Chapter 25 - Eliminate to Survive
The streets were cobblestones and extremely narrow, allowing one person (or thing) to walk through. Covered in fecal matter and rotting flesh, it was evident that humans were not inhabitants. There were large wooden houses that faced opposite sides of the streets, which held artisan shops and living quarters except now, those houses were either burned down or dragged across the road. A long stream of water ran around the inner walls of the Northern Kingdom, once clean and now dirty and undrinkable.
In the lower half of the town was a great big castle, which was bordered with another set of heavy thick walls. Unlike the old houses and abandoned buildings throughout the town, the castle kept its shine and prestige. There were individual towers that were held each by inner curtains but in the farthest right of the castle, there held a detached grand tower made of solid gold. Located farther than the rest of the towers, this gold tower was magnificently high and completely surrounded by heavy armored robots with handheld weapons.
"You must avoid any contact with the robots, Inverse." The elderly man who was showing Lina around the lonely town was a member of the Alliance of the North, Dan. He was amount one of just five elderly members who stayed back in the North. Each of the five men and women dressed in individual vibrant colors and for Dan, he wore bright red body armor and his choice of weapon was a Battle Axe.
"Dan," Lina put down the telescope. She and another man were standing just outside of the town with Dan, in a stone tower blocked with thick trees, covered in vegetation. "You said that the castle is producing 10 to 20 robots a week."
"I did." The old man nodded. She looked back into the telescope and scanned the large area. When the end of her telescope stopped at the entrance of the golden tower, a heavy armored robot was leaving at that precise time with a crate filled to the brim with brightly colored minerals. Lina released a scoff and handed Dan the telescope, she told him where to look.
"Is that… Lithium?" He asked with some shock. "Those small crystals are the cause of our annihilation?"
"And it looks like there are more in that tower." Lina muttered softly as she started to pace around. While the elderly men looked through the microscopic lens, Lina began to devise a plan silently in her head. There are two mine shafts that carry Lithium, her mind relentlessly repeated. While the one in Saillune is kept in hiding, the robots had infiltrated the other in the Northern Kingdom. That could explain how the robots had come back in such a great force.
When the mines in Saillune had stopped manufacturing three years ago, the robots went dormant until they found another shaft in Dils. The second mine allowed them to better the loose technology and regain control over the humans. Lina looked back at the golden tower. However, if she were to destroy that Lithium mine to prevent anymore robots from being built or to regenerate, then, perhaps, she can go against the Outlaw Four. With only one Lithium mine kept in secret existence, the robot race will wilt in time and humans can regain control.
"What are you planning?" Dan had been watching her for a while and noticed the look on her face.
"I need to get into that castle." She abruptly responded.
"Absolutely not." The other elderly man in blue spoke up from besides her. "We are not doing any more suicidal trips-"
"That is why I am going alone." Lina said quickly. "I need to destroy that Lithium." The man in the blue carrying two daggers on his belt stared at her stern expression and looked back at his old comrade in red. As Dan kept his milky eyes on Lina, a light smirk appeared over his mouth.
"You are ambitious." The old man said aloud. "But you are just a child-"
"I am-"
"The Alliance is old, Inverse." Dan stopped her from talking. He lifted his old hands to her view and it shook gently without his authority.
"Look at these hands. It has murdered countless of lives, more than you have." Lina looked away from his hands and to his gentle face. "As my punishment, they shake and I can no longer carry my axe. These hands, that were so equipped to killing, are now useless in a time of need and my tired eyes watch children like you die in front of me."
"Dan…" Lina sadly whispered. Even Gen, the man in the blue, looked unhappy for his friend. Dan reached over and patted one side of Lina's face, his fingers gently moving some of her red strands of hair away.
"Such a strong expression." He whispered and Lina gave him a wide smirk.
"You forgot 'beautiful' and 'alluring'." Dan chuckled at this and removed his hand from her cheek. A heavy sigh passed his lips as he turned away and began to walk to the entrance of the tower.
"We will provide you with whatever weapons you desire. However, we cannot permit you access into the Supreme King's throne."
"I'm going into that castle." Lina told him directly, making Dan stop before he left the tower. He looked back at her with his milky eyes. "You can't stop me."
"Then the Alliance of the North cannot help you."
"I'm not worried." The red head said quietly and turned back to look at the castle. Dan watched the back of her head, silently critiquing her until Gen went to his side, beckoning him to leave the tower. Hesitantly, Dan finally left while Lina stayed in the tower, watching and taking notes of every robot activity happening within the Northern walls.
At the outer bailey of the castle, nearby the gold tower, Sherra stood with her hands to her hips and her eyes intently at the camouflaged area outside of town. She knew Lina Inverse was there, watching her every move. Sherra smiled coyly. The persistent redhead had made friends with the annoying humans and was obviously going to raid the castle when night falls. General Sherra knew her prey too well and will do whatever in her power to skin her alive.
"Why must I wait?" She snickered and jumped off the bailey's ledge. "I simply must kill her now!" Racing against the stone gate, Sherra stopped abruptly when a wandering gigantic robot stepped in her way. She growled at its interference and pulled back a tight fist, swinging it into the robot's tough shell. The punch created several cracks throughout the shell and it broke into pieces in a sudden second.
"Sherra." Calling her from inside of the golden tower, a heavily armored figure stood at the doorway with his helmet held under his arm, he had a long face with long dark locks and stern dark eyes. "Supreme King would like to speak to you."
"Don't tell me it was you who put that irritating thing in front of me?"
