Black Feather: Episode IX
"Duel"
Global Cortex Northern Arena GCA-N/00
12:03 p.m., 03/07
Vulture was gone.
"What the...!?" Qastor strafe-boosted to the right, making sure that wherever Vulture was, he wouldn't get a clear lock.
"I'm up here, stupid!" Qastor glance shot up and there he was. Vulture was circling near the ceiling of the Arena, just like a real vulture. Xanthippius ran for a bit to recover energy and rose into the air.
"Just where I want you..." Vulture whispered with evil intent and a mad grin wrinkled his face. His iris shrunk. A grenade was fired and insanely dived for Qastor. It missed, but its heat aggravated the thermometer. Vulture's eye twitched. Purple energy emanated from Xanthippius' extensions. With that, Scavenger descended, waiting for the stealth to wear off. Qastor descended also, keeping his distance. OB thrusters revved. The stealth wore off and Vulture activated his machine EO as his opponent raced toward him. Qastor broke left, slicing the EO as he veered. An explosion ensued and Vulture's head was damaged. He quickly turned and fired another grenade. Xanthippius' left arm shook violently and Qastor perspired from the heat. His blade was now a smoldering mess.
"Tch!" Qastor stopped and faced his opponent. Vulture's missile arms opened, revealing several launchers. Small but lethal missiles peeked from them. Vulture achieved 4 locks and fired. Qastor activated his stealth once again and charged. Missiles closed in, all but one veered away. Qastor fired a grenade at the lone missile. The imminent explosion obscured the area in smoke. Vulture waited.
Impatience swelled in his head and he blindly attacked the smoke with a volley of grenades.
"AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!!" Scavenger erupted into a massive conflagration.
Stealth deactivated, Qastor watched from behind Vulture, smoke lazily rose from the barrels of his chain gun. He had fired at Vulture's grenade launchers.
Vulture regained sanity and cursed, "Hell..." The back of Scavenger's core was severely damaged. Energy supplementation and launch mechanisms for the EO were exposed.
"Battle over. Pilot Qastor wins." A computerized voice reverberated throughout the Arena.
"I should take you more seriously next time." Vulture released his grip from the controls and stretched.
"There won't be a next time." Qastor was calm when he replied. Vulture stopped in the middle of his stretch.
"Hahahah... Don't count on it, boy." There was a painful rasp in Vulture's voice.
The recovery team entered and Qastor got out. He glimpsed about the Arena and something caught his eyes.
It was Iris, sitting on a far empty audience bench, exactly where Rey Vyn last sat. Their eyes met and she smiled, although he could not see... The multi-layered energy field protecting the audience area hummed to a stop. A recovery crewman asked him a question about his laserblade.
When Qastor looked back, Iris disappeared.
"Duel"
Global Cortex Northern Arena GCA-N/00
12:03 p.m., 03/07
Vulture was gone.
"What the...!?" Qastor strafe-boosted to the right, making sure that wherever Vulture was, he wouldn't get a clear lock.
"I'm up here, stupid!" Qastor glance shot up and there he was. Vulture was circling near the ceiling of the Arena, just like a real vulture. Xanthippius ran for a bit to recover energy and rose into the air.
"Just where I want you..." Vulture whispered with evil intent and a mad grin wrinkled his face. His iris shrunk. A grenade was fired and insanely dived for Qastor. It missed, but its heat aggravated the thermometer. Vulture's eye twitched. Purple energy emanated from Xanthippius' extensions. With that, Scavenger descended, waiting for the stealth to wear off. Qastor descended also, keeping his distance. OB thrusters revved. The stealth wore off and Vulture activated his machine EO as his opponent raced toward him. Qastor broke left, slicing the EO as he veered. An explosion ensued and Vulture's head was damaged. He quickly turned and fired another grenade. Xanthippius' left arm shook violently and Qastor perspired from the heat. His blade was now a smoldering mess.
"Tch!" Qastor stopped and faced his opponent. Vulture's missile arms opened, revealing several launchers. Small but lethal missiles peeked from them. Vulture achieved 4 locks and fired. Qastor activated his stealth once again and charged. Missiles closed in, all but one veered away. Qastor fired a grenade at the lone missile. The imminent explosion obscured the area in smoke. Vulture waited.
Impatience swelled in his head and he blindly attacked the smoke with a volley of grenades.
"AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!!" Scavenger erupted into a massive conflagration.
Stealth deactivated, Qastor watched from behind Vulture, smoke lazily rose from the barrels of his chain gun. He had fired at Vulture's grenade launchers.
Vulture regained sanity and cursed, "Hell..." The back of Scavenger's core was severely damaged. Energy supplementation and launch mechanisms for the EO were exposed.
"Battle over. Pilot Qastor wins." A computerized voice reverberated throughout the Arena.
"I should take you more seriously next time." Vulture released his grip from the controls and stretched.
"There won't be a next time." Qastor was calm when he replied. Vulture stopped in the middle of his stretch.
"Hahahah... Don't count on it, boy." There was a painful rasp in Vulture's voice.
The recovery team entered and Qastor got out. He glimpsed about the Arena and something caught his eyes.
It was Iris, sitting on a far empty audience bench, exactly where Rey Vyn last sat. Their eyes met and she smiled, although he could not see... The multi-layered energy field protecting the audience area hummed to a stop. A recovery crewman asked him a question about his laserblade.
When Qastor looked back, Iris disappeared.