21
Pilot of Eagle One wiped the cold, sticky sweat from his eyes for the umpteenth time. Already, 2/5ths of their force was gone, wiped out from an ambush by the great wyvoid Dao Ku-Long. The power... majesty... and cruelty that the Dao Ku-Long fought with would be terrifying to even the hardiest warriors. Eagle One' s pilot had frayed nerves already. Every second not spent looking out the night sky, flying, was spent staring fearfully at the radar sweep, dreading the blip that would signify the second coming of the Dao.
He glanced back. The girl who was pleading with his to stop flying was asleep now, tired from over two hours of begging and crying. Personally, the pilot would be more than glad to pull over, and run away, but he had a family to feed, and the Rubine Air Force life insurance was a good amount...
Just looking at the girl's peaceful face calmed the pilot's nerves. She reminded him of his daughter, back in the capital.
With a new strength, he shot up the mountain, somewhat calmer for the flight. There was only a couple hundred feet left to the top, and he was prepared to meet hi--
The Dao Ku-Long slammed into the side of the VJTT. Sharp claws crushed, and punctured the windshield, sticking only a foot away from the pilot's face.
So he wasn't that prepared.
The Dao flung the VJTT with a tremendous flap of it's wings, and a swing of the legs that held onto it. The ten-ton aircraft was sent tumbling onto the summit, like a child's toy. Through all the confusion, the pilot managed to key his mike.
"Men! Prepare of impac-" The craft slammed into the ground, tearing itself on the rocky ground. The heap of metal then spun, and rolled, tumbling into a wall, where it finally lay at rest.
Inside, was impossible to tell what had happened. Riu's world was a blend of darkness and small lights; she tried to find up, but up seemed to go in three different ways. She threw up, but didn't even know where. The only hearing she had was a constant, searing screech.
"Uagh..." She tried to feel her way through the crumbled craft. A breath of cold air, and a creaking of weakned metal, and she fell through a hole. "Agh!" She slammed into the cold, hard rock of the summit of mount Et.
Her vision finally stopped spinning, and her surroundings were clear. Three crags of rock struck upwards from the summit, and one crag was left broken, on the ground. In the center of the crags was an arena of some sorts, with a recharging station for the Dao. It was long left in pieces, broken out of boredom.
The Dao Ku-Long flew down, the bloody body of a hunter in it's jaws, from the last remaining VJTT. Hawk Five was left in pieces, a hundred feet down the slope, no survivors. Hawk Two was smashed upon the other side of the summit, with the few survivors of the craft stumbling out.
Riu looked back on her craft; the men were alive, but injured beyond salvation. The only able people left from her craft was a handful of Rubine snowtroopers, and their pilot, who didn't even have a gun.
The Dao Ku-Long stood proud upon it's throne, a lord in every likeness. Now the last thing to do was to drive the intruders from his fortress.
The remnants of the survivors of the flight were gathering. The Veteran hunter, Riu, a pilot, a dozen snowtroopers and a handful of hunters.
Out of over two hundred previous fighters, only them. Hope died instantly.
"Hunters!" The Veteran rallied, "We fight to the end!"
Each man raised his weapon in the air.
"RAH!"
And so it began. The Dao Ku-Long sent a scythe of freezing air slicing through the summit. Almost every man managed to avoid the attack. All but one hunter. The man's insides immediately froze solid, and losing it's elasticity, he tumbled away in two pieces.
The Dao Ku-Long then charged, scattering the men everywhere. A mane of freezing winds started at the Dao's neck, and spun through the troops. The men were sent flying, and landed hard on the summit. The Dao swept it's long neck to the side, and a snowtrooper was sent flying off the mountain, screaming. The man would be dashed against the side of the mount by the strong winds.
The Dao then sent it's winds whipping into something like a flame-thrower, licking and freezing the men the winds touched. One man was stuck, and he was frozen into a statue in seconds.
"Men!" The Veteran called, "Fire!" Every man pulled his weapon up, and pelted the Dao Ku-Long with rounds. But each round was caught, and swept away in the continual wind armor of the Dao Ku-Long.