"You wouldn't have stopped otherwise." The man snorted.
"I should kill you, Norst." Sherra snarled and followed the man up the golden stairs. At the very top of the tower was a room with a single piece of furniture, a solid gold throne with maroon-colored cushions facing towards one lengthened window that outlook the entire Northern territory. Sitting on this throne was Dynast. Wearing his usual heavy armor except his mask was taken off his head and set on the arm's rest. He was showing off his handsome face and Sherra couldn't help to blush.
"I have brought General Sherra, my lord." Norst spoke when he got to Dynast's side. Norst looked exactly like Dynast except Dynast had stronger features and his hair was groomed into a shortened hairdo. Slowly, Dynast opened his eyes and looked upon Norst's face.
"Leave." He ordered and his clone General nodded. "Come, Sherra."
"Y-Yes, my lord." Sherra shyly called. She glared when Norst smirked at her redden face as he walked past her. Quickly, and yet carefully, Sherra went to Dynast's side.
"Closer." He motioned his right hand and Sherra hesitantly came closer. Her entire body shivered when he grabbed her tiny hand in his and shoved her onto his metal lap. She sat with her hands tucked on her own lap and her face looking a completely different direction. Sherra's eyes squeezed shut and released a soft whimper when she felt her lord's long fingers touching the end of her long braid.
"Do you hate your lord, Sherra?"
"I can never hate you, my lord!" Sherra quickly looked at him and blushed wildly at how close his face was to hers. She lowered her head immediately and stared at her nervous fingers.
"Then why," Using the tip of his finger, Dynast lifted her head back to where it was and met with her panicky eyes. "Do you look away from me?"
"I-I'm… embarrassed, my lord."
"Embarrassed?" He repeated.
"I'm so… c-close to my lord and I'm… I'm so… n-n-nervous." She honestly said and covered her face with her hands. Only when she felt a soft rumbling against Dynast's chest did she move her hands away. Her eyes grew wide to see Dynast's open laughter for the first time and it took several stunned seconds for Sherra to make a smile of her own and join in on his laughter.
"I can count on you to bring a smile on my face, Sherra." Dynast said as he finally finished laughing.
"O-Oh, my lord." Sherra embarrassingly moved her shoulders from side-to-side. Her body stopped moving when he placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her against his solid chest, she blushed furiously and kept extremely still.
"That is why I don't want you to go after Lina Inverse."
"What?" Her blush immediately disappeared. Sherra sat up and looked at her lord's face with slight anger and confusion. "But…" She stumbled at her words. "I… I want to… kill-"
"How many days do you have left?" Dynast suddenly asked. General Sherra stared at the seriousness on his face and looked away.
"After my last failed mission, I have used a lot of Lithium…" She confessed softly. "I only have a few more days left before I expire."
"Be truthful. Give an exact date." He ordered and Sherra nibbled on her lower lip.
"3 more days, my lord."
"3 days left for my beloved General." Dynast whispered and pulled Sherra back to his chest, he gently caressed her cheek. "Don't you want to spend your 3 days with your lord, Sherra?"
"I-I do! More than anything, my lord!" She bounced with glee, but she suddenly stopped and looked to her hands. "But… I want to… to stop Lina Inverse for my lord too."
"I will let you decide, Sherra." Dynast tilted her face back up again. "However, I do hope you would choose your lord over a human."
"Anything with my lord is more important." Without thinking, Sherra wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and hugged him. And almost immediately, she realized what she was doing and moved her arms away. But, Dynast made her come back to his chest.
"Good girl." He kissed her lightly on the forehead and Sherra couldn't block the large smile on her face. "Now, leave, I have a guest coming."
"Y-Yes, my lord." She quickly left his lap and joyously bounced away. Completely filled with the opposite emotion than when she came in, Sherra happily joined Norst in walking around the castle grounds. From the top of the tower, Dynast watched from his golden throne with his face pressed against his hand. His lips that once spread into a smile instantly transformed into a cold scowl.
"You are quite a tease, Supreme King." Dynast looked over his shoulder calmly. Leaning against the side of his chair was Riksfalto and had a patch over where her eyeball had been plucked. She smiled coyly at Dynast, bringing up a bright red apple to her mouth so she can bite into it.
"Does she know that you are getting rid of her?" When he didn't say anything, Riksfalto chuckled and took a large bite into her fruit. "I didn't think so." She said with a mouthful.
"I have no use for incompetence." Dynast stood up from his chair. "That last attempt to kill Lina Inverse was an utter disappointment to my status. There is no need to supply valuable resources to failure."
"Then why the immense honor?"
"She is a hindrance to my plans." He grabbed his helmet and pulled it over his head. "If I have to amuse her with fake appraisal to get her out of my way, I will do so."
"How horrible." Riksfalto dumped her body on his comfortable seat and watched him fix his suit. "You are certainly the worst of the Outlaw Four."
"That reputation goes to Hell-Master." Dynast snorted.
"Well, when it comes to women, you are the worst." Riksfalto sighed. "At least Hell-Master looks lovable. You, on the other hand, use your magnetism to your advantage." She threw the used apple over her shoulder and stretched her muscular arms over her head. Dynast let out another loud snort and clasped his helmet shut to his body armor, securing him in.
"Are you here to irritate me?" He changed the subject.
"The extraction chamber for Hell-Master is complete. All we need is the vessel in which he will be transferred into." Riksfalto got off the golden seat and moved to the window. "And since the vessel is accompanied by an unknown entity, Deep Sea is requesting for your assistance." Judging by the nasty expression on her face, Riksfalto was obviously upset at this appeal.
