Gaea Awakening- Act 4

Battle in Buôn Tho

Inorema made his way through the city, looking for any sign of the old guard. He wouldn't just run off and let this continue, that was for sure. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, knowing they were attacking innocent people. They weren't here for anything good, so he'd have to stop them himself. It didn't take him long to find them however, and when he did, he found them fighting alongside the soldiers of Tạ Huy Khiêm's faction. He let the chaos flow through his body as he watched the battle unfold. He leaped forward, toward a squad of enemies. Something only noted by one who glanced in his direction, distracted from the unfolding battle. The man promptly began to move his rifle, his lips parted as he prepared to call out. But, the boy was quicker. Slamming his fist onto the ground, Inorema invoked the name of yet another Arcenos.

"Stone Pillars!"

The earth beneath their feet shifted, and cracked. Before, from within, came a pillar that weaved through the air, and smashed into the old guard's soldiers. Making them tumble through the air, landing several meters away. Leaving only one, who managed to keep himself upright. He put his gaze on Inorema, the apparent source of the attack, as he drew a short sword from his side. However, before he was able to begin his attack, the pillar came toward him, hitting him square in the chest. Sending him flying away, just as his comrades had.

The soldiers of Tạ Huy Khiêm's faction looked upon Inorema, confused by his appearance. Somewhat questioning why he was here helping them. But, they ultimately ignored it, beginning a dash toward the enemy. Bullets flew out of the barrels of their guns as they closed in. Something that was followed by them spreading out, ducking behind the rubble of destroyed buildings as cover. The Old Guard soon began to do the same, reacting to their opponent’s movements. Inorema, as he felt a bullet whizz past him, did the very same. He promptly jumped into the ruins of a destroyed building, using its walls as cover. As he did so, observing the battle in front of him. The rapid movements showed the professionalism of both forces. When a soldier of one side went down, the same happened to another. Soon enough, other forms of weaponry began to come onto the field. One of Tạ Huy Khiêm's soldiers ran out, with a large metal tube over his shoulder. Another squad escorted him, as he put his aim on one of the few buildings in the area that were standing. A bare one constructed of brick. Seemingly, an old apartment building. One that had been turned into a fortress by their enemy. Within a few moments, a rocket flew out, crashing into the walls of the building and exploding on impact. Something which destroyed the wall, and left a gaping hole in the building’s frame. Large enough that, within a few minutes it began to collapse. Something the soldiers within noted, as they rushed to get clear. Whether it be the troops fighting in melee range with the weapons they specialized in, or fighting from afar with their weapons, this was the thick of battle. With yelled orders making their way to his ears.

“Don’t let up! Keep the pressure on!”

“Dammit! He’s hit! Evac, Now!”

Eventually, Inrorema turned away from the battle itself, beginning to tune it out. distracted by the contents of the room he was standing in. Beginning to put the pieces together, the grimace on his face grew, as he took note of the remains of a bed, a stuffed Rilusar. Meaning that this was somebody’s home… And one of the inhabitants had to be a kid younger than him.

"This is terrible..."

As he became distracted, with the destruction weighing down upon him. A bullet whizzed past him, narrowly missing his head. Something that snapped him out of his stupor. He ducked once again, trying to determine the source of the attack. His gaze moved across the battlefield, until he took note of something, A squad of soldiers coming right toward him. The Old Guard’s, at that. It was time for him to begin making a difference. To that end, beginning preparations for a counterattack. Readying himself to fire off the Stone Pillars Arcenos once more. Letting the chaos flow through him, before he invoked its name. "Stone Pillars!"

The earth shook around him, as pillars of stone rose from the ground. And the moment they began spinning, they sent the soldiers of the enemy forces flying through the air. The only ones remaining were two men. One with a rifle, and the other with a blade. The man with the gun aimed at him, before firing. Inorema ducked once again, letting the bullets fly past him. It was soon enough that the enemy soldiers were stopped, courtesy of shots from the city's garrison. They soon fell to the ground, their fate unknown. But as the dust settled, and the smoke cleared, Inorema stood alone, staring at the two fallen men. Something wasn’t right here. He didn’t see or hear any movement, around him, at least. Where could they have gon-

"A boy using chaos at that level... Guessing you must be from up north. Dwuaso, Maybe?" A baritone voice rang out in Inorema's ears, interrupting his thoughts… Within moments, the boy felt a certain pressure bearing down on him. One that he could identify, as a large amount of chaos. Perhaps not on the level of people Like Oma or his brother… But, strong, no doubt. His gaze flew behind him, and it was then that he saw him. A tanned man with a head of black hair, that reached down to touch his ears. With a thick beard of the same color covering his angular chin. His large, Muscular frame was clad in thick, crimson, plate and mail armor. On his left shoulder, a large round shield hung from shoulder. On his right was a longsword. Gripped by a gauntlet covered hand. But aside from his armament, were the piercing yellow pupils in his slanted eyes.

"This power...." Inorema thought, putting both of his hands up in his defense. Even so, the man looked almost dismissive of the boy’s attempt to battle him. Nonetheless, he decided to respond.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"I'm the Commander of the Old Guard's squad Five... My name is Giang Ðắc Trọng"

Now, certain thoughts began to run through Inorema's head... The man was strong, there was no doubt about that. Somewhere deep in his mind, the thought of pulling away for now even came to his head. But, he did not let such ideas fester, pushing them even deeper. If this guy was the head honcho, he knew what to do.

"I'll take you on, I’m not letting you hurt anyone else!" He yelled, tightening his fists.

Giang smirked at this.

"Very well. Let's see what you have."

