A/N: Big thanks to Aevari, Taee, and Mirai-akina for the edits and feedback on this chapter. Enjoy!
Sander Palace's golden limestone towers seemed to glitter in the early morning sun. The temperature was already beginning to rise within the shaded palace walls, and Cleri had insisted this would be the best time to enjoy an outdoor meal before it got too hot.
Eve searched for Rose and Cleri in the thick palace gardens. The emissary had said something about meeting her here after Eve had finished showering. Tables dotted the few open areas of the garden and, because of the sheer size, it took a moment for the Nasod to actually locate the two. She eventually found them closest to a bar nestled in one of the corners of the grounds, seated at one of the many open tables that accommodate visitors. Surrounded by palm trees and colorful desert flowers native only to the Sander region, it was a welcome, serene change of scenery away from the busy metropolis sprawl.
She approached the table, noting the extra chair that had been pulled up for her. A plate of buttered toast and eggs was laid out for the Nasod.
"Didn't know what you liked to eat so… I just got you something pretty normal. Food here is expensive, and this is all we can scrape by," Rose said before taking a long sip of water.
"You're not eating?"
"I can go without food for a day," Rose shrugged, "Besides, you'll need the strength more than any of us right now."
Eve stared at the food then accepted it graciously before turning to Cleri. "Thank you, again, for allowing me to stay in your room," Eve said with a small bow before taking her seat.
Cleri stared up at her from her single slice of butter and toast.
"No problem, Eve! I wasn't going to let you go a whole night without a place to stay! Honestly, I can't believe Thironin didn't even bother providing a room for you."
"After last night's run in with Ralek, I find this sort of behavior to be expected from the people of Sander," Eve gave an exasperated sigh before picking up the toast and biting into it. She blinked, staring at the warm, crunchy slice, visibly taken aback by the unexpected rush of flavor.
"Last night's run-in?" Cleri tilted her head, "Now that you mention it, you two did come back quite late. Did something happen in the scrap district?"
"A lot, actually," Rose groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as she recalled the events from a few hours ago. "Well to start off, Eve apparently met this guy named Ralek-"
"Ah, found them over here!" Elesis's voice shouted through the brush. The redhead appeared from around the corner, motioning for others to follow. "Good morning, you three! I see you found a food place. Great!"
"I think we have just enough to feed the three of you if you don't mind splitting an orange," Rose grumbled, looking through Cleri's money bag.
"Ah, give it to Els and Raven. I'll hold out till our next meal," Elesis said with a shrug.
"Whenever, that is," Rose snorted, tossing the nearly empty purse back towards Cleri. She looked at the redhead, cocking a brow. "You're in a chipper mood," she said as the Velder Knight strode over to their table and pulled up a chair next to Rose. She was dressed in her casual wear: a nearly threadbare linen top that had seen better days and a pair of ivory shorts. Fresh white bandages could be seen wrapped around her torso through the many holes on her shirt. For the most part, it seemed the bleeding had stopped.
"Yep! It's crazy what a nice cozy bed and a cool morning shower can do to someone, huh? Or do you prefer me being grouchy and miserable?" Elesis grinned widely at Rose. The blonde simply turned her head away.
Elesis chuckled and motioned again towards the others who had just rounded the corner. Raven appeared, keeping pace with Elsword as the young man was rolled in on a wheelchair. A short, young girl with long silver-lavender locks and a pair of glasses too thick for an average child pushed him along.
The leader of the El Search Party plastered on the best smile he could muster. Clearly aware of his limitations sitting on the wheelchair, the young man looked to be trying way too hard to keep up with Elesis's mood. He raised a potion bottle with strange, purple liquid in it before taking a sip of the elixir.
"I wasn't expecting his injuries to be that bad," Rose whispered.
"It's actually a lot better," Elesis whispered back, "Doctor Vapor said it's a miracle he was even alive with all his shattered bones. What she did for him was better than any doctor I've ever seen. She says he'll be combat ready by the end of this week."
"I've never heard of a potion that worked that quickly before…"
"Me neither. Regardless, my brother's going to make it out okay. That's more than I can ever wish for..."
Rose's facial expression softened after seeing the Blazing Heart's eyes nearly gloss over as she said that. To her, this was a side of Elesis that she was seeing for the first time. Elesis glanced at Rose, and the blonde quickly turned her head, staring straight ahead. Not at Elsword or Raven, but past them.
"I have you to thank, too, for saving him. I guess I never got the chance to in between carrying Els back to the airship and tearing Raven a new one. So. Thanks. And sorry for being a bitch."
"Y-yeah. You're welcome." Looking back at the redhead, Rose noticed Elesis was practically beaming at her, "Just… watch your temper next time."
"I think it'll be easier knowing we have a roof over our heads, thanks to Cleri."
The emissary perked at the mention of her name, and she looked on at the others, trying to hide the fact that she had stuffed her face with a slice of toast.
"M-me?" she asked, mouth still half full.
By then, Raven and Elsword had reached the table, and Eve and Cleri had to scoot aside to give room to them.
"Yeah," Raven said, getting the last half of the conversation, "Doctor Vapor filled us in on the details. You secured lodgings for us for the remainder of the trip."
"A-ah… yeah. Well. It was… a difficult negotiation," Cleri muttered, her voice a soft whisper.
"All we have to worry about is food, but we can manage now with what little funds we have. Still, it'd be nice to have a full steak dinner every night, huh?" Elesis laughed.
Eve noted the way Cleri seemed to dip her head as she spoke. The emissary looked up and noted that Eve was staring at her, prompting the young woman to keep her eyes glued to the plate.
In any normal situation, Eve would have pointed this out to everyone. But she had learned what this human emotion was. She had studied it some time ago and recognized the facial and behavioral patterns expressed in front of her. This was guilt. For whatever the reason, Eve didn't press her for it. Not now, at least. Not with everyone around.
"Elsword?" the Nasod looked over the young man on the wheelchair, "Are you well?"
"I've been better," the knight sighed, his stiff movement only hinting at the pain he was in. But despite this, he seemed very much able to move. "Actually, I'm doing better than I normally would, all things considered. Granny Vapor is one hell of a doctor."
"Granny Vapor…?"
Eve felt another pair of eyes on her.
Looking over her shoulder, she was almost pushed off her seat by the close proximity of a young girl with aqua blue eyes and silver-lavender hair. She was dressed in native Sander attire consisting of a brown sleeveless vest that was draped over a small brown bikini top. She wore a brown skirt with old Sander tribal patterns weaved into the hem. A hefty bag of herbs and elixirs had been slung over her shoulder. Sitting on her head was an enormous, poofy hat with a smoking pipe wedged between its woven fabric. Thick glasses that looked a little too large for the young girl had to be constantly readjusted to keep from sliding down the bridge of her nose.
"Fascinating," the girl said, adjusting her thick glasses as she leaned in closer to inspect Eve's facial features. The Nasod leaned away, and the girl quickly reached into her pack and pulled out a purple vial, practically shoving it against Eve's face. "Drink."
"No."
"Ah, Eve, don't mind her. That's how she is," Elsword said, taking a sip of his potion bottle, which contained a similarly colored liquid. He leaned in closer to whisper in Eve's direction. "That's Granny Vapor. Don't let her looks deceive you, though. Apparently, she's really old. People say she discovered the secret to eternal youth."
"I see," Eve said just as the girl tried to shove the potion bottle in her face again.
"Drink!" Vapor ordered.
Despite Elsword saying she was older than she seemed, she certainly demanded like a small child. "No," Eve said, annoyance getting the better of her. "Why do you insist I drink this?"
"You are a Nasod. Yet you look very much like a human. You are ingesting human food. By nature, I am obligated to learn how your body reacts to my elixirs. Now drink!"
"No."
"Yes!"
"My repair systems are superior to elixirs. I have no use for them." Eve crossed her arms. She withheld the fact that her corrupted system had actually compromised her repair protocol long ago.