With a roar from the Dao, the winds shot out, with the bullets still inside, and cut through the troops.
One Rubine snowtrooper was hit in the knee, and he crumbled, right before the Dao Ku-Long.
The Dao raised a vicious claw, ready to nail the hapless snowtrooper through the chest.
"NO!" Riu cut through the air, and her shimmer appeared. The shimmer arced through the air, and cut through the Dao's wind armor, through the black claw of Dao, and separated weapon from beast.
Losing the lethal edge, the claw merely knocked the wind out of the snowtrooper, but put him out of the fight.
"GRRAA!"
The Dao observed this new threat. A creature which could hurt him? Impossible.
Still, it reasoned, better to end it now. The Dao sucked in it's wind through it's mouth, and exhaled it all over Riu. She stood almost motionless, with her blade raised and ready.
The Veteran leapt up in horror.
"Riu! No!" The wind then cleared, with Riu still standing. Her AG saber was raised, and the winds of the Dao Ku-Long spun around the thin blade, in a mini-vortex.
Her hair flew with the churning winds in her blade, and she lowered the blade to her side, and sheathed the AG saber, winds and all.
"Not anymore." She drew her blade at blinding speeds, and the winds burst out of the sheath. "I haven't been spending my time doing nothing, Rhiem..."
The swirling wave rocketed towards the Dao. The Wyvoid was caught off-guard, and could not hold against it's own winds so suddenly. It slammed against one of the crags of the mountain, denting the black armor good, and twisting it's wing in a bad way.
"Every day, every moment, I trained to grow stronger..."
Wind started to form at the Dao's mouth, and it's limbs tensed up in a very animal-like way. It was angry.
No more playing. The Dao flew into the air, and set itself at the highest crag. With the flashing of one of two soul gears, it's soul pulse was released. Vortex Blade.
Wind started to condense, snow from the lower slope collected, and whipped up a blinding snowstorm. The winds turned into a jagged point far above the mountain, and started catching together. Layer after layer of snow tempered over and over into the form, turning into a huge blade of ice.
Every man gazed up in horror at the reverse pyramid of frost and ice. The form grew larger and larger at the very end, and added huge, beautiful wings to the pyramid.
And then it fell.
The blade caught a piece of light as the first of the edge smashed into the summit. The pyramid then shattered, sending shrapnel the size of Volkswagens scattering all over the place. Some soldiers and hunters dodged them. Some were bisected or impaled by the huge pieces of ice. Their blood splattered the summit in small, contained blotches against the white snow.
Riu stumbled a bit, twisted away from an edge of ice that sliced an inch from her face. She fell a bit, noticing only then that she stood in the center of a rapidly shrinking shadow. The final sword of frost, the massive left wing of the shard of ice, spun towards Riu. The huge blade-wing was the size of a small whale, and could easily slice one in half.
It bounced off the tip, and started sliding in a deadly horizontal spin...
She could do nothing, but try to duck down and dodge the blade...
A grenade spun through the air, and stuck into the wing; the small explosive blinked, and then detonated in a spectacular explosion. A cloud of white dust flew everywhere, splitting the wing in half.
Riu stood motionless, as she watched the pieces fall away from her, and tear up on both sides of her.
Her hair blew in every direction as the wall of wind pressure from the ice wing slammed into her form.
She looked up.
"RHIEEEM!"
Rhiem landed, kneeled, Fallen Tigress in one hand, and a M67 grenade in the other.
"Riu! Get down!" He lunged at her, and slammed the two of them down. The Dao Ku-Long swept over them, razor sharp wings slicing up the air above them, the vicious edge missing them by inches.
Rhiem called out to the Veteran.
"Old Man! Call the troops back! We're the only ones who can fight it!"
Normally, the Veteran would had been taken back at the boy's foolishness. But too many good men had died today.
"Men! Fall back to the crags! Focus on self-preservation!"
Reluctantly, the troops withdrew to the edges, keeping their eyes to the skies.
Riu turned to Rhiem.
"Rhiem! How?" Rhiem looked to the sky.
