Well, this is getting interesting. I personally am eager to see how this will turn out. You see, like some stories this one is just writing itself. Originally I'd planned the Konig Wolf just to reach New Helic City, contact the President, and join up with the Republican forces. Then I got to that part and just thought, 'what would happen if I did this instead?'. So that's how New Helic City caught on fire ;).
This chapter will be a bit more action-packed, with a few surprises. I aim to please my readers!
-----------------------------
Last time on "ZOIDs: Futile Ambition"
"Rhodry... I let you die... I failed in my duties to protect you and to protect the city. I was a coward... perhaps I still am. I still remember vividly what it was like to lose you... to lose the Pteras... to lose Shadow... to lose the Ookami Village. I want to be rid of this label you gave me in your final moments at my side. I will not allow these people to perish... I will be your Kyuusaisha once more. I will never run away again..." The Konig Wolf raised its snout to the smoke-filled sky and howled in rage and anguish, screaming a single word...
"ICHIGOICHIE!!!"
-----------------------------
Chapter VII - The Wolf Who Cried Dibison
The Konig Wolf ran into the thick of the fire, his systems automatically warning him of the possibility of overheat. Ignoring his own combat system for once, the Konig Wolf continued on. He didn't hear the warning sounds from the cockpit nor the sound of his cooling systems working harder than was really safe. He only heard the screams of the people, the screams for help. In his mind, he heard the people of Ookami Village crying for their Kyuusaisha.
His eyes locked on one building where people hung over the windowsills, screaming for help while calculating whether they could jump for safety. Picking up the pace, the Konig Wolf howled, announcing his presence as reassurance that all would be well.
He charged headlong down the path toward the church. Realizing where he was, the Konig Wolf skidded to a stop, looking around frantically for the building he had just been running toward a mere split second ago.
A laugh drew his attention to the church steps, "What's wrong, so-called Kyuusaisha? Can't save them? Of course you can't, not while I'm here."
The Konig Wolf glared at the raven standing on the church steps. Its feathers were black with a multitude of stars, as though the bird were a piece of the night sky. Its eyes glittered evilly.
"Dropped the third person theatrics, eh Shifter?" The Konig Wolf snarled.
"I was still weak... and stupid. I have absorbed the fear and pain of the inhabitants of this illustrious city and grown stronger and smarter. As long as these humans are in agony, I can continue to grow stronger. I cannot allow you to rescue them." The raven chuckled, "That is... unless you are the victor of a little challenge I have prepared. It is a mere battle... ZOID to ZOID... if you win, I will return the city to its normal splendor... as if the fire never happened. I can't replace the lives already lost, however... but I can prevent more from being harmed. But if you lose... you join me as my loyal servant, carrying out missions I give you... and you will crush your pathetic pilot. Do we have a deal?"
"To save lives and stamp you out of existance once and for all, I accept! Come at me, demon!" The Konig Wolf readied for combat.
"My my, puppy dog. So eager you are to fight... but whoever said I was your opponent?" Shifter flapped his wings and rose up, pointing with a wing behind the Konig Wolf, "There is your opponent."
The Konig Wolf turned to see a white Organoid running alongside a Dibison.
"You needn't destroy the Organoid... but you must destroy the Dibison. The Organoid was kind enough to restore its life at the Zero Temple." Shifter said with wicked glee, "How sad, to have resurrected it only for it to be destroyed again."
The Konig Wolf shook its head, "That's Thomas... I can't fight him, he's one of the good guys!"
"Just what makes a 'good guy' a 'good guy', anyway?" Shifter sneered, "There is no black and white... 'good' and 'evil' all depend on your point of view. Are you truly a coward, Wolf?"
Riled by Shifter's words, the Konig Wolf turned and howled a challenge to the Dibison, "If I must defeat you to save these people, by the two moons of Zi... I will!"
The Konig Wolf charged the Dibison, not hearing the maniacal laugh from Shifter. Around them, the city blazed.
"You're Rhodry's Konig Wolf, aren't you?" Thomas said, "I borrowed her Organoid, but you can have him back now. Vista was a big help... he slew the Chaos Dragon (long story there, I'll tell you later), restored the Dibison, and healed me. It's so good to see a friendly face, after all that's happened. Now let's help out these people here."
"Gladly." The Konig Wolf said, raising its twin Republic Supercannons, a modification part taken from a Gojulas.
"Wha-?" The Dibison skidded to a halt as the Konig Wolf fired.