"Another disappointment in my presence." Dynast twisted his body around to face her. Riksfalto growled when he took her sharp chin in the palm of his metal hand and peered at her angry face. "You have proven to be quite a waste. Dolphin should've left you dead."
"In the end, this waste of Lithium will come out victorious." Riksfalto shook his hand away and glared furiously at him. Dynast smirked behind his mask and moved back to his seat. It seemed that his looks cannot influence everyone.
"Do not hinder with my plans or I will take out your last good eye, Riksfalto."
"I will be in the shadows." Riksfalto bent her body forward, bowing low to one of the Outlaws.
"Tolerable." Dynast sat back down in his golden throne. "When I have killed Lina Inverse, my robot army will set forth into the other regions and destroy what is left of human civilization." He bent his forearm and placed a closed fist against his chin, resting his head slightly on his knuckle. "Norst will aid you in the capture of the vessel afterwards."
"Yes, Supreme King." Just before Riksfalto leaped out of the tower through the window, Dynast called her name and she looked back at him.
"The vessel is not as foolish as you perceived him to be, ehh Riksfalto?" He peered at her with a sly smile and Riksfalto released another scowl. When she finally left, Dynast looked across his Northern territory and spotted a particular redhead stepping out from a supposedly camouflage stone tower.
It was better to go alone. The Alliance will only slow her down. So, without any help from the five elderly members of the Alliance except for the number of weapons that they lend her, Lina entered the ruined town of Dils on her own. Changed into tight clothing, Lina made sure all her weapons were strapped tightly against her body to prevent any slipups. She had a count of 4 revolvers around her waist belt, a handful of sharp daggers, and a bunch of highly explosive material tossed into a sack, tied tightly over her shoulder. She had to be quick – In and out. If she wanted to make a ruckus tonight, she would've carried a lot more weapons but this was a sneak attack. Lina patted the explosive material against her body; she kept making sure that it was still there for it was a great attribute to her plan. The plan as of now was she needed to get inside of the gold tower and destroy whatever Lithium is left using the explosives. Once that mine shaft is destroyed, the robot clan will cease to exist and humans can reign once again. This mission, Lina declared, is going to decide what path this war will likely run.
"But first," She looked at the high walls that stood between her and the castle. "I need to get past this."
"You can use this." The end of a pink ribbon was placed next to her head and Lina happily took it with a smile until she quickly realized that she wasn't alone. Crouched behind her were the two females of the Alliance of the North, Reika in pink and Mei in white.
"What the hell are you hags doing here?" Lina kept her voice down but didn't make an effort to change her atrocious language toward the elderly folk. "Don't you know that you can get killed?"
"We can't let a fellow Alliance member go off alone." Reika said with a smile.
"Girls need to stick together." Mei pumped her fists in the air. Lina looked back and forth at the two women and sighed.
"First, I'm not a member. I declined invitation." She stated and before she could reveal the second fact, a gigantic robot stomped out of hiding and surprised the three females with the end of a battle axe coming straight down at them.
"Oh, no you don't!" Nimble Mei, the white warrior, stopped the sharp axe with her trusty mace and held the sharp axe from touching any of them. Lina's eyes widen at the mighty strength the old woman had and quickly spun her head around when kind Reika, the pink warrior, jumped on the robot's extended upper limb and ran up to its helmet. With a twirl and twist of her weapon of choice, the long ribbon wrapped tightly around the robot's face and in a powerful snap of the wrist, Reika managed to decapitate it.
The Bandit Killer watched shockingly as the headless robot fell backwards and crashed its mammoth body into the heavy walls that Lina was trying to get through. Those two old bats just took on a three story robot with nothing but a mace and ribbon in seconds. Apparently, they knew how to take care of themselves.
"Are you coming, girly?" Mei called with a grin on top of the collapsed robot's stomach. "More are coming!"
"Hey, wait for me!" Lina shouted as they ran ahead. Once she made it to the other side of the wall, Lina rushed behind a pillar with the two Alliance members, hiding from the second behemoth robot that had slowly come to investigate. She watched as a group of robots, human-size but still in heavy armor, marched from the castle's open field and gathered around their collapsed comrade. Within the group, Norst stepped out and watched the headless thing struggle to get up. Unlike the other robots that were all made of metal, Norst took off his helmet and revealed his handsome human face. Lina stared intently at a knight in the shining armor. It was the robots that looked like humans who were the most strongest and from the looks of this knight, she needed to be far away from him. Norst walked around the heavy soldier, his eyes looking over every part of the broken thing. He continued to walk around the fallen robot when a messenger robot, not in armor but in similar colors, rushed to his side.
"General Norst," The thin robot knelt next to him. "Supreme King wishes to speak to you, right away."
"Tell him I am in the process of recovering our defensive wall." Norst said calmly and bent his body to pick up something from the broken robot's severe neck wound.
"Supreme King demands your presence." The robot continued. Norst snorted loudly. He turned his head to the particular pillar that Lina had been hiding behind but by this time, she and the two bats had moved to a different location. He smirked and clenched his metal fingers around the long piece of hair that he found. It was red.
"Tell Supreme King, there is a pest in his castle that I must get rid of."
At the end of the court yard, hiding behind a row of bushes with thorns, Lina managed to push the two old ladies in without getting spotted. She hushed them immediately when loud noises from the rubbing of heavy armor came running past their hiding spot. The robot army was already looking out for them. Quietly, Lina ignored the small pokes from the bush's needles and watched through the leaves as the army overlooked their spot and continued marching to another part of the yard. When Lina sat back with her two comrades, Mei pulled out a folded parchment from within her pocket and handed it to her.
