Hey! bestknight32 here! er srry this took so long to come out I couldnt get in touch with dahliingg for two months and I still haven't heard anything as of now so I had to switch to a different writer introducing Tim Baril from that deviant place thank you for writing this chapter! and dahliingg I hope your still doing well! Alright thats all! Until next time! "hey bestknight32 when's the next chapter coming out?" "I dont know." - bucket of slime falls down on bestknight32 head- YOU CANT SAY THAT.
Rhodes island stood alone in the center of the 4-way crossing, enemies both in front and behind them. They instinctively moved into a defensive formation, guarding against both sides. Cardigan and the shielders ringed the group, providing protection, while the rest hunkered down while they waited for orders.
Crownslayer's eyes narrowed at the sight of the lone figure standing alone on the other side of Rhodes Island. "Mephisto," she growled. While one could not see past the bandana masking the lower half of her face, it was easy to imagine her teeth bared like an animal's. The black hood over her bright red hair could not shadow the angry fire in her eyes.
The young man named Mephisto ignored the woman and focused on the Doctor's group. He was relaxed, confident, and had a deadly confidence about him. He was dressed in a white uniform jacket and white shorts, with brass buttons on both sides of the jacket. A crimson armband on his left bicep was very noticeable. His hair, too, was pale, grayish white, making the yellow of his eyes even more piercing. A cocky grin seemed to be his default facial expression. He languidly held up one hand while the other rested on an arcane staff of some kind. "Rhodes Island. No need to take action. Yet." He looked at the woman leading the Reunion Squadron on the other side of the doctor's group. "Crownslayer! You've strayed too far from your own turf. I've already conquered the southwestern Ursus fortress. I'll deal with Rhodes Island. You can go now." He rudely waved her off.
Crownslayer snarled and hefted the huge knife in her right hand. "Stay out of this, Mephisto! I've got unfinished business with them." She glared at the doctor, murder in her red eyes.
"Come now. You have no reason to object, right?" he mocked. "Just a few insects that flew too close to the light. Are they even really worth your time?"
"I have time," she snapped. She took a step forward, shoulder's hunched, eager for a fight.
"You have your own objectives to complete," Mephisto warned her. "You don't complete them and there will be consequences." His lips curled up as if he hoped that might be the case.
"I'm not losing this opportunity to deal with them."
"They made it this far," he calmly countered her, shaking his head, "so you've lost your chance. I'll deal with Rhodes Island myself." He appraised the group between him and Crownslayer. "I'm intrigued about why a supposed pharmaceutical company is armed to the teeth and fighting on the streets. Besides, after proving they can deal with you, I'm eager for my own shot against them." He gave everyone a wolfish smile. And that's exactly what he seemed to be, with his white clothing and hair and his menacing yellow eyes, a cold-hearted winter wolf.
The doctor arched a brow. Considering they were both Reunion members, Crownslayer and Mephisto didn't seem particularly well allied. Was this something that he could exploit? They were going to need something to get out of this trap they were in. They were only too lucky that the rival Reunion groups seemed to be more interested in competing with each other instead of of working together. If they'd simply joined forces, they'd overwhelm Rhodes Island without trouble.
More and more Reunion members were showing up as Mephisto spoke, now cutting off the two other streets and avenues of escape. Amiya and Melantha made sounds of warning. The doctor cursed. They were being surrounded. And as long as they stood in the middle of the street, they were completely vulnerable to attack from every direction. He hated himself for not reacting more quickly. He should have led his people to the right or left as soon as this Mephisto had appeared. Now someone in his charge might die. Or many someones. Perhaps if he'd still had his memories, he wouldn't have made such a blunder.
Melantha, flushing with a little shyness but putting on a brave front, stepped forward, katana bared in her hand, and shouted at Mephisto. "T-there's no time for this! Look up! That Catastrophe could hit us all at any minute, killing us all!" She seemed to shake a little, knowing so many eyes were on her. Yet she held her position.
Many people looked up at the sky, both Rhodes Island and Reunion alike.
The iron gray clouds above were lit from within by orange fire. It was doom. It was death raining from above. And the spot was growing larger, sending a shiver of fear through all who could see it. Well, almost all.
