36
Cover, charge.
Rhiem placed three shots dead into the crushing tail of the Leviathan Lord; the huge bullets slammed deep craters into the armor of It, shifting the appendage sideways the crucial few feet to create an opening for Scott to charge in. Scott raced up the slithering body of it, latching onto the smallest cracks, and finding leverage in the tiniest of holds.
Htu grappled with the controls, sending attack after attack at the black shadow that was assaulting his mech. Water jets, slams with fins, even a rocket-propelled spine that fired out of a secret hole within the machine. All struck nothing but air.
Scott dodged each attack with ease, climbing level with the Leviathan Lord's face. With a vicious swipe, Scott swung at the big horn of It.
Htu twisted away just in time, and then swung the head of It to slam the little horn into Scott. The razor-sharp horn cut into Scott, and sent the feline comrade tumbling through the air.
"See?" muttered the Merchant. "He's afraid fer that horn. Rhiem, on you."
Rhiem raised the Southern Eagle. "On it."
Right after It swung it's horn, the big horn swung in front of them, right in view.
KAM! KAM! KA-KAM!
Rhiem sent four rounds deep into the big horn. The Leviathan Lord moaned, it's metal joints creaked, and it fell over, as Htu screamed his rage.
It flopped over like a fish, before it regained it's balance, and turned to face it's opponents. The Rounds did a number on the horn. Four gaping holes shone like black stars on the beige colors of the Leviathan Lord's horn. It, the horn, was hanging on, but barely.
"Scott!" yelled the Merchant, "finish it!"
Scott, yowling, raced up the dazed Leviathan Lord' swaying body. It clawed up the slitherine form with ease, and then leaped at the damaged horn of It. It's black claw swiped at the broken part of it.
The claw rested on the broken part of It.
'No!" screamed Htu. he slammed a lever at his side, and then the Leviathan Lord exploded. In an enormous forest of blades. Every plate of armor unfolded, revealing a hidden blade, that shot out and joined its brothers in an ever-growing web of more and more blades that soon filled the air.
Scott fell away again, this time, critically injured by the stroke of over two dozen blade.
"Nya-a..." moaned the pitiful robot to its master.
The Merchant looked sadly down at his broken slave. "Scott... sorry." The Merchant patted the dying machine. "It was stronger than it looked."
The CUNarga seemed to nod, and then started closing it's eyes.
"Rhiem."
"Yeah."
"Listen to me, no matter what happens to me, yeh have to take out the big horn. It's the entire machine's sensor array; you take it out, yeh take out the entire machine's power to fight."
The Merchant fixed me with something related to a glare.
"Got it?"
"...why are you telling me this?"
The Merchant stopped patting Scott, who's red eyes were slowly fading away.
The Merchant gripped the Faux Gear.
"Come-"
The armor and body of the CUNarga started stripping away from the skeleton of Scott-
"Nox-"
The flew around the Faux Gear- Scott was nothing now, a forgotten frame in the wind-
"Naruga."
The pieces encased the Merchant. His heavy robe melted away, and was immediately replaced with heavy black armor. rotting clothes disappeared with ease, encasing their bearer in armor as black as night.
His mask was last to go. For a second, Rhiem thought he saw a young face with fading black hair, but it was immediately replaced with another heavy, beak-like mask that enveloped his face completely.
"Cool, huh?" The Merchant flexed his now-powerful fingers. His hook was gone, it lay forgotten on the ground. His feet were now whole, and massaging the ground. "Rhiem, I'll try to fnish him right here."
The Merchant raced down towards It. A tail swipe bore down at him, but the Merchant jumped over the 20ft tail as easily as a hurdle on a track. He tumbled, and then recovered, racing up onto the body of it, and then towards the broken horn of it.
Blades shot out, quivering in the Merchant's path all around it. He dodged the lethal obstacles with ridiculous ease, climbing up the body of it easier than most people scaled staircases.