"What is this?" She unfolded the paper and discovered that it was an old, tattered drawing of a map.
"We used to live in this castle during the late King Wells Zeno Gairia's reign." Reika explained and placed a finger at the corner of the map. "This is where we are hiding." Then she moved her finger to the opposite side of the map, where there was a blank space. "When this map was drawn, the golden tower did not exist so there is nothing indicating its whereabouts on this map. This is where the tower is located on this map and where you must go."
"Be aware that this map is over 15 years old. There could be drastic changes." Mei warned.
"I'm aware." Lina muttered as she viewed the old map once more and tucked it into her shirt for safe keeping. "Where I'm going, I can't take you two."
"We understand." Mei and Reika nodded. "Don't worry, we'll make ourselves useful." Mei grinned and showed off the large package of heavy explosives that she had been carrying over her back.
"We will lace the rest of the castle with our explosives and set it off individually in increments of 5 minutes." Reika said as she showed off her pack of bombs too. "You shouldn't be bothered by any robots, dear."
"When I blow the tower up-"
"We will meet you at the entrance of the castle. Those robots will be distraught with the chaos we will be delivering that we can easily slip out without ever being noticed." The white warrior copied her partner's silly smile. Lina stared at their faces. They had already made up this plan a long time ago. Without saying another word, Lina patted each of them on the shoulders and nodded. Just before another group of robots entered the yard, Lina made her break through the side entrance of the large granite castle.
She must had been running a good few yards in a grand wide hallway filled to the brim with artwork when she encountered an impossible obstacle, a group of heavily armored soldiers. Before they saw her, Lina pressed herself behind an extending part of the wall and covered her mouth with her palm to prevent her heavy pant. In instinct, she reached for her revolver at her waist but quickly stopped. The extremely loud weapon would only trigger more robots in her path. She peeked around the corner to see if any of them were still looking only to pull instantly back when one twirled its head towards her direction. A silent curse word slipped out of her mouth as heavy footsteps began stomping down the hallway. This wasn't good at all.
From her back pouch, she tightly took two daggers in her sweaty palms and braced herself for an attack until a loud explosion resonating from the other side of the castle caught the attention of all the robots. Mei and Reika had begun the diversion. Lina waited as the hallway cleared of robots and cautiously got out of her hiding spot. She dashed quickly down the opposite course of where the robots went and redirected her route. Just as she ran past an open room, Sherra poked her head out and watched the back of the redhead. Her eyes followed intensely at the human. Lina Inverse had managed to get past Norst's hands and was parading her foul stench in her lord's castle; it was good enough of an excuse to kill her. But, Sherra remembered what her lord had said to her. It is not her mission to kill Lina Inverse anymore.
"What is this?" Riksfalto asked as she stood next to Sherra's small body with her arms crossed and watched over the top of her head. "So, that's the annoying redhead that's been causing so much trouble." The one-eyed robot looked over Lina's thin and lanky body before releasing a loud scoff.
"I thought she'd be more threatening."
"How dare she trespass into my lord's home," A terrible growl left Sherra. "She deserves to be killed by my hand."
"What are you waiting for then? Go kill her." The larger female snorted.
"It is no longer my mission to kill Lina Inverse." Sherra turned her body abruptly away from the doorway and reentered the room, leaving Riksfalto to watch Lina.
"Elimination of the human race, isn't that our foremost objective?" Riksfalto suddenly asked. "Isn't that redhead a human?" Sherra froze at her declaration and slowly, looked at her. Their eyes met in the dark room.
"Think of the recognition you will receive." Riksfalto smiled. "From your followers, your peers, and from the most important, your lord, he will certainly be pleased with your insubordination."
"Recognition… from… my lord?" Her blue eyes widen at the much thought. She would do anything to please her lord. A wide spread of her ripen lips overcame her cheeks and without a spoken word, Sherra sprinted out. Riksfalto chuckled out the emptiness of the room; she went to the lone window and watched as a spectator when Sherra met up with Lina in the rear yard of the castle.
"If I didn't know any better," Lina took out her daggers and smiled. "You must have a little crush on me." Instead of answering her little tease, Sherra's arms extended out of her cuffs into solid metal swords and lunged forward in a crazed manner. Lina easily saw this attack and dodged it by moving to the side. She raised her daggers and drove the ends of it into Sherra's back, pinning her into the ground.
"Stay here like a good little puppy." Lina grinned and proceeded to leave until Sherra kicked her body up in the air and followed after her. "Dammit! Why won't she leave me alone?" She sprinted across the grassy yard, jumping over several large boulders and tackling down every robot being that was in her path. Lina knew that Sherra had a minor 'episode' in the forest but that didn't compare to the insanity that she was witnessing right now.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Sherra screeched with eyes bulging from her sockets.
"L-Sama!" Lina yelped and quicken her pace. Another explosion set off nearby and sent an array of debris to their faces, giving Lina an idea. She ran straight into the dusty debris with Sherra close behind her and managed to easily lose the mad robot. Lina made it out in one piece and looked at her surroundings. She was instantly relieved when she spotted the golden tower and yet, instantly troubled to see the handsome man in shining armor standing at the entrance.
Norst stood with a nonchalant expression and his hands folded over the handle of his sword that was stabbed into the ground. He was not intimidated by the exploding diversions that the other robots were, he knew her plan all along and had been waiting patiently for her.