Mephisto gave a lazy shrug. Was he confident, or just arrogant? "Whatever. Just makes the stakes higher and the fight more interesting." Despite his words, however, as his troops made worried comments around him, he did glance up at the approaching Catastrophe. He sighed in resignation. "But if you all don't relish a fight, you can go, if you want."
"What?" Crownslayer barked in anger.
Doctor felt hope bloom and saw it on the faces of the others. Amiya even smiled.
Mephisto pointed at the doctor. "Everyone except him. He stays. I've got questions. About him. And about that device that kept him alive in that facility."
Crownslayer scowled. "Butt out, Mephisto. You're not in charge here!"
Mephisto's eyes slid her way and his voice was flat. "Piss off, Crownslayer. You have a job to do. And time's running out."
She glanced upwards, too. Then glared daggers at her rival. She pointed at him with the knife. "Fine. But I hope you fail." She slowly turned and angrily motioned for her group to do the same.
Amiya looked confused but also worried. "One of the enemy leaders is just taking a portion of Reunion troops and leaving? Just like that when they have us boxed in?"
Ace growled. "What are they up to?" He turned and barked to his guards. "Whatever it is, nobody let your guard down. The enemy still outnumbers us!"
"Rhodes Island." Mephisto cocked his head and studied his quarry. "You know, I've read up on you. At first, I thought you were just another ordinary company. But by the looks of things, don't you think your ambitions are getting a bit too big? I mean, shouldn't you be in a lab, playing with test tubes?" He laughed. "Then again, it would be terribly dull if you all just walked out of here, wouldn't it? I really do want to see what you're all made of."
The doctor digested the scene. In his head, he was quite ready to refuse Mephisto's desire. There's no way the other man could be trusted, especially when he smiled like that. It was creepy, to say the least. So he considered his options. He could focus all of their fire on Mephisto first, make a charge. No. He immediately scrapped that plan because his guards would end up dying for him as the others closed in front behind while they focused on Mephisto. He considered fighting the Reunion soldiers as a whole, but knew that his own group would lose any battle of attrition. Even if his own fighters were higher quality, they didn't have the numbers. And, again, they were surrounded and had nowhere to take cover.
Ace shook his head. "We don't have time to waste on this kid." He lowered his voice. "Get ready. We'll break through with force." Apparently he'd come up with the same strategy the doctor had had, but assumed that it would work, despite their small numbers.
Amiya gave a slight nod. "Mm. Okay."
Ace pulled out a signal flare and fired it into the sky.
Mephisto didn't seem worried at all by the action. His gaze followed the flare up and watched it burst into searing red light. "What's that for? Who are you signalling?"
"None of your business, kid," Ace replied. He spoke quietly out of the side of his mouth. "Everyone ready?"
"Are you not going to speak with me? Are you just going to throw yourselves at me without any discussion first?" Mephisto laughed and spread his arms wide. "Oh, come on! We're all professionals, right? Where's your basic courtesy?"
Melantha, studying the enemy on all sides, spoke low. "It's n-no good. We're surrounded. If we try to punch through, they'll come up our tail before we can make a hole."
The doctor's mind worked. The best thing to do would be to escape. But how? He surreptitiously checked the surroundings out while pretending to mull over Mephisto's offer. He saw Crownslayer departing. Then he remembered. Her Art was fog, wasn't it? He'd seen it earlier. And it could become thick over a wide area. That would be the perfect tool. He just needed get her to use it, and to deploy it the way he wanted her to.
Mephisto locked eyes with the doctor. "Crownslayer seems to be fixated on you. She wants your head and nothing more. But me, I'm different. I crave knowledge. What I want to know is, what exactly are you? Where are you from? Yes…you." He pointed at the doctor.
The doctor flinched under the young man's gaze.
Mephisto made a knowing smile. "You're somewhat different from us, aren't you? What was the device in that facility that was able to preserve your life? I'm very curious."
"We're not telling you a damn thing!" Ace shouted.
"Please. I'm not such a cold-hearted person. My esteemed Rhodes Island guests, give me answers and I'll spare your lives. Except that one, of course." He pointed at the doctor again. "He comes with me."