--------------------------------
*About fifteen minutes later*
The Konig Wolf used the blackened skeleton of a building to propell himself at the Dibison, stretching out his claws to dig into the other ZOID's body.
As the Konig Wolf hit the Dibison, he realized his mistake. The Buffalo-type ZOID flipped its head up, tossing the Konig Wolf into the air. The heavy ZOID didn't fly far, however, and landed a short distance away.
The Dibison turned to the left where the Konig Wolf had landed, charging for its Megalo Max. The attack was deadly, even for a heavily armored ZOID like the Konig Wolf... the power matched that of a Charged Particle Cannon, and without the IBATU the Konig Wolf couldn't summon the Berserk Fuhrer or something that could counter the Megalo Max.
"I don't want to do this, Konig Wolf... I don't know why you're doing this. We're supposed to be on the same side!" Thomas shouted in distress.
"KONIG WOLF! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!!" Vista shrieked in rage, "STAND DOWN, DAMNIT!"
"I'm not a coward, Lieutenant..." The Konig Wolf snarled, "I will not surrender, and I will not run."
"If that's what you want..." Thomas fired, each cannon on the Dibison firing at the lone Wolf.
The missiles hit with a resounding explosion, dust and soot obscuring Thomas' vision. Thomas sighed and leaned back in the pilot's seat, staring at the spot where the missiles had impacted.
"I'm sorry, Konig Wolf... but you left me no other option." Thomas whispered.
As the dust and debris cleared, Thomas expected to see the shattered hull of the Konig Wolf, the life gone from its eyes. Instead he found nothing, not a single bit of metal. He didn't have to waste time looking around, however, as the Konig Wolf slammed into the Dibison from the left. The Dibison flew sideways, digging its hooves into the ground to slow its momentum.
Thomas grimaced, looking at the readouts and listening to Beek's distressed whistling. The Dibison had been heavily damaged by that last attack. Thomas could only watch in terror as the Konig Wolf aimed its huge cannons at the vulnerable ZOID. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the blast that would finish him and his Dibison.
But the blast never came. Thomas opened his eyes and turned to see where the Konig Wolf had fired from.
Thomas gasped in shock, resisting the urge to leap from his cockpit and run to the pilot of the ZOID that had interfered. The ZOID had obviously taken the hit from the Konig Wolf, and now rested next to the Dibison, severely damaged. It was a black Severe Tiger with golden fangs and claws, a Hiblit Vulcan Cannon mounted on its back.
"KARL!!!" Thomas screamed, opening his cockpit and standing up. An explosion sent him back into his cockpit as the Konig Wolf moved into view.
"Stay... in your... cockpit." Karl spoke over their communications channel, "The Konig... Wolf... is a... sniping... ZOID."
Thomas retreated back into the cockpit and worked on getting the Dibison to stand. Next to him, Karl's Severe Tiger was doing the same.
"Who... would've... thought, eh Thomas?" Karl laughed weakly, "Two... imperial... soldiers... the only thing... that stands... in the way... of... New... Helic... City's... demise."
"Demise!" The Konig Wolf snarled, "I'm fighting to save New Helic City! Damn ingrates!"
The Konig Wolf howled with rage, firing its cannons at Thomas. Karl once again maneuvered his Severe Tiger to take the blow, turning his Vulcan Cannon to send some return fire.
"Karl, you'll kill yourself! I can still fight, I don't need your protection!" Thomas felt tears welling up in his eyes.
"You... don't... understand. You're... my... little... brother." Karl's voice sounded weaker than ever, "I... couldn't... help... you... before. Now... that... I... know... you're... alive... I... intend... to... keep... you... that... way."
Thomas tried to aim at the Konig Wolf, but Beek whistled a negative, warning Thomas that if he fired at the Wolf, he'd have to fire through Karl's ZOID.
Outraged at being blocked from his prey, the Konig Wolf fired repeatedly at the Severe Tiger, aiming not for the cockpit, but for the ZOID Core. Aiming not to disable the pilot, but to completely annihilate the ZOID itself.
"Kyuusaisha, STOP!" A mental voice tore through the minds of all present, a voice full of rage and disgust.
The Konig Wolf stopped short, looking up toward the smoke-darkened sky, "Rhodry?"
