Author's Note: Thanks so much guys for all the wonderful reviews! I'm really glad you all stuck with me this far. This turned out a lot longer than I had first expected. And this chapter's a little long as I wanted to conclude the battle here instead of leaving you all hanging again. ^^
Ryou: I'm sure they appreciate it.
Shelly: You're back! Schala was disappointed that you weren't in my last chapter. Sorry about that! ^^
Ryou: Sorry! ^^ Anyway, I'm here to do Shelly's disclaimer so here goes. Shelly doesn't own zoids, just her own original characters.
Shelly: You're so good at this! Here, here's something you'll like. *hands him a bag of Honey Nut Chex Mix* (I don't own this either!)
Ryou: O_O Thanks! Let me go hide this before Valon finds out! *runs off*
Shelly: *shakes head* In case you're all wondering, they both got into a fight over it in my Yu-Gi-Oh fic. It got pretty nasty. And Valon belongs to Schala85, so I don't own him either! ^^ He's a result of her wonderful imagination. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!
The Most Precious Gift by Shelly
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Van kept the Genobreaker in his sights as he followed him to wherever Shadow said Tania was, wondering what would be awaiting them when they arrived. He had a bad feeling deep within the pit of his stomach, a feeling that the Death Stinger would resurface and they would have to fight it once again. But who would win this time? And who would die?
Raven's thoughts could've been echoes of Van's, except he knew what to expect from Hiltz and Prozen both. He knew that if the Death Stinger was still alive, then one of them would die, and it would more than likely be him. He had already accepted the fact that he could die while saving Tania's life, and he figured that it was what he deserved after all the destruction he had caused over the years. His only regret was that he wouldn't be able to see her with his eyes, although he would be with her in spirit for as long as she lived.
Soon they arrived at the Valley of the Rare Hertz, and Van set up his pulse guard to counteract the effects of it that sent zoids crazy. "What's here, Raven?" he asked.
"Here is where Prozen has been all these years, Van," he replied. "He didn't die with the destruction of the Deathsaur as everyone believed. Instead he retreated here and now calls himself the Dark Kaiser."
"The Dark Kaiser?" Van echoed. "He sure is full of himself, isn't he?"
"Maybe, but he has the power to back it up this time," he said. "It's strange, I know, but he has become even more evil than he was before, and that's saying a lot."
"Tell me about it," Van agreed.
All talk was cut short as the ground underneath them began to shake, and like a bad nightmare, the Death Stinger rose up in front of them. Its armor was still weak as it still retained its damage from Dragonflame's last attack, but instead of attacking it sat there, unmoving as if waiting for something.
Inside the cockpit, Hiltz sat there unconscious, but only on the outside. In his mind, he sensed a deep presence within himself, one he recognized as the Dark Kaiser's, ordering him to surrender himself to him and take in his power so that the Death Stinger could live again. He consented, but at a price. He would be the one to control the Death Stinger, not the Dark Kaiser. And he would be the one to destroy all of Zi.
Tania stood in silence in front of Prozen, her eyes calm pools of lavender as she glowed with an inner light. Prozen merely watched her with an amused smile on his face. "What do you find that's so amusing, Prozen? Surely you aren't that happy to die."
He laughed, a shallow hollow sound that echoed throughout the cave. "It's not my death that I see, my dear daughter," he scoffed. "But yours. The Death Stinger has returned, and will rise again with my help. I offer myself to you, mighty Death Stinger! Take my powers and use them, and together we will bring about the ultimate destruction of all life!"
The air seemed to shimmer before him, and when it faded an image of Hiltz stood there, a very transparent image as she could see right through him. "I think not, Dark Kaiser," he replied. "The Death Stinger accepts your offering, but rejects you as its pilot, just as it accepts me in your stead. I will be the one who commands its power, and you will become nothing!"