The Commander tightened his grip on his longsword, as he shifted his left foot back, right foot forward. A faint orange glow surrounded the length of the blade, as its shape changed, the length of the blade increasing. Within moments, the shield on his shoulder unclasped, falling into his palm. The man attacked with no hesitation, raising his blade above his head, and bringing it down on Inorema. Something followed by the boy jumping to the side, making the strike cut air, rather than himself. His opponent’s gaze followed him as he leaped into the air, reeling his fist back. Before, he descended upon the commander, his fist flying forward. However, the Commander, almost faster than the boy could perceive, shifted his position, utilizing his feetwork to pivot, and place his shield in the path of the punch… Leaving it useless. Something followed by him pushing Inorema back with his shield. Before inorema was even able to touch the ground, he leaped toward the boy, kicking him square in the gut. Sending him tumbling backward, crashing hard onto the ground.

The boy jumped to his feet, ready to counterattack. Only to find that the Commander was right in front of him, sword raised above his head, ready to swing down upon him. Inorema darted sideways, narrowly evading the strike. However, he found himself being pushed back by the force of the blade smashing through the ground, kicking up dust and debris. Once again, He was sent flying back, flipping as he barreled through the air. Eventually, however, he would right himself, landing on his back. For a few moments, Inorema lay there, until he forcefully pushed himself up. But it did not take long for the man to appear, launching a flourish of swipes at the boy with his blade. This time, he was not nearly as lucky. With cuts, though shallow, being left across his body. For every one he dodged, a new wound appeared. He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the feelings of pain, as he jumped away.

At this point, nothing he was doing was working.. He could barely even see the man move. How was he going to pull off a win? He went silent, attempting to find himself a way to victory. And it did not take long for the gears to begin turning in his head.

"If I make some pillars under me, and use them to launch myself forward. I might be quick enough to knock that guy over... Let's do it." Inorema thought.

So, Inorema summoned the earth beneath his legs, launching himself off of it, sending him soaring towards the Commander. At the last moment, he pulled up, and used the pillars as supports. Once airborne, he used his momentum to throw a flurry of punches at him. But, to his opponent, they may as well have moved in slow motion. A smirk came onto his face as he easily weaved around each punch. Eventually, the strikes stopped falling. As they did so, he spoke out.

"You'll have to try harder than that..." Giang taunted, before charging forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc.

Inorema quickly launched a pillar from his hand, using it to block the blow. But, when he tried to follow through, the Commander smashed through the pillar with his free hand, swinging his blade in a wide arc, leaving a gash across his left arm. grasping Inorema's head, his palm covering his face. The boy struggled against his grip, but he could barely move, let alone break it. All he could manage were weak attempts to push the Giant's hand away. His opponent, however, showed no sign of letting go anytime soon.

He lifted Inorema above his head, looking up at him with the same smirk. Somewhat amused by the boy’s tenacity. Nonetheless, he would get him out of the way. He proceeded to slam the boy into the ground, the force of which created a small crater around him, a small cloud of dust kicked up by the pulverized earth… For a few minutes he walked on the edge of consciousness, before he was able to move once more. He proceeded to roll backward, clutching his head as he rose to his knees.He was clearly looking worse for the wear, a steady trickle of blood coming from both his forehead, and lips. His vision blurring, and out of focus. Clearly, his opponent’s attacks were more than effective. The boy looked up, finding the Commander standing above him.

"Dammit... I can't let it end this quickly, I have to keep pushing!" Inorema thought. He leaped back to his feet once more, as he looked down upon his body. Taking note of the numerous black and blue bruises on his body. As well the cuts littering his appendages. At this point, it was taking all his willpower to stand. He needed to end this quickly. His mind cleared, and he focused on a new plan. He would need all the energy he had left. He reached out with his right hand, summoning a pillar underneath the Commander's foot. As he did so, the man stumbled, falling back.

As the commander fell, Inorema rushed to try to take advantage. He clenched his right fist, reeling it back as he dashed toward his opponent. His fist shot forward as soon as he got into Giang's melee range. The target himself, had gotten to his feet once more. He saw the approaching boy, and yet, stood still, as he slammed a haymaker onto his cheek, putting his whole body, and all his weight into it... Even so, it looked to be for naught, as the Commander stood, unfazed, the only result of the punch being the shaking of Inorema’s frame.

... He hadn't even fought for that long, and this was how it went? His vision began to blur even more so than before, as he found himself struggling to keep himself standing. And the commander didn't so much as have a scratch on him. Was the gap between them this big?! He’d have to go with the sample option, full speed ahead, forget about defense. If he wanted to win, then he'd have to go all out. He closed in, his fist held tight. Jumping forward, yelling out.

"I won't give up! You won't get away with this! HAAAA!"

He began launching a flurry of fists at his opponent, landing punch after punch onto his torso, chin, anything else he could get his hands on. However, they seemed to make no impact whatsoever. They were just going through the motions. As if he was punching air… The commander, like before, did not face such a challenge. The left hook that he fired promptly stopped Inorema's attack, as the boy was sent barreling away. Rolling on the ground, the force keeping him moving. Until he stopped 20 feet away from his opponent. Now, he found his eyes beginning to close, his thoughts beginning to slow. It wasn't long until he felt his head begin to fall... And he knew that this fight would be over soon enough. As the boy landed facefirst, Giang looked down upon him, with the smirk on his face still very visible. Though the battle was somewhat entertaining, the boy was nobody he would have to worry about. As such, he began making his way back into the fray with his troops.

Something Inorema saw through his darkening vision, he began to reach out, attempting to force his body to move once more. But it was clear that he’d reached his limits. His vision blackened, as he fell limp. The spread of the destruction was continuing, and he was left with no way to stop it. In his last fading moments, he only felt himself being lifted from the ground, and words which evaded his senses…