Khalil98100: I will be working hard to complete this series, especially now that I am taking a class on manga drawing. I am so overjoyed that you enjoy my work so much. Cheers!
Nekosaru: Yeah, I couldn't leave Elpizo out of the mix here. As for the fourth wall, I think it is kinda sorta shattered to begin with. *See chapter were main character is sucked into GBA screen.* As for characters thinking in a semi third person view, all of the things you are reading may have happened in the past and you are reading their collected memoirs or something like that. That or the author needed to capture the world about the characters for effectively and you just need to buy into it! XD
Everyone's Feels: I am soooo sorry!
(Player)
Our sabers clash and dance wildly through the air in a symphony of purple and gunmetal gray.
I see a small fleck of Elpizo's blond hair fall to the floor. I feel a small sharp pain in my cheek, I am cut, but no blood drawn.
"You've improved human," Elpizo purrs.
"I had a good nights rest, and devoid of imprisonment, torture, and mind altering drugs," I replied.
"That would make somewhat of a difference," Elpizo laughed.
"You know it's a shame, my empire to come could use skilled men like you," Elpizo said.
"Your empire would disintegrate well before you can say, 'long live the king,'" I replied.
"Oh? You mean the big scary voice in the sky? Just the rattlings of an animal before being put down!" Elpizo replies before lunging forward with his sword rather suddenly.
His attempt to catch me off guard almost worked but I was able to brush his sword aside with mine.
The momentum from his lunge brought us face to face, I use that opportunity to try and headbutt him.
I could almost feel my brain rattling in it's skull, the pain was unbelievable.
I could also see Elpizo holding his head in pain.
"Nobody wins with a headbutt," I say with a grimace.
"Stick to swords, for both out sakes," Elpizo said wincing.
"By the way, how exactly did you come to find out about this cannon?" I ask.
"I was placed in command of his armies, and was his close confident even before the revolution. He was to become truth, and I the new king of this world. It would be my payment for loyalty," Elpizo replied.
"I am assuming you did away with him?" I ask.
"You are correct, and I am well aware you are curious as to why. I want there to be no power higher than me. But neither do I want to become the truth. It is no fun putting down uprisings when you can consume your foes in a sea of flames with a wave of your hand. Not to mention what I touched on earlier the possibility of someone using the cannon on me," Elpizo replied.
"So why do you even want to be king to begin with?" I ask.
"Birds crave bread crumbs, men crave power!" He shouted lunging once more.
I raise my own blade in defense.
(Cpt. Dynami)
For an hour now we have been dug in, fighting constantly. There is only enough room for one pantheon to get through the hole at a time. The drawback on our part, we had no cover in the beginning.
It was only until a pause in the fighting to take the chance to use the bodies of the pantheons to make makeshift cover. There were many to use too. We were down to five humans and two reploids other than myself once we built cover. At least since then we have not had anymore casualties.
From what I gather fighting pantheons, they have little knowledge of self preservation. This makes them similar to a well motivated human, the difference being, pantheons lacked the intelligence or skill of a properly trained human. They are all around easy to fight, except in large numbers.
"Do you reckon they will run out of Pantheons soon?" the human commander laughed.
"Maybe I should ask Zero?" I joked back.
"Ask me what?" I hear down the line.
(Zero)
Under some covering fire I slipped in unnoticed behind their barricades.
Before the lot of them could react I start lopping off heads.
I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder from behind, I turn to see what looks like the commander of the outfit.
A buster shot reduced his head to a red gooey paste on the wall.
*click click*
(Cpt. Dynami)
I narrowly dodged Zero's first onslaught by hiding under a corpse.
I observed him from under the pile, waiting for the moment to attack.
I found that moment once he turned to gun down the commander of the human soldiers.
I hear the sickening splat of his brain matter hitting the wall.
I burst from the pile of bodies, with my gun drawn.
I pull the trigger.
*click click*
My gun jammed...
He quickly turns in my direction, but before he could react further, I throw the gun at him. Quickly following through with a lung with my combat knife.
He manages to sidestep and trip me.
I hit the floor, spinning around I sweep his legs out from under him. I roll over on top of him and bear down upon him with my knife. He had hold of my wrists, trying to stop me from slitting his throat, he was stronger physically, but my determination was far stronger.
(Player)
I hit the ground hard.
Elpizo managed to do a feint and hit me with a spin kick to the face.