Reaching out, he merged himself with the husk that was Gunther Prozen and took over his powers, leaving behind nothing but a mortal man who was slowly dying. The metal husk that had surrounded him now competely closed around Hiltz and lifted him up through the hole that Dragonflame had made in the ceiling, leaving behind nothing but an echo of his cruel laughter.
Tania walked over to her father's side, kneeling down beside him and seeing him as the man he once was, stripped of all the pride and dignity that had been his armor. Now he was weak, barely even able to draw a steady breath and unable to even lift his head. He whispered something, and she leaned close to hear what he had to say.
"I am...sorry...my daughter," he breathed. "The power...of the...Deathsaur...was too much...to fight against."
She shut her heart against the pleading in his voice, knowing what he asked and unable to grant it just now. "It didn't work alone, father," she replied. "There was something there for it to build upon."
His body shook with a violent bout of coughing. "I never...wanted...to destroy...the Empire. I spent my...whole life...in its service. All I wanted...was to be Emperor." His breath became ragged as his energy slowly ebbed from his body.
Her eyes closed, willing the tears not to come. "There were things you still did that destroyed lives," she argued. "Mine included. How can I possibly accept your apology knowing what you did to me all those years?"
"I know...you will never...accept it, Tania," he whispered. "All I ask...is that you...forgive me." Tears leaked from his eyes, causing hers to fill and spill over.
Could she forgive him? Forgive him for the years of emotional torture he had put her through? After all, she forgave Raven for his crimes, why couldn't she do the same for her own father? Deep down she still loved him simply because he was her flesh and blood, and those ties could never be broken no matter what happened. She felt a hand touch her cheek, and she opened her eyes to see his trembling hand touch her cheek. She covered his hand with her own, holding it there since it was the only gentle touch she had ever recieved from him.
"I love you...my daughter," he said. "And I am...very proud of you."
She held back the sob that rose at the back of her throat, her whole body trembling from the force of her emotions. "I love you, too, father," she finally said. "And I do forgive you," she added as she leaned forward to place a kiss on his forehead. It was then that his life passed out of his body, and she felt his last breath pass from his lips and brush against her cheek. She gave up the fight for her composure and collapsed against him, great sobs racking her body as she vented her grief, Silver standing over her protectively.
Van waited inside the Blade Liger's cockpit, nervously wondering what was going on as nothing was happening. Should they continue on and try and find Tania, or should they stay out here just in case the Death Stinger rose once more?
He soon had his answer as he caught something heading their way, something that was glowing brightly. He watched in amazement as it plunged deep into the Death Stinger, regrowing sheared limbs and restoring the zoid to its original evil glory.
"Time for round two," came Hiltz' mocking voice. "Good you both came to meet your end at my hands. Only this time the outcome will be different as the Death Stinger is more powerful than before, fused with the power of the Deathsaur, and nothing and no one can stop me!"
"That's where you're wrong, Hiltz," Van growled. "I don't care how powerful you are, I'm not going to let you destroy everything! Ready for another round, Zeke?" Zeke growled, and Van prepped the Blade Liger for battle. "Let's finish this now, Hiltz!"
Hiltz laughed. "I couldn't have said it better myself! I'm going to enjoy seeing you both die!"
The last of Tania's tears were spent, and now all that was left was a cold pit of anger and hatred deep within her heart, anger at Hiltz for who he was and what he could be. With the combined powers of the Deathsaur and the Death Stinger, he was all but indestructible, but she knew of a way that he could be defeated, even if it meant sacrificing herself to do it.
She slowly rose to her feet, allowing the power of the Zoid Eve to fill her soul once again, and Silver came up behind her. Rearing up on his hind legs, his chest panels snapped open and allowed the cables to surround her body, drawing her into his metal body. Then with a flash of light, they both soared up into the sky and out towards the battle with the Death Stinger.
Van and Raven were exhausted, both of them having fought to the very extent of their capabilities against a very formidable foe. True to Hiltz' word, the Death Stinger was virtually limitless in power and maneuverability, and nothing they tried worked to even make a dent in it. All they had been able to do so far was stay out of its way, and Van couldn't even get close enough to use his blades on it. And firing at it alone did no good; not even the destructive power of Raven's charged particle beam fazed it.