Ace's jaw clenched. "You—"
Amiya and Melantha both opened their mouths to speak.
The doctor stepped in front of them, cutting them off before they could reply to Mephisto themselves.
Amiya jumped and reached out, face frightened. "No, Doctor! Don't go!" she gasped.
Melantha grabbed his arm, also worried. "You can't endanger yourself this way!" she protested.
He patted the latter's arm and took another step forward. "Trust me."
Mephisto's grin took on a triumphant air. "Going to come alone then, are you? Ah, good man. Smart man. Putting your people first, putting their lives first."
But the doctor shook his head and called out, louder than necessary. "We go free. All of us. In exchange, we'll give you Crownslayer."
The woman in question was still within range of that shout. She stopped and whirled, confused.
Mephisto's eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"
"You don't think we could?" the doctor retorted. "I've already defeated her once and I could do it again. She's weak. Easily scared." He chuckled.
Mephisto snorted with amusement. "You did? Now that's a tale I'd like to hear." He laughed out loud, turning his head towards his troops. They obligingly laughed as well, mocking the Crownslayer.
The red-haired woman's group came to an abrupt halt.
One of the Reunion members with Crownslayer barked an involuntary laugh as well, but quickly stifled it when she rounded on him with a death stare. Then she whipped her attention back to the doctor. She looked furious and stalked back towards the crossroads.
Mephisto stopped laughing. "Interesting proposal. But I'm not considering it as one of your options. She may be the dregs of the Reunion, but we're still technically allies. For now."
The doctor half shrugged. "Then I'll take her out for nothing." He turned to the others and barked an order. "Fire on Crownslayer!"
Amiya spun and fired first, her Art taking out the man who'd laughed last. Steward and Adnachiel also fired, wand and crossbow forcing their target to duck and the soldiers around her to take cover.
"Charge!" the doctor commanded.
A few of Ace's spearmen raced forward, Ace in the lead, shields covering their flanks, Melantha behind them, and Cardigan covering their backs with her shield.
Mephisto rolled his eyes. "You really think it'll be that easy?" He waved to his soldiers. "Ranged fire. Take out that charge."
The doctor saw the shields effectively block incoming arrows while much of Reunion's casting missed.
A crossbow shots exploded on impact, causing the spearmen to stagger.
"Explosive bolts! Intercept!" He looked around. It had come from above.
Ace's head rose and he took out the next one with his spear before it could land. It burst harmlessly in the air.
"Amiya. Steward," the doctor ordered loudly. "Suppress Crownslayer so she can't use her Art."
But Crownslayer just mocked the doctor from where she had taken cover behind an old car, avoiding the initial attack. "I can activate it anytime I want, fool." And she did. She swiftly covered the street and her soldiers in thick fog.
Just like he'd planned.
"Stop charge!" the doctor shouted. He didn't want the charge to prevent Crownslayer from advancing. He watched his team members skid to a halt and then rapidly back up.
"What now?" Amiya worriedly asked, firing magic at Mephisto's soldiers to keep them back. She ducked as they returned fire. "We're too exposed here!"
Steward fired his wand at Crownslayer, forcing her to dodge, then fired again down a side street.
The team reunited and formed a circle again. More and more of Mephisto's goons flowed into the area. They'd soon face a horde of enemies. And they were aggressively closing in as Rhodes Island tried to hold them off.
Melantha deflected a crossbow bolt with her katana. "Pick a direction and let's get out of here!"
A white cloud filled the street that Rhodes Island had come from.
"Advance!" Crownslayer snapped from within her fog. The thick, white vapour pooled ahead of her and her troops, concealing them all.
Amiya, Steward and Adnachiel stopped wasting shots in that direction and threw them in the other three.
The doctor, however, wasn't paying attention to them. He'd been trying to pinpoint where the explosive crossbow bolts had been coming from. "There!" he pointed, seeing the open window and the man inside. "Amiya, Steward. Take the explosive one out." He pulled out his radio and said the same to Adnachiel up on the roof nearby. He saw a flash as Adnachiel ran in that direction. Then Amiya's magic blasted the window the shooter was in, forcing the attacker to duck and hide.