"Drop your weapons and surrender." Norst said aloud when she stopped a few feet in front of him.
"You are the NICEST robot I ever came by." The Bandit Killer scoffed loudly. She moved her hands to her hips and took even large breaths to calm her rapid heart. "You couldn't have been a robot your entire life."
"I won't ask you again," Pulling his sword out of the ground; he pointed it toward Lina and narrowed his eyes angrily. "Drop your weapons and surrender." This time, Lina kept quiet. She stared at his expression and knew he wasn't joking around. He wouldn't be alone if anybody thought he couldn't handle it. He was alone for a reason and that is, there is no need for a second robot. Lina contemplated the odds. She has two revolvers, a sack of bullets, and her dragon slave with two bullets left. Not to mention a sack full of explosives, but that was for destroying the golden tower. The revolvers would injury the guy but it won't kill him. Her only option left was to use her dragon slave, except he would be expecting that. Somehow, she needs to trick him. As Lina continued to think of a plan, the debris that was floating around in the air had landed and General Sherra had made her way out of the maze. A loud screech erupted from her mouth and Lina turned around just in time to dodge her sword arms.
"Sherra, get out of the way," Norst growled. He watched as Sherra kept slashing at Lina and Lina dodging her every move. "It is I who must kill Lina Inverse-"
"Killing Lina Inverse would be MY recognition!" She screamed out and gave Lina a hard swing of her arm which managed to land a cut against her shoulder. "FUCK OFF, NORST!"
"Supreme King will not be pleased with your insubordination." He calmly said but did not move from his spot. Sherra ignored his comment and continued to swing at Lina until Lina suddenly tripped backwards. In a good position to kill her, Sherra stood over the thin broad and raised both sword arms in the air. It was inevitable that she was going to get this kill, so when both her arms were suddenly cut clean off with a sweep of a battle axe, nobody expected it. Not even the General. She remained standing with her bleeding limbs, her face still twisted in murder, for seconds until she saw her detached metal arms flop between her and Lina's feet. Lina and Sherra immediately switched places. The robot General screamed as waterfalls of blood came bursting out of her limbs like a hose, her body rolling around in the dirt while Lina watched with astonishment. Even Norst looked on with a shock.
"Are you alright, Inverse?" It was none other than Dan, the red warrior and leader of the Alliance. He had his ancient battle axe in his hand and a massive shield hooked on the other.
"I'm alright now that you are here." Lina smiled at the familiar old man. She gave him a pat on his broad shoulder as he nodded to her. They looked upon Norst who removed his sword out of the ground again and prepared to do battle.
"How long does it take to set your explosives?"
"At least 3 minutes."
"Then, 3 minutes is all you get." Dan stepped forward and pulled his weapon close to his chest. Hesitant at first but the lack of his hands shaking was enough of a motivation for Lina to leave him. Norst watched with deadly piercing eyes as Lina rushed past him and through the entrance of the golden tower. He turned his sights back on the old man and snarled softly. The old man was going to pay with his life for interfering.
Inside the tower, Lina stopped quickly at the base of the stairs. There was a staircase made of gold that was going up the tower and another going down into the ground. She was contemplating on checking the top of the stairs but decided against it and turned to go down the stairs when she saw a man standing near the downward staircase with a very sneaky disposition.
"You shouldn't be here, you know."
"YOU shouldn't be here either," She stomped past him and purposely hit his shoulder with hers.
"XELLOS." She snarled his name out through her teeth. Xellos whistled playfully from witnessing such fury and tagged behind her.
"If the Supreme King finds you here, you are dead." He snickered. Lina rolled her eyes and quicken her pace but Xellos was right on her toes. "I won't be able to help you if he attacks."
"Then, what the fuck are you doing, you BASTARD. Just tagging along for the fun?"
"It's my mission to eliminate you, Lina-San."
"Mission this, mission that," She abruptly stopped in the middle of the steps and turned to face him. "All you give a fuck about are your fucking missions." Lina stared at his unchanging expression and spat to the side. "You should have stayed dead."
"Are you possibly still upset because I told Gourry about us?"
"THERE WAS NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN US."
"If I apologize, would it rekindle our friendship?"
"I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THIS ONLY ONCE," Lina reached into her back pouch and took out her dagger. She stabbed him directly into the shoulder and shoved him against the wall, her knee immediately slammed him between his legs causing him to hurl slightly forward.
"YOU CAN'T FIX WHAT YOU DID."
"W-Well," Xellos chuckled breathlessly for his precious manhood was being flattened. "What if, I told you, part of my mission… was to separate you two," He took a quick breath. "For the good of mankind?"
"WHAT DOES GOURRY AND I BEING TOGETHER HAVE TO DO WITH ROBOTS TRYING TO TAKE OVER THIS WORLD?" Her knee did another jab into his balls making Xellos squeak.
"Your reputation precedes you in the West. Just the mere mention of your name brings interest in conversations." His speech was quick and high pitch now. "Weak robots were terrified of you and just the fact that you and Gourry-San were together, made it impossible for us to ever come close." He straightened his head so it was next to hers.
"I had the terrible burden to separate you lovebirds."
"Whose side are you suppose to be working for?" Lina growled and dug her dagger, and knee, deeper.
"Well," He panted. "The one that makes you one of us, of course."
"One of you? What are you talking about?" She shook him. "Milgazia told me the robots are after Gourry so they can transfer Hell-Master into him! It's Gourry that they want, not me!"