They had suffered minor damage as well, and Raven was nearing his threshold of power, which would end up leaving Van to continue the attack alone. Raven didn't want to leave Van alone against such a strong enemy, but he had no choice as Shadow and the Genobreaker could only take so much.
But then they saw something heading towards them, a bright light that slammed into the Death Stinger and stilled its movements for a moment. "What was that?" Van asked.
Raven had an idea as it could only be one thing. "Tania, what are you doing?" he asked, knowing deep in his heart that it was her.
"I'm going to take over the Death Stinger long enough for you both to attack it and finish it off," she replied, her voice sounding a little preoccupied as she was struggling with Hiltz for control over it.
"Tania, no!" Van cried. "You'll be destroyed along with it! You can't ask me to do this!"
"I've accepted the fact that I won't survive this battle, Van," she told him. "If I must die in order to stop the Death Stinger, then I will sacrifice myself to see it done. He cannot be allowed to continue on his path of destruction! All life is precious, Van, the most precious gift of all. Remember that!"
"Tania, please," he pleaded, tears forming in his eyes and leaking down his cheeks.
"Van, you've got to do this," she argued. "I don't know how long I can hold him!"
Sighing, he sat back in his seat, knowing he had to do what was right. "All right then, let's do this, Raven. Are you ready?"
Raven smiled inside the cockpit. "Ready whenever you are, Van."
"We'll do the same thing that Tania told me to use before," he said. "I'll take out the tail so that he can't fire anymore charged particle beams, and you finish him off with one of your own. Got it?"
"Gotcha, Van," he answered. "Let's finish him off!"
Tania smiled to herself as she prepared for the final destruction of the Death Stinger. "Thank you, Van," she said. "I love you."
He returned the smile. "I love you, too. Now prepare to die, Hiltz, cause you're going down!" Setting his blades out at his sides, he opened the boosters to full throttle and ran for the Death Stinger, which was pitching around aimlessly as Hiltz battled Tania for control over the zoid. He was careful to stay out of the way, and soon the tail swung into view. The only problem was, it was charging up to fire a beam, and he heard Tania's frightened voice telling him to get out of the way.
Instead of following her advice, he braced himself for the inevitable and activated his shield as he leapt towards the brightly pulsating ball of deadly energy, the impact of the beam knocking him back a bit. Zeke roared and put more power into the boosters, hurling the Liger closer towards their intended goal as the light became even brighter, so much so that Van couldn't bear to look at it.
Then he felt the right blade connect with the tail, felt it slice through the metal and sever it from the body, cutting off the beam and causing something to explode as he heard the detonation. The Blade Liger hit the ground running, roaring loudly as it cleared the area for Raven to have his shot at it.
"Great job, Van!" Raven exclaimed. "You did it! Now it's my turn! Ready, Shadow?" Shadow growled in response. "All right, let's not let Van take all the glory! Destroy the Death Stinger!" Raven braced himself for the firing of the charged particle beam, watching as it hurled towards the zoid and silently thanking Tania for helping them and sacrificing herself to do it.
Tania saw it coming and braced herself as she held Hiltz tight in her grip, not wanting him to slip from her grasp like he had before. "Are you ready to meet your death, Hiltz? Cause it's coming your way!"
Hiltz was in a near panic, unable to do so much as move as his doom approached him, and him unable to stop it. "Nooo! How could it have come to this?" Then he said no more as the beam slammed into them, tearing at their defenses and reducing the zoid to a pile of scrap metal.
Tania felt something tug at her consciousness, urging her to get away before it was too late, and she reluctantly relinquished control to it, not wanting to leave in fear that Hiltz might regain control of it. But it was too late for him as there was nothing left this time, not even ashes as it was utterly destroyed for the last time. The Death Stinger was no more.