Fog washed over them as Crownslayer's group pressed forwards. It not only covered them, but Rhodes Island as well.
"Hold Crownslayer off," he ordered his guards. Then he radioed Adnachiel, who would be above the fog. "Which road has fewer hostiles?"
"The right!" Adnachiel radioed back.
The doctor lowered his voice and hissed. "Everyone to the right. Go. Go!"
He heard a woman grunting and metal clashing as she ran into his spearmen.
Rhodes Island pushed through the fog, making their way to the right, feeling the path out before them and moving cautiously but quickly. The rearguard broke off their engagement.
Crownslayer's voice rang out, ecstatic. "You're mine now!"
"No!" a man cried out in fear. "I'm with Mephisto! Please don't kill me!"
Mephisto's voice cut through the cloud. "Crownslayer! Kill the fog! He's using it to confuse and blind us!"
Hearing this, the doctor knew that time was almost up. "Run!" he snapped at the others.
They charged down the road, mowing down any Reunion members that got in their way.
"Adnachiel!" the doctor ordered through the radio. "Rejoin us!"
Mephisto's orders carried through the cloud of fog and confusion behind them. "That way, before they escape! Fire to the left!"
But caster fire, though it came close, only seemed to take out Reunion fighters. Rhodes Island pushed forward, safely making it through the gauntlet.
"Stop!" a Reunion soldier screamed at Mephisto's soldiers from within the fog. "You're firing at friendlies! Stop!"
"Keep firing!" Mephisto ordered, ignoring the protest. "Do not let them escape!"
Another caster fired and more Reunion soldiers fell.
Adnachiel appeared at the doctor's side.
"Any trouble?" the doctor inquired as they ran.
The other man shook his head. "None. They weren't paying me much attention. And the auto turrets weren't focused on me."
"Really?" The doctor found that very interesting. He glanced back over his shoulder for signs of pursuit. Reunion troops were now coming out of the retreating fog, hot on their tail.
"Shields!" the doctor commanded. "Guard our rear!"
Mephisto strode out of the fog, too, looking calm, and ordered his troops to halt. "Run, little creatures! Run!"
Melantha, at the doctor's side, looked relieved. "He's stopping."
"And Crownslayer's somewhere behind him too," Amiya panted. "We just need to put some distance between us. We'll make it." She smiled at the doctor.
Something made the doctor check over his shoulder as his force ran down the street.
That wolfish smile returned to Mephisto's lips, and this time they had a sadistic twist. "Gotcha." He raised his hand and pushed a button on some kind of controller.
A building just ahead and on the left exploded. Shards of concrete and metal flew into the street, along with a thick cloud of dust.
Ace, leading the charge, shouted in surprise.
A moment later, the building on the opposite side of the street exploded, with as much chaos and destruction.
Rhodes Island slid to a halt and watched with anxious breaths as the two buildings collapsed and flowed into the street, cutting off their escape route. They'd been very lucky that they hadn't been a few seconds faster on their feet.
"Push through!" Ace shouted, waving the others on.
Everyone leapt forward, intent on climbing through the rubble.
The doctor saw the cloud of concrete dust and cried out, "No!" He snatched Amiya's arm and yanked her to a stop, getting a startled look in return. "You breath that in and it'll turn your lungs to concrete!" he told them all.
Ace recoiled and everyone threw an arm up around their mouth and nose, or drew a bandana over their airways. They were already in the edge of the cloud.
"Doctor! This way." Adnachiel pointed at an alley to the left.
"Go. Go!" he shouted.
Rhodes Island turned and ran at the alley. Arrows and spells cascaded around them, crashing into shields and a few bodies. There were grunts of pain, a cry as someone was wounded badly. Yet they made it into the alley just as a ball of light blasted the corner of the building now sheltering them, carving out a huge chunk of masonry.
Guards and Cardigan formed a wall at the rear while Ace and a few more led the way. Amiya and Melantha continued to flank the doctor as they ran, the alleyway barely wide enough for three people abreast. Ansel, the medic, and Steward came behind them. Steward's wand was always at the ready, but Ansel and the medic looked worried.