"Oh, just let her see how it works on you, Eve," Elsword insisted, "Besides: it's grape flavored! Much better than that crap they usually hand out at the shops. It wouldn't hurt to try. Look how it helped me."
Eve frowned at Elsword for supporting the young girl's behavior, but she relented, taking the vial of strange purple liquid, popping the cork, and downing it in one gulp.
He was right. It was grape flavored. It was also strong, fizzy, and dried her throat on the way down. The Nasod corked the vial, handing it back to the little doctor as she sat there, waiting for something to happen.
"Well?" the little girl asked, "Feel any different?"
"Is it supposed to work that quickly?"
Doctor Vapor nodded.
Eve sat there, waiting for something to change before turning to the girl, shaking her head.
"No. I feel largely the same."
Elsword pouted at that, "Not even a little different? I mean, I felt better almost immediately."
"Same," Elesis agreed. She sighed, leaning back in her chair with a stretch of her arms, "Physically and mentally."
"No noticeable change," Eve reported with a shake of her head.
"Fascinating…" Vapor said, again, "Either the body is far more resistant, or this Nasod is far less human that it appears." She seemed disappointed by the discovery and dug through her pouch once more, extracting a vial with an even deeper hue of purple. "Stronger, maybe? Drink."
"I'd rather not," Eve said, pushing the offer away.
"Drink!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Eve rose from her seat, "Rose. We have important matters to attend to."
"Leaving us already? Where you two heading?" Raven asked.
"To secure an income for food."
The rest of the table looked on at Eve in surprise. She turned to Rose, "We have prize money to win."
"This early? The Proving Grounds event is past noon. It's not even midmorning, yet."
"I need help with something." Eve quickly glanced towards the little girl standing next to her, then back at Rose. The blonde picked up on this and slowly nodded.
"Right, we'll be on our way, then."
"Can I come?" Cleri chimed in, an excited gleam in her eyes.
"I'll only need Rose," Eve stated.
"You said prize money, right? You're entering a contest? Is that what happened last night?"
"Well… yes," Rose said, "But the scrap district isn't exactly a pleasant place to be… and we don't exactly have money to get you tickets..."
"Can we enter as part of your 'crew'?" Cleri giggled at the sound of that.
"I… don't think there's a limitation on that, now that you mention it. But, again, it's not a pleasant place. We got thieves, cut-throats-"
"I can come along," Elesis volunteered, "The emissary needs protecting, and I think it's my turn to watch over her."
"But you're hurt," Rose argued.
The Blazing Heart waved it off. "I'm not the type to sit still and do nothing all day. And I always feel like I'm one step away from accidentally breaking something in these rich-people environments."
"You could also just say you're bored," the blonde sighed.
Eve stared down the target dummy that stood several meters down range from her position. She exhaled slowly, watching the ironsights of the double-barreled revolver rise and fall as she pointed it at the monkey face carved on the wooden log. El flowed to her hands and into the two chambers of the weapon. She squeezed the trigger, and two energy bullets exited the barrel, one after another, in quick succession.
The first round hit the log but was nowhere near the face. The second bullet completely missed, flying high and above the intended target before burrowing itself into the angled concrete ceiling.
She fired again, achieving the same result.
She tightened her grip and fired. This time with both shots grazed the edges of the dummy, but neither hitting center mass.
"Your shots are… getting better. But they're still really inconsistent," Rose commented. She leaned against the cage bars that separated her from Eve, watching the Nasod try to readjust her stance to the proper form Rose had shown her earlier.
Cleri stood next to her, box in one hand and Moby cradled in another. Remy floated beside her mistress, projecting a 3d model of her bullet trajectory that encompassed the narrow firing range.
"Accuracy: below standard. Participation in the Proving Grounds not suggested-not without drone assistance at least."
"You're not allowed to participate, even if I let you," Eve said to Remy.
"What do you suggest we do, then?" Remy inquired.
"I don't know… Moby?"
The black drone didn't answer but Eve knew he was listening.
"That signal you detected when we first entered Sander, have you finished decrypting it?"
"...No," Moby chirped.
"Remy, you can assist Moby in decrypting the signal. Although it serves little purpose now, I am curious as to what it could be broadcasting."
The white drone looked at the black one. Neither of them said anything to each other before the white drone turned back to her mistress. "Understood."
Elesis stood watch at the entrance of the firing range, sipping a purple vial that Doctor Vapor had provided her before they left. She was observing Eve closely for the first time in a while.
"So… what's the deal with her not being able to hit anything again? I didn't quite get the… thing with the… code," Elesis asked.
Rose sighed, puffing at her fringes as she tried to simplify the explanation even further.
"The thing that helps her aim isn't working anymore. Eve has to learn how to use weapons without it now."
Cleri tapped Moby quietly on the head, and the black drone whirred, winking in a digital clock displaying the time to be just after noon.
"We have about half an hour until the event starts," the emissary reminded the others, "Do… you think you're ready, Eve?"
"The recoil in this firearm is unwieldy," Eve responded with a grumble that only mirrored a fraction of the frustration building within her.
"Just keep your shots slow and steady," Rose instructed, "Everytime you pull the trigger, you should stop and realign your weapon."
"I doubt my opponents would let me have that luxury. If my assisted targeting programs were available, I'd at least be able to hit the first shot."
"Well, it's not working now. So you're going to have to make do with actually learning how to aim," Rose said, "I think not being completely dependent on your programming is a good thing."
"What makes you think that?"
"It lets you experience stuff in ways you otherwise couldn't."
"There's no better teacher than experience," Elesis agreed.
Cleri nodded. "Rose and Elesis are right, Eve. Not having your targeting system isn't all bad. You should look at the positives!"
"It also puts me at a significant disadvantage against the other contestants since I must refamiliarize myself with my surroundings."
"True…" Rose mumbled.
"Then it's not a good thing," Eve said, verbally slapping the reality back into each of the girl's faces.
They all fell silent after that. Eve flicked her hair over her shoulder before resuming her target practice.
"It's certainly not going to make winning the prize money easier," Eve mumbled, firing another shot that completely missed the target.
"You still have your other goal to fall back to," Rose whispered through the metal bars that separated them.
The Nasod shrugged, "It's secondary, at this point."
"Aw, don't be like that, Eve. You can at least hope for the best."
"The truth of the matter is I'm grasping at straws in my situation. Elesis said finding work around here is like slave labor for what little coin they offered. You all may have a place to stay but you also need to eat. I want to fix my problem. But you need food. That's something I can at least help with."
The three women looked at each other. A grateful smile appeared on Elesis's face. "You'll get used to that side of her," the redhead sighed, "She means well. It's just hard to tell when she does everything with such a serious face."
"Regardless," Cleri said, "We'll be rooting for you from the stands, Eve. And… even though it doesn't mean much to you, I hope you do find someone that can help you, too."
Eve never took her eyes off the target. She held her breath, holding the gun as steadily as possible before firing. The bullet found its mark just below the monkey carving, and the second follow up shot struck home, right between the carving's eyes.
The rest of the room broke out in a small cheer as Eve breathed a much needed sigh of relief. She was getting the hang of it. She just had to hold the weapon as steady as she could when firing. It made her overall stance a lot more rigid but if she were ever to hit her mark, she'd have to make that sacrifice.
"So what can we expect in this event anyways? It's a last-man-standing kind of scenario, right?" Elesis asked Rose.
"Yes. It's a two-part exhibition. Her drones aren't allowed to participate, however, since that's essentially entering three separate machines…"
"So she has to go it alone," Cleri muttered, a hint of worry in her voice.
"It's a stupid rule, but Eve said she was fine with it. The first part of the event consists of the last-man-standing segment. Eve and I worked out that all she needs to do is bide her time until there are only a few opponents left. After all other opponents are eliminated, it then moves to the second: a one-on-one showdown with the champion."
"But what if the champion doesn't make it past the first part?" Cleri asked.
"He actually doesn't participate until part two," Rose answered, "The guy we spoke to said that the first part is to save time and weed out the 'inferior' machines in a timely fashion. The second part is the real showdown that investors will be paying most attention to."
