32
He ran forwards, sliding on the slick surface of the soaked train roof. Cannon blasts of water tore up the ground around him as he dodged their torrential force by a hair. Rhiem charged forwards on water-soaked wings finding his ground and using it to slide to his target. He spun just as a well-aimed jet of water nearly took off his head. He bounced on his spring-loaded left foot, while pulling down the Anacholite Helm that Vulcan had gave him. The particular eye slit gave him the appearance of a modern spartan, a lean tank of destruction.
He spun forwards, letting his right heel drive into the Royal Lugus' solid crown.
He felt the metal give, if only slightly.
And then, the Royal Lugus let loose again, another huge out-pouring of water out of it's spongy mane, sending Rhiem flying on a sphere of water. Rhiem tumbled, and then slid far down the roof tops of the train until he lay still at KJ's feet.
"I felt it give a little more that time," Rhiem said as he opened his mask. The greek helm released about a gallon full of water that it had trapped.
"Seriously, this ain't gonna to work!" KJ ground his teeth. Rhiem had been charging at king drone over, for the past fifteen minutes, collecting hard bruises and a near concussion on the way. The Anacholite suit protected most of the damage, but the shots were taking it's toll. "You can't fight these things blow-for blow."
The Royal Lugus rolled to the side, and then slipped into the water. Both Rhiem and KJ tensed up, but the crocodile machine simply jumped back out, a couple of seconds later, landing square onto the thundering train. It's mane was plump and full; it seemed content to let the humans fling themselves at it over and over.
"We have to stop it from getting more water." KJ said...
Rhiem turned his gaze down to the aqueducts.
He raised his gun, and fired straight down. The rounds cracked into the concrete of the canals, and blew up, destroying the waterway.
The Royal Lugus roared at this; it was not stupid, it knew it needed water to fight. It leaped once, and then rocketed on it's hidden water jets at Rhiem, who was turned to the second aqueduct. It opened it's maw, ready to dash Rhiem's brains on it's lower teeth.
Rhiem turned, his mask on.
"Surprise," he growled. His hands were empty, but his feet were dug into the roof of the train, and he braced himself.
The jaw connected with heavy vambraces, and both man and beast went carving into the roof of the train. Rhiem's boots carved deep welts into the steel roof, but his suit let him stay upright.
They began to slow down, and the Royal Lugus' feet touched the ground once more.
It began to twist, trying to shake off the human that had grabbed it.
"Not a chance," KJ said. He held the Vicious Tigress like a whip, sending the whip-like machete attachment spiraling into the Royal Lugus' legs. The line whipped around the rather short legs, instantly tripping it, sending it sprawling.
KJ ran up, right above the Royal Lugus, in the rushing winds of the train.
"Dragon Breath!"
He drew out two huge handfuls of flammable powder, and blew them at the lugus.
A mini-inferno engulfed the machine, sending it howling it's mechanical screams into the air. The fire quickly died out, but it's mane was severely burned, being porous and soft.
"Not done yet," Rhiem said. He caught his Vicious Tigress from KJ, and jammed the machete deep into the Royal Lugu's head. The blade nailed deep into the steel skull, fixing both the upper section, and the lower jaw together.
He fire, at point-blank range, five rounds before quickly pulling out. The rounds exploded, sending a small shock-wave into the air, and the Lugus' processing unit against it's much harder inner skull.
Rhiem turned, just as the Royal Lugus collapsed.
"C'mon," He said to KJ. "We should be almost there."
The Royal Lugus rose, it's head nearly in two pieces, barely alive, and it's soul gear flashing like a siren.
Water was drawn from it's cooling unit, mixed with the heavier fluids of antifreeze to produce a single, final armor-piercing shot. The water collected at it's mouth, churning and churning into a sphere-
Rhiem spun, and fired into it's broken mouth.
"Stay dead."
The round blew away it's final moments, and it tumbled into a heap off the side, and was crushed by the wheels of the monorail train.
Desiräe muttered into her radio, curled up into a ball at the edge of the amphitheatre.
"Yeah, that's right. The emissary from Oilang... No, only a young girl."
Htu spoke at his normal voice through the other end, but it seemed like a whisper.
"Her capabilities?"
Desiräe smiled faintly.
"Excellent. You should see for yourself. Feckin' crazy. Some kind of super-natural shield thing. I got lucky. Girl didn't know that the warhead I shot was full of Z2O, knock-out gas. She blocked it... but not the gas."
Desiräe glanced at the monster tied up on the other end, her silver hair hanging over her unconscious figure.
"Little mental capabilities when in this state, for self-preservation at least. But that sword... and that shield... Both valuable weapons. We could benefit very much from them."
"Was there anyone with her?"
"Um... yes. Some other girl. Some kind of singer. Lucky girl; my bullet just missed her heart."
"Alright. Bring them back as prisoners, alive."
"Unharmed?"
"In any way. I have plans."
Desiräe nodded, and then confirmed, her face impassive and cold. She was always like this after fight, drained of emotion and feelings. She switched off the radio, and then motioned with her hand. Three Guild Shadows rose from nowhere, and grabbed the two bound girls, rougher than necessary, and shifted off into shadows.
Desiräe walked out with them, out to the open. She gazed out, and spotted a monorail, far, far in the distance, glowing a faint blue. There was a paler shade of pink into the front, apparently driving the train, while there were two, furious red figures sitting at the roof. They had the aura of warriors. They must be her friends.
Although she didn't tell Htu, the silver-haired girl had one last retribution. A great slash just before fainting, and a terrible gash in Desiräe's left arm. She had bandaged it... but the wound persisted.
She smiled to herself. She had a shot at revenge.
It was late at night.
Rhiem and KJ had departed off the rail to the area near the hotel. They moved silently in the night, to the great Remington Hotel. Rhiem found the entrance to their hideout, the cover to it, that vital piece of corrugated steel, left on the side, carelessly, like a piece of trash.
Rhiem felt a lurch in his stomach. And then a second one.
He looked down, and saw the street spin under his feet.
At the edge of his sight, he glimpsed KJ pitch and collapse.
He saw the hypodermic dart in his neck.
He touched it lightly, before the world around him dissolved.
And a woman's voice, smooth and dangerous drifted into his thoughts.
"C'mon. We're going to see Htu."
It was at the Central Command Complex where it happened. Some grotesque ritual that muttered of ancient times. Over five hundred people tied up in a great circle at the center of the Central Complex. They were all between thirteen and forty years old, most of them fit men, and a great portion warriors of the PFA, or Dasiokas residents.
Htu strode down the line of them all. His pale white hair drifted in the air like silky tentacles, in soft lengths to his shoulder. On his pale skin was an angry red scar, which twisted from his right knuckles up his arm and onto his face. The scar had cut a humorless grin onto Htu's face, which screamed irony against his cruel, pale face. His eyes were harder than rock, and colder than ice. They were blue, perhaps, but had since then been drained of color.
Htu glanced at one young man, blood running down his face, and down his shirt. He could hav ebeen no more than eighteen. He was tied to a wooden pole like everyone else, but he had a bad leg and was struggling to stay up. His young eyes darted fearfully at the pale man in front of him.
Htu motioned to his bodyguard. Who nodded, and then shot the boy in the chest until he stopped struggling; blood pooled down his by his feet.
"We cannot offer such... low quality to our leader." Htu said, perhaps to no one in particular. "It is improper to even think of it."
Rhiem gazed upon this macabre performance with horror. The chief was inhuman! He hung tied to an identical wooden post, next to KJ, who was still snoring off the side, and he could barely glimpse Riu's silver hair hanging off another unconscious figure a hundred feet away.
He struggled once more against his bindings, but they were like iron! He had the good fortune of still having his combat suit- the Guild Proper men seemed to not have thought much of it, but his gun and tomahawk was gone. Similarly, KJ's powderpacks were gone, and Rhiem could see Riu's sword hanging shamefully on some Guild Shadow's hip, like a spoil of war. The Shadow seemed pleased with herself, and touched the blade often.
Htu tensed up, and looked to the sky.
"They're here."
Shadowy forms appeared in the distance, flapping their huge wings in the night. As they drew near, their model was more clear.
Wrath LOS Type 3. They were an upgrade of the standard Wrath LOS - more heavily armored, and thicker in places where it mattered, such as the connection between the tail and the body, and the neck. The new Wrath LOS was shaped more like a tank; the thing wore it's fresh red coat with the most pride a machine could have. They were superiors to their rust-colored cousins.
And on one, something more fearsome than the whole wing of Wrath T3s put together.
A young man, with a fierce face that had been dulled by something deep inside. He had a horrendous scar on the left side of his face that did not seem to be from an injury. The man was fiercely muscular, and clung onto the standing harness on his Wrath T3 with ease.
And on his head, a shock of silver and black hair.
The Lead Wrath T3 touched down, with the man jumping nimbly off the wyvoid.
Htu drifted forwards, and knelt at the young man's impassive face.
"My lord..."
The man merely replied,
"Acolyte. Is this the new group of people I will convert?"
"Yes, master." Htu mumbled. He avoided eye contact. "Your merchandise-"
"People."
"Y-Yes, your people are here."
The man nodded, and then turned to face them
"Good. Now just-"
The man stopped. He was left staring at Riu, who was slowly waking.
He seemed shocked.
The man turned to Htu.
"Acolyte. Where did you find this one?"
"This one-? An emissary from Oilang. Very talented, master. If you don't mind me saying, it took a lot of effort-"
"Enough." The man's tone was not harsh, but impatient.
He lightly brushed Riu's hair.
"Yeta... Impossible, here?"
"What-?"
The man brought out a glowing crystal. He held it up to the sky, where the new rays of sunrise could shine through it. With a single motion, he crushed it, sending the pieces scattering.
"Cyrus! Jade!"
Cyrus came first, the broken pieces of crystal reforming- along with the rest of him clutching the crystal. His silver hair was casually tossed over his head, which struck out of a black Archeria uniform. His cocky look slowly turned into one of disbelief as he saw the man, and Riu.
Jade came second, her sad eyes coming deep out of her forming figure. Her shining hair was wrapped into two tails, over the sides of her head. She was wearing a sleek black uniform that curved against her thin figure.
As soon as Jade saw Riu, the girl gave out a half-choke, half-gasp.
Cyrus turned first to the man.
"Args... What have we here?"
Htu came forwards, as overwhelmed as his pale face could be, bowing low to Cyrus, and then to Jade, who ignored him.
"Master Cyrus... let me explain..."
"Quiet, scum." Cyrus muttered. Htu stepped back, injured inside.
"So, Args. What do we have..." Cyrus glanced over at Riu who was rolling her head around. "Here?"
The man known as Argus did not fall for Cyrus' provocations. "Cyrus... Jade... We need to figure out what happens next. Should we tell Mother?"
Jade stepped forwards, her eyes longing, but Argus stopped her.
"No. Don't go to her just yet."
Cyrus clicked impatiently.
"Let's just cart her back to Mother. Make it simple."
Argus shook his head.
"We may hurt her; you remember the condition she was in before!"
"Oh shut up, Args. We won't damage her." He walked forwards, and knocked Riu on the head. Her eyes were beginning to open...
He rapped his knuckles against Riu's temple.
"See? Tough as a roach."
"STOP!"
At once, Rhiem drew the attention of everyone conscious person in the complex. Immediately, guild knights drew pistols and cocked them against Rhiem's head.
Htu himself came over, a rare snarl on his face.
"How DARE you..." He muttered. "How DARE you interrupt my masters, you piece of shit!"
Htu drew a heavy pistol and pressed it against Rhiem's head.
"Hey!"
Cyrus smiled, and walked over to Rhiem's post. "You again."
Rhiem just snarled. Cyrus clucked his tongue. "Really, good job on guarding your girls, by the way. One captured, and one captured and dying."
"SHUT UP!"
Argus snapped.
"Cyrus! Don't get distracted!"
Cyrus turned to Argus, a look of annoyance on his face.
"Why don't you *bleep* off?" Cyrus said.
Argus growled at Cyrus, who put on a look of mock fear. "Oh, no, the big scary Argus is going to punish me."
"You disrespect everyone around you, Cyrus. Mother, me, there is a limit." Argus thumbed something in his pocket. "And that limit has dire consequences."
"You're not strong enough to scare me, and you thinking otherwise is boring me."
Riu was almost fully conscious now.
"Really Boring me."
Cyrus strode over to Riu, pulling something out of his pocket. A shining stone, set in a gear.
"Let's make this interesting!"
Rhiem saw this, and yelled and yelled, struggling at his ropes, until two guild knights smashed armored elbows into his gut.
Cyrus held the stone to Riu's head just as Argus yelled out his protest, bringing out the thing in his pocket.
Riu woke up, and then screamed an unholy scream.
"Time to wake up, Yeta!" Cyrus yelled gleefully.
Riu screamed as the stone's light cut into her. A ghostly wind shook the compounds, and everyone, from the Guild Knight, to the unconscious hostages, to the forms of Argus and Jade, and most of all, Cyrus, who was gritting his teeth against the force.
The pure wave of something, something neither good nor bad, but of another level of dimension... sliced through every heart in the area.
Riu fell silent then, and very still.
Rhiem could not speak. He could only see Riu stir.
Riu looked up, panting. Her eyes bored into Cyrus with a sense of deep-seated loathing.
"Cyrus...Release me."
"Now."