***************
Man, that was a long chapter! I know you all must be tired of reading, but I hope you all liked it! Thanks for reading! C-ya!
Ryou: I'm sure they appreciate it.
Shelly: You're back! Schala was disappointed that you weren't in my last chapter. Sorry about that! ^^
Ryou: Sorry! ^^ Anyway, I'm here to do Shelly's disclaimer so here goes. Shelly doesn't own zoids, just her own original characters.
Shelly: You're so good at this! Here, here's something you'll like. *hands him a bag of Honey Nut Chex Mix* (I don't own this either!)
Ryou: O_O Thanks! Let me go hide this before Valon finds out! *runs off*
Shelly: *shakes head* In case you're all wondering, they both got into a fight over it in my Yu-Gi-Oh fic. It got pretty nasty. And Valon belongs to Schala85, so I don't own him either! ^^ He's a result of her wonderful imagination. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!
The Most Precious Gift by Shelly
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Van kept the Genobreaker in his sights as he followed him to wherever Shadow said Tania was, wondering what would be awaiting them when they arrived. He had a bad feeling deep within the pit of his stomach, a feeling that the Death Stinger would resurface and they would have to fight it once again. But who would win this time? And who would die?
Raven's thoughts could've been echoes of Van's, except he knew what to expect from Hiltz and Prozen both. He knew that if the Death Stinger was still alive, then one of them would die, and it would more than likely be him. He had already accepted the fact that he could die while saving Tania's life, and he figured that it was what he deserved after all the destruction he had caused over the years. His only regret was that he wouldn't be able to see her with his eyes, although he would be with her in spirit for as long as she lived.
Soon they arrived at the Valley of the Rare Hertz, and Van set up his pulse guard to counteract the effects of it that sent zoids crazy. "What's here, Raven?" he asked.
"Here is where Prozen has been all these years, Van," he replied. "He didn't die with the destruction of the Deathsaur as everyone believed. Instead he retreated here and now calls himself the Dark Kaiser."
"The Dark Kaiser?" Van echoed. "He sure is full of himself, isn't he?"
"Maybe, but he has the power to back it up this time," he said. "It's strange, I know, but he has become even more evil than he was before, and that's saying a lot."
"Tell me about it," Van agreed.
All talk was cut short as the ground underneath them began to shake, and like a bad nightmare, the Death Stinger rose up in front of them. Its armor was still weak as it still retained its damage from Dragonflame's last attack, but instead of attacking it sat there, unmoving as if waiting for something.
Inside the cockpit, Hiltz sat there unconscious, but only on the outside. In his mind, he sensed a deep presence within himself, one he recognized as the Dark Kaiser's, ordering him to surrender himself to him and take in his power so that the Death Stinger could live again. He consented, but at a price. He would be the one to control the Death Stinger, not the Dark Kaiser. And he would be the one to destroy all of Zi.
Tania stood in silence in front of Prozen, her eyes calm pools of lavender as she glowed with an inner light. Prozen merely watched her with an amused smile on his face. "What do you find that's so amusing, Prozen? Surely you aren't that happy to die."
He laughed, a shallow hollow sound that echoed throughout the cave. "It's not my death that I see, my dear daughter," he scoffed. "But yours. The Death Stinger has returned, and will rise again with my help. I offer myself to you, mighty Death Stinger! Take my powers and use them, and together we will bring about the ultimate destruction of all life!"
The air seemed to shimmer before him, and when it faded an image of Hiltz stood there, a very transparent image as she could see right through him. "I think not, Dark Kaiser," he replied. "The Death Stinger accepts your offering, but rejects you as its pilot, just as it accepts me in your stead. I will be the one who commands its power, and you will become nothing!"
Reaching out, he merged himself with the husk that was Gunther Prozen and took over his powers, leaving behind nothing but a mortal man who was slowly dying. The metal husk that had surrounded him now competely closed around Hiltz and lifted him up through the hole that Dragonflame had made in the ceiling, leaving behind nothing but an echo of his cruel laughter.