They reached the end of the alley and burst out into the next street.
Arrows and spells rained down, cutting down two of the lead spearmen. They fell to the ground.
"Back! Back!" Ace, the only survivor screamed. "Ambush!"
The doctor scowled from inside the alley as they backed up and hid from ranged fire. "Amiya, Steward. Hold them off," he ordered. He saw the bodies of the guards and wondered if he should order them dragged them back into the alley. And yet, there was no question they were dead and he didn't want to risk more lives.
Amiya and Steward stood behind a trio of shields and fired warning shots out into the street to keep anyone from charging in.
This Mephisto was no fool. And he was prepared. The doctor thought fast. What were the chances that more buildings around here were ready to blow? He glanced at his sniper. "Adnachiel, back to the roofs. Find us a way out."
"You got it." The lithe, young man turned and ran at an old fire escape, now a wreck of rusted metal that barely clung to the side of the building next to them. He leapt at the wall, pushed off to somehow give himself more vertical, and caught the bottom of the fire escape before smoothly lifting himself up.
Spell fire erupted from the other end of the alley and smashed into the rear guard.
"Mephisto's caught up," Melantha said, voice worried. She glanced at the street. "We're trapped."
Cardigan planted her huge shield in the middle of the alley while four guards stacked theirs on either side, creating a wall that sheltered the group.
Amiya left Steward to the front and moved to the rear, firing magic over the wall at Mephisto's soldiers.
"Doctor," the radio squawked.
He picked it up. "Yes."
"Crownslayer doubled back. She's coming up on your left."
He glanced at the street ahead. There was another alley across from them. "Can we run the gauntlet?"
"Too many. You'll never make it across the street."
"Hey!" Amiya shouted. "There's something with these guys. No matter how much I hit them, they barely get hurt. And when I do hurt them, they just heal back up."
The doctor looked to the rear.
Mephisto casually strode down the alleyway, Reunion soldiers all around him. They didn't even have shields, yet the soldiers were taking little damage.
"It must be his Art," the doctor mused aloud. "Keep at it. Slow them down."
Amiya nodded and cast another attack.
The doctor's eyes roamed the alley as his thought of his options. Charge Mephisto? Not if his soldiers were suddenly tanks. Charge the street to the right? They'd get hit from behind. Up? No. If they tried the same route Adnachiel had taken, Mephisto's forces would cut them down as they climbed. Down. What about down? Was there a storm drain entrance around here? There was! He pointed. "Ace. Storm drain!"
He immediately clued in. "Got it!" He rushed over, pushing guards out of the way to clear the metal plate in the asphalt. Seeing him work, Melantha hurried over to help. The two struggled against the immense weight, but were able to lift the edge of the plate up high enough to wedge Ace's hammer under it. Then they and one of the guards heaved the plate up and out of the way.
A black hole in the street. Storm sewer access.
Ace didn't hesitate. He practically jumped down into it, climbing the steel rungs leading to the bottom.
The doctor pushed his way over. "How is it? Can we find a way out?"
There were a few moments before a reply echoed down the tunnel and out of the exit shaft. "Yes! Come down!"
Melantha and followed suit. Then some of Ace's spearmen went down while the ranged people held off Mephisto.
Mephisto frowned when he saw Rhodes Island disappearing. "Press harder! Don't let them escape!"
"Focus all fire on Mephisto!" the doctor ordered. Then he waved more down into the tunnels, letting Ansel and the medic get to safety first. When most of their forces were in the storm sewer, he climbed down after them.
Because the alleyway was narrow, they didn't need many to hold it. Rhodes Island flowed into the sewer. Two guards were hit and downed, injured, but their bodies were dragged down into the tunnel before they could be killed. Cardigan came last. Her shield barely fit through the opening.
Ace was already leading the way forward. "Move it! And someone find a way to close that entrance off."
Ansel and the medic rushed to help the wounded. One man had an arrow in his collar bone. Another had an armed badly burned. Both were screaming in pain.
The doctor knew they didn't have much time. Reunion forces had seen them enter the storm drain. All they'd have to do is spread out and guard nearby exits, or come down somewhere else and cut them off. Rhodes Island needed to find an escape and get back up top, fast.