"It is true that Gourry is the perfect vessel for Hell-Master and that is the reason why robots have sought for him," Xellos chuckled softly and turned his face so he was looking directly into her eyes. "And when that happens, Hell-Master will be unstoppable and there is nothing that can remotely hurt him." His amethyst orbs widen suddenly.
"Except for you."
"Me?" Lina couldn't move her eyes away. "Me… as a robot?" She said it so quietly that even she couldn't hear it herself but Xellos nodded. Slowly, she unhanded him, left the dagger in his shoulder, and took a few steps backwards. She watched as he began to breathe easier and fix his body.
"You," She cringed. "If you didn't separate Gourry and I, the robots would have to kill me in order to get Gourry-"
"And there would be nobody else capable to stop Hell-Master."
"There has to be-"
"I have already approached Luna-San months ago and she had killed herself in the process. I had to sacrifice a lot to bring her back from the dead and even then, she is no good half-dead." Xellos yanked the dagger out of his body and threw it away. "She, like all the other worthy humans, are dead." Lina continued to watch him closely. She withdrew quickly when he took a step towards her, making him sigh.
"My mission consists of you and Gourry-San to be far apart from one another and to do that, I had to do something awfully terrible in order for Gourry-San to not want to come back to you-"
"You accomplished that, alright." Lina angrily grumbled.
"But I did it for your well-being." Xellos counteracted. "The more powerful robots would've gone after Gourry and you would be kept out of harm's way, just until you go against Hell-Master." As this purple-haired robot continued to speak to her, Lina's glare slowly faded and a more upset expression appeared.
"You ruined my life." She said suddenly.
"It had to be believable or the robots would have been weary of me." Xellos commented and stayed quiet for a few seconds. Lina just stood there, staring at her feet and her hands tight as a ball. He didn't like silence. It meant that there is second guessing involved.
"If it means anything, our two moments together meant nothing to me-"
"WE ONLY HAD SEX ONCE AND THAT WAS IN TAFORASHIA." Lina loudly snapped.
"Well…" He immediately regretted breaking the silence. "There was that time in the barrel."
"The barrel?" She questioned at first and then finally realized what he was talking about. "YOU MEAN THAT DREAM I HAD? THAT WAS REAL?"
"When you weren't looking, I made an incision into your skin and injected a small dose of aphrodisiac." Xellos began chuckling but quickly stopped at the look of murder flashing in Lina's eyes. "A-Anyways, I had to initiate the very thought of sleeping with me into your head-"
"YOU RAPED ME INSIDE OF A BARREL?"
"It wasn't rape. It was more of a consensual thing-"
"LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT! YOU HAD YOUR WAY WITH ME TO BLACKMAIL ME JUST SO I WOULDN'T SAY ANYTHING TO GOURRY, BUT THEN YOU PURPOSELY TOLD HIM BECAUSE YOU INITIALLY WANTED US TO BREAK UP IN THE FIRST PLACE TO PREVENT ROBOTS FROM COMING AFTER ME!" Lina raised her hands to choke him. "I SHOULD FUCKING KILL YOU! YOU FUCKING MORON! YOU COULDN'T JUST TELL US EVERYTHING FROM THE START?"
"There is a time and place for everything, Lina-San!" Xellos escaped her claws of death and started down the stairs. "Right now, we need to blow this lithium mine up before those kind elderly folks get killed!"
"Fuck, you're right!" Lina yelped in the middle of her chase and put the idea of chopping Xellos's testicles to the back of her mind. As they near the bottom of the stairs, numerous sets of bombs started to go off, making the walls of the underground staircase shake. Lina and Xellos exchanged looks before jumping the rest of the stairs and sprinting down the dimmed tunnel. At the end of the hallway, Lina and Xellos came upon an average-size metal door. In a hurry, Lina didn't think twice to push it open.
"Wait." Xellos grabbed her just before her fingertips touched the door. He had spotted the electronic current rushing against the metal and prevented a bad situation from happening. Instead, he placed his left hand on the door, activating the electric current and sent multiple waves to him. Lina's eyes widen as dark smoke and the smell of burnt rubber filled her nostrils.
"Pathetic ruse." He smirked and pushed the door slowly inward. "You have to do better than this, Supreme King." When the door was completely pushed open, Lina shuffled forward into the large cave opening while Xellos held his left wrist close. The entire paw was completely singed off and revealed operating metal trinkets, even his metal digits were showing. He covered it completely with a spare white glove and joined Lina's side, who was rendered speechless from the immense abundance of glowing crystals all around them. From the ceiling, ground, and sides, there were Lithium everywhere she looked. The cave was practically covered in it.
"Shall we go for a walk?" Xellos stepped around Lina and began walking down a path through the Lithium.
"Um, sure." He was obviously not amused by the sight like Lina was. Lina immediately suspected that he had been here before. She followed him through the mine, dodging sharp edges and slippery rocks. When they got near the end, Lina started to notice that the light that the Lithium was giving out was getting faint and by the bottom of the cave, there were absolutely no light.
"The crystals are losing power." It was like he knew what she was thinking. "Lithium is strongest when there is an abundant of it. Since it's in high demand, it won't be long for this mine to lose its light."
"How much power does a single Lithium crystal have?"
"It depends on what you are using it for." Xellos stopped walking just before entering the dark mass at the end of the cave and turned around to face her. "One Lithium crystal can make your average revolver into a weapon of mass destruction or power a soldier robot for a couple of months."
"How about the Outlaw Four?" Lina asked. "How much Lithium does it take to power them?"