Tania walked over to her father's side, kneeling down beside him and seeing him as the man he once was, stripped of all the pride and dignity that had been his armor. Now he was weak, barely even able to draw a steady breath and unable to even lift his head. He whispered something, and she leaned close to hear what he had to say.
"I am...sorry...my daughter," he breathed. "The power...of the...Deathsaur...was too much...to fight against."
She shut her heart against the pleading in his voice, knowing what he asked and unable to grant it just now. "It didn't work alone, father," she replied. "There was something there for it to build upon."
His body shook with a violent bout of coughing. "I never...wanted...to destroy...the Empire. I spent my...whole life...in its service. All I wanted...was to be Emperor." His breath became ragged as his energy slowly ebbed from his body.
Her eyes closed, willing the tears not to come. "There were things you still did that destroyed lives," she argued. "Mine included. How can I possibly accept your apology knowing what you did to me all those years?"
"I know...you will never...accept it, Tania," he whispered. "All I ask...is that you...forgive me." Tears leaked from his eyes, causing hers to fill and spill over.
Could she forgive him? Forgive him for the years of emotional torture he had put her through? After all, she forgave Raven for his crimes, why couldn't she do the same for her own father? Deep down she still loved him simply because he was her flesh and blood, and those ties could never be broken no matter what happened. She felt a hand touch her cheek, and she opened her eyes to see his trembling hand touch her cheek. She covered his hand with her own, holding it there since it was the only gentle touch she had ever recieved from him.
"I love you...my daughter," he said. "And I am...very proud of you."
She held back the sob that rose at the back of her throat, her whole body trembling from the force of her emotions. "I love you, too, father," she finally said. "And I do forgive you," she added as she leaned forward to place a kiss on his forehead. It was then that his life passed out of his body, and she felt his last breath pass from his lips and brush against her cheek. She gave up the fight for her composure and collapsed against him, great sobs racking her body as she vented her grief, Silver standing over her protectively.
Van waited inside the Blade Liger's cockpit, nervously wondering what was going on as nothing was happening. Should they continue on and try and find Tania, or should they stay out here just in case the Death Stinger rose once more?
He soon had his answer as he caught something heading their way, something that was glowing brightly. He watched in amazement as it plunged deep into the Death Stinger, regrowing sheared limbs and restoring the zoid to its original evil glory.
"Time for round two," came Hiltz' mocking voice. "Good you both came to meet your end at my hands. Only this time the outcome will be different as the Death Stinger is more powerful than before, fused with the power of the Deathsaur, and nothing and no one can stop me!"
"That's where you're wrong, Hiltz," Van growled. "I don't care how powerful you are, I'm not going to let you destroy everything! Ready for another round, Zeke?" Zeke growled, and Van prepped the Blade Liger for battle. "Let's finish this now, Hiltz!"
Hiltz laughed. "I couldn't have said it better myself! I'm going to enjoy seeing you both die!"
The last of Tania's tears were spent, and now all that was left was a cold pit of anger and hatred deep within her heart, anger at Hiltz for who he was and what he could be. With the combined powers of the Deathsaur and the Death Stinger, he was all but indestructible, but she knew of a way that he could be defeated, even if it meant sacrificing herself to do it.
She slowly rose to her feet, allowing the power of the Zoid Eve to fill her soul once again, and Silver came up behind her. Rearing up on his hind legs, his chest panels snapped open and allowed the cables to surround her body, drawing her into his metal body. Then with a flash of light, they both soared up into the sky and out towards the battle with the Death Stinger.
Van and Raven were exhausted, both of them having fought to the very extent of their capabilities against a very formidable foe. True to Hiltz' word, the Death Stinger was virtually limitless in power and maneuverability, and nothing they tried worked to even make a dent in it. All they had been able to do so far was stay out of its way, and Van couldn't even get close enough to use his blades on it. And firing at it alone did no good; not even the destructive power of Raven's charged particle beam fazed it.
