Disclaimer: I will own Tekken only when I become a zillionaire…
Reaper
Bullets whistled by as the demons came out of the portal in waves.
"Don't let any of them get away! Get them all!" a man bellowed as he reloaded his handgun, "Hold the line!"
Several people dashed out from under the cover of the ferns and ran forward. Armed with AK-47s, they shot down nearly a dozen of the demons, but unfortunately just as many rose high into the sky.
"Freeze!" another man bellowed his name.
"What?!" Freeze turned around while reaching for his second handgun.
"We can't keep this up much longer! We're almost out of munitions! You need to seal that stupid thing NOW!" the man cried as he mounted his rifle to his shoulder and fired.
"Damn it! Cover me!" Freeze yelled back at the miniature army at his back. Racing out of the cover that the thick trees provided, he headed for the pile of rubble that surrounded the ten-foot wide gateway. More bullets screamed past him and hit their marks with sickening cracks. A demon saw him running and dove down at him. Freeze heard the whooshing of its dive and threw himself behind a large stone. In that moment the demon crashed headlong into the ground. He heaved himself up, but before he could take a swing at Freeze several rifle rounds clipped him in the head, sending blood everywhere. The demon's massive body crashed down and ceased to move.
Suddenly several projectiles exploded around Freeze. Electricity filled the air and he could feel his hair stand on end.
"Damn. The Endowed demons!" Freeze cursed as several creatures launched balls of energy at him from afar. He crouched behind a broken wall and waited for his chance. Holding his hand out in front of him, Freeze narrowed his eyes and a semi-transparent azure sphere about three and a half inches in diameter coalesced above his palm. The moment he heard a pause in the demons' attack, he stood up in a flash and threw the sphere.
"Come on! Hit it!" Freeze muttered as he saw the blue orb soar through the air. Before it could hit the hovering creatures, one demon struck it with a bright orange laser.
"Yes!" Freeze exclaimed and he ran to the gate. The blue orb exploded and instead of being concentrated in just one spot, the freezing fluid spread through the air, striking nearly all of the demons at once. They were stunned. They hadn't expected thatto happen.
The air froze and so did the demons. As those demons plummeted to the ground, the demons that had narrowly avoided becoming ice sculptures demons shrieked and retreated. The ones who had been caught in the cold wave crashed into the muddy ground and shattered. Glass-like ice crystals fell around them and a thin layer of frost covered the entire clearing.
Jumping over a collapsed column, Freeze managed to make it to the portal. He could hear the rushing sound as demons from the other side tried to make their way through. Not waiting to see any of them pop out, Freeze quickly formed another bigger, cerulean sphere in between both hands and cast it forward. The moment it hit the Gateway an enormous sheet of glacial rock formed between the two horns. He heard it shudder as the demons crashed into it on the other side.
Freeze fell to his knees in exhaustion. He could feel blood trickling down his forehead from a gash that had formed when the endowed demons had exploded the stones around him. His eye stung as the crimson liquid flowed into it. Outside, the gunfire had ceased. Freeze heaved himself up until he was standing and then walked out of the ruins.
One of the men scrambled forward, "Are you OK Freeze?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. The ice should keep them out for at least two days. Make sure you get plenty of ammunition meanwhile," Freeze lumbered forward into the forest.
"Yessir!" the man took off in the other direction.
"Hey!" Freeze called back to the man, who whirled around, "Post a couple of sentries near the gate. I don't want to take any chances with those fiends getting through. Tell them to sound an alarm if the ice starts cracking."
"Yessir" the man repeated and ran off.
Freeze made his way back to camp a couple miles into the forest, near the river. Several of the makeshift soldiers saluted him as he walked by. Striding into camp, he made a direct line for the largest of the tents that were pitched up. The two guards that were posted outside saluted him as he came into view. Freeze nodded and pulled aside the flaps to walk in.
Lying in a cot, wrapped tightly in numerous, bloody bandages was a woman. She turned to Freeze as he came in and saluted her.
"How'd it go?" she questioned.
"Pretty good considering who we're fighting," Freeze walked over and sat in the chair near her bed.
"How many did we lose?" she said solemnly.
"Nearly a dozen. And about twice that are going to be in pain for a very long while," Freeze sighed and shook his head.
A devastated look crossed the woman's face.
"How did we lose so many?" she turned to him with an incredulous look on her face.
"They sent out the Endowed."
"Damn it!" she punched the pillow next to her.
"I sealed the Gateway…for now. It should hold up for a couple days…so,"
"Good. We need to get more munitions and train the younger ones a little more…I've heard that they are horrible shots…" she winced as her injuries flashed in pain when she spoke fiercely.
"Yeah," he nodded, "…and how are you faring Reaper?"
"Ugh…pretty much the same," her face distorted in pain.
Freeze shook his head, "How can it be that those wounds haven't sealed yet, Jaez?"
Jaez relaxed as the pain subsided, "The demons' swords were laced with something…they're keeping me from healing."
"Can I do anything for you?" Freeze inquired as her face distorted again.
"No. You've done enough already. You should get some rest, you look like you need it," she forced a smile through her pain.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure. You go get some sleep."
Freeze nodded and walked out of the tent.
Jaez lay there staring at the lamp that hung from the ceiling of the tent. The heat in her chest and stomach flared again and she bit her lip to keep from groaning aloud. Suddenly she felt a cold presence near her.
"Hey Death…what's up?" she said in a strained voice.
A quiet, whisper-like response came, "not much…but you seem to be in pain again.."
Jaez laughed once, "Really?"
No response.
"Hey…did you really have to take nearly a dozen of my men? I need them you know?" Jaez commented in annoyance.
"it was their time…"
Jaez shook her head, "But I need them."
"i'm sorry…but you and i both know that i can't bring them back…"
"Yeah…I know," she turned her head to the vaporous being beside her, "But could you spare the wounded ones that are still alive?"
"perhaps…"
After a few moments of silence, Jaez spoke, "Thanks for not taking me…"
If Death were capable of smiling, Jaez was sure that he would have, "you are very much like a daughter to me…i would never take you knowing that you could do so much for this world and me…my dear…"
Jaez smiled, "And thanks for loaning me your memories of what happened after I wound up with two swords stuck through me…"
"of course…" slowly the ghostly figure began to dissipate, "take care…"
"See ya…"
After he had left, Jaez closed her eyes and replayed the events that had followed her "demise."
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A/n: ha…I hadn't actually planned to make Death an actual "being" but it just worked out that way…XD
Next Chapter: "Death's Memory"