"Now, that's a different case." He smiled, accidentally flashing some of his teeth. Lina squirmed slightly at his wicked smile but promptly realized that he didn't propose that smile upon her. She turned around to face the other man who joined in their conversation. It was Dynast.
"How ill-fitting." A fully-covered armored figure sighed behind his elegant helmet. "Greater Beast Master's rotten pet is still alive."
"It is nice to see that you are well, Supreme King." Xellos bowed slightly forward with his hand holding his jacket from opening. "Truth be told, I simply cannot be liberated that easily."
"Everything will be dead in the end." In a blink of an eye, he was unexpectedly standing over Lina with a weapon raised high above his head. Lina's eyes widen at his rapid speed. "Your end is now." He said grimly and brought his weapon down. However, it made contact with Xellos's slick cane then the top of Lina's head. With his thin arms wrapped loosely around Lina's body from behind, Xellos kept the sharp weapon from touching her.
A smile developed on Xellos's face as a scoff was made from beneath Dynast's helmet and in seconds, they were jumping all around the dimmed cave, exchanging blades and breaking pieces of lithium. All the while, Lina hurriedly planted her explosives. She separated each one by a foot and lined it against the glowing power devices. Just as the final bomb was planted, Lina paused to take a final glimpse of the pure beauty of nature's work and break off multiple pieces of it to fill her sack that once held the explosives. In order to go against Lithium, she needed Lithium so she will take as much as she can carry.
"Where is he?" Lina swiftly turned her head at his question. Xellos had Dynast pinned against a wall of the cave. Sharp piercing edges went through his thick armor and drizzles of red blood ran down the dimming lights of the crystals, Dynast had Xellos's rapier stuck in between his helmet and body armor. He was down for the count.
"Where is he?" Xellos repeated but with a more aggressive growl. He was answered with a low chuckle and in a quick flick of his wrist, Xellos decapitated the robot. The helmet contained the head as it was tossed across the cave and bounced several times on the ground. Eventually, the head was released and was revealed that it was not Dynast who was in the armor. It was Norst, his clone.
"How did you know?" Lina asked when she got to his side. Wiping the blood that was making a trail on his blade with a handy handkerchief, Xellos cheerfully said:
"You wouldn't be alive." It was an acceptable answer.
"Using my revolver," Lina pointed at the end of a long string that started from one point of the cave to the other point. "I will light that string and will give us 5 minutes to get out of here. The explosives itself are lethal and can blow an area of 10 meters but with all this active lithium in this cave and the other unstable materials in the castle, we may need to get out of Dils just to be cautious."
"5 minutes, huh?" Xellos pulled his long Magnum off his hip holster. "Let's make it more interesting." And shot the string just at the middle, skillfully lighting it.
"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Lina screamed. "IT WILL TAKE US LONGER THAN 3 MINUTES TO GET OUT OF THIS FUCKING PLACE!" Before Lina could have a chance to hit him, Xellos swiped the girl off her feet and carried her off like a sack of potatoes on his shoulder. They were out of the cave in seconds and up the stairs of the golden tower in under half a minute. Sometimes, Lina forgets that Xellos is a robot and just thinks of him as an Idiot.
When her feet touched the ground again, Lina saw old Dan. He was lying on the ground with his own sword sticking out from the pit of his stomach. She stared at his brave and old body for a long second before being rushed away by Xellos. They were running in full sprint and not in hidden counters for they were not running from robots anymore, they were running from a large explosion that was going to go off in 2 minutes and kill them all.
"Lina!" Behind them, Mei and Reika were catching up to them.
"We need to get out now!" She screamed. "Out of Dils and into the forest!" As if she had run straight into a brick wall, Xellos unexpectedly stuck his arm out causing her body to slam aggressively into it and down to the ground. While Lina got a hold of herself, Xellos was trying to compose himself too. Standing just at the front entrance of his castle walls was Dynast in his truest form. With no helmet and holding twin battle axes at the side of his body, he was the only one of his army standing in their way. Xellos cursed softly. They were almost out free too.
"What the hell was that for, you asshole?" Lina didn't see Dynast yet. She arched an eyebrow when he shoved his cane to her hands. Hopefully, Xellos stepped forward to face one of the Outlaw Four, she knows the proper way to use a rapier. Twirling one axe after another at his side, Dynast kept his cool expression and said nothing. It was a silent beckoning.
"Don't waste any more time," His arms ripped the sleeves of his jacket into pieces as it transformed into rapid-fire Gatling guns. Xellos looked back at Lina with piercing purple eyes. "Become a robot."
"I'd rather die-"
"Then, so will every living creature, including your beloved blonde." He snapped back making Lina bite her bottom lip and draw blood. He knew she wasn't going to change her mind so Xellos had no choice. He made the first move and instantly regretted it. Lina watched as Dynast threw Xellos back repeatedly on the ground or to his knees. He would shoot his Gatling bullets at him but Dynast would easily reflect it with his blades. This Outlaw was practically crushing Xellos with just one axe.
"You need to do something, Lina!" Reika cried out from behind. "That young man is not going to make it!"
"Fuck!" The redhead cursed aloud and began searching around. The bomb was going to go off any minute now and they were in the presence of a killing machine. What the hell can she do? Then, as if her guardian angel was directing her eyes, she spotted the dragon slave.
"No." Lina told herself. If she used the dragon slave, it can potentially set the bomb off earlier. And besides, Xellos is in her way. He will die if she used it. She has to think of another way to help him, not to kill him.