"Investors…?"
"Yeah. Apart from the prize money, winners also get huge brownie points with the Sander Elite. Stuff like commissions for weapons designs for their military, merchandising, and other stuff like that."
"Which is why I'm going to reclaim my spot as top engineer," a deep male voice echoed in the hollow concrete room they were in. They turned to the doorway where a man almost too muscular to fit through the door frame, stood.
His height stood imposing on the doorway, enough to cause Elesis to jump back and subconsciously reach for her weapon.
The engineer saw this and sneered at the redhead.
"Good afternoon, ladies… Eve," Ralek said as he leaned against the frame, peeling at an apple with a pocket knife, "I see the little Nasod found itself an owner. Isn't that cute?"
Eve ignored him. Her attention was glued to the target dummy in front of her.
"Lost your ability to talk now? I'm talking to you, Nasod!"
"Can I help you, sir?" Elesis asked, setting herself in front of the man.
"Was just scouting out the competition. Wanted to see what my mech would be up against. Had nothing to worry about. Had, at least. That is until I found Eve here," he poked his head back into the large hallway, glancing over the sign hung at their door, "Nemesis, huh? When I first read that name, I thought I was in for something more sinister. Not some dinky little Nasod girl. But I know better. Everyone else thinks the 'Nemesis' is going to be a pushover. They're already placing bets on who's going to be the first to be eliminated, and they reckon it's gonna be Rose and her little machine."
"She's not going to be that easily taken out," Rose said, "So you can tell your friends to wait and see just how wrong they are."
Ralek shook his head. "They ain't my friends." He cut himself a slice of the fruit and shoveled it messily into his mouth, "They don't know what I know. I've seen what that Nasod is capable of. I've heard your plan. Don't think I'm going to let you or Eve get away that easily. It's going to be my first target."
"You will address Eve directly," Cleri squeaked in an attempt to sound intimidating.
"I'll address the Nasod's owner, thank you very much," Ralek growled back before turning to Rose, "Don't worry. After I snip its head of its shoulders, I'll be gentle when handling its memory core. And once I'm done downloading all the files I need, I'll be sure to give it back to you." He squeezed the remaining half of his apple, crushing it in his palm before dropping the crumpled remains at Elesis's feet.
"Take care, ladies," Ralek said, turning to leave, "I'll see you afterwards at the champion's booth. Tell them Ralek sent for you."
"What a gentleman," Elesis spat, still clutching at her weapon.
"Yeah. A real charmer," Rose said, rolling her eyes, "We're gonna kick his ass, right Eve?"
Though she said nothing, Rose noted the slight tremble in the Nasod's arms as she gripped the revolver. The queen dug into her stance once more, training the iron sights just below the monkey's head. She held her breath, waiting for the trembling to stop, and pulled the trigger.
Eve stepped through a wide doorway that led into a large concrete tunnel entrance. At the far end was a large iron gate. Bright sunlight filtered in through the bars and was accompanied by the soft rumble of a restless crowd. She was alone. Remy had summoned her explosive whip for her and prepared her electron canons, but without either of her drones, she didn't have access to spears. It was strange not having her two drones at her side, especially in a place she was unfamiliar with.
At least they had something to do. She hoped giving Remy and Moby a joint task would at least make them communicate with one another. She'd have to check on their progress after the battle.
She adjusted her dress, smoothing out the adhesive paper plastered on her belly. The number 19 was printed in large black font. Strapped to her hip was the revolver and her explosive whip rolled into a coil.
"Testing. Eve, can you still hear me?" Rose's voice crackled in the Nasod's head, "Er… wait... I guess I won't know until I see you, huh?"
The transmission jack that Rose provided only functioned as a receiver and couldn't relay anything from Eve's end. The tiny device had been inserted into one of the dozen ports in Eve's ear cones and worked surprisingly well, despite its crude design.
"Well, once you step out-assuming you can still hear me-look towards the north for a skybox and wave at it. That's where I am, along with the rest of the other challengers," Rose breathed a heavy sigh into the mic as she grumbled something incoherent regarding the state of the place, "Not sure whether I prefer being in here or out on the dusty bleachers at this point."
"Can she hear us?" Cleri's voice was barely audible in the transmission.
"I can't really tell yet. We have to wait-"
"Hi, Eve! Good luck! We're rooting for you!"
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for! The real test of technological innovation! The Proving Grounds! Battle! Exhibition!"
The rumble of the crowd escalated into a roar of cheers as the gates before Eve lurched and groaned slowly upwards.
"Alright! That's your cue. Remember, northern skybox. Gimme a wave so I know you can hear me," Rose instructed.
The queen stepped into the ring and found herself quickly overwhelmed by the sight before her. She was in a large, enclosed space with stone walls that stood nearly three-stories-high. A steel cage with transparent paneling hung over the battleground like an enormous lid, allowing the observers to view the carnage within. The patrons seated on the bleachers around the ring easily numbered close to ten thousand. Like a massive flock of vultures, the crowd cheered and hooted at the combatants taking the stage.
She scanned the bleachers, turning her attention to the northern wall, and found a narrow strip of enclosed concrete. No doubt this was where the challengers controlled their machines. She waved at the box as instructed, getting a sigh of relief from Rose.
"Alright, good. Elesis and Cleri are up here with me, too. If you'd notice, there's this big bubble of protective material above you. That's to deflect most kinds of projectiles that fly towards the audience. I've read the rules that, even with the protective screen, we are not supposed to shoot at them. If it's not an accident, you get one warning and one warning only before being disqualified. That also marks the out of bounds area. Touching that or any part of the ring's wall surrounding the arena means you're out of the match. Understood? Give me a thumbs up if you heard that."
The Nasod did so.
Eve was thankful for the enclosure. Apart from the frothing masses of enthusiasts, she could clearly see the thick cloud of smog in the air above them. She didn't have a filtration mask with her, and even with the air pumps lining the edges of the Proving Grounds, much of the district's pollution managed to float its way into the colosseum.
"Twenty contestants enter the ring and only one can survive! All booths have closed and your bets are FINAL. Strap yourselves in, folks, because you are about to bear witness to this year's latest in weaponized technology!
"Starting at number one..."
The MC recited his scripted explanation of each contestant and their machines in numerical order. It was going to be a while before they introduced her, seeing as she was second to the last on the list. This gave Eve ample time to scope out the battlefield.
Much of the actual arena was a mess from smaller league battles that were held earlier that day. The corpses of failed Nasod designs lay strewn about the oil-stained dirt. Machines ranging in sizes no larger than Moby and Remy to machines that could easily serve as a front line tanks, all lay motionless among the prebuilt obstacles that made up the combat area.
The field had two levels separated by the same transparent material that protected the crowd from the battle below. Towering stone pillars acted as support columns, suspending the square-shaped upper level and access between the two was available in four wide ramps at the corners of the square platform.
The other gates that lined the arena appeared to be open and, from where Eve was standing, she could see only half of her opponents. Twenty in total, including Eve. Some didn't stand out in terms of design, but other combatants looked similar to the tech the Nasod King had designed, including an augmented Nasod Type-W9 unit who was retrofitted with ranged weaponry where their blades normally were. Modifications were made to the machine's appearance more out of flare than utility, it seemed, as the Type-W9 donned a cowboy hat, stirrups, and its ranged weapons were painted to look like revolvers. The number 5 had been slapped on this machine's chest.
Another adversary of note included an old Nasod Driller. This one bore the number 13 and was easily left the biggest impression with the crowd. Once used for civilian excavation projects, this one was modified to support an even larger, more wicked-looking drill. Its torso and fuel pack were reinforced with extra layers of plating, and it was given an upgraded tread system for faster movement along the battlefield. It was given a bright red coat of paint and a detailed flame decal on its altered drill.