"Him again." A crude, but silent stealth helicopter beat down from above. The Merchant clung onto a rope with his only hand, and rappelled down the rest of the length.
The Merchant nimbly slammed down onto the ground, especially impressive, considering his peg leg.
"Heh heh! I never miss a good catch, and ya know it!" The Merchant cupped this hook to his mouth. (Old habits die hard) and called out to the pilot.
"Mike! I'll meet ya later! Get yer ass outta here, or we won't have a ride back!"
'Mike' gave a thumbs up, and pulled the Heli back.
"When..." Riu stammered, "When did you?"
"We were taliing ya. Picked yer boyfriend up after he trashed that Exoskeleton, and gave him a lift."
Rhiem stepped in.
"But now, I think we have a dream team here."
Rhiem, Riu, The Veteran, and The Merchant.
Against the Dao Ku-Long.
The Dao growled, and charged up a burst of wind. All four of them readied themselves.
Riu glanced at Rhiem.
"Rhiem... I'll show you how far I've come!"
"As long as you're still safe, I'm good." The Dao lunged forwards. Rhiem yelled, "Go!"
All at once, the four of the split, and the wind blast swirled through the empty center.
Riu charged up an air blade, and swung it towards the Dao. This time, it caught the edge, and sent it flying back to it's owner.
Riu leapt to the side, and barely missed the flying edge, and let Rhiem race past her. He drew four packets of C4, specially packed for the fight, and threw them all at once at the Dao. The wind armor caught the explosives once again, but Rhiem was too fast for it. He slammed the detonator, and set off all four C4s at once. The Dao stumbled from the impact, and recovered, doing a barrel roll; taking to the skies.
It flew as high as it could, trying to flee it's attackers.
"Forget 'bout me?" The Merchant clung to a crook in the Dao Ku-Long's neck. He raised his good hand, on it, a magnum.
The powerful round spun the Wyvoid out of control, and sent it plumeting back to the earth. It hit the ground with a thunderous impact; the Merchat nimbly jumped off at the last second, and landed perfectly on his hand and foot. The Dao Ku-Long struck deep into the summit, pulling itself up with difficulty.
"One more" The Veteran, with his giant Gunhammer, slammed the Dao's face. The krack of a 500 caliber round slamming into the Dao's face split across the howling of the winds.
The first of the two soul gears of the Dao broke off, and tumbled into the snow. Unlike the others, this soul gear shone with brilliance, and flashed a beautiful silver stone in it's center. It fell unnoticed.
Slowly, the Dao got up. It's face was cracked. The front right claw had lost it's edge. Spiderweb fractures spun across the body of the Dao. It was truly injured now. It set itself gently on the summit. Openings began to form. The chest plate expanded, and fell away.
A boy, no older than 19, woke from inside. His dark black hair fell in bunches down his face, and ended in edges and spikes just below his eyes.
He opened his eyes.
Rhiem drew his Fallen Tigress up.
"You... who are you?"
The boy looked at him.
"Operator of the Dao. Who the hell are you..." Without warning, the boy drew a dark knife, and threw it at Rhiem. Rhiem just managed to duck, and the blade sliced past his eye.
"Gah!"
"And why...*yawn* did you wake me?"
22
"Hm? You humans managed the destroy one of Magdalene's Memories?" He gazed up at the Dao's snout, where the first Soul Gear once was held. The Boy cricked his neck a bit, completely nonchalant.
"How vexing."
"Erk!" Rhiem held his hand up to his face. Blood seeped slowly from his check, from a cut formed in a perfect line.
"You know," The boy said, "It's rude not to answer people..." He drew a second knife. "When they're talking!" He flung the blade at Rhiem a second time. This time, the Veteran deflected the knife with a swipe of his prothetic metal limb.
"Hm!" The Boy smirked. "So you guys have moves, do you?"
The Veteran stared at the boy, calmly, and with iron.
"You... you're an elite Archeries operator, aren't you?"
The Boy nodded. A hint of condescension rung in his words.
"God, a giant war machine isn't enough of a hint? Damn humans."
The Veteran's eyes narrowed.
"So... we kill you, we kill the Dao."
