Laya soared through the sky, feeling the familiar pull of gravity bending around her like an old friend. She could hear Emilia reloading below, cursing under her breath. A quick glance confirmed what Laya already knew—Emilia was frustrated, and her shots were getting sloppier.
"Not bad," Laya murmured to herself, flipping easily through the air as another bullet zipped past her. She moved like the wind, as if she belonged there—weightless, unbothered. "But you’re trying too hard."
Emilia fired again, teeth clenched, but Laya had already shifted. The bullet tore through empty air where she’d been only a second before. Laya barely noticed, her thoughts already elsewhere—on the rumbling she could feel, faint but steady, pulsing from somewhere deep within the island.
Whatever’s going on, it's getting close, she thought, her violet eyes narrowing slightly.
Emilia’s voice cut through the noise, ragged and raw. "Stop running! Face me like a real captain!" she shouted, raising her rifle again, hands trembling.
Laya sighed, her body slowing mid-air. "Face you?" she said, almost as if talking to herself. "I’ve been here the whole time. Maybe you’re the one who’s been chasing shadows." She glanced down at Emilia, still determined, still trying.
Laya’s lips quirked into a small smile. "Guess it’s time to finish this."
With a single gesture, she drew the air around her, feeling the gravity shift like water flowing in reverse. Emilia’s feet suddenly left the ground as the pull of the island vanished beneath her. She stumbled, wide-eyed, her rifle slipping from her grasp as she floated helplessly upward.
"What the—!" Emilia reached out in a panic, her body spinning uncontrollably in midair. Laya watched for a moment, almost curious, then flicked her fingers down, reversing the force.
Emilia plummeted, crashing through the canopy below, vanishing into the trees with a dull thud. Laya floated downward lazily, her feet touching the ground as the world returned to its normal balance.
She tilted her head toward the sky. "She’ll be fine," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "Tougher than she looks."
A low rumble echoed across the landscape again, this time deeper, more urgent. Laya glanced toward the horizon, her expression thoughtful. Whatever’s at the core... it’s not waiting.
She stretched out her arms, the faint hum of her mechanical limbs settling back into their normal rhythm. “Guess that’s my cue,” she said quietly, her small smile returning as she started toward the treeline. "Wouldn’t want to miss all the fun."
Seth moved silently through the trees, his senses attuned to every whisper of the wind, every crack of a branch underfoot. He could hear Aurora behind him, her breathing controlled but tense. She clutched the deactivator at her waist, her fingers brushing over it every few steps as if to remind herself it was still there.
"They’re close," Seth murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t have to see Maria to know she was still hunting them, stalking through the forest like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike.
Aurora glanced around nervously, her wrench clutched tight in her hand. "What about Laya?" she whispered, though the question sounded more like a hope than anything else. "Should we—?"
"Laya’s fine," Seth interrupted, keeping his eyes ahead. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself, but there was no time to worry about the sky captain now. "We need to focus. Maria’s not far."
Aurora nodded but didn’t seem any less anxious. "Right. Focus. Don’t get caught." She exhaled slowly, shifting the wrench in her hand. "Just wish we had a better plan than ‘run.’"
Seth allowed himself a faint smirk. "You’re the one with the traps, remember?"
Aurora’s mouth twisted into a half-smile. "Yeah, well, I’m not a miracle worker." But there was a spark of determination behind her words. "Still, if she wants to come after us, she’s in for a surprise."
As if summoned by her words, a cold, familiar voice drifted through the trees ahead of them, casual but carrying a dangerous edge.
"Surprise, huh? Let’s see if it’s a good one."
Seth halted, his hand moving instinctively to the hilt of his sword. Maria stepped out from behind a nearby tree, her movements slow and deliberate, like a cat toying with its prey. She wore that same smirk, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
Aurora’s breath hitched, but she kept her grip tight on her wrench.
"Aw, don’t stop on my account," Maria said, her voice smooth and mocking. "I was starting to enjoy the chase."
"I bet you were," Seth muttered, his voice low as he drew his sword. The familiar weight in his hands steadied him, but his mind was already racing. He couldn’t rely on Laya swooping in to save them—she had her own fight to handle, and hoping for backup wasn’t an option.
Beside him, Aurora stayed silent, but the determination in her clenched jaw told him all he needed to know. She was ready. Seth’s eyes didn’t leave Maria as he whispered, "Get ready." He stepped forward, positioning himself between Aurora and the bounty hunter.
Maria’s smirk widened, and with lightning speed, she drew both of her pistols, the barrels gleaming in the faint light filtering through the trees. "I was hoping you’d say that."
The forest exploded with gunfire.
Seth dove into the trees, his body moving on pure instinct. Years of combat training kicked in as he rolled, flipped, and dodged through the underbrush, the gunfire snapping through the air like angry hornets. Aurora darted in the opposite direction, keeping low and moving fast.
At the hilt of Seth’s sword, the clockwork mechanism began to whirl, spinning faster with each passing second. Steam hissed from the vents along the blade, curling through the air like smoke from a fire.
Seth’s fingers tightened around the grip, his voice barely above a whisper as he activated the sword’s settings. "Set one, configuration three."
The mechanism clicked into place, and steam burst out, surrounding the blade in a ghostly mist. In a blur of motion, Seth charged forward, his speed blinding. To the untrained eye, it looked as if he’d vanished, only to reappear inches from Maria’s face, his blade ready to strike.
"Blitz Rend!"
With a sharp