Title: The Sword of Darkness
Category: Cartoons » Hero: 108
Author: Cahaya Sidur
Language: English, Rating: K+
Genre: Romance
Published: 3-12-17
Words: 2004
Disclaimer: I do not own Hero: 108.
AN: So...somehow, Mano/Lin Chung struck me again for some reason when I was watching 'The Sword of Darkness'. Except this one contains a female version of Lin Chung. Enjoy :)
"And the Animal Kings sealed the sword in a secret underground tomb. The beam of light shows the sword has finally been unearthed. It must not fall into the wrong hands." Lina's voice rang through the Air Force. Mano forced himself to pay attention from where he was perched beside Rosefinch, but the female member of the Air Force clearly knew that he wasn't paying attention.
As Commander Apetrully stepped forward, she elbowed him playfully, a teasing glint in her eye.
"You are absolutely right, Lina." He nodded, turning to the Air Force. "Air Force, take First Squad to the tomb!"
At that, Mano felt a little skip in his heart at the thought of spending time with them, even if Lina usually took Rosefinch's place. Rosefinch's grin only grew, and Mano shoved her smirking face away.
Master Chou sighed, gesturing to Lina. "With all respect, Lina is the only member of First Squad who passed the Air Force test. The others failed." His expression turned exasperated as he shook his head. "Miserably."
Mystique Sonia and Jumpy Ghostface looked down bashfully, fiddling with their hands, while Mighty Ray instantly leapt up, denying it. "I wasn't miserable!" At the looks he gained, he slowed down a bit. "Just a little…nauseous." He finished sheepishly, looking down and scruffing the floor with his foot.
"Hmm…" Commander Apetrully looked thoughtful. "Maybe there's a way."
He murmured something to Master Chou, who nodded instantly, looking pleased. Mano didn't have very long to wonder what the plan was before Master Chou was leading the Air Force to go through their flying preparations. Rosefinch immediately seized the opportunity, chatting cheerfully to Mano as they went through routines they could do in their sleep.
"Well, this will be interesting, won't it?"
Master Chou snorted. "That's one way of putting it."
"I seem to recall someone getting starry-eyed." Rosefinch grinned, winking at Mano. Mano looked down, fighting the blush that was appearing on his face. Master Chou grinned as well, eyes lighting up while Burly giggled, a high-pitched childlike sound. How on earth did they even figure his crush out? And here he was, thinking that he had a good poker face.
Rosefinch quickly closed the rocket, straightening up. "So what's your plan, Master Chou?"
Master Chou walked to the corner, pulling out several lengths of rope from the wooden trunk where they kept all their spare equipment. Mano, Rosefinch and Burly looked at one another, surprised but still accepting of the situation.
"You know what, Master Chou?" Rosefinch asked, expression still serious but eyes twinkling. "I think I'll take Mystique Sonia this time. It'll be nice to have another girl around."
Burly nodded quickly, following instantly. "Mighty Ray."
"Alexander here will take Jumpy Ghostface, and I usually fly alone." Master Chou continued, a mock pondering look on his face. "That means that Mano, you're going to have to fly with Lina."
Mano's eyes widened. "Why can't I take Jumpy?"
"Well, you know. Alexander still needs to learn the ropes, and he's not entirely comfortable with animals yet. Jumpy's harmless, and it'll be a good way to get used to them since we've installed the bat-and-chicken combination to our rockets." He grinned, raising an eyebrow suggestively. "I'm sure Lina will be just as delighted as you." He glanced back at Burly. "Go get Alexander. I think Mano needs a moment."
Mano glared at them as the three quickly hurried away, no doubt telling First Squad the sitting arrangements. Mano clenched his fists, willing himself to calm down. Lina glanced over at him, shooting him a small smile despite the serious circumstances. Mano tried to smile back, turning his glare on Rosefinch, who was once again grinning at him. Only this time, Mystique Sonia was giggling alongside her.
Great. Couldn't Rosefinch leave this business alone?
His mood lightened as he saw the reactions of First Squad, helping Mighty Ray into his wig and tying the rope securely around his waist while Burly and Master Chou did their final pre-flight checks.
"This is so humiliating." Mystique Sonia sighed as she was wheeled forward on the rocket, Rosefinch sitting securely behind her. The other two rockets followed, carrying Mighty Ray and Jumpy Ghostface.
Mano stood next to his rocket, trying not to laugh at them. Just then, a voice spoke beside him. "Are you ready to go?"
Instantly, a flush appeared on his neck, which he hoped wasn't visible. He nodded at Lina, who smiled at him again before easily sliding onto the rocket. Mano took a deep breath to steel himself, and then boarded the rocket in front of Lina, careful to try and maintain an appropriate distance away from her. He looked up at Rosefinch's rocket, only to see Rosefinch and Mystique Sonia giving him the thumbs-up, in the indignation of having to fly with a rope apparently wearing off.
Lina glanced at him. "Should we?"
Mano nodded quickly as she straightened up, now looking onwards. As they took off, he could smell the faintest whiff of bamboo and lavender from Lina, mixed with the stronger smell of oil and gunpowder. Trying to focus on flying, Mano nearly jumped out of his skin as Lina wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning forward to have a better view of the sky ahead. Her bare left arm brushed his skin, and he withheld a shiver, adamantly refusing to look at Rosefinch or Mystique Sonia even as he felt their eyes on him.
The sky was darkened, with heavy clouds and occasional strikes of lightning that seemed to frequent to be natural. Mano narrowed his eyes against the wind that whirled up, briefly raising an arm against a flash of lightning that struck near them.
"It is as if the lightning is attacking us." Lina mused, tone serious. She glanced at the rest of the Air Force. "Go on the offensive and fly up to its source!"
Nodding, Master Chou led the upward climb into the grey clouds, weaving expertly around the lightning. They cleared the dark clouds, only to be faced with giant brown beetles, blending in with their surroundings.
"It's the Beetle army!" Master Chou called out in warning as lightning bounced off the shell of one and flashed towards them. Mano tilted his rocket to the right, narrowly avoiding being hit.
"And look who's leading them." Lina said, voice low and dangerous.
Highroller set triumphantly on Beetle King, cackling at the plight of the Air Force and First Squad. He seemed like a kid now more than ever, with his small size and erratic movements. "You think you're the only one who wants the sword?" He pointed at the group of planes. "Beetles, strike!"
Again, another bolt of lightning was directed at them, and Mano spun his plane around to avoid the lightning while still staying in position. Lina's arms tightened around his waist, a pleasantly warm and grounding sensation.
It was hard to see anything, but Mighty Ray's voice rose above the din. "I am Mighty Ray, fear my…" He swallowed, turning green, "Actually, I need to hold that thought!"
Master Chou wasn't as hesitant. "Air Force, strike back!"
Mano grabbed onto the grapes and immediately swallowed the bunch, firing them at the Beetles. Their attacks seemed to have little effect on the armour-plated Beetles, but Mystique Sonia immediately stuck her tongue out and created a strong gust of wind that blew the Beetles in the immediate vicinity out of the way.
Alexander circled another large Beetle, Jumpy using his jump-rope to pull one of the Beetles into another one by the horn. As this happened, Highroller and Beetle King flew closer to the tomb, with the other Beetles quickly following suit.
"Beetle King, get ready to land!" Highroller's shrill voice pierced the air as Beetle King nodded and rapidly descended. Upon feeling Lina's grip loosen, Mano turned halfway, eyes widened briefly as she dived off the plane, angling her body towards Highroller and Beetle King. He quickly dodged out of the way of another lightning bolt, keeping a close eye on the battle happening mid-air should Lina need him to help her back up. As he avoided a Beetle being flung in his general direction, he caught sight of Lina being pressed down by Beetle King, trying to pull her face away from getting hit.
Highroller screamed again. "Beetle King, ground!" They pulled off Lina. Mano tensed, prepared to swoop down if necessary, but his fears were unfounded; Lina pulled off the head cloth, safely floating down by the tomb, where she pulled on her hat and disappeared into the tomb.
The planes instantly flew into a v-shaped formation, approaching the tomb and quickly followed by the Beetles.
Mystique Sonia's worried voice reached Mano, where he was flying to Rosefinch's right. "If the Beetle Army gets into the tomb, Lina will be completely outnumbered! Who knows what they'll do to her?" Mano's brow furrowed – he couldn't stop running through the possibilities now that it had been voiced. He glanced up as Mystique Sonia's tone turned more smug. "She could be spun around, hung upside down, pushed from side to side, swung like a pendulum back and forth," Mano heard a gagging sound and turned to see Mighty Ray turning even greener, but Mystique Sonia didn't stop. "Back and forth, back and forth…"
"Can we just land already?!"
Mano circled the area with the rest of the Air Force, sticking close to Rosefinch. She shot him a worried look. "You okay?"
He gave her a single nod.
"Lina's stronger than you give her credit for. She'll be fine."
Mano looked down, nodding again at the phantom feeling of a bare arm wrapped around his waist. Before he could say anything to soothe Rosefinch, Mighty Ray's shout had them perking up and ready to pick First Squad up.
"Fear my eyeballs!"
Flashes of light and billows of smoke made their way to where the Air Force was cleverly hidden in the still brewing storm clouds.
"What are they doing down there?" Alexander asked in amazement. Mano hid a grin. He had felt the same way when he had first saw how First Squad worked.
"That should give Lina enough time to get the sword!" Mystique Sonia was shouting as they dropped the rope, swooping low enough for the trio to grab onto one individually and soar up into safety once again.
When the Beetles came out of the tomb, Mano's heart clenched with worry. Lina was surrounded by them all, standing next to Beetle King. In the midst of the army, she seemed especially small, her pale skin a stark contrast to her surroundings. He hovered nearby, dropping another rope.
"Lina, get out of there!" Mystique Sonia called when Lina didn't reach for the rope.
Beetle King gestured towards the army, clicking, before turning and bowing to Lina. Mano felt relief start to trickle to him. If Beetle King wasn't attacking, it meant that Lina had somehow won him over.
"It seems there is no need." Her voice, low and soothing as always, was a relief to hear.
The rotating blades of a helicopter reached his ears, and he looked up, seeing the familiar sight of Commander Apetrully's little helicopter landing next to Lina. Mano starts a slow descent, hovering as close to Lina as he dared.
Commander Apetrully stepped out of the helicopter, beaming at the Beetles. Beetle King clicks some more, before Big Green's leader turned to the awaiting groups. "The Beetle King is joining Big Green!"
Mano let his shoulders slump in relief as he finally lands next to Lina. He offered a hand to her, helping her back aboard the plane and revels in the warm smile she gave him. Rosefinch's grin is knowing when he accidentally turned to meet her stare, but he turned back around, letting Lina rest her head on his back, wrapping her arms around his waist again.
"Cool!" Mighty Ray grinned, before his expression turned confused. "Hey, so what happened to Highroller?"