"You can't win human, it is in your nature," Elpizo said.
He looks at Logos, "To think you were gallivanting about with the key to the cannon without the slightest clue as to what it's purpose is!"
Logos...the key to this machine?
He steps to the platform eyeing her closely.
"Fitting isn't it? That the key to this cannon is called Logos?" Elpizo asked.
"Until you sedated her, she would never had allowed you to use the cannon. It is just like logic, to be kidnapped by liars to be used to hide their lies for what they are," I retorted.
"There is no truth, only what the masses accept as truth," Elpizo responded.
He moves closer to the unconscious Logos, taking a handful of her hair and sniffing it. I feel rage welling up within me.
"Neither a human, nor reploid, or angel, what is she?" Elpizo mused, taking her face in his hands.
"Smooth like a reploid, yet warm like a human," he says caressing her face.
I begin assessing how he would be able to react if I rushed him now.
"But it doesn't really matter if it's mine," he says locking his lips with hers.
Enraged I charge the the platform.
I was almost slashing distance before I was struck with a memory.
I lost last time due to hot hotheadedness, and it cost Filius his life.
I stop right in my tracks.
An inch from my face was Elpizo's sword, he was trying to get me mad.
His arrogant grin replaced with shock.
I grab his sword's blade with me free hand and lunge with my saber.
His free hand was around Logos making him unable to react in time.
My saber plunges into his chest.
His mouth contorts into a grimace as fluid gushes from the corners of his mouth and chest.
"H-how," he manages to choke out before his eyes dull.
I deactivate my blade, letting Elpizo's body fall to the floor.
I heave a sigh, "I best go get Cpt. Dynami."
(Cpt. Dynami)
The blade of my knife inches closer to Zero's throat.
I see single drop of fluid stream down Zero's neck, just another inch and his life is mine.
I look into his eyes, soaking in the terror and helplessness on his face.
He looks exactly like Keno...
It's not just his long blonde hair either, it's in his face and eyes too.
"Don't kill him!" I hear a female voice in my head ring.
I try to ignore it, continuing my push to kill Zero.
"DON'T KILL HIM!" The voice shouts.
The image of a furious woman with long black hair, red eyes, and armor flashes across my vision.
"Why shouldn't I kill him!? He murdered Hidden Team, Phantom, and everyone else I know and love!" I continue to justify myself.
"Because deep down, you love him!" the voice responds.
I almost lose my grip of the knife.
"T-That's not true, that's impossible! I love Keno! Not that monster!" I shout at the disembodied voice.
Even more furious I continue to press against Zero's strength with gritted teeth.
Once more I look upon his face, and am suddenly filled with revulsion. Everything about his feature, save for the armor looks like Keno.
My strength gives out, unable to bring myself to harm him.
Zero, breaths heavily with relief.
I am still on top of Zero, as he leans forward, taking the knife from me. He gently pushes me off of him and leans into me. His lips meet mine. This is so wrong on many levels, but I don't fight it.
He pins my hands against the wall with his left arm, this time more passionately. All sense of time, place, and context melt away in the embrace.
This can't be happening...
I feel a sharp pain along in my chest and abdomen.
I look down to see a knife in my chest.
He takes my face with his bloody hand, kissing me one more time, he whispers in my ear, "I'm sorry."
I try in vain to hold my guts in, I have been eviscerated from lower abdomen to breast.
My vision darkens as I watch Zero's boots walking away from me.
"K...e...no," I manage to choke out before the darkness took me.
(Zero)
"I'm sorry," I whisper in the woman's ear.
She reminded me so much of Ai, it hurt.
I couldn't let her live, she stood in the way of my goal.
A brown cyber elf appears next to me.
"You will be able to set everything right once you use the cannon," he said to me, noticing my inner turmoil.
"Hey guys! I beat Elpizo!"
(Player)
"Hey guys! I beat Elpizo!" I announce cheerily as I exit the control room.
I nearly lost my lunch at what I saw next.
Humans and reploids lay dead about the place.
I look and see Cpt. Dynami, disemboweled, her viscera strewn on the floor. Her face frozen in an eternal grimace, the way her hands positioned, it looks like it was not an immediate death either. She was trying desperately to hold her own guts in.
Then I...I..see him! Just...standing there emotionless...Zero...zero...ZERO!
"ZEEEEEERRRROOOOO!"