"I am an ancient Zoidian... as you well know. On that fateful day when we fought the Deathsaurer together to save the Ookami Village, I called you something that you were not. I called you a coward... and I was wrong to do so. You aren't a coward, you never were... in fact, you are one of the bravest ZOIDs I've ever known. Now as I see you in my mind's eye, you are fighting two of our allies. You are even trying to destroy a ZOID... to take a life that you have no right to take. You know better than anyone that a ZOID is a living being. A Kyuusaisha... a Savior... would not take this course of action, no matter what the end result. You are fighting this way because you wish to prove that you aren't a coward... but in doing so you are proving that you are a coward. Is that what you wish your legacy to be, Wolf?" Rhodry's voice spoke coldly, drilling the Konig Wolf into submission.
The Konig Wolf, instead of cowering like a dog before an angry master's hand, stood tall and barked at the sky, "I don't think you understand what's at stake here! Once I destroy the Dibison, Shifter will restore New Helic City. You can lecture me once I save this city!"
With that announcement, the Konig Wolf charged, paws beginning to glow with an unearthly golden light.
"This battle ends right now! STRIKE LASER CLAW!" The Konig Wolf leaped into the air, raising a forepaw to strike at the ZOID below him. (Author's Note: The Strike Laser Claw is not standard issue for a Konig Wolf, it's a modification for Rhodry's Konig Wolf.)
Karl realized instantly that the point of the Wolf's leap had been perfectly timed. The Konig Wolf's claw would descend not upon his Severe Tiger, but upon his brother's Dibison. The Konig Wolf's hindquarters would hit the Severe Tiger, damaging him as well.
Pushing all the power of his Severe Tiger into the legs, Karl leaped upward and landed atop the Dibison, raising the damaged Vulcan Cannon to fire at the descending Wolf.
Thomas' Dibison mooed in frustration, "Get off of me, Karl! Let me handle this, my ZOID is in way better condition than your Tiger!"
Ignoring his brother's pleas, Karl closed his eyes as the Konig Wolf's Strike Laser Claw drove into his black ZOID. He could hear the screams from the Severe Tiger and from his brother, one a scream of pain, the other a scream of desperation.
Karl knew instantly that the attack had cut his Severe Tiger in half, but hadn't hurt his brother's ZOID. He could feel the life force draining from his ZOID, the mechanical life-form turning to stone around him.
Suddenly, the cockpit was smashed open. Karl looked up to see a brilliant white light descending upon him. He felt snakelike wires wrapping around his body, and then was pulled into a place that was both dark and warm.
/Is this what it's like to die?/ Karl thought as he peacefully passed into unawareness.
---------------------------
**Meanwhile, back on the battlefield**
"Karl, KARL!" Thomas screamed, looking at the stone wreckage that had fallen from his ZOID's back.
The Konig Wolf stepped into the Dibison's view, "Your brother paid the price for standing in my way. Now you too shall feel my claws slice through your ZOID's Core."
"Not a chance, Ikujinashi*." A familiar voice snarled as the Konig Wolf was hit four times in the side, "You have disobeyed our pilot for the last time."
The Konig Wolf whirled to face the larger ZOID that had attacked it. It was the Berserk Fuhrer in all its shimmering white saurian glory. The blasts had come from the small machine gun mounted on its chest.
Inside the cockpit of the Berserk Fuhrer, Vista was having a hell of a time trying to manipulate the controls due to the fact that his body was different from a human's. Luckily, the Fuhrer understood the gravity of the situation, and was doing all it could to help out.
"You are fortunate that you are one of Rhodry's favorite ZOIDs." The Berserk Fuhrer snarled, "That is the only reason you were hit with my guns rather than my charged particle cannon."
Vista spoke again, "New Helic City was doomed from the word go. Shifter was caught in the act of burning the city, and said he would restore it just to distract you, to prevent you from saving lives that could be used to power Shifter. Thomas' arrival merely gave Shifter the idea to pit you against the Dibison and kill two ZOIDs with one stone. Face it, Wolf... you fell for an elaborate trick. Now let's get back to Guygalos. Chances are the Diloforce and Republican army have already reached it. We need to be there to support our pilot. Now let's go."
The Berserk Fuhrer turned and began walking away. With some difficulty, Thomas' Dibison did the same.
"So it is war between us, Shifter. You tricked me once, but it will not happen again. I am on my guard now, and I await the moment when I will tear you to shreds." The Konig Wolf vowed, following the other two ZOIDs, "Soon, Shifter... we will see just who is the ikujinashi around here."
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*Ikujinashi translates to 'coward' or 'timid creature'... what else?
Well, I did say that I might reunite Karl and Thomas. I'm so evil. Is Karl really dead? Would I really do that to my favorite character? (Yes, Karl is my favorite character). What will Shifter's next trick be? Find out next chapter! Until then, review! If you don't review, I might have to do something really cruel to some of your favorite characters, like have Sieg go berserk and kill Thomas. Sayonara!