Amiya looked at the doctor with a set face. "It's a small entrance. I can hold them off alone here. Give everyone else time to gain ground."
The doctor frowned. "I won't leave you behind."
"I'll catch up," she insisted.
But he could see the doubt in her eyes. The way her gaze shifted, not meeting his own. "No. The first time they poke their heads down, we hit them. Scare them. Then we run. All of us."
"It won't—"
"It'll buy us enough time. We can't stay down here long anyway."
She reluctantly nodded, but also looked relieved.
Everyone but Amiya, Steward and the doctor fled down the tunnel, looking for another way back to the surface. The two castors trained their attention on the opening.
Mephisto evidently wasn't the kind of leader who spared his troops though. His soldiers didn't approach cautiously. They started falling through the opening, as if kicked into the hole. Bodies hit the ground and groaned, struggling to rise as more fell atop them.
Amiya and Steward blasted them. But more more were coming, heedless of the death.
The doctor was disgusted. Mephisto cared nothing for human life. "Forget it. Let's go!"
They ran.
The tunnels were very dark. The only light came from open storm grates in the ceiling, the kind that lined roads. Cardigan and Ace held up red flares that burned and lit the tunnel with an eerie glow. Feet splashed in a trickle of stale water and thick mud.
They approached a branch in the drainage system.
"Which way?" Melantha asked, panting.
Ace looked back and forth, then shrugged. "This way." He sped down the tunnel.
"Find an exit," the doctor called out quietly. "A ladder."
They didn't run long. The instant Ace found an exit, he jumped up onto the ladder and climbed upwards. Cardigan followed suit. Together, the pair pressed their shoulders to the metal plate over their heads and pushed, lifting it up.
"Wait!" Cardigan said, pulling Ace back as he tried to climb out. "I've got a shield. Let me go."
He paused, then nodded.
Cardigan stuck her shield out first. Holding it over her head like an umbrella, she popped her head into the side street. "Looks clear." She climbed out.
The rest of the group followed as fast as they could.
When the doctor got to the surface, he checked his radio. "Adnachiel. We're—"
"I see you. They're spreading out, searching. Head down that side street, then make a right. You should be ok. And it's en route to the extraction point. I'll catch up."
"Excellent." He motioned down the street and everyone moved, Ace in the lead, Cardigan bringing up the rear.
The doctor looked around at his people. Most of the guards looked tired. The two who had been injured had also been healed, but not fully. They jogged with the rest, but awkwardly. Both Ansel and the medic looked frazzled. Ace seemed as solid as ever, but Cardigan was breathing hard from carrying that heavy shield. Steward was fresh as a daisy, as if nothing bothered him and this was all just sport. The doctor looked at Amiya and Melantha. "You guys ok?"
Melantha looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Fine."
Amiya gave him a worn smile. "I'm ok."
The doctor could feel his own limbs drained of energy and a stab in his lungs. "A few blocks and we'll slow down." He chuckled. "Maybe they'll give up."
Amiya nodded. "I hope so. I don't know what the deal is with that Mephisto, but he's dangerous. Or rather, he makes his men more dangerous. Like they can take all kinds of damage and keep going."
Melantha spoke. "Imagine if he and Crownslayer had actually combined forces instead of fighting over who gets to kill us. Her attack power and his ability to make her stronger or tanker?"
They all jogged on in silence. That was a terrifying image to think about.
They reached the next turn and went right. They keep checking, but there were no signs of pursuit.
Adnachiel slipped out of a crack between two apartment buildings and rejoined them. He smiled. "We're good. They're not following."
The group slowed to a walk, everyone breathing hard and sweating.
The doctor bowed his head at the sniper. "Good work."
The boy genius laughed lightly. "Of course."
Ace growled over his shoulder. "Don't slow too much. Who knows what's lying in wait for us ahead. Or how fast they might catch up behind. Get your breath but keep moving."
They picked up the pace to a fast walk. Everyone's eyes roamed the surroundings, looking for danger.
The doctor slowly caught his breath. He hoped they were now in the clear.
