Author's Note: Hey there, I decided to rewrite this chapter because I felt it lacked something. So here's the revised edition, hope you like it.
The Jackal's Gate
A Battle In Earnest
Ikki's cry sliced through the air and launched the opposing sides into a furious robattle. Each of the combatants carefully singled out an opponent, all except for Ikki and Metabee. The KBT charged at the nearest medabot, his guns blazing. Ikki had no choice but to follow his partner and was quickly absorbed in the fight himself. "Give it all you've got Metabee!" he shouted enthusiastically.
Devon could not help but admire the pair's exhilaration. No matter who they faced they always fought with the same passion and enthusiasm. 'The confidence of youth' he thought fondly. The moment was short lived. A streak of fuchsia caught Devon's eye and he turned to see just who he was dealing with. The sound of blades slicing the air pounded in his ears and he felt his heart jump when Zagan leapt backwards, performing a graceful flip and landing in a crouch.
"You're even better than he said you would be" a sultry voice cooed.
Devon was not surprised to find that the voice belonged to a Kunoichi type medabot. 'It's always the pretty ones.' He chuckled to himself as he examined her glossy pink parts. Bringing the gold trimmed medawatch to his lips he put his trust in his handiwork. "Go for it." A streak ran across Zagan's visor as he launched himself at the female ninja.
Mitsuyuki reacted with all the grace of a seasoned warrior. She cart wheeled out of the way and drew her sword. The kunoichi immersed herself in the hum of the twin blades as the air around them crackled and buzzed.
Zagan turned on his heel and stood facing her. "I have to admit, I'm impressed" he said, audible excitement in his voice.
"As well you should be."
"…Figures" Devon mumbled.
Proving his logic even further a woman stepped onto the scene. She was everything one thought of when envisioning a vixen. Her vermillion hair flowed far down her back and almond shaped green eyes glowed with primal intent. "Mitsuyuki's the best there is."
"Your confidence is well deserved" Devon commented. "But I don't think the best is really appropriate."
A playful grin danced in her eyes. "She's certainly better than you're antiquated friend."
As a sign of indignation Zagan flicked a thumb across where a nose should have been.
The young woman understood the gesture and the light in her ocean green eyes intensified. "Don't over exert yourself grandpa" she quipped.
The GDN played along. Stooping almost to the ground he wheezed, "That's the problem with all you whipper snappers. No respect for your elders."
Mitsuyuki held back a giggle. "I like him, he's funny." Her eyes never left Zagan, not even when she spoke to her medafighter. Devon took all this in. Body language could tell more about a person than words ever could.
"And his medafighter's pretty cute." The two were like schoolgirls gossiping about their latest crushes. Striking an innocent pose the flame haired medafighter took on a different persona. "But where are my manners? My name's Cassandra."
Devon's response was befitting a gentleman. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Devon."
Cassandra's voice turned seductive again. "Yes I know" she purred.
Zagan had heard enough. He enjoyed witty banter as much as the next medabot but now was not the time. "I hate to interrupt but I'm getting kind of bored."
Mitsuyuki answered for her medafighter. "Sorry about that. Let's begin shall we?"
The ebony medabot gripped his sword in both hands and descended into a fighting stance. Mitsuyuki took the initiative and pounced. She handled the double bladed weapon like a staff, either tucking it beneath her arm or spinning the blades high over her head with each attack. Blows rained in with ever increasing ferocity, refusing to give Zagan a moment's rest.
The GDN kept his blade moving. No matter how good his blocking Mitsuyuki always had another strike at the ready and faltering even once would prove disastrous. The kunoichi swiped at his head. Zagan ducked to avoid being decapitated and thrust upward, his sword poised to pierce her chest.
Acting on instinct, Mitsuyuki recoiled. It was the opportunity the GDN had been waiting for. Instantly he went on the offensive. Swinging faster and faster until it seemed there were seven blades dancing through the air. Their flashing swords bathed the two medabots in eerie light that seemed to have a life of its own.