This chapter will be a bit more action-packed, with a few surprises. I aim to please my readers!
-----------------------------
Last time on "ZOIDs: Futile Ambition"
"Rhodry... I let you die... I failed in my duties to protect you and to protect the city. I was a coward... perhaps I still am. I still remember vividly what it was like to lose you... to lose the Pteras... to lose Shadow... to lose the Ookami Village. I want to be rid of this label you gave me in your final moments at my side. I will not allow these people to perish... I will be your Kyuusaisha once more. I will never run away again..." The Konig Wolf raised its snout to the smoke-filled sky and howled in rage and anguish, screaming a single word...
"ICHIGOICHIE!!!"
-----------------------------
Chapter VII - The Wolf Who Cried Dibison
The Konig Wolf ran into the thick of the fire, his systems automatically warning him of the possibility of overheat. Ignoring his own combat system for once, the Konig Wolf continued on. He didn't hear the warning sounds from the cockpit nor the sound of his cooling systems working harder than was really safe. He only heard the screams of the people, the screams for help. In his mind, he heard the people of Ookami Village crying for their Kyuusaisha.
His eyes locked on one building where people hung over the windowsills, screaming for help while calculating whether they could jump for safety. Picking up the pace, the Konig Wolf howled, announcing his presence as reassurance that all would be well.
He charged headlong down the path toward the church. Realizing where he was, the Konig Wolf skidded to a stop, looking around frantically for the building he had just been running toward a mere split second ago.
A laugh drew his attention to the church steps, "What's wrong, so-called Kyuusaisha? Can't save them? Of course you can't, not while I'm here."
The Konig Wolf glared at the raven standing on the church steps. Its feathers were black with a multitude of stars, as though the bird were a piece of the night sky. Its eyes glittered evilly.
"Dropped the third person theatrics, eh Shifter?" The Konig Wolf snarled.
"I was still weak... and stupid. I have absorbed the fear and pain of the inhabitants of this illustrious city and grown stronger and smarter. As long as these humans are in agony, I can continue to grow stronger. I cannot allow you to rescue them." The raven chuckled, "That is... unless you are the victor of a little challenge I have prepared. It is a mere battle... ZOID to ZOID... if you win, I will return the city to its normal splendor... as if the fire never happened. I can't replace the lives already lost, however... but I can prevent more from being harmed. But if you lose... you join me as my loyal servant, carrying out missions I give you... and you will crush your pathetic pilot. Do we have a deal?"
"To save lives and stamp you out of existance once and for all, I accept! Come at me, demon!" The Konig Wolf readied for combat.
"My my, puppy dog. So eager you are to fight... but whoever said I was your opponent?" Shifter flapped his wings and rose up, pointing with a wing behind the Konig Wolf, "There is your opponent."
The Konig Wolf turned to see a white Organoid running alongside a Dibison.
"You needn't destroy the Organoid... but you must destroy the Dibison. The Organoid was kind enough to restore its life at the Zero Temple." Shifter said with wicked glee, "How sad, to have resurrected it only for it to be destroyed again."
The Konig Wolf shook its head, "That's Thomas... I can't fight him, he's one of the good guys!"
"Just what makes a 'good guy' a 'good guy', anyway?" Shifter sneered, "There is no black and white... 'good' and 'evil' all depend on your point of view. Are you truly a coward, Wolf?"
Riled by Shifter's words, the Konig Wolf turned and howled a challenge to the Dibison, "If I must defeat you to save these people, by the two moons of Zi... I will!"
The Konig Wolf charged the Dibison, not hearing the maniacal laugh from Shifter. Around them, the city blazed.
"You're Rhodry's Konig Wolf, aren't you?" Thomas said, "I borrowed her Organoid, but you can have him back now. Vista was a big help... he slew the Chaos Dragon (long story there, I'll tell you later), restored the Dibison, and healed me. It's so good to see a friendly face, after all that's happened. Now let's help out these people here."
"Gladly." The Konig Wolf said, raising its twin Republic Supercannons, a modification part taken from a Gojulas.
"Wha-?" The Dibison skidded to a halt as the Konig Wolf fired.
--------------------------------
*About fifteen minutes later*
The Konig Wolf used the blackened skeleton of a building to propell himself at the Dibison, stretching out his claws to dig into the other ZOID's body.