Perhaps the most eye-catching to Eve, in terms of threat, was a large six legged mechanical scorpion carrying the number 2. Its claws were built with flame throwers and a laser sight that looked all too familiar. The scales were tapered steel that appeared too heavy for any normal machine to carry, yet its six powerful legs hissed and adjusted easily despite its large body. The large stinger mounted on its back was a sharpened blade linked with an equally deadly cannon.
"That's Ralek's machine," Rose said, her voice drowned somewhat by the sounds of other challengers standing next to her, "Everyone else's machines seem to operate by voice command, but his seems to be solely operated by manual controls. Knowing him, he's probably going to focus solely on you."
Just as she said that, the mecha-scorpion turned itself towards Eve. Its sights were clearly set on the little Nasod standing on the far end of the field.
"And on to number 19! An unexpected beauty, don't you think? No, dear viewers, you have not accidentally stumbled into a fashion show! Unlike other combat frames that are usually bulkier than civilian machines, its design defies simple logic, seemingly prioritizing appearance over functionality! Be warned: looks can be deceiving, and this little Nasod is no exception! 'Team Rose' refused to divulge any of her abilities! A sign of confidence or an overestimation of their own abilities? Nonetheless, she is currently the biggest wild card in this arena! Let's hear it for Team Rose's 'Nemesis'!"
The crowd's cheering seemed to hush as Eve was introduced. She crossed her arms, trying not to appear too dejected by the audience's less-than-enthusiastic response.
"And our last entrant: number 20! Registered just earlier today, this machine…"
"Ah, don't worry about what everyone else thinks," Rose's voice crackled, "Just stay focused. You're here to win the money, not the crowd. And when it's all said and done, you'll meet the champ, and you'll be all fixed up."
"Kick their asses, Eve!" Elesis could be heard shouting in the background.
"Remember: keep your head down and stay out of fights. Only engage when you absolutely have to and pick off stragglers towards the end. Don't touch the boundaries either because that's an immediate disqualification. Do all of that, and you'll make it to the end, no problem," Rose explained.
"Easier said than done," Eve sighed, eyes trained on the mechanical scorpion in the distance. It hadn't taken its focus off Eve since she entered the ring. If anything, she'd be running from that monstrosity for the majority of the battle. The flood lights surrounding the stadium flash red. The volume of the crowd rose to a deafening roar.
"...Combatants! Are you ready?!"
The lights shifted to yellow. Eve scanned the rest of the battlefield, taking a mental note of the other's positions. Without her targeting system, it was difficult to focus on the grey metal against the earthly colored surroundings. Out of all of them, the scorpion seemed to be the only one interested in Eve.
"Let the Proving Grounds battle… begin!"
The lights flashed green followed by a loud blaring horn.
Almost immediately after the horn sounded, the mecha-scorpion was struck in its side by a powerful slug round that ricocheted off its thick armor, leaving a deep dent at the impact point. The round flew upwards, making contact with the protective lid. An incredible surge of electricity coursed through the web-like structure, vaporizing the solid metal round in an instant.
The rest of the arena broke out in an all-out war; combatants quickly homed in on their intended targets. The clash of metal and the loud crack of gunfire that accompanied the fever-pitched cheer of the crowd overwhelmed Eve's senses. Projectiles, both physical and energy, zipped across the field as the more ranged-oriented units fought for a dominant high-ground position.
Eve's eyes widened at the sight as the doors behind her began to shut. The gates radiated the same electrical energy and, as the fighting began around her, one of the other smaller Nasod combatants was flung towards the wall. Much like the slug round that hit the ceiling, the electrical barrier liquified half of the machine before it managed to pull itself free and collapsing unmoving just a few inches away from the wall.
"That… doesn't look good," Rose said, the sounds of another team cheering over their minor victory could be heard.
"No. It doesn't," Eve said to herself. Ralek's mech turned to its assailant: the Nasod Driller, who had withdrawn its hidden shoulder mounted weapon and was engaging the scorpion in close range. Thankful for the distraction, Eve took this opportunity to slink out of sight of Ralek's mech before it noticed that she was gone.
Eve sprinted to the nearest spot of cover she could find and nearly ran headlong into a crossfire between two other combatants. Bullets zipped past her, causing her to slide to a stop as a small, six-wheeled Nasod charged towards her.
Without her drones functioning as extra pairs of eyes, her reaction came far later than she would have liked, and she leaped out of the way, rolling on the ground just as the machine charged past her. This gave Eve ample time to reach the nearest pile of scrap metal, all the while she kept an eye on her recent close encounter.
The attacker was a cylindrical shaped Nasod that stood no higher than Eve's waist. Thankfully, she wasn't its intended target as it continued past her towards another target. Its curved side plating deflected oncoming small arms fire as it drew closer towards its assailant: an agile, four-legged sentry. The cylindrical armor opened as several rows of spinning blades whirred to life.
The sentry moved to evade, leaping up against one of the stone columns that supported the central platform before firing downward on its weaker top armor.
Up in the higher platform, the large Nasod driller and the scorpion continued to duel one another. Jets of flame shot out from the scorpion's claws, functioning more as a spectacle for the crowd than anything else as the javelin-like stinger punched through the armored hull in an attempt to hit something vital.
Unlike the upper level, the ground level under the transparent suspended platform looked largely uncontested save for a few smaller fights. With most of the crowd's attention resting on the top platform and outer edges of the ring, hiding under and in the center would be her best bet in surviving to the end. She just had to cut through a spot of open ground to reach it.
Eve peeked out of cover, doing her best to keep tabs on any and all movement without the assistance of her visual programs. Through the massive influx of visual information, Eve caught the tiny glint of a reflective lens at the corner of her eye.
The silver-haired Nasod ducked just as the metal slug whizzed by her head. A clean white smoke trail was left in its wake.
"One's watching you. From the high perch to the north-northwest. At the corner of the upper platform," Rose reported.
Eve followed Rose's directions, quickly glancing at the general direction and pulling back just in time as another round flew past. She used this time to look once more, getting a precise bead on him before drawing her revolver.
It was a cannon guard from King Nasod's blueprints. Were all of the combatants simply stolen tech from her destroyed foundries? From the looks of it, much of its design was largely the same with the exception of the high-powered gauss rifle mounted on its shoulder. Eve evaded another shot and quickly rotated to the other side of her cover. Eve popped out, snapping a shot at her opponent before it had a chance to reacquire her. The two rounds grazed past the intended target, and she quickly hid once more, just as he retaliated with a much more precisely aimed shot.
"Breathe. Take your time," Rose coached her.
"As if I have time to," Eve grunted, letting the El in her body top off the revolver chambers. Only a fraction of a second later and she would've been hit for sure. Still, she considered Rose's words and did a quick calculation in her head. There was a brief but definite pause between the cannoneer's shots. His reload was quick but it still gave her a window. She just had to force it.
Something rolled over the pile of metal she took cover in, coming to a stop at her legs. It was a small, fist-sized metal ball.
A grenade!
Eve scrambled out of cover, diving to the other side just as the explosive detonated. With no chance to catch her breath, she quickly rolled to her feet, narrowly avoiding a shot trained at her head. Instinct told her to run for cover. But she knew this may be her best window. She entered the proper firing stance, clasping the revolver with both hands and lining the iron sights at the target. She breathed, remembering the compensation she had to make at the firing range and aimed just below the cannoneer's head.
She fired, the El round struck flush with the cannoneer's shoulder just as it returned fire. The cannoneer missed. Barely. The shot that would have surely struck her square in the head only left a linear burn across the side of her face.
Sparks flew from the cannoneer's shoulder. Its mounted gauss rifle powered down, forcing it to retreat into the upper platform. She wasn't able to finish him off, but Eve quickly refocused on her initial objective. The queen made a dash for the center of the ring under the platform as the fighting continued to rage around her.
