as he drew one of his dagger's. "Not too shabby. Let me introduce myself. I'm called Seventh, of the Twelve Daggers. Cross blades with me if you wish to die." He then took on a more relaxed fighting stance.

Bando just scoffed at the remark. "Heh, I have no such impressive titles; I'm simply called Bando. Maniac, madman, warmonger, what have you. I'll cross blades with you." He smiled as he also drew his own dagger in response.

"That dagger, it looks familiar. Where did you obtain it?" Seventh demanded as soon as he noticed it.

A vicious grin spread across Bando's face. "Took it from a guy I killed, bastard slit the throat of a little girl who was in the hospital. I made sure he got what he deserved!"

Seventh's face contorted with irritation upon hearing that. "So it was you who killed the Twelfth? Not much of a surprise, he was weak anyway. You'll find me to be a far more challenging opponent!"

The noise in the room fell silent as the two combatants circled one another, searching for a weakness in the other's defense. Seventh raised the dagger in a quick, mocking salute and, without warning, leapt towards Bando and thrusting with his blade. Bando swayed aside and swept his blade around, countering the attack by slashing the knife towards the Seventh. Unfortunately, the knife-wielder was well aware of Bando's intent and ducked just in time. Deflecting the sweep Bando stepped back, the knife raised before him. Seventh recovered his balance and advanced forwards. When he lunged again Bando expertly blocked the thrust, rolling his wrists and slashing at Seventh's head. Again, the man having read the move in Bando's eyes, and the Seventh dodged the blow.

Wary now, the pair circled each other again, their defenses alert for any sudden moves. Bando attacked first, a flashing whirlwind of steel, forcing Seventh back step by step. Seventh parried with a vicious slash aimed for his chest, launching a lightning riposte at his foe. The blade scraped a deep furrow in Bando's armor but slid clear before drawing blood. Bando retreated but Seventh followed with a grin of anticipation, launching himself with fresh vigor. Bando might be a powerful warrior, but Seventh had been a student of swordplay his entire life and each attack drew fresh blood from his opponent. He hammered his opponent's defenses again and again, forcing him slowly backwards until Bando stumbled and lost his footing.

Seventh spun left and struck at Bando's sword arm. Bando was quick, bringing his block up just in time to intercept the blow, and their weapons met in a coruscating halo of sparks. However, Seventh roared as Bando's blade snapped and his own hit home. Bando grunted in pain when it was rammed in into his leg. White hot pain flooded him as the Seventh twisted the blade sadistically, further damaging the appendage.

"Damn you…" He cursed.

Water splattered in every direction as he kept running, ignoring any and all objects in his path. He wasn't certain if the creature was still following him, since until recently he could still hear it's heavy tread behind him. 'Does it know what I'm trying to do?' Panicked thoughts ran through his mind, the fear that somehow this thing was aware of his plan becoming greater.

'Should I go back? Or should I keep running? Wait… what if this is a trap? Waiting for me to stay still long enough. It's smart I know that.' So many questions, so many things that could go wrong. If it wasn't going to play along then their plan was ruined; it had to follow him. 'Dammit where are you?' Although reluctant, he slowed down. Coming to a halt he looked all around him, not giving it the opportunity to jump on him. 'Come on where are you, you monster? I know you are out there, I know it.'

Briefly he considered going back the way he had come, but dismissed the idea since if anything, he should be going back to Bando to make sure that the guy was alright. He had been gone for far too long already. Feeling uneasy about the silence around him, Dai gave one last glance backwards before continuing again. There wasn't much else he could do anyway. Whether that thing followed him or not he was going back to help Bando. 'Ah man. I can already guess his reaction if I don't bring that creature back. The scolding I'll get…God why do I even tolerate him? That bastard. If something were to happen to him...' He started to pick up the pace, guessing by the last marker on the wall that he couldn't be more than maybe a hundred meters away from loading bay. He didn't know how long that was going to take him but it wasn't going to be long.

Sprinting through the corridors he started to focus again what lay in front of him, doing his best to avoid the debris and trash that littered the area. It felt odd though, since he didn't recall there being so much trash when he came through the first time. Had something happened? Had somebody littered the halls in order to make it harder for people to move through? Surely it couldn't be as what kind of person would go to such trouble in a time like this?

He cursed underneath his breath as he slipped over a pool he hadn't seen, the sound of shrieking metal and a sudden rush of air going past him. Hot steam singed part of his face. It all happened so fast he barely had time to catch his fall. Only the faint distinction of something vast roaring past him remained. Skittering across the ground he wiped the liquid from his face and froze when he heard an ominous growl coming from just above him. His breathing stopped as he dared a glance above him; several of the pipes had been torn by something with great force and that something was still trying to break free from the ceiling. It had actually crushed the panel on the other side, piercing right through. Dai didn't dare to move any further as he realized what had caused the sudden rush of air. If he hadn't slipped on the pool, it would have killed him right then and there. Either those jaws would have torn through him or he would have been crushed against the wall.