As the Konig Wolf hit the Dibison, he realized his mistake. The Buffalo-type ZOID flipped its head up, tossing the Konig Wolf into the air. The heavy ZOID didn't fly far, however, and landed a short distance away.
The Dibison turned to the left where the Konig Wolf had landed, charging for its Megalo Max. The attack was deadly, even for a heavily armored ZOID like the Konig Wolf... the power matched that of a Charged Particle Cannon, and without the IBATU the Konig Wolf couldn't summon the Berserk Fuhrer or something that could counter the Megalo Max.
"I don't want to do this, Konig Wolf... I don't know why you're doing this. We're supposed to be on the same side!" Thomas shouted in distress.
"KONIG WOLF! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!!" Vista shrieked in rage, "STAND DOWN, DAMNIT!"
"I'm not a coward, Lieutenant..." The Konig Wolf snarled, "I will not surrender, and I will not run."
"If that's what you want..." Thomas fired, each cannon on the Dibison firing at the lone Wolf.
The missiles hit with a resounding explosion, dust and soot obscuring Thomas' vision. Thomas sighed and leaned back in the pilot's seat, staring at the spot where the missiles had impacted.
"I'm sorry, Konig Wolf... but you left me no other option." Thomas whispered.
As the dust and debris cleared, Thomas expected to see the shattered hull of the Konig Wolf, the life gone from its eyes. Instead he found nothing, not a single bit of metal. He didn't have to waste time looking around, however, as the Konig Wolf slammed into the Dibison from the left. The Dibison flew sideways, digging its hooves into the ground to slow its momentum.
Thomas grimaced, looking at the readouts and listening to Beek's distressed whistling. The Dibison had been heavily damaged by that last attack. Thomas could only watch in terror as the Konig Wolf aimed its huge cannons at the vulnerable ZOID. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the blast that would finish him and his Dibison.
But the blast never came. Thomas opened his eyes and turned to see where the Konig Wolf had fired from.
Thomas gasped in shock, resisting the urge to leap from his cockpit and run to the pilot of the ZOID that had interfered. The ZOID had obviously taken the hit from the Konig Wolf, and now rested next to the Dibison, severely damaged. It was a black Severe Tiger with golden fangs and claws, a Hiblit Vulcan Cannon mounted on its back.
"KARL!!!" Thomas screamed, opening his cockpit and standing up. An explosion sent him back into his cockpit as the Konig Wolf moved into view.
"Stay... in your... cockpit." Karl spoke over their communications channel, "The Konig... Wolf... is a... sniping... ZOID."
Thomas retreated back into the cockpit and worked on getting the Dibison to stand. Next to him, Karl's Severe Tiger was doing the same.
"Who... would've... thought, eh Thomas?" Karl laughed weakly, "Two... imperial... soldiers... the only thing... that stands... in the way... of... New... Helic... City's... demise."
"Demise!" The Konig Wolf snarled, "I'm fighting to save New Helic City! Damn ingrates!"
The Konig Wolf howled with rage, firing its cannons at Thomas. Karl once again maneuvered his Severe Tiger to take the blow, turning his Vulcan Cannon to send some return fire.
"Karl, you'll kill yourself! I can still fight, I don't need your protection!" Thomas felt tears welling up in his eyes.
"You... don't... understand. You're... my... little... brother." Karl's voice sounded weaker than ever, "I... couldn't... help... you... before. Now... that... I... know... you're... alive... I... intend... to... keep... you... that... way."
Thomas tried to aim at the Konig Wolf, but Beek whistled a negative, warning Thomas that if he fired at the Wolf, he'd have to fire through Karl's ZOID.
Outraged at being blocked from his prey, the Konig Wolf fired repeatedly at the Severe Tiger, aiming not for the cockpit, but for the ZOID Core. Aiming not to disable the pilot, but to completely annihilate the ZOID itself.
"Kyuusaisha, STOP!" A mental voice tore through the minds of all present, a voice full of rage and disgust.
The Konig Wolf stopped short, looking up toward the smoke-darkened sky, "Rhodry?"
"I am an ancient Zoidian... as you well know. On that fateful day when we fought the Deathsaurer together to save the Ookami Village, I called you something that you were not. I called you a coward... and I was wrong to do so. You aren't a coward, you never were... in fact, you are one of the bravest ZOIDs I've ever known. Now as I see you in my mind's eye, you are fighting two of our allies. You are even trying to destroy a ZOID... to take a life that you have no right to take. You know better than anyone that a ZOID is a living being. A Kyuusaisha... a Savior... would not take this course of action, no matter what the end result. You are fighting this way because you wish to prove that you aren't a coward... but in doing so you are proving that you are a coward. Is that what you wish your legacy to be, Wolf?" Rhodry's voice spoke coldly, drilling the Konig Wolf into submission.