High above, Isis was having her own personal duel. Despite her apprehension, Brimstone had not given her much of a choice and was now doing his best to eliminate the SPX. The crimson dragon swung wildly, his lance darting in and out. It took most of Isis' concentration to avoid being skewered. What little focus she had left was dedicated to reasoning with the DRG.
"Brimstone, stop it!"
The scarlet reptilian made no reply. He continued to attack, the hatred in his eyes growing stronger with each thrust.
"Just listen to me!" Isis shouted and threw a roundhouse kick to get her point across. Brimstone ducked and jabbed with the butt of his lance. The weapon struck Isis squarely in the chest, winding her and forcing the SPX backwards. Brimstone moved in and threw a hard right cross. Isis caught the DRG's fist in her hand and swung her entire body over his arm. Twisting like a corkscrew she drove both feet into his snout.
"Dirty wench!" he spat. "You nearly broke moi nose!" Isis was relieved to here him speak, regardless of what was said.
"Brimstone please listen to me! I don't want to fight, I just…"
He cut her off. "That's too bad sweet 'a rt 'cause I'm done taulkin'!" The DRG brandished his lance to reinforce his words.
"Please…I don't want to fight you anymore." The golden winged medabot's optics softened. "What's happened to you?"
Brimstone swished his tail impatiently. "More than you can imagine" he snarled.
Isis held out a hand. "Just talk to me…please…" The look in her eyes was one of sincere concern.
His resolve wavered and the lance dropped to his side. "Oi…oi…"
The words died on his transmitter as Mariah's voice interrupted their conversation. "What do you think you're doing!" She was yelling at the top of her lungs, not bothering to use her medawatch. "Attack now!"
Brian was just as adamant. "Get her Brimstone!"
Isis' heart sank at the thought of two medafighters only being able to agree on the issue of battle. She chose to ignore them. "We don't have to fight Brimstone" she said softly.
The DRG stared directly into Isis' sea green eyes. They held a quiet resolve that he could not help but be drawn to. But that did not excuse him from his duty to Brian. As he spoke he gripped his lance tighter and tighter. "Oi'm sorry love…" he whispered before beating his massive wings and launching into a head on charge.
"So am I…" Isis replied before loosing a barrage of gleaming feathers.
Metabee, Sumilidon, and Brass were oblivious to the battle raging over head. They had their hands full trying to contain an explosive pair of medabots. They were almost identical, both monkey type medabots moved nimbly on long, articulate limbs.
Ikki and Erika coordinated their attacks in perfect unison. "Keep firing Metabee!"
"We've gotta pin them down Brass!"
"Concentrate on the left!"
"Don't let that one get away!" The two medabots followed every command. They sprayed enough fire to demolish an army. The constant barrage herded their marauding opponents into position for Sumilidon. The STG dashed in and out with lightning speed, his navy blue claws cutting deep gashes in the monkeys' armor.
"Yeowch! Bad kitty!" they cried whenever his claws struck home. But despite Sumilidon's attacks the two medabots escaped with nothing more than shallow cuts and gashes. "Kitty has sharp claws but he can't carve us up!" they chanted.
Their medafighters were just as juvenile. The two boys were as indistinguishable from each other as their medabots. Their shaved heads were like billiards in the moonlight. The two stood back to back in a dramatic pose. "You'll never catch Hanu and Saru" one of them laughed.
The other one reciprocated his brother's sentiment. "Yeah, they're twins just like Dorjee and me. And that means you'll never beat 'em."
Koji struggled to make sense of the dilemma. 'What's going on here? Sumilidon's Flexor sword can cut through anything.' The dark haired boy heard the unmistakable sound of metal striking metal. He snapped to attention at the sound of Sumilidon's cry.