The last blade was well-placed, and stood between him and his path of the horn. He swung with his gauntlet-armored fist, smashing the blade clean through, and reaching the horn of it.
With a powerful swipe, the merchant crushed the big horn of it; wires and oil gushed from the wound, and the enormous horn toppled from it's owner, striking concrete, and shattering in a million pieces.
"ARRGH!" Htu screamed as all his sensors went blank, or furious red with a thousand different errors. He fell with It was the top part of it slammed onto the concrete with a tremulous crash.
The Merchant landed nimbly next to the wreckage of It.
He stood up, and smiled at Rhiem with triumph. Not that he could see it, but hey.
He gave a thumbs up.
Rhiem waved at him, and screamed, but it was too far. Too far to hear, but not too far to lip-read.
"Get Out!"
The Merchant felt an crushing clamp about his waist, and he was now-staring into the evil face of It from It's teeth. The Merchant could see the fanatical Htu, working the controls sideways, feverishly, laughing manically with triumph.
"You...You are all going to die; die here, die here for my master!"
A self-destruct siren wailed in the cockpit; the sound wafted down to the ears of the Merchant, and Rhiem.
Htu, done with his final task, sighed with relief, and then died.
Rhiem started running to the Merchant, but he waved Rhiem back.
"Naw, kid. he's got me. Got me good." The Merchant tapped the metal teeth of the immobile It.
"No!"
"Kid-"
"You've got so much more to say! Your past! My Father! Who are you?"
The self-destruct siren wailed on.
"Kid, let me cut you a deal." The Merchant stared at Rhiem. "If I survive, I'll tell you everything. Life, love, and your father. All of it will be yours. But you gotta run now."
"But-"
"I'm wearing Scott right now. I'm not totally lost, kid, run already."
"..." Rhiem thrust the Southern Eagle into his belt. "You! You better stay alive, or I'll drag you from Hell and kick your ass!"
"...heh, heh. Already assuming I'm going to Hell? Thanks for the vote of confidence kid."
The Merchant looked at Rhiem again.
"Kid... I hope to see you again."
Rhiem nodded, and then turned, and started running.
"I really do... kid."
The explosion was a beautiful white storm.
37
Rhiem ran, strides clattering loudly against the concrete floor, he was sprinting down a deserted corridor connecting the Pool to the Quad, where… where Riu was still fighting.
He quickened his pace, running faster until the walls and pillars around him turned into a surrounding gray blur.
KJ lay against the wall, in a parody of a sitting position. He clutched his ribs, where a careless step by him led to a searing cut in his ribs from the wild swings of a Guild Knight, around him lay the unconscious hostages that he had accompanied out, and the brunt corpse of the guards who ambushed him halfway through.
He was having problems breathing now. The bite of the wound on his side started to throb. If anyone… anyone at all came, he was finished.
The clattering of rapid footsteps clawed another wound of fear in his chest.
Rhiem could almost see the exit now- it was a solid wall of light ahead of him-
***
KJ closed his eyes in prayer.
***
Rhiem burst through the exit; the rising sun blinded him just for a second, and then he pressed on.
***
KJ saw Rhiem run through the his connecting corridor, focused ahead at something KJ could not see. Rhiem didn't even glance at him, he just ran through, oblivious to KJ and his plight. KJ tried to call out; a futile effort, he had barely enough energy to think.
He watched as Rhiem ran out of sight, and into the Quad from where they came. KJ sighed. A pity.
***
A swish, and Cyrus predictably brought his gun up to block. Riu feinted, and then tore into Cyrus' left quadriceps with a vicious slash of the Mercy Blade. The boy roared with pain, and then buckled to the ground.
Riu brought the AG saber to his exposed throat. The razor edge hovered a hair away from death.
The silver Wrath LOS finally flipped the massive Ulkhanns, as the massive machine rolled on its back, the smaller Wyvoid flew up, and landed bodily on the chest of Ulkhanns, bringing its fang-filled maw to Ulkhann's throat.