The Konig Wolf, instead of cowering like a dog before an angry master's hand, stood tall and barked at the sky, "I don't think you understand what's at stake here! Once I destroy the Dibison, Shifter will restore New Helic City. You can lecture me once I save this city!"
With that announcement, the Konig Wolf charged, paws beginning to glow with an unearthly golden light.
"This battle ends right now! STRIKE LASER CLAW!" The Konig Wolf leaped into the air, raising a forepaw to strike at the ZOID below him. (Author's Note: The Strike Laser Claw is not standard issue for a Konig Wolf, it's a modification for Rhodry's Konig Wolf.)
Karl realized instantly that the point of the Wolf's leap had been perfectly timed. The Konig Wolf's claw would descend not upon his Severe Tiger, but upon his brother's Dibison. The Konig Wolf's hindquarters would hit the Severe Tiger, damaging him as well.
Pushing all the power of his Severe Tiger into the legs, Karl leaped upward and landed atop the Dibison, raising the damaged Vulcan Cannon to fire at the descending Wolf.
Thomas' Dibison mooed in frustration, "Get off of me, Karl! Let me handle this, my ZOID is in way better condition than your Tiger!"
Ignoring his brother's pleas, Karl closed his eyes as the Konig Wolf's Strike Laser Claw drove into his black ZOID. He could hear the screams from the Severe Tiger and from his brother, one a scream of pain, the other a scream of desperation.
Karl knew instantly that the attack had cut his Severe Tiger in half, but hadn't hurt his brother's ZOID. He could feel the life force draining from his ZOID, the mechanical life-form turning to stone around him.
Suddenly, the cockpit was smashed open. Karl looked up to see a brilliant white light descending upon him. He felt snakelike wires wrapping around his body, and then was pulled into a place that was both dark and warm.
/Is this what it's like to die?/ Karl thought as he peacefully passed into unawareness.
---------------------------
**Meanwhile, back on the battlefield**
"Karl, KARL!" Thomas screamed, looking at the stone wreckage that had fallen from his ZOID's back.
The Konig Wolf stepped into the Dibison's view, "Your brother paid the price for standing in my way. Now you too shall feel my claws slice through your ZOID's Core."
"Not a chance, Ikujinashi*." A familiar voice snarled as the Konig Wolf was hit four times in the side, "You have disobeyed our pilot for the last time."
The Konig Wolf whirled to face the larger ZOID that had attacked it. It was the Berserk Fuhrer in all its shimmering white saurian glory. The blasts had come from the small machine gun mounted on its chest.
Inside the cockpit of the Berserk Fuhrer, Vista was having a hell of a time trying to manipulate the controls due to the fact that his body was different from a human's. Luckily, the Fuhrer understood the gravity of the situation, and was doing all it could to help out.
"You are fortunate that you are one of Rhodry's favorite ZOIDs." The Berserk Fuhrer snarled, "That is the only reason you were hit with my guns rather than my charged particle cannon."
Vista spoke again, "New Helic City was doomed from the word go. Shifter was caught in the act of burning the city, and said he would restore it just to distract you, to prevent you from saving lives that could be used to power Shifter. Thomas' arrival merely gave Shifter the idea to pit you against the Dibison and kill two ZOIDs with one stone. Face it, Wolf... you fell for an elaborate trick. Now let's get back to Guygalos. Chances are the Diloforce and Republican army have already reached it. We need to be there to support our pilot. Now let's go."
The Berserk Fuhrer turned and began walking away. With some difficulty, Thomas' Dibison did the same.
"So it is war between us, Shifter. You tricked me once, but it will not happen again. I am on my guard now, and I await the moment when I will tear you to shreds." The Konig Wolf vowed, following the other two ZOIDs, "Soon, Shifter... we will see just who is the ikujinashi around here."
-------------------------------------------------
*Ikujinashi translates to 'coward' or 'timid creature'... what else?
Well, I did say that I might reunite Karl and Thomas. I'm so evil. Is Karl really dead? Would I really do that to my favorite character? (Yes, Karl is my favorite character). What will Shifter's next trick be? Find out next chapter! Until then, review! If you don't review, I might have to do something really cruel to some of your favorite characters, like have Sieg go berserk and kill Thomas. Sayonara!