Yet, just as she drew close to the shelter of the platform, she noted the shift of shadows from the platform above. Something was shoved off the edge, and Eve slowed to a stop just as the cannoneer from earlier plummeted to the ground floor, hitting the dirt with a loud crash. Both Eve and the enemy Nasod turned their gaze to the upper platform where a single Nasod stood. Much of the assailant was shrouded against the afternoon sun. Its frame was built with the likeness of a human bearing a long flowing cloak. It turned away, giving Eve a brief glimpse of the number 20 plastered to the individual's chest. The combatant said nothing, disappearing from view and leaving the cannoneer to fend for itself against Eve.
Taking this chance, the queen advanced on the cannoneer just as it was rising to its feet. Blue energy coursed to her open palm, her electron cannon wasn't going to miss at this range.
Still a viable threat in close range, the cannoneer pounded the ground with its arms, challenging Eve to come at it. Yet as she drew closer, something in the enemy Nasod changed. Its lenses focused on Eve, its arms dropped, and it seemed… confused.
Ignoring this, Eve thrust her palm forward, firing a concentrated orb of energy directly into the cannoneer's unguarded torso.
The resulting blue cloud of dust was enough to catch the attention of a few other combatants. As the dust settled, there was nothing left of the cannoneer except for its extremities and bits and pieces of circuitry raining around Eve as she searched for the next possible threat.
"Awesome job! That leaves fourteen more. Though I think you caught the attention of a few others. I can hear the other teams talking about you now."
"That's the opposite of what I wanted to happen," Eve grunted, moving underneath the large central platform.
From there, she was largely safe from high-ground fire. From under the see-through platform, Eve watched as an intense fight between Ralek's mech and the Nasod Driller unfolded. They thrashed from one end of the platform to another, each trying to tear the other limb for limb. Flames from the scorpion's claws engulfed the upper platform, forcing the smaller Nasod combatants off stage. The driller charged through the wall of intense heat, driving its drill into the mech's reinforced face plate.
Despite the driller's durable frame, Ralek was easily able to turn nearly all engagements around to his favor. With two large claws and a stinger, there was only so much a single large drill could do to fend off retaliatory strikes.
"Eve! Incoming!" Rose shouted in Eve's head, catching the Nasod's attention just in time as she rolled out of the way from a charging shield guard. Another unit designed by King Nasod, this bulky melee-oriented unit had a large, sphere-like head fixed with multiple lenses to reduce its blindspots. Originally designed to bear a large greatshield and function in defensive frontline formations, this mobile cover instead was replaced with a much lighter barrier generator attached to its arm. Though it normally wielded a high-voltage stun baton, its arm had been completely removed and replaced by a heavy piledriver that pivoted at its shoulder joint.
The guard turned to her clumsily, its loss in balance attributed to its weaponry. It hid its exposed back before Eve could regain her footing and swung the large spiked arm around, forcing the queen to remain on the defensive. She ducked its sweeps and was forced to sidestep its downward strikes. A thundering clang of metal against stone followed after each heavy swing that nearly caught Eve under its weight.
The relentless attacks forced Eve into a pattern of movement that the guard capitalized on. Sensing the intention, Eve caught the slight shift in momentum and disengaged completely just as the guard thrusted the large spike at her. She leaped back just far enough for the spiked to fall short; its tip nearly striking her in the chest. Still on the defensive, the queen spun out of the way just as the pile driver activated, ending in a loud bang. The pointed tip barely missed her, brushing by her ribcage and digging a shallow wound just under her chest.
Using this opening, she flung a disc of energy at the guard. Her opponent raised its energy shield, the barrier absorbing the blast as if it were nothing. Despite their close quarters engagement, however, the guard seemed to stop moving completely. As the dust settled from the blast, Eve saw the guard was looking straight at her, its head tilted curiously as it got a better look.
Taking this pause as her window of attack, she kicked the guard back, causing it to stumble to the ground. With her added space, Eve swapped to her whip, whirling the woven nasod steel around her before snapping it at the guard with a loud crack that ended with a small explosion at the tip.
It was much harder to wield the whip without her assisted targeting program guiding her movements, and she wielded the weapon purely off memory at this point. She flicked her wrist, guiding the rope into another crack that traveled just a little too far to the left. Eve adjusted, bringing it around once more and aimed for the guards leg. The physical weapon phased through the energy barrier like nothing, successfully wrapping around its leg. Eve pulled, snagging the whip tighter around its leg before she activated the explosive weave.
It was as if the guard's leg had been sawed off with how cleanly the whip tore through the reinforced alloy. With only one leg to stand on, the guard collapsed to its knee. Yet despite all this, even with the mistakes Eve made in her attacks that left her open for a counter, the guard continued to step back and away from her, its shield raised and its head lowered as it stayed completely on the defensive.
"You got it on the ropes! Finish it off!" Rose shouted excitedly.
All the while, someone else could be heard screaming at his other teammate. "I don't know what's going on! It's not listening to my inputs!"
With a well guided stroke, the weapon wrapped itself around the guard's shield arm, detonating the explosives again to sever the limb at its elbow. With the shield separated and no longer powered, Eve flung an energy disk at the guard who, surprisingly, refused to do anything to fight back.
The blue electron disk struck the guard's shoulder, blowing off its piledriver weapon and knocking it to the ground. With no weapon or shield to use, all the guard could do was stare up at Eve as she stood over him. It looked at her strangely. Almost as if it was curious, despite the predicament it was in.
It was like the cannoneer.
The blue light faded from her palm as she stared down at the guard, still wary for any tricks it may have up its sleeve.
"Why do you look at me so?" she asked, getting not a word of response from the guard who merely continued to stare up at her. With no limbs to use, it couldn't gesture as freely. If it had the ability to speak, it must have been removed long ago.
Wordlessly, the guard dipped its head, as low as it could given the lopsided way it lay helplessly. It held itself in that position, long enough for Eve to realize what it was doing.
It was bowing.
"What…" Eve whispered, taking a step back, "Why are you-"
A shot rang out, cutting Eve off as an energy bullet pierced straight through the guard unit's head. Its last moment in life reduced to a tiny flicker of electricity from the open wound on the side of its head.
Whipping her attention around to the source, Eve saw the modified W-9 with the number 5 taped onto its chest, standing a fair distance away. A single smoking barrel of its energy pistol remained pointed at the downed guard. The cowboy-themed Nasod spun the retrofitted pistol with all the unnecessary flare a gunslinger would add before holding the weapon at its hip. With its free hand, it pulled its hat over one of its lenses, focusing the other on Eve as it slowly began circling around her.
"It looks like Team All Stars' Lawbringer has found its next victim! Nemesis has been lucky so far, but can it even hold a candle to Number 5's advanced targeting system?"
Her eyes quickly darted back to the guard, whose lifeless body slumped at her feet. She stepped around it, moving around and away from the W-9. From this range, Eve had to use her revolver. Her whip was completely useless, and her electron cannon was far too unreliable with its projectile speed to warrant its use.
Closing the distance was an option, but judging at how well it placed its shot only moments ago, Eve wasn't willing to test the machine's accuracy on a moving target.
As if reading Eve's mind, Number 5 stopped in its tracks and turned fully to the queen. It spun the pistol and fired from the hip just as the queen reached for the revolver behind her. The bullet grazed her hip, threading between her fingers and struck her weapon as she was drawing it. The revolver clattered to the ground several meters away.
"Oh! And just like that, Nemesis is easily disarmed! Lawbringer's engineering team has clearly outdone themselves in ensuring speed and accuracy in neutralizing opposition!"
With no time to think, Eve rolled backwards, dodging a bullet that whizzed past her chest. Her hand found the energy barrier she severed from the guard and she quickly activated it, rolling to a crouched position as the protective field was generated in time to absorb the next volley of rounds.
The W-9 fired again and again, slowly advancing on her as she fed more and more of her El into the energy barrier to keep it alive. She stumbled and backed away in an attempt to reach the revolver on the ground. The shield flashed a bright white with each energy bullet it absorbed and Eve could feel the energy strain on her El reserves. Once within arm's reach of her weapon, however, her opponent simply shot at the revolver, knocking it even further away.