Cyrus, too tired for words, too injured for rage, and too scared for action, hung his head down in defeat.
"Do it," he whispered "…do it already"
Cyrus closed his eyes and waited. The new day's wind flew through the air, free once more. Seconds passed. Maybe minutes.
Yet the blow never came.
"Do it already! I've lost! Kill me!" Cyrus lunged forwards, with wild eyes. "Yeta!"
He looked up, but Yeta was looking past him.
Cyrus turned. Her eyes drifted past him, to a figure standing alone at the entrance to the quad, almost twenty meters away. The wind swept his dust-blond hair across his eyes, and his gun had dropped to his side. She was looking at Rhiem, with the saddest eyes that Cyrus had ever seen her proud face make.
Cyrus saw that idiot, that worthless scum standing like an ass, gun at his side, staring back at Yeta.
If he had any sense he would put a bullet into her face as soon as he could!
"Damn it!" roared Cyrus "You! YOU!"
Cyrus lunged for his gun and then brought it up to Rhiem.
A swift movement by Riu separated the gun from his owner, and long with a few extras.
"ARGGH!" Cyrus pitched forwards, clutching his bloody stump of an arm.
"Cyrus…" said Riu icily. "If you want me to kill you, all you have to do is repeat that stunt."
"Rhiem…"
Rhiem gave no notice that Riu said anything, and spoke to Cyrus.
"You, where is Noa?"
There was a heavy silence as Cyrus struggled to collect his words.
"You…" Cyrus struggled to pull himself up on the concrete. "*bleep* you-Guh!" Riu kicked Cyrus in the face; he rolled over in pain, trailing blood on the concrete.
"He asked you a question, Cyrus. Answer politely."
Eyes brimming hate and pain, Cyrus twisted to face Rhiem.
"Stupid Shit. I showed you that kid's arm, didn't I? Why the *bleep* would I want just an arm for?"
He smiled, despite the pain and humilation.
"I am Noa. And he is me, now. I stole his body and his soul; he's mine now."
Rhiem betrayed no emotion.
"Oh." He pulled up his Southern Eagle. "If that's the case, then die-"
His gun was smacked away. From twenty meters away.
"Rhiem…" Riu walked slowly towards him. "I can't let you kill him."
Rhiem said nothing.
"He is a part of my family… my family before you."
"I know… this is hard to swallow. But I have found my past once more. And I need to return, to a place where you cannot follow."
She started crying, but her eyes remained strong.
"Rhiem- good-bye." She drew both her sword to point to Rhiem. "And if you still insist to kill Cyrus,"
I will show you why I am called Archeria's Wild Rose.
Rhiem sprang into action, pulling the slide on his Southern Eagle, while leaping back. He pulled his mask down, and his face was shrouded in shadow.
Riu leapt backwards, drawing both her swords to full length. Her tattered Combat Jacket, given to her months ago when she and Rhiem first met, fluttered in the screaming wind. Behind her, her silver Wrath LOS, Ravenna, roared, and circled Riu with it's poisonous tail.
Rhiem brought the Southern Eagle to aim at Cyrus.
Riu slid in front of Cyrus, and brought her hands in front of her.
KAM! KAM! KAM!
Three enormous slugs slammed into Riu's shimmering shield. They struck the mystical force with tremor-like power, blossoming into metal mushrooms on impact.
Rhiem ran, spring-loaded feet launching him across the battlefield. A shimmering blade, aimed at his feet, slammed into the concrete, barely missing him as he jumped into the air.
Rhiem stopped for only a second, by a crater left by a way-ward shot by Ravenna against Ulkhanns, and kicked a loose, basket-ball sized piece of concrete at Riu.
The rock flew forwards at dizzying speeds, to her chest.
Riu only had to slash once, and the halves of the rock flew past her.
"C'mon, Rhiem. You can do better than that."
This is the beginning of the end for us, Rhiem. Let's make it fun at least.