Dust dashed through the remainder of the forest, suddenly finding himself in the fields of Geehan's Farm. He quickly scanned the horizon, but nothing was in sight, save Aurora Village. "Maybe they're in the farmhouse…" Dust said to himself. Running up to the door of the small shack, Dust knocked on the door. There was no answer, which worried him. "Geehan? Oneida? Are you two there?!"
"What are you doing?" Samus appeared behind him with almost no warning. "There's nobody here; whoever you're looking for is probably in the village. We can't waste any time."
"Wait, what do you mean by-?"
"No time," Samus spun around and began sprinting toward the village in the distance, motioning Dust to follow.
As Aurora came into greater detail, Dust noticed that the smoke stacks he had seen earlier were not from chimneys; they were burning buildings. Imps and various other beasts ran amok, lighting even more fires and destroying anything they got their hands on.
"The situation's dire," Samus said over the din the creatures were making. "Go and find any survivors and lead them to safety; I'll distract the horde."
Finding no reason to argue with the huntress, Dust ran off toward the more intact houses. Beasts and imps alike abandoned their destructive activities, opting to retaliate against the assault Samus lay against them and giving Dust the opportunity he needed to enter the houses unhindered.
A muffled cry came from the smoldering remains of a sizable home. "HELP ME!" Dust quickly ran over to the source of the cry, throwing debris over his shoulder in search of the unfortunate soul within. "Is somebody there? Get over here and save me, you lazy cretin!" The instant Dust recognized the voice, a reluctance to continue searching for the source came over him.
Pulling away the last of the debris, a brown furred man with lavish (though slightly torn) clothes. "Oh merde…" Gianni muttered. "I was hoping my savior would be… someone else…"
"Would you rather have me leave you here with a few hundred imps?" Dust threatened.
"Well…" Gianni chuckled nervously. "No. I would rather live, thank you. But my leg may… err, complicate my ability to do so…" Dust moved more rubble aside and discovered that the aristocrat's leg was horribly mangled.
"I'll carry you," Dust said. "But only if you tell me where everyone else is."
"They went into the storage caverns below Mordecai's shop…" he said indifferently. "They told me to come too, but it is quite filthy in there…"
Dust shook his head, sighing out of either frustration or pity; not even he was sure. He slung Gianni over his shoulder then began making his way for the storage cavern, taking care not to be hit by one of Samus' stray shots.
The beasts came from all sides, but none had even as much as scratched Samus' armor. She fired at nearly everything that approached her, and kicked anything that came too close. It was difficult to help but be amused by how fragile the creatures were; a single shot from her power beam was more than enough to dispatch most of them. Even larger, obviously stronger ones with clubs seemed to meet defeat with but two or three shots.
Curious about the creatures' nature, Samus activated her Scan Visor, continuing to fire as data was collected.
Scan complete.
Target dubbed Imp.
Creature is a semi-sentient being with wide genetic variations. Imps are aggressive, but not very durable nor intelligent. Most weapons appear to be effective against them.
'Imps'. Samus couldn't help think that the term suited them perfectly. Dangerous, aggressive, yet woefully incompetent.
She spotted Dust out of the corner of her eye, carrying someone with him on his shoulder. An imp began rushing up behind them, and Samus immediately fired a single shot.
Dust kept running toward the storage cave, though Gianni's weight slowed him down considerably.
"Run faster!" he complained. "I'm getting soot in my clothes…"
"How about I drop you right here?" Dust growled, almost meaning it. "Plenty of imps would savor a meal like you…"
"Hehehe… never mind then."
As he continued onward, Dust heard a loud BANG! He spun around in time to see a headless imp collapse on the ground, its neck burnt to a crisp.
"Watch yourself!" Samus shouted as she resumed massacring the imps, not even sparing glance toward Dust.
Dust gripped Ahrah tightly, now more prepared to defend himself from any potential aggressor, and continued onward toward the storage cavern, where he hoped the rest of the village was in relative safety.
"Might I ask who that was?" Gianni asked, craning his neck backwards a bit. "Perhaps he's going to also try and murder me?"
Thinking about it, Dust realized Samus probably would kill Gianni should he even speak to her. The fact that he referred to her as a man would have made that certain.
The imps' numbers were thinning out, but Samus knew that their rage was only growing. Their efforts became less organized and more and more desperate with every death, baring fangs and slashing claws, despite that by that point both appendages were cracked and bloodied. Samus had thought the creatures been at least somewhat intelligent, if their use of simple tools was something to go by, but their beast-like actions made her withdraw that assumption entirely. "Nothing more than common animals…" she muttered.
As she turned to aim at a large group of imps, Samus noticed something was off. They weren't moving. Like statues, they sat in almost perfect stillness, only the rise and fall of their chest gave any indication of whether or not they were alive. Just as suddenly as they had paused, the imps began fleeing from the village. Even the mortally wounded made an attempt to move, despite heavy bleeding, or in one case, a complete lack of legs.
The scene left Samus quite disturbed, but before she could begin processing what she had witnessed, a deep rumble came from the distance. She turned towards the noise, which was now increasing in volume and frequency, the ground shaking violently beneath her.
"Oh shit…" Samus breathed, realizing what was coming.
From the horizon rose a massive figure of stone, with feet like mountains and fists larger and more jagged than any boulder. Blue veins of phazon riddled its stony flesh, no doubt making it stronger than it already appeared.
Samus took a breath, raising her arm cannon to her side. "It never ends."
From the storage cavern came hushed voices, relieving Dust greatly. Gianni seemed wholly indifferent to the aspect of being brought to safety, however. Dust lead the aristocrat down into the mouth of the cave, and was immediately bombarded by cries of joy.
"Dust! You're alive!" They cried, some hugging him and others weeping in joy.
A familiar looking man with a short black beard pushed his way through the crowed. "Is it really you Dust?! We had heard that you-"
"I'd love to stay and chat, Mayor Bram, but is anyone missing?" Dust interrupted.
"Not that I am aware of."
"Ahem." Gianni gave the mayor a venomous glare.
"Oh, right. Gianni…" Bram said, almost indifferently.
"I have to go," Dust said, dropping Gianni and ignoring the subsequent cry of pain. "Stay here; don't come looking-"
A deep rumbling sound came from above the cave, showering bits of rock and dust on the villagers. Screams of horror erupted when wave after wave of imps began falling from the cave's mouth, running toward the forest nearby. After a few moments the imps had disappeared, but the rumbling had only gotten louder.
A feeling of dread came over Dust. "I need to find Samus," he said, dashing out of the cave and toward the huntress' location.
The massive blue creature loomed ominously over Samus, its rocky skin grinding softly as it breathed. She couldn't help but find the creature quite curious; it appeared almost immediately after the horde before it retreated.
Scan complete.
Target dubbed Corrupted Titan.
Subject is made primarily liquid phazon, though large amounts of crystallized phazon are present. Muscular system has been enhanced greatly by phazon mutations; subject can lift up to three times its body weight, possibly more. A thin layer of phazite has formed on the subject's skin, making it highly resistant to your weapon systems. Extreme caution advised.
Samus frowned. Phazon, though deadly, was not a very durable material. Phazite on the other hand, could only be destroyed by large amounts of phazon energy, otherwise it would have to be penetrated by a high frequency beam weapon. Unfortunately, Samus had neither at her disposal, partially thanks to the Galactic Federation's restrictions on unregistered weaponry.
Without warning, the titan slammed its stony fist in the ground, giving Samus barely having enough time to dodge it. The impact left a large crater where Samus had stood, as well as small flecks of phazon off the Titan's skin. She glanced at the crater for a moment, realizing just how strong this creature was. Her heart began to beat rapidly; Samus had no way of fighting this thing, but it could very easily kill her in a single blow.
The Titan roared as it slammed its fist into the ground once more, this time with seemingly twice the force. Though Samus had dodged it, the shockwave it generated nearly knocked her off her feet. The Titan seemed genuinely surprised by the effect it had on the earth, but surprise turned to cunning when it began slamming both fists into the ground at blinding speeds. Samus almost immediately toppled over, the quaking making it impossible to stand up again. The Titan seized its opportunity and grabbed the huntress between its club-like hands, almost seeming to laugh at its victory.
Samus struggled tirelessly, but the strength of the Titan was simply too much for her. Suddenly, the Titan began pressing its fist together, applying massive amounts of pressure on her. She screamed in agony, watching helplessly as her energy drained rapidly, death growing closer and closer with every unit gone.
Dust felt the ground rumble forcefully as he dashed through the ruined village, his worries only growing as he realized where it had come from. "You'd better still be alive, Samus," he breathed almost silently.
"You suspect Samus is in danger?" Ahrah questioned.
"It's more than a suspicion, Ahrah" Dust replied. "I know something's wrong."
"I'm surprised by your sudden concern for her safety."
"She knows what the hell's going on here," Dust said. "And like you said earlier, she may be the reason why I'm here right now."
"Samus seems quite capable," Ahrah said. "I somehow doubt that she's-" The sword was interrupted by a violent earthquake, knocking Dust to his feet and Ahrah out of his grasp. As Dust scrambled to collect Ahrah, a blood-curdling scream pierce the air.
"Samus!" Dust dashed ahead to the source of the cry, and found Samus between the bulbous hands of a giant. "Hand on!" he called, gripping Ahrah tightly. Dust leapt into the air and slashed at the monster's arm, which immediately severed from its body. Both Samus and the arm fell to the ground with a resounding thud, and Streams of blue liquid gushed from the giant's shoulder. The giant itself seemed only mildly confused, almost as if it felt no pain from the injury.
"Careful Dust!" Ahrah said. "That thing isn't natural! If it could do that to Samus-" The giant slammed its remaining fist where Dust was standing, but he quickly dodged to the side. "So much interrupting these past few hours…" Ahrah said irritably."It's quite rude…"
Samus open her eyes, and to her surprise, she was on the ground, and still quite alive. She rose to feet slowly, still feeling the after-effects of the Titan's torturous punishment. Her energy was critically low; only twenty units remained.
"Why am I still alive?" she thought aloud. Suddenly, she noticed a large blue mass lying beside her; a large, rocky lump on one side while blue liquid poured from the other. It was an arm, she realized. Looking up, Samus saw the Titan bashing away at something with one arm. She blinked. It had one arm. Deciding her vision had perhaps failed her, Samus scanned the Titan once more.
Scan complete.
Target identified as a Corrupted Titan.
Subject's left arm has been severed from the rest of its body. Large amounts of phazon have solidified over the wound; given time it will harden into phazite.
Samus couldn't believe it. Something had actually managed to cut through that thing's arm. "Dust?" she realized the he had been the target of the Titan's onslaught, and no doubt the one who had injured the beast. "I knew Ahrah was sharp, but damn…" Finding herself wanting help, but too weak to do so, Samus lifted her arm cannon so that it was just barely touching her forehead. She cleared her mind of all thoughts, and began to concentrate on her suit's mental connection to her. Energy slowly began to replenish itself, though she felt herself becoming slightly drained as it did. "Just a bit longer," she murmured, trying to ignore Dust and the Titan's battle.
The giant was relentless in its attacks, creating massive holes in the ground with ever slam of its fist. Dust tried desperately to find an opening in between his continuous dodging, but despite having a single arm the giant was quick to counter any attack with a fearsome kick.
"I can't get in close enough!" Dust said, frustrated with how persistent the monster was. "I'm going to run out of breath before I can get a scratch on this thing!"
"Stay calm, Dust," Ahrah said. "It will eventually make a mistake. Then we can finish it off."
"'Eventually.' That's what I'm worried about."
The warrior became more and more tired with every movement, but almost as soon as he was on the verge of collapsing , he heard Samus call out, "Dust! Move out of the way!" Heeding her warning, Dust leapt backwards with the last of his strength, a large explosion hitting the stub where the giant's arm used to be. More blue liquid spewed from the wound, and this time it seemed to genuinely be in pain. The giant sank to the ground, holding it's remaining arm over the gushing wound and moaning quite pitifully.
"How is she-?" Dust was baffled as to how Samus was still standing after being crushed by the giant, but he saw no reason to complain seeing as how she was giving him time to rest. As the giant struggled to recover from the agony of its wound, she ran over to him, her armor scratched and dented, but otherwise unaffected by the punishment it had taken.
"You're not hurt, are you?" she asked, though her tone did not seem to convey concern as much as it did desperation.
"Just need to catch my breath…"Dust replied. "What about you?"
"I'll make it," she said. "But I need you to take that thing down."
"What do you mean? Don't you have like twenty different weapons in that arm cannon of yours?"
"None of them can get through that thing's skin," she explained. "Ahrah is probably the only weapon on the planet that can damage it, let alone slice through it." The giant's moaning stopped. "The instant you can lift your sword again, let me know and follow my orders."
Samus dashed away and began firing at the giant's wound, leaving Dust to himself. "Things were simpler before aliens got involved…" he muttered.
Samus already had the plan mapped out in her head; first she would freeze the Titan from the inside with her Ice Beam, and then have Dust finish it off while it was immobile. It was a simple plan, but one she figured was effective.
"Samus!" Dust called out. "I'm ready!"
"Wait for my signal!" she called back, quickly switching to her Ice Beam. Samus charged to beam fully, being careful not to get within the Titan's melee range. When it reached its maximum charge level, she fired at the exposed flesh on the Titan's left shoulder, freezing it instantaneously. "Now, Dust!"
Dust sprinted toward the Titan, Ahrah poised and ready to deal the finishing blow. With a mighty leap, he raised the blade above his head and- CRACK! The sound of ice shattering filled the air as the Titan slammed its stony fist into Dust, sending him skyward with its sheer force.
"Oh shit," Samus breathed, realizing how terribly wrong things had gone. Dust hit the ground with a loud thud, and ceased to move. Samus quickly scanned Dust, and was somewhat relieved to learn that he was still alive. She ran over to him and began shaking his limp body mercilessly. "Dust! Get up, Dust!" He only responded with a low grunt and a raspy cough. "Dust if you can hear me, get up and help me kill that thing!"
The Titan began to march toward the two of them, anger clouding it's luminous eyes. Samus dropped Dust and turned to face the Titan. "You'd better get up." She leapt directly at the beast, and grabbed onto its left shoulder. Samus switched to her Wave Beam, and shoved her arm cannon deep into the liquid-like flesh of the Titan. As phazon energy began to eat way at her shielding, Samus fired into the wound, sending electricity coursing through the Titan and rendering it immobile.
"Dust! Get up! I can't do this for long!" The warrior remained motionless on the ground. "Dammit, Dust! Fight! This is our last chance!" Samus' energy drained rapidly, and she felt her shielding become less and less effective with each passing moment. "Not here…" she said weakly as her energy approached zero. As her energy plummeted toward that deadly number, Samus felt the Titan stagger, and blue fluid rained down on her. She leapt off the Titan's shoulder and watched it fall to the earth, shaking the ground as it landed. Dust stood close by, breathing heavily and dripping with blue liquid.
With a few words, Dust managed to sum up the experience. "Things have gone to hell sooner than I expected."
I sincerely apologize for the long gap between the last chapter and this one. School's being quite demanding, and so has my social life as of late. This has left me with little time to write, and when I do have time I'm just not in the mood. The fact that this ended up being a +3,000 word chapter did not help speed things up in the least. Hopefully, however, now that I'm able to make time to write, updates should be somewhat consistent. No promises, however; I do have higher priorities than fan-fiction. Hope you guys understand.
Anyway, reviews are as welcome as ever, as they help me further my entirely non-existent writing career!
***Update 12/25/14: Rewrote a few part of this chapter as part of an attempt to clean up some of the earlier entries of this story. Nothing major, just adjusting a few details and spelling fixes. Made Dust's injuries less serious; can't have our main characters utterly crippled, can we?