It was toying with her. This only became readily apparent when the W-9 stopped shooting altogether. A pole extended upward from its back. At the top was a cylindrical probe that emitted a green circular ring of light that scanned the entire lower floor from top to bottom. This only took a second, and just as soon as the probe appeared, it retracted itself, and the W-9 was mobile once more.
"This is it folks, Lawbringer's secret weapon! Team All Stars had boasted this to be the most advanced form of target acquisition yet. Let this be the demonstration that would one day be used to safeguard our beautiful city streets!"
It spun the pistol in its hand and adjusted the rim of its hat before pointing the weapon upward.
It only took a fraction of a second for Eve to realize what it was doing. She raised the shield higher, just as it fired a shot that ricocheted off the transparent platform above and came down on her, grazing past the top of her head as the bullet flew over the shield.
Number 5 changed angles once again, firing at the stone pillar to her right and prompting Eve to block a shot that almost caught her on the side.
Again and again, it changed angles on her, forcing her to spin the waning shield from one side to the other. The W-9 was doing it for show at this point.
For each bullet she absorbed, Eve carefully made her way back towards her own weapon. But every time she drew close, number 5 simply shot the revolver further away.
Eventually, it began kicking it up a notch. The bullets that ricocheted off the walls were bouncing off a second time, coming in at wider, more extreme angles. All the while, the enemy spun the pistol with a flourish before every new firing line. Faster and faster, it seemed to dance until Eve couldn't keep up with the sheer volume of incoming energy bullets.
Sharp, agonizing heat shot through her arm as the first round found its mark. She instinctively turned the shield towards the direction but was caught from behind as another bullet pierced through her leg from high above.
She fell to the ground, hissing as her pain inhibitors refused to activate. Her focus was no longer on the shield, and the barrier dissipated.
Not finished with its show, number 5 blasted the generator in Eve's hand to pieces, leaving the queen absolutely helpless.
The crowd went wild at the spectacular light show, and the slow chant of Lawbringer's name began. It slowly made its way towards Eve, the chant from the crowd grew louder as she tried to drag herself away from the unit. She tried to move her damaged arm and leg but the pain kept her from doing so. She had never experienced wounds this excruciating before, where every move her body made only seemed to make it worse.
She stared up at the modified W-9 unit as it drew closer, spinning its gun once more before pointing it at Eve's head. It stomped on her damaged thigh, getting a small gasp of pain from Eve as she was effectively pinned in place.
In her head, Eve could hear Rose. She could hear her screaming in the mic as she called for a ceasefire on her machine. She was calling for a formal surrender.
But from the sounds of laughter in the skybox… they weren't going to listen.
Eve was out of options. Without her drones to assist her, she was an ineffective fighter. She couldn't do this alone. Not as she was...
There was one option...
Like an itch in the back of her mind, she could feel the corrupted code surface within her. It knew she was looking for it. It knew it was needed once more.
No! She couldn't! Her condition was bad enough as it was! If she utilized Full Generate Mode now, there would be no telling how severe the after-effects would be. Especially since she still had other contestants to deal with afterwards.
But it was either now or never. And as the W-9 stood over her, she knew her window was closing.
The code seemed to surge inside of her. Nearly forcing itself out.
But she was scared.
She didn't want that. She couldn't.
Her focus was torn away as number 5 suddenly grabbed her by her long silver hair. Eve opened her mouth in a silent cry while the Lawbringer eyed its quarry's facial features. Eve squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away as the crowd demanded a fitting execution.
"And with that, we have another elimination! Wow! What a machine! Don't be disheartened, Team Rose! There's always next year!"
Death never came for Eve, however. Just as quickly as she was picked up, she felt the pull on her scalp loosen, and she was unexpectedly let go. Eve hit the ground with a dull thud. Confused, she turned her gaze to her adversary while clutching at the roots of her hair.
Its laser pistol was no longer pointed at her head and was, instead, slowly being lowered in an unforeseen display of mercy.
"W-whatever you did, it's working!" Rose said.
"Hey!" the muffled shouts of another team was heard on Rose's side, "What the hell is it doing?"
"I-I don't know! I've told it to finish 19 off! But Lawbringer's ceased up for some reason!"
Eve hadn't done anything. She hadn't unleashed the corrupted code, nor did she fight back in any way.
Was the Lawbringer acting on its own?
"Run the manual override!"
The dark lenses underneath the wide-brim hat seemed to empty for a brief moment, only to be replaced by an ominous bright red glow.
It turned to the pistol gripped in its right arm, as if willing it not to move. Yet its owner's override forced the barrel back on its intended target. The red eyes focused in on Eve's. The shaky grip on its weapon steadied, and all sense of resistance faded. With nothing stopping the Lawbringer from carrying out its orders, it pressed the barrel against the blue gem on Eve's head and pulled the trigger.
A single gunshot.
Half of the Proving Grounds patrons that had been watching duel had fallen silent. Unable to see the exact outcome under the giant mech battle on the second floor, many only heard the shot whilst few could just barely put the pieces together.
Eve was still alive.
The W-9 still stood over the silver-haired Nasod, but the pistol as well as the entirety of its forearm had been severed.
The missing limb in question landed a few meters away, sparks and smoke emanating from the unpowered limb. Before Eve could even process what was happening, a second round ripped through Number 5's head, causing it to topple over, its glowing red eyes extinguishing as it slumped motionless on the ground.
Eve whipped her head towards a single, cloaked humanoid figure standing a fair distance away, a smoking double barreled revolver in its hands. It holstered its weapon and strode over to the downed queen just as the Nasod Driller from the floor above them was flung off the stage behind the figure in a fiery ball of scrap.
The resulting explosion whipped at the savior's cloak, revealing a partially torn "20" plastered on its dark leather outfit. Her eyes travelled upwards and, to her horror, she noted the individual's face was hidden behind a gasmask.
It was the stalker. The thief. The same one that followed her the night prior. They were a Nasod. That explained why she ran into it in the scrap district.
It moved in on her and she tried to escape, pushing past the surge of pain as she attempted to crawl away.
It thrust its hand at her and she shielded herself, hand charging with energy to retaliate.
Yet nothing happened.
Tentatively she glanced up at her assailant, but instead found them simply standing over her… a hand extended to assist her.
"...But let's not celebrate just yet. There are still three contestants remaining! And in yet another surprising twist of fate, there appears to be a truce! After Team Ralek's heart-stopping show of absolute dominance against Number 13, I'd be shaking in my boots, too, if I had to face that monster alone! Will the Phantom's temporary alliance with the underdog Nemesis be enough to stand up against such raw power?"
A truce? Number 20 was asking for a truce? Eve stared at the cloaked Nasod's hand extended towards her. She then looked at the enormous mechanical scorpion still relishing in the glory of its most recent take down. From where she lay, she noticed the underside of its armor, was largely non-existent. Piercing through the scorpion's topside plating with her current weapon load out would be an unrealistic expectation. Though well-aimed shots to the small gaps at the machine's joints could prove useful, with her ability to aim, it was a highly unlikely scenario.
She looked to the extended hand once more. Number 20 seemed to be a decent shot- much better than her, at least.
They were the last three.
Eve had made it this far. She was much worse for wear than she had initially anticipated, and given her situation, she was incredibly fortunate to even make it in the top three. Siding with the other Nasod would prove beneficial for the moment, though it was what would happen afterwards that concerned her. If and when they successfully take down Ralek's machine, Number 20 would undoubtedly turn against her. She would be in no condition to fight.
Not unless she used Full Generate Mode.
She had almost faced death because of her stubbornness. With how far she's come, she doubted she'd be given another second chance. She had to. Especially against Ralek.
Eve could feel the corrupted code lurking in the back of her mind; waiting expectantly for its summons. It knew she needed it. But she wasn't going to give it the chance it expects.
She'll use Full Generate Mode. But only when it was absolutely necessary. If she can eliminate both of her opponents in one fell swoop, then she can quickly disable the enhancement before the corruption could develop further.