He shivered at the realization that this had been an ambush for him; the fucking thing knew where he had been heading. Damn, that was way too scary. This went beyond what he considered as being instinct, this thing was intelligent and not by a small margin. He watched in horror as it freed itself, the armored head tearing itself loose from the mangled steel. With one last powerful tug it slid clear of the buckled steel panel and turned its head towards Dai, the only thing preventing it from reaching him were the thick pipes that blocked its approach. The rest of its body couldn't get past, but the pipes were only going to hold it up for so long. Now smashing its head into the pipes, making huge dents and tearing large chunks from them. At this rate it was going to break through at any moment.

Every cell in his body screamed for him to run like hell and yet somewhere deep inside a part of him was fascinated by this abomination. He would likely never get a chance to get this close to something like this and live to tell the tale. Pushing himself to his feet, Dai took the sensible option and was about to turn when a loud groaning of metal told him the pipes weren't going to last for much longer. If he was going to run then he needed to do it now.

"I'll see you later," he coughed as he burst into a sprint. "Okay fuck. How am I supposed to put enough distance between us before that thing gets loose? It's going to catch up." He had barely gotten twenty meters when a loud bang signaled that the pipes had finally collapsed. Now the race was on to see who could get to the loading bay area first. Dai prayed for his legs not to fail him now.

Bando dropped to his knees, the knife still embedded in his leg. Already he could feel that his body was giving out. The arm injury from earlier was also starting to become a big problem, as he had begun to lose feeling in it.

The Seventh towered over him, another dagger replacing the old one. "You should give up now and just accept your fate. You cannot win this fight; your body is broken, your spirit crushed. Why don't you just submit to me already? No matter how hard you struggle there's no way you will save anyone anyway. It's impossible for you to survive this fight."

"Impossible, is just a word people use to feel good about themselves when they quit. I'll be damned if I give up here! Especially against the likes of you!"

Struggling to get back on his feet with pain wracking his body, he pushed such meaningless thoughts aside despite his body's protests. His chest burned with hot agony but he fought down those sensations. Through sheer force of will, he suppressed the warnings his body was giving him. Bando snarled. "What the fuck do you take me for? Don't even dare to think that I'm anything like the people you've fought before! You have faced nothing like me! Now ready yourself! I'm going to show you whose boss!"

Visibly unnerved and maybe even shaken by his unwillingness to give up, the Seventh backed up while letting out a mad cackle. "Splendid! You truly are nothing like them! You don't back off! You don't give up! Wonderful! Just the kind of opponent I've been searching for so long!"

Putting the dagger back in its pouch and tossing aside his remaining weapons, he took a fighting stance once more. "Let's do this then! No weapons! No guns, no knives, no nothing! Just you and me! Hand to hand. It's the mother of all combat! Let us rejoice in this rare moment!"

Spitting on the ground Bando pulled out the knife embedded in his leg as a response to that taunt. "Come at me then! Show me what you got you fucking bastard!"

Sure his was face a ruined and bruised mess, but he didn't care about that anymore. He knew that the Seventh was in just as bad a shape as he was. "Had enough of it already, you bastard?! Because I'm not yet finished with you!" Another series of blows and punches followed, with both men taking some serious damage. Their bodies were on the verge of collapse but their wills would not allow it. They continued pounding at each other, each blow landing home and striking the target. Bando was aware that he couldn't give up now, that he needed to keep on fighting so that Dai could make it back. Every second that he could buy with his body's abuse would be worth it, he wouldn't fail, he refused to give and just pass out. Dropping back onto his knees he struggled to breathe. He honestly believed that every damn rib in his chest might have been broken, and he was sure as hell going to feel this later. Beyond the closed gate Bando could already hear the screaming and yelling of a certain person, he started to laugh knowing full well what it meant; the bait was coming back.

"Hey, don't go nuts on me before we're done! That wouldn't be fun!" Seventh remarked in his irritation, not aware of the carnage that was going to be unleashed upon them. There was some noise coming from beyond the gate, but he didn't consider it too much. His men could deal with whatever it was while he finished Bando.

"You there!" He yelled at several of the men. "Find out what that noise is now! If it is that associate of his then kill him on the spot! After that start sweeping the damn area and get everything ready so we can fucking leave! Get that cargo ready, bring in the truck and hook it up! We are getting out of here!"

It was at this moment that Dai came bursting through the gates screaming and yelling, paying no heed to the armed men that surrounded him. "IT'S COMING! BANDO, IT'S COMING! WE NEED TO GO NOW!" Somehow managing to avoid the shots and swings from the Seventh's men, he dashed past the temporarily stunned troops and ran towards Bando, still screaming. "IT'S HERE! TAKE COVER!"

None of the other guys paid heed to his warning, and the next thing they knew the doors exploded and everything went to hell. Emerging from the torn gate, caring not for the flames that engulfed it, came the creature's head. It threw its head back and its roar rang maliciously through the loading bay.

Author's note: Hey folks, first chapter of the year which is exciting but also once again sorry that it has taken longer than I would have wanted to for this chapter to get published, sadly it doesn't seem like the situation is improving soon so I will apologize for that in advance.

Still hope that you'll all enjoy the chapter and hopefully the next one will come sooner, I have a lot of chapters ready for the beta-reader. Have a good weekend and take care.