"My… lord." She was soft but Lina heard her. Crawling by the shrugs of her shoulders, Sherra was trying to draw near to the battle between Dynast and Xellos. By instinct, Lina rushed over and grabbed the robot General by the end of her braid. She dragged the lump of metal close enough to where Dynast was pushing his two axes past Xellos's hold.
"HEY, HANDSOME!" Lina called out. Dynast looked up but his weapons remained still. She dumped Sherra in front of her and shoved the bottom of her boot on her chest, pinning her down. Then, the lock on her revolver was pulled back and aimed at the center of Sherra's face. "MOVE OUT OF OUR WAY OR YOUR PRECIOUS GENERAL WILL DIE!"
"My lord!" Sherra shouted out in a panic. Dynast stared emotionless at Lina. His icy eyes made her gulp.
"I MEAN IT!" Lina shoved the end of the revolver at Sherra's forehead. "I'M GOING TO KILL HER!" Without giving Sherra a look, Dynast let out a scoff.
"Good riddance."
"M-My lord…" General Sherra gaped, her heart literally breaking into pieces to the bottom of her stomach. Lina cursed again when Dynast return to Xellos and ditched Sherra. This time, Lina had no other options. She grabbed her dragon slave and aimed it at Dynast, and Xellos. Xellos saw her stance and smiled, silently giving her the 'okay' to shoot at him. For the first time, Lina was hesitant to killing that bastard. Probably because he was trying to protect her but all she could think about was Filia.
"Filia." She began to say but he didn't hear.
"FILIA!" Lina said it louder and this time, he did hear her. "SHE DOESN'T HATE YOU! IN FACT…" She paused to think twice about saying it. "IN FACT, SHE IS IN LOVE WITH YOU!" Almost immediately, Xellos slipped but managed to catch himself before Dynast's blade cut off his head. It was a complete sneak attack and he was mentally unprepared for it.
"There. I said it." Lina nodded to herself. The hesitation was gone and she was able to do it. Telling the two elderly people behind her to get ready to run, she unlocked the hammer down and pulled the trigger. The red bullet shot out and exploded the second it touched Dynast's body. Lina shoved Reika and Mei down to the ground and braced the large explosion that was happening just inches from her feet. It lasted more than a minute and with less than a minute left, Lina didn't want to wait around to see if any of the two victims in the explosion survived. She held Mei and Reika by hand and pulled them safely through the debris. Half the village of Dils was wiped clean off from the dragon slave but it made it that much easier to run through it.
"Come on!" Lina shouted at the elderly women. "We're almost there!" The bomb was going to go off any second and she can see the edge of the forest in her grasp! They're almost there! And that was when she heard the flaying sounds of a weapon hitting a flat surface and the tight pressure of two hands went limp. Lina didn't stop immediately; her feet kept moving until she was completely certain and turned her head around slowly. Mei and Reika were both on the ground with identical battle axes imbedded in the center of their backs. They were both dead at impact.
Standing in burned tattered clothes and black bubbling flesh, Dynast was dripping blood with every shaky step he took. The dragon slave did immense damage on him but he was alive. The motherfucker was still alive. Dragging his third weapon, a double-edge sword, on the ground next to him, Dynast made his murderous way to Lina. No words exchanged between them as they began battle. Lina blocked all his attacks with the rapier that Xellos given her and tried to push him off of her but failed. It was when she fell backwards and lost her weapon did she get a chance to get out of his range. Despite his heavy injuries, he still had his great strength. It was like her dragon slave didn't do anything.
Reaching for a dagger in her pouch and discovering that she had none, Lina got the next best thing and grabbed a rigid piece of marble from the ground. Once she aimed, she never misses. The fragment hit the center of Dynast's throat and came out the other side. Dynast dropped to one knee from this sudden attack and while he was down, Lina searched for the rapier. She had seen that once a robot is decapitated, that robot would be no longer so that was what she was planning to do. Finally, finding the sword a few feet away, Lina rushed back at Dynast with blind rage and murder in her eyes. She was going to kill him for what he and his Outlaw friends had done!
"MY LORD!" Out of nowhere, Sherra tackled Lina down in mid-strike and tossed her to the ground. She crawled using her shoulder blades and sprawled her used and damaged body over Lina's lower limps. "I HAVE HER, MY LORD! KILL HER NOW!"
"YOU FUCKING BITCH! GET OFF ME!" Lina easily killed the limp-less robot off, however it was too late. Dynast had managed to take the marble piece out of his neck and was striking Lina madly with his sword. She dodged and blocked his predictable wild attacks except it was his strength that was giving her a hard time. Her arms were battered and weak from his constant assault that she was really thinking of just letting him win. With the bomb going off in less than 5 seconds and they were still in its range, they are going to die nonetheless so what the hell is she fighting so hard? Loosening her hold on the rapier, she didn't gasp when he knocked it off her hands. Dynast grinned maddeningly, he turned his sword so it would come right down into her neck and with his everlasting strength, he brought his piercing weapon down.
"MY LORD!" Sherra screamed when Dynast was flung off his feet. Still lying on the ground where she had given up, Lina opened her eyes in confusion. She heard an unfamiliar sound and sat up to her elbows. Her eyes widen immensely to see Dynast down with half a dozen daggers stuck on his chest. In the quick opening that Dynast had made himself, someone struck him with 6 daggers before he had a chance to slice her head off. But who? Following the pathway of the blades, Lina twisted her body backwards and saw him. A boy she had killed a few days ago but came back as a man. She saw Val.