Eve batted the hand away, opting to stand on her own and giving the other Nasod a wary look as she painfully rose to her feet. As if completely understanding her, the so-called Phantom quietly nodded.
The wound on Eve's thigh made it excruciating to move, but it wasn't impossible. Given enough time to push through the pain, she was capable of at least hobbling around to a certain degree.
"The underside of the machine," Eve hissed as she slowly limped her way towards one of the wide ramps leading to the second level, "That's the only chance we have in dismantling it."
A loud shattering sound filled the arena. Eve turned to see that the mecha-scorpion had forced its way through the reinforced platform, tearing a hole on the transparent surface and landing between the two with a ground-shaking crash. Dust billowed around the scorpion and Eve briefly caught a glimpse of glowing red eyes as the machine whipped its metallic tail in a wide arc around it.
It completely caught number 20 off guard, sending the Nasod flying from the impact. Fortunately for Eve, she was able to duck under the tail and return fire with an electron disk flung into the cloud of dust. the resulting explosion cast a brief silhouette of the scorpion turning to the source of fire, and its shadow faded just as it leapt towards her. With claws bared and ready to strike, Eve narrowly leapt out of the way from the first downward strike. Her weight shifted to her damaged leg, and a surge of pain shot through her whole body, causing her limb to buckle under her own weight. Unable to dodge, she raised an arm defensively as the second claw slammed into her, knocking her off and sending her on a tumble.
Eve quickly regained her footing. Landing on her good leg, she slid to a stop and returned fire with another electron disk.
Using its claws as a shield, the mecha-scorpion plowed through the explosive projectile effortlessly before opening its arms for a pincer attack from either side.
A bullet struck one of its six leg joints, and the scorpion's charge was rapidly grounded, giving Eve just enough time to hobble out of its way as half its body drove itself into the dirt.
"You annoying little-" Ralek's voice could be heard through the scorpions speaker system while the machine turned towards Number 20. Smoking revolver still in hand, the Nasod was already closing in on Ralek's machine. The mecha-scorpion would have none of it, however, as its stinger whipped around towards the Phantom. It fired a continuous beam of red energy that the smaller, more agile Nasod was just barely able to weave around.
Taking this opportunity while it was distracted, Eve threw another charged disk at the scorpion. The blast left a deep dent on the machine's side and pulled the attention back to her briefly. Eve dove behind a pile of scrap just as the laser sliced at her, grazing just past the fringes of her hair and cutting straight through some of the thinner metal on the pile she hid behind.
Frustrated with having to fight two fronts, the scorpion pulled itself free from the ground and turned its weapons back to Number 20, who expertly dodged and rolled over and around the beam. Black lines of scorched earth were left in its wake, and pieces of the Phantom's cloak were burned away for every near miss. The tail lunged forward, smashing its pointed tip into the ground as the Phantom leapt over it and onto the scorpion's back.
Unable to effectively reach its rider with its claws, the scorpion bucked around wildly as Number 20 tried to grab a firm hold of its plating. It found a gap in the scorpion's armor and pulled. The sound of straining metal was enough to send the scorpion in a panic. Its tail withdrew, aiming for Number 20's back, but a well aimed crack of Eve's explosive whip severed the sharpened tip.
It turned to the whip-bearing Nasod as she wound up for another swing. The scorpion snapped its claws at her, and tiny flames at the claws' joints flickered to life. Jets of fire poured out of its claws, engulfing the immediate area in flame and forcing Eve to retreat from the wall of inferno.
The sound of snapping metal forced it to stop, however, as the Phantom's inexplicable amount of strength was able to peel away some of the plating damaged by Eve's electron cannon. Ralek's machine quickly returned to bucking about before it ultimately skittered away from Eve. It continued to run far and away from her towards a distant column with the Phantom still trying to pull more of its armor apart. It was then that she realized what the scorpion was trying to do. It was planning to crush Number 20 against the column.
"Look out!" Eve yelled. She drew her revolver, snapping two shots at the machine that, surprisingly, found its mark. The energy bullets struck a vital gear within the exposed side of the machine, causing the gears in its legs to seize up. The scorpion's charge came to an abrupt halt which, ironically, resulted in Number 20 flying headlong against the hard surface anyways. There was a painful thud followed by the Phantom falling limp on the ground before the scorpion.
Clearly not what she intended to happen, Eve's situation was only made worse when the sound of grinding gears caused the mecha-scorpion to lurch back to life. Despite the damage being done to its gears, Ralek's machine was still able to move, albeit at a slower, jagged fashion.
"I must say… you have definitely made me work for this victory. I shouldn't be surprised, though, considering what you are," Ralek said through the scorpion's speaker box, "Though I've spent years learning, creating, inventing… it was a real slap to the face losing everything I've worked for to some nobody with a machine I would have never been able to create. Could you imagine how it must have felt a second time when you just stroll into my shop asking for help? Could you imagine my anger knowing that everything I've worked for is but a fraction compared to what you hold in your head…? No. You wouldn't know. You wouldn't understand. You're a machine."
It lurched closer to Eve. Its staggered steps were uneven but still much faster than Eve could ever hope to outrun at her state.
Eve raised her revolver, squeezing of shot after shot only to have each round bounce off its thick plates.
"I deserve everything in that data storage. Everything you know and all that can be accomplished with Nasod tech should be given to me. Only I can push the boundaries of technology!"
It drew ever closer. It was within electron cannon range at this point, and Eve quickly swapped to the more powerful weapon. Yet disk after disk of charged energy did little to damage the scorpion's frontal armor. She was running out of options.
She reached for her explosive whip but the scorpion lunged forward. With calculated precision, the scorpion slotted Eve's neck in between its pincers just as she tried to move away. The second claw held her arm against her body, preventing any use of weapons.
"It doesn't have to end like this, though," Ralek suggested, "We can benefit off of each other. I let you live and you personally divulge all your secrets. What do you say?"
Eve didn't answer. She could feel herself being lifted off the ground as the scorpion carried her body all the way to the rings' edge. As they drew close, Eve's hair stood on end from the amount of electricity coursing behind her. The scorpion inched her closer and the little Nasod could hear the humming of millions of volts. She could feel energy flickering between her fingers.
"Or not," Ralek continued, "Either way, I get your data storage. You just won't be alive to see me lead the scrap district to the future it rightfully deserves."
Eve refused to speak. She squirmed as she felt the pincers squeeze her neck. All the while, Ralek could be heard laughing maniacally through the speakers. "Your choice, then! I was looking forward to watching you fry anyway!"
It inched her closer to the electrified boundary. By then, Eve was close enough for her vision to fade into static. The humming grew louder, and the ringing of her audio transmitter, which was now mere moments away from exploding from the crackling air, was all she could hear.
And then it faded.
Not to black as she had imagined, but the static and the ringing inexplicably began to fade. She was moving away from the boundary. The scorpion was just as confused as she was. The crowd was going wild at this point, and Eve quickly saw why:
It was Number 20. It had Ralek's mech by its broken tail. With strength that didn't match the Nasod's size, it pulled the scorpion further and further away from the electrified walls. Though Ralek forced the controls to push forward, the inner workings of the machine had been damaged too much to effectively pull back.
Eve squirmed in the scorpion's claws in an attempt to break free.
"Oh no you don't!" Ralek growled at Eve. He raised the little Nasod higher and began to squeeze at her neck, "I can just cut your head off right here and now!"
Number 20 watched as Eve was carried higher. In that split second, the Nasod shifted its stance, drew its revolver, and fired a shot that found its way in between the small gap of the scorpion's claw joint. Sparks flew as a rather large power cable had been severed, causing the claw around Eve's neck to seize up.
"What?! Damns it all!" Ralek's scorpion briefly turned its attention to Number 20. One of its back legs kicked hard at the Nasod, yet the Phantom refused to let go.
With the disabled arm, Eve struggled to pull herself out of its grasp. The pincers around her neck were so tight that sliding along the metal threatened to cut deep into her skin. She tried wrestling her arm out but found it near impossible without risking damage to her limb.