The boy took a second to digest these words... while the Merchant raised his magnum.
"Heh."
KAM! KAM!
The boy still stood there thinking.
"Huh. You humans make it sound so.... easy, to kill me, that is."
The huge arm of the Dao moved away, in mirror with the boy's, as the two Magnum rounds clinking off the armor.
"You fools forget that the bond between a high-level Archeries Operator and his partner is far greater than anything you humans could imagine!"
The boy charged, straight at the four, the Dao soaring up, and mimicking his movements...
"Hahahah! Die!"
Rhiem tried to dodge the Wyvoid, but he was too slow.
"Gah!" The Dao crunched upon Rhiem's arm, and dragged him across the mountain summit. With a flick of it's neck, it sent Rhiem slamming into the mountain crag.
Twenty feet below, the boy lowered his hand, after imitating throwing a discus.
The Veteran appeared behind him, sending the gunhammer crashing down. The Boy only had to sidestep slightly, and the metal hammer slammed into the summit, where it crushed rock.
Smirking, the Boy placed a hand on the Veteran's shoulder.
"Nice moves." The Boy drew another dark knife, and slammed it into the Veteran's shoulder.
"Aggh!" The Veteran stumbled back, gritting his teeth. The man then charged the Boy like a bull.
All the Boy had to do was flick his arm, and the long, sinuous tail of the Dao struck the Veteran in the stomach, sending the huge, 7ft hunter flying. The Veteran hit his head on the rock, and slumped forwards, unconscious.
"No!" Riu screamed, and ran towards to Veteran, blade drawn. The Boy laughed, slamming his palm down. The Dao's claw clamped down on Riu, crushing her.
"Aggh! Let me go!"
"Hey! Sonny boy!" The Merchant drew two guns, cocking both. "Cool off fer a b--" The Dao's other claw slapped the Merchant, open palmed, sending the cockney man into a crag.
All around, no one was left.
Smirking, the Boy turned around, and glanced at Riu.
"Huh. Nice hair..." He knelt down. "Y'Know, I don't have a lot to do way up her--"
KAM! KAM!
A few clumps of black hair drifted off the Boy's front bangs.
He smiled, and turned.
Rhiem, badly injured, and breathing heavily, he leveled the Fallen Tigress. Blood matted his face, and his gun was cracked down the side.
"You.. stay.." He fell forwards, hitting the snow hard. "Awa...God..damn..."
The Boy chuckled, his eyes closed. He felt the the frayed ends of his bangs.
"You humans crack me up." The Boy held his hand up aimed at Riu; the Dao opened it's maw.
"Good bye." The Dao sucked in the air, preparing a final wind blast.
Riu's face was down in the snow. She couldn't hear, she couldn't feel, she couldn't breathe.
----
Her hand clenched on something hard.
haa..........
The Boy looked up, confused. That noise did not come from his machine.
"What's going on?" He grit his teeth. "Hurry, Kniev. We'll have to end it soo-"
The claw of the Dao raised up a bit.
"Kniev? What--" The claw of the flew upwards, sliced off in a perfect arc. The Boy gazed upon his machine's injury in horror. "What?"
Riu stepped slowly out. Her hands gripped two shining blades, not one. Her eyes faced downwards, where they could not be seen.
On her sternum, the soul gear with the shining silver stone in the middle.
"No..." The Boy drew a knife, his hand shaking in anger; his face contorted in a snarl. "THAT'S MIINE! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!"
----
Rhiem woke up, breathing snow.
He pulled himself up.
"R...iu?"
Riu was curled in a ball, far away from everyone on the summit. A few of the soldiers were securing the scene. A couple of them were crowded around the destroyed body of the Dao.
"Riu?"
Her head twitched, but she didn't move.
"Riu? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Rhiem put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it away.
"Riu?"
"Not mine..."
"What?"
"...thoughts, this life... is not mine..." Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes were downcast, and shaded. She gripped her two swords, and the now-faded Soul Gear in her hand. The silver stone was lifeless and cold now.
"Rhiem!" She gripped him tight, and sobbed.