They had suffered minor damage as well, and Raven was nearing his threshold of power, which would end up leaving Van to continue the attack alone. Raven didn't want to leave Van alone against such a strong enemy, but he had no choice as Shadow and the Genobreaker could only take so much.
But then they saw something heading towards them, a bright light that slammed into the Death Stinger and stilled its movements for a moment. "What was that?" Van asked.
Raven had an idea as it could only be one thing. "Tania, what are you doing?" he asked, knowing deep in his heart that it was her.
"I'm going to take over the Death Stinger long enough for you both to attack it and finish it off," she replied, her voice sounding a little preoccupied as she was struggling with Hiltz for control over it.
"Tania, no!" Van cried. "You'll be destroyed along with it! You can't ask me to do this!"
"I've accepted the fact that I won't survive this battle, Van," she told him. "If I must die in order to stop the Death Stinger, then I will sacrifice myself to see it done. He cannot be allowed to continue on his path of destruction! All life is precious, Van, the most precious gift of all. Remember that!"
"Tania, please," he pleaded, tears forming in his eyes and leaking down his cheeks.
"Van, you've got to do this," she argued. "I don't know how long I can hold him!"
Sighing, he sat back in his seat, knowing he had to do what was right. "All right then, let's do this, Raven. Are you ready?"
Raven smiled inside the cockpit. "Ready whenever you are, Van."
"We'll do the same thing that Tania told me to use before," he said. "I'll take out the tail so that he can't fire anymore charged particle beams, and you finish him off with one of your own. Got it?"
"Gotcha, Van," he answered. "Let's finish him off!"
Tania smiled to herself as she prepared for the final destruction of the Death Stinger. "Thank you, Van," she said. "I love you."
He returned the smile. "I love you, too. Now prepare to die, Hiltz, cause you're going down!" Setting his blades out at his sides, he opened the boosters to full throttle and ran for the Death Stinger, which was pitching around aimlessly as Hiltz battled Tania for control over the zoid. He was careful to stay out of the way, and soon the tail swung into view. The only problem was, it was charging up to fire a beam, and he heard Tania's frightened voice telling him to get out of the way.
Instead of following her advice, he braced himself for the inevitable and activated his shield as he leapt towards the brightly pulsating ball of deadly energy, the impact of the beam knocking him back a bit. Zeke roared and put more power into the boosters, hurling the Liger closer towards their intended goal as the light became even brighter, so much so that Van couldn't bear to look at it.
Then he felt the right blade connect with the tail, felt it slice through the metal and sever it from the body, cutting off the beam and causing something to explode as he heard the detonation. The Blade Liger hit the ground running, roaring loudly as it cleared the area for Raven to have his shot at it.
"Great job, Van!" Raven exclaimed. "You did it! Now it's my turn! Ready, Shadow?" Shadow growled in response. "All right, let's not let Van take all the glory! Destroy the Death Stinger!" Raven braced himself for the firing of the charged particle beam, watching as it hurled towards the zoid and silently thanking Tania for helping them and sacrificing herself to do it.
Tania saw it coming and braced herself as she held Hiltz tight in her grip, not wanting him to slip from her grasp like he had before. "Are you ready to meet your death, Hiltz? Cause it's coming your way!"
Hiltz was in a near panic, unable to do so much as move as his doom approached him, and him unable to stop it. "Nooo! How could it have come to this?" Then he said no more as the beam slammed into them, tearing at their defenses and reducing the zoid to a pile of scrap metal.
Tania felt something tug at her consciousness, urging her to get away before it was too late, and she reluctantly relinquished control to it, not wanting to leave in fear that Hiltz might regain control of it. But it was too late for him as there was nothing left this time, not even ashes as it was utterly destroyed for the last time. The Death Stinger was no more.
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Man, that was a long chapter! I know you all must be tired of reading, but I hope you all liked it! Thanks for reading! C-ya!