At this point, she only had one option. She had been lucky so far with avoiding its use, but Eve could not deny its necessity now. Number 20 was distracting Ralek, but she could see the Phantom's strength was waning. She was running out of time.
Ralek forced his machine to kick again and again, each one as forceful as the last and each causing the Nasod's grip to falter. Ralek pulled back the scorpion's leg, winding it up for one last kick. The strike landed square onto the side of Number 20's head. The Phantom lost its grip, and it was sent flying several meters back.
"I'll deal with you after I pluck my prize from this one," Ralek growled, turning back to Eve.
Suddenly, a gigantic black and white spear flew in from the heavens. It sliced straight through both of the scorpion's arm like butter, before planting itself firmly into the ground safely next to Eve. Dust billowed outward, and the scorpion lurched from the sudden shift in weight. It stumbled backwards, clearly bewildered by the loss of its arms.
The wounds on Eve's limbs closed as she shoved the claw around her neck away. As she stood, large black spikes materialized from her back, like sharp wings. She opened her eyes, revealing bright blue orbs as a hologram message appeared in front of her:
"Hello, world! Full Generate Mode initiated!"
A forceful blast of energy pulsed outwards from her, clearing the area of the cloud of dust for the audience to witness. As the dust cleared, the patrons fell in a hushed silence of shock and awe as Nemesis rose out of the ashes inexplicably undamaged while the scorpion appeared to have lost all of its effective weaponry.
The large spear that had fallen out of nowhere dissipated behind Eve as she stepped towards Ralek's machine.
"How…" Ralek mumbled as the scorpion backed away from the queen, "Where did that blade-"
Eve rushed forward, causing the machine to fall silent in an unprecedented amount of speed. Standing face to face with the queen, the red lenses turned downward, realizing Eve held a spear in her hands. The nano-sharpened tip easily punched through the thickened armor and pierced the scorpion's speakerbox.
Without a word, she placed her boot on the scorpion's head and withdrew the spear, before kicking the giant scorpion away with enough strength to surprise the machine. It fell back helplessly as Eve turned her back and stepped away from the scorpion.
Eve looked about her surroundings and observed the numerous scraps of Nasod steel around her. Every bit of broken machine, every inert piece of steel no matter how small, hummed in a strange, harmonious song that only she was able to hear. It was as if the entire battleground was awaiting her beck and call.
She focused her glowing blue eyes back on Ralek's machine, her targeting system marking all angles of attack and every which way she could rip and tear this abomination of man to shreds. It wasn't her doing, rather it was her system's. It asked-no, pleaded-for Eve to allow the complete and utter annihilation of her adversary.
But she knew better.
She knew time was of the essence, and that allowing her code the freedom to do as it pleased would only prolong her remaining at this state.
Eve raised a hand to the heavens, clenching it into a fist. The surrounding metals bent to her will. Gears, nuts, and bolts all came together like one hive entity. It pieced itself together, parts new and old from broken and inert Nasods, to form a massive fist that hovered over Eve. She brought her hand down and the giant fist followed her motion, crashing onto the scorpion and scattering into thousands of scrap pieces at the point of impact.
Ralek's machine stood no chance. Under the weight of several tons of steel, the scorpion was nothing but a pile of metal in a deep crater.
Wasting no time to relish in the victory, Eve turned to deal with Number 20. As expected the Phantom was already on their feet but, to her surprise, they didn't appear to be willing to fight. It stared at her for a long moment. Long enough to silently show it meant no ill-will before suddenly raising a hand and bringing it down in a grand bow.
"It… it appears number 20 is surrendering."
The announcer was clearly speechless. After the rapid back and forth of events, this was all they were able to muster.
"I… hold on- Is Ralek's… It's down? Down and out? And the Phantom is giving up?"
Eve glared at the masked Nasod as it rose from its bow. It turned its back on her to walk away as the announcer finally came back on the loudspeaker.
"A-and with that we have the new challenger to the Proving Grounds throne! A round of applause for Team Rose and Nemesis!"
There was a brief, confused pause with the audience before the cheering slowly rose to a loud roar of celebration. Eve let out a long, drawn out sigh, ending the Full Generate protocol and catching a glimpse of a red display before it disappeared from view.
75%
The multiple windows in her peripherals winked out of existence as her programs were shut down, and she was once again reintroduced to the raw sensation of the world around her. The cheer of the crowd was deafening. The colors and banners and the waves of movement overwhelmed her. Her senses were pulled into overdrive as everything came at her unfiltered once more. But there wasn't any pain. The Full Generate Mode had repaired her frame to its fullest and she was, once again, free to move around.
By the time she gained a foothold of all her senses, Number 20 had all but disappeared from the battlefield. The sound of a shutting gate was all that was left of the stalker.
Then, the chanting began.
"Loyal patrons of the Proving Grounds: It. Is. Time! Team Rose: your machine has survived the battle royale but the ultimate test has only begun!"
Eve made her way to the second level, standing at the center of the battleground as she searched for the champion of the Proving Ground. She had to be ready. If the rumours were true, then she might have to use Full Generate Mode again.
"You got this, Eve," Rose said. The sound of Ralek shouting over Elesis could be heard in the background.
Eve held a hand to her chest, shutting her eyes and steeling herself for one final encounter. "Strike quickly and efficiently," the little Nasod told herself.
Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at a lone, glowing cube no bigger than the palm of her hand, floating in the air a few meters away from her. She blinked, curiously, squinting at the peculiar object that suddenly began to spin in place.
Eve stepped back, and the chant of the crowd began to pick up in rhythm.
Movement caught the corner of her eye and she turned to see another cube. And another. Then several.
Hundreds of cubes seemed to appear out of nowhere, swirling the perimeter of the battleground before joining the first cube floating in the middle of the arena.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have waited an entire year for the return of the undisputed champion of the Proving Grounds. He has swept the floor in last year's competition and dominated the three-time winner of previous tournaments without so much as breaking a sweat… earning him the appropriate title of: The Dominator!"
It became apparent after this revelation that the crowd had been chanting this individual's name. Eve heard Rose snort at the title.
"Today, the Dominator is allowing you, our beloved patrons, a glimpse of his most recent accomplishment! Witness a machine perfected in its effectiveness! A machine built for war! A machine aptly named The Apocalypse!"
The crowd roared as the hundreds of cubes came together like a swarm before assembling itself into one large, seamless block. It emitted an intense purple aura that seemed to darken the immediate area surrounding Eve before a pair of white hologram eyes appeared at the apparent front of the cube. It turned its white gaze towards Eve, prompting the little Nasod to take a wary step back.
Yet it didn't attack. Was it waiting for her to make the first move?
"I recognize that code," the cube's feminine voice said to Eve, "It is the base which my master used to create me."
Eve's brow furrowed as she tilted her head at the cube.
"Your master used my code…?"
"A fraction of it, yes. He does not wish that I fight you. In fact, he wishes to meet you."
"Wh-what? He wishes to meet me?" Eve stammered, taken aback by the offer, "How?"
"Simple. I'll bring him to you."
The cube separated and reformed itself into a hollow cylinder. With a thrum of energy the cube slowly rose off the ground, 3D printing a familiar ominous device that Eve quickly recognized.
It was a translocator.
"No… No. I do not wish to see him," Eve whispered, taking another step back.
"You have no choice in the matter, my queen," Apocalypse said, reverting back to its cubic form.
With its construction complete, the translocator emitted a bright white spark, swapping places with its master with a loud flash.
Eve nearly lost her balance as she stared in horror at the person standing before her.
Dressed in an all-white business suit and a purple button up and tie, the mere sight of the champion caused the Nasod's heart to sink. He wore a black eye patch where a deep purple scar seemed to be cut into the side of his face, and he brushed the bangs of his short-white hair away from his piercing purple gaze.
Add smiled his sinister smile. "It's good to see you again, Eve."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the story thus far. If you did, your thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated! Though please try to keep major spoilers out of the comments! Thank you