The beige saber-tooth tiger type lay stunned a few feet away. One of the monkeys' wagged its tail as if it were scolding Koji. "Kitty was being bad. Don't worry, I punished him real good." At the tip of its tail was a skeletal third hand, a spindly finger pointed accusingly at the young boy.
"Why you…" he growled before running to his medabot's side.
Erika looked over at the pair and then turned to Hanu and Saru. There had to be a way of slowing them down. One of the monkeys' was using its tail to scratch behind its ear. The answer struck her like a thunderbolt. "Brass use your short shot."
"Yes Miss Erika" Brass acknowledged before firing a stream of bullets from her machine pistols. The MKYs dashed off in different directions, whooping and hooting.
The aspiring reporter turned to Ikki. "What are you waiting for Ikki? Have Metabee fire his seeker missiles."
"Uh…right" the messy haired boy replied dumbly. "Fire seeker missiles!"
Metabee lowered his head and loosed the deadly projectiles with a mighty roar. "Missile launch!" The seekers locked onto their targets, separating in mid flight and chasing down the MKYs.
Thinking quickly Erika called to Koji. "Hurry up and attack!"
The experienced medafighter instantly recognized her strategy and reacted. "Go Sumilidon, Shadow Sword!" The STG launched into a full sprint and quickly caught up with Hanu. First drawing back he raked his claws across the monkey's tail. Oil sprayed from the wound and stained Sumilidon's visor. With his vision impaired he relied on his hearing to track the missile whose path he had run into.
The tell tale sound of burning jet fuel alerted him to its presence and Sumilidon quickly broke off his pursuit and watched with great satisfaction as Hanu was engulfed in flames and thick, black smoke.
Smiles lit up Ikki, Erika, and Koji's faces. As the lacquer hued smoke began to clear a shimmer of gold came into view. There, next to his limp body, lay Hanu's medal.
"No!" cried Dorjee upon seeing his medabot's broken form.
Koji's smile was the widest. "One down, one to go."
Dr. Aki watched the fray with ever increasing dread. 'Where are they?' he wondered as the battle raged on around him. He had called for reinforcements long ago, why had they not arrived? "Someone's getting fired for this" he mumbled.
Karin's frenzied shout brought him back to reality. "Uncle Aki get down!"
The old man threw himself to the ground and winced behind his sunglasses as a laser lanced through the air where his head had been a moment before.
"Keep your head down" Kantaroth warned in his jazzy, baritone voice.
"Yeah Dr. Aki, wouldn't want ch'a ta lose anything important!" Rintaro shouted before instructing Kantaroth to keep fighting.
Karin rushed to her uncle's side. "We have to get you out of hear uncle Aki" she said, not looking up from her medawatch. The young redhead quickly helped the doctor to his feet and began to lead him away. Suddenly she gasped and grabbed at her forearm. A trickle of blood began to leak from beneath her hand.
"I'm afraid the good doctor won't be going anywhere." Not far away, standing against the full moon, was a menacing medabot. A single optic flitted from side to side and his bone white armor shimmered in the moonlight, radiating an unwavering strength. "Unless of course you'd like me to sharpen my aim." He cocked the massive cannon that served in place of a right arm.
The audible click of the weapon made Karin's heart jump. She thought of running but knew there was no place to go. She chose the only other option that came to mind. "Neutranurse!"
The pink medabot stepped forward to defend her medafighter. "I won't let you have Karin" she declared.
"That goes for us to" Rintaro piped up. Kantaroth nodded in agreement.
The bleached medabot threw his head back and laughed. "I'm afraid you won't have anything to say about that. At least not after I'm done with you!" he roared as he fired a shot. The lone shell disintegrated, revealing a shower of flechettes.
Neutranurse's oil ran cold as the deadly steel rain sped toward her. She shielded herself with her arms and shut her optics tight, readying herself for the searing pain that was to come.
And another one bites the dust. It took a while to hammer this one out but I'm glad to see it done and I'm sure you are too. Hopefully the next one won't take as long.