The soldier remaining marveled and gagged at the sight, of just a young man, torn to bloody shreds by a force that they had seen, that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
----
1487
Father Patronus walked slowly through the abbey garden. Rows of lush, green plants waved in the wind. He gazed up at the beautiful spring sky, so blue and majestic in this humble village!
The lavenders were blossoming, and the poppies were growing flush in the afternoon sun.
How he loved these days so!
He spied a small figure, crouched in the tomato plants, with unnaturally silver hair, and delicate hands.
"(Riu)! How are thine plants growing?"
The girl looked up, and broke into a happy smile.
"Father! They're growing very well!" She brought up a blossoming tomato. "Look! So beautiful!"
Father Patronus beamed at the girl, and bent over to admire her works. The two shared an interest in gardening, and the good Father frequently gave the young orphan tips on how to grow the plants better.
They talked well into the evening, when the sun had turned red, and the dark stones of the abbey walls shone a fiery red. The bell tolled, and the clergy scurried back to their quarters.
The two were walking down an old corridor, chatting.
"Father, I'm so glad to be able to live here!"
"Is that so, (Riu)? You don't wish for parents?"
For a second, Riu was struck dumb.
"Well, I would very much like to see them, yes. But..." She looked up, her silver hair dancing in the light. "But my real home is here, Father, with you!"
The good Father smiled, and looked out.
"Hm? (Riu)! We have talked a bit too late. Thou be late for your choir practice with Sister Sonia."
"Oh... Right! I... I will greet you in the morning, Father!"
The Father smiled at the girl who hurried off to the chapel. The poor girl had no friends, no mother, father, or relatives to care for her. It was up to the Church to care for the orphan. It did his heart good to know his legacy would breathe on in the lives of the young folk.
Walking slowly back, he made his way to bed. Fifty-nine was really too old to be working...
----
Up in the mountains, the Rioreusu gnashed it's teeth. It's plague was spreading, making it feel like his legs were on fire! It's vision was hazy, and it could barely walk, but it's very movements were of unnatural power. It's tail accidently crushed rocks as it went in spasms, and it had to waste trees and large bears just to sate it's constantly locking and unlocking jaws.
It lumbered down to the small village of Tyre, where a small abbey was set upon a hill over-looking the place. It set off for there.
----
The Father was lying in bed, after finishing his prayers, and reading his book. There was something off tonight... like the very air was pushing on his chest.
Ah well, he thought. Nothing some good rum couldn't fix. He brought out a fifty-year old bottle, and dumped in it's last drops. His tongue had just been whet when his assistant burst in.
"Father! A demon! A demon has struck our abbey!"
Damn.
The alarm bell rung, sending those on their nighttime shifts reporting to the Abbey warden. The Warden hurried to unlock a long chest in depths of the watch house, and brought out many, many thick staves. It was time to fight. Young men no older than twenty-five scrambled to defend their abbey and their lives from a true demon.
Outside, in the courtyard, the plagued Rioreusu howled at it's own pain, and it's own rage. More than thirty men had come out to strike it with blunt objects, and causing it no end of annoyance.
The Plague increasing it's power, the plagued rioreusu breathed out a cloud of diseased flame, sending the fighters of the abbey scattering. With a couple of snaps with the jaw, the courtyard was almost cleared.
It lumbered towards the great hall, to where the women and children were being safeguarded.
----
The Father looked with downcast eyes at the bodies. Their faces were horribly burned by disease, twisted and reddened by fire and bacteria. Only ten minutes, and they had lost five.
"Antonio, Salerio, Brunis, Luther, and Gregory." He bowed his head. "Mei Vos Invadio Pacies."
The Father looked up.
"Quarterman Ewan."
"Yes Father?"
"Call the men back."
"But Fathe-"
"Now."
"....Yes Father."
Alone, Father Patronus wandered to an ancient picture of their savior. He removed it, and climbed through a hole in the back. Through the dusty tunnel, he came to the end of the secret passageway. A small shrine, with a long, thin, chest was set up. Slow-burning candles lit the area up. An ancient painting of a warrior, holding a silver saber against a demonic figure, hung above the chest.
Ewan had wandered in, confused
"What...Father, what is this place?"
Father Patronus ran his hands softly over the thin chest.
"Ewan. Are the men called back?"
"Y-Yes." Father Patronus was never like this!
"Good. I'll will take care of it."
Ewan was struck dumb.
"Father, you haven't been a hunter in over thirty years! We gave up our past lives for this!" He hadn't noticed Father's thick and sturdy figure before, but now!
"Ewan... We live to protect this sacred blade." The Father clicked open the silver locks; the locks twisted away, leaving a beautifully carved handle to be admired.
"This sacred blade is all we stand for right now." He opened the chest, carefully. "We have served it well for centuries." He brought the sword up. "And now we shall see how our devotion is appreciated!"
He drew the blade up.
"SING! Azumaria!" The blade hummed, but did not sing.
And for the first time in his clergy life, Father Patronus swore.
----
The plagued Rioreusu was half-limping to the abbey hall now. The infection had spread to it's chest. It's only goal now was to inflict as much pain as possible before it died.
Yet, in it's way, stood a man. Clothed in a black robe, and holding a small, silver saber.
It could no understand the man's words, but it understand his meaning just fine. A challenge.
Die, it roared. Crawl into your holes, and die.
----
Riu crawled out from under the rubble. The small chapel had been one of the first buildings hit.
"Sonia?" Riu called, "Sister?" There was no one. Riu pulled herself up, and then heard a terrible roar in the distance.
Completely missing the grotesque, crushed hand that lay limp in her path, Riu hurried to the main abbey.
----
"Raggh!" The Father spun around, as his arm was bathed in yet another round of plagued fire. The plague clung to his left arm, infecting it and turning it a dark crimson.
The Father ran forwards, and cleaved off the ear of the the rioreusu, causing it to roar in pain.
Already, the Father's leg, shin, arm, and right side of his face was plagued. They were slowly growing numb, and soon would be useless.
The Rioreusu had barely it's ear cut off, and it's left wingtip. The victor was decided.
The Father, panting, called out,
"Come! Demon spawn! I still have time to end you here!"
The plagued rioreusu roared in affirmation, and charged the Father. The Father willed his feet to move, but they would not obey. The Father was flung
like a ragdoll into a solid stone wall, breaking several bones, and ending him.
The plagued rioreusu roared in triumph, and lumbered over to the great abbey hall, where the terrified denizens of the village trembled and shook in fear.
"Father!" Riu came hurrying over to Father Patronus' side.
"(Riu)! Stay back!"
Too late. The rioreusu noticed fresh prey. It lumbered over to it's new target.
"(Riu), you must listen, take this blade, and give it to Marcus, he must defend the abbey wi...(Riu)!"
Riu had taken Azumaria, and held it at it's balanced form.
The winds began to blow, and the air turned to electricity.
"It couldn't be...(Riu)?"
Riu held Azumaria high, and called out,
"Sing! Azumaria!"
Howling, the silver blade sung a fever pitch, shimmering and bending in the new morning light.
The plagued rioreusu was near death now, but it's power was at it's peak at this moment, and it's rage unequaled.
GRAAAH!
The beast charged Riu.
Riu barely glanced up.
"I'm sorry you have to suffer, great beast. Go in peace." Riu swung Azumaria, and it cleaved through the rioreusu's skull like a knife through paper. The great beast, having no more brain, collasped in a sideways heap at Riu's feet.
"My God... (Riu)!"
Riu hurried to Father Patronus.
"Father!" She hugged him, although the dying Father could not feel anymore.
"(Riu)... so you were the one. The holy abbey of Tyre has been searching for you for a very, very long time."
"Father! Please, stay with me!"
The Father laughed weakly.
"Young one. I am glad, and honored to have been a part of your life." The Father slipped a gold badge into Riu's hands. The badge had on it, a wyvern with a sword in it's neck.
"(Riu)" The father swallowed dryly. "Find your destiny to the west. With the hunters. My Holy Maiden... Goodbye."
"Father?"
"Father!"
"FATHER!"
Not my memories, not my memories, not my memories, not my memories, not my
No