Chapter 12: "The God of Myth"
33E groaned as she tried to stand upright.
The two of them laid between the canyon leading to the rest of the island and the rocky lands where the plateau stood.
To her side, 6H was slowly waking up as well.
"Ow- what-?" 6H turned around to see the plateau on fire, with a massive flaming chunk of metal enrapturing most of it. Chips and splatters of debris were strewn across the rock field in front of them.
"Th-that's-" 6H stuttered. Her thoughts weren't forming clearly. Looking down, the flames from a burning piece of one of the flight units licked her heels. She kicked it away and scurried back.
"The bunker, the flight units- they're both-" she clutched the sides of her head, "Oh god…"
"Alert," 6Hs Pod floated into view, "New YoRHa android signature in range."
On hearing a pair of footsteps echo throughout the canyon to back up the warning, 33E pulled herself up, turned on a dime and summoned her spear, pointing up toward the leftmost ridge.
A curious figure peeked over before waving, "Heeey!" they called out in a young yet masculine voice, "Are you two alright down there!?"
33E relaxed her grip slightly, glancing at a largely unresponsive 6H, "We're- OK. For now."
She refocused, tightening her grip and regaining her stance, "Who are you?"
"H-hold on!" the figure called out. Before she knew it, they were skidding down the ridge with minimal grace before falling face first onto the dirt.
"Urg- sorry about jumping in like this, but I heard the explosion. Are you two for sure alright?"
The figure was clearly an android, but more so, seemed to be a YoRHa android. A scanner unit, if 33E had to guess. His jet-black hair was a clear contrast to his uncannily pale skin. There was also something strange about appearance. And yet- he had a warmness around him that was disarming.
"We're fine." 33E said, softening her tone only slightly.
"R-right- Sorry. What was that explosion anyway-?" the scanner took notice of the fireball on the plateau. "Oh."
Off in the distance, other large metal fragments were falling from the sky, fire trails left the sky filled with smoke.
33E frowned, stepping forward and thrusting her spear slightly. The scanned jumped back in surprise.
"I said we're fine. You can leave now."
"I just- wanted to be sure you were OK! Seeing as you both are, I wanted to offer you a place at my camp." the scanner pointed with his thumb behind him.
33E cocked her head, "Camp? Where?"
The scanner turned around, pointing back to the leftmost ridge, "The quickest way is a path on the ridge over here. Me and my friends have been settled down there for some time-"
"Friends?" 33E tensed slightly, "How many of you are there?"
"Oh- Um…" the scanner scratched his head, "Quite a few, actually. We all came together for a common purpose some time ago. You don't have to stay, of course, we just wanted to offer you a place while you both got your bearings."
33E narrowed her eyes, "Got a name? Designation?"
The scanner screwed his face, "Designation? Oh, you must be YoRHa. Most people call me Heaps. I'm the resident tinkerer. Pleased to meet you!" he held out his hand, a smirk on his face.
Is he not YoRHa? 33E wondered, I don't think the Pod would get that wrong, though…
"Charmed," 33E patted the offered hand with the flat of her spear's blade, "But I think we'll manage on our own, thanks."
Heaps rubbed the back of his neck, "Suppose that's fair. I did just come out of nowhere, huh?"
"Yeah…"
"Need to work on my approach next time. Oh well." Heaps turned around to the ridge and began climbing up, "It's a shame, you two are great specimens." once at the top he snapped his fingers at something out view.
"Specimens?"
From behind Heaps, a number of other android began crowding around, weapons in hand. Together they slid back down the ridge.
"6H-" 33E shook 6H, "Hives, we gotta move!"
6H shakily stood up, still in a daze.
33E turned to see a- something. It wasn't an android or machine, she wasn't even sure if was it real. But it fell down the ridge and began leading the group of androids.
Now that they were all in view, she realized what was strange about their appearances. Their proportions were off. Like, one arm being longer than the other, same with the odd leg, resulting in the android to have a limp.
"Alert," the Pod chimed in, "Highly concentrated energy signature approaching."
"Thanks for the obvious," 33E seethed, "Any idea what it actually is?"
"Unknown." the Pod responsed.
"God dammit-" 33E pointed her spear at the crowd, with Iron Will hovering behind her back at the ready. She swatted aggressively at the group, "Stay back! Don't come any closer."
6H shook her head, trying to understand what exactly she was seeing.
Heaps knelt down in front of the inhuman figure, "Great God of Myth, I've failed my mission, please forgive me for inconveniencing you and our tribe."
The figure tilted it's head, seemingly confused. It disregarded Heaps and phased straight through him. He shuttered and fell aside into a fetal position.
"The hell!?" 33E stepped back, pushing 6H with her as the ghastly figure approached.
Slowly, it tried to reach out.
"I said, stay back!" 33E swung her spear, striking the creature across the chest, splattering what looked like blood across the ground next to it. The group of android gasped, stepped back, and knelt in kind. They began muttering among one another.
"Thirty-Three, what is it?" 6H asked.
"I- have no idea…"
From where 33E struck, the red liquid began to slow its flow to a thick and viscous ooze. It looked down at the cut then back to 33E.
It let our an inhuman roar, as multiple tendrils thrusted from the creature, wrapping around 33Es arm and leg. Next thing she knew, she was being thrown about the canyon, colliding with either ridge before being slammed down in front of 6H.
"Thirty-Three!" she reached out, but was swatted aside by a tendril.
The tendrils released their grasp and began to congeal together above the figure to form a pair of humanoid hands made of some sort of dark matter. They clenched into a fist and fell down on 33E, kicking up dust as it impacted with a crash. The Usurper spun in the air before hitting the ground just in front of 6H.
"N-no-!" 6H struggled to her feet as the fist reeled again.
SLAM
It hit 33E again, deepening the crator she was already compacted in.
SLAM
It hit a third time. 6H pounded her fist on the ground, "POD!" she screeched, pulling the spear from the ground. As the Pod approached, she pointed to the figure and grabbed her pod's arms, "Full speed, now!" instantly, it pulled her off her feet.
Unsure of what exactly she was doing, 6H pointed to spear outward as she and the Pod accelerated towards the figure.
SLAM
As the fist came down once more, 6H impailed the spear through it the arms made up of the unknown material. The blood-like substance spurred from the wound. The figure reeled back with the other androids behind standing up, now concerned for their leader's health.
As 6H descended and the creature reeled, she believed that she managed to lock eyes with it, if only for a split second. She could have sworn it was self-aware, despite its animalistic tendencies.
She hopped down into the small crater and pulled 33E up, "Come on- we gotta move!"
"H-" 33E let out a gargled gasp, catching the breath the figure took away from the onslaught of attacks, "How did it do that?"
"Nevermind that-" 6H said, struggling to lift her partner over her shoulder, "We need to leave, now!"
Upon climbing out, a light caught 6H in the eyes, looking up at the rightmost ridge, she could see the source. Something or someone else was trying to descretely get her attention.
"Pod! One more time!" she reached out to her Pod.
"Warning, Pod 027 is low on power reserve-" the Pod stated.
"I know! Just one last time up there! It's do or die!" she pointed then gripped the arms of the Pod, still trying to shoulder 33E.
From its back, the Pod summoned a thruster that began to build up power and lift the two units off the ground. With one large BOOM the duo and the Pod rocketed upwards with the bunch collapsing on the ridge in a pile.
Off behind a rock, just at the entrance of a pathway, a new figure gestured to follow. Like the other androids, this figure had odd proportions. However, they were for very different reasons, as instead of simply odd shaped limbs, they had large machine arms instead.
"Oh shit-" 6H muttered when seeing the figure. Who continued to gesture wildly towards them.
From behind, the crowd of androids were growing louder.
"Alert, power reserves depleted. Resorting to power save mode." the Pod said, before falling to the ground, effectively turning off.
With 33E over her shoulder and her Pod in her other free hand, 6H hobbled towards a path leading to a new part of the island. Looking back, the ghastly figure was fast approaching up the ridge with it's posse quickly following.
"Hurry!" the android called out, reeling a machine arm back.
Once she'd passed the android, they threw an arm towards one of the cliffs that sandwiched the path. It detached while still being connected by a thick cord. With a yank, a large pile of rocks was pulled down to block the path.
6H was finally able to get a good look at the man. His appearance was primitive, if not impressive. His dark skin and buzz cut lent itself towards his generally muscular structure. Which was on full display thanks to him only wearing slacks and sandals.
"That won't hold them for long," he said, rolling his shoulder. With zap and a snap, his arm was stuck back in place.
"What-?" 33E pointed at the half android half machine man, barely conscious, "The fuck is with this thing-?"
"D-dont mind my friend," 6H interject nervously, preferring not to engage with something that could probably snap her in two, "She has some head injuries that need repaired."
"Alright. You can repair her at our village," he offered a hand, "I can take one if it's slowing you down," he said referring to the Pod or her comrade.
With great hesitation, 6H hoisted the Pod and placed it in the man's mechanical hand.
Raising an eyebrow at the choice, he nodded along regardless, "Now hurry. They can't reach us at the village." he said, running past 6H.
6H began to follow.
"Is- this a good idea?" 33E muttered.
"Probably not," 6H huffed, "But honestly, I don't want to get on any else's bad side."
The duo struggled to follow as they crossed a bridge connecting the highly elevated canyon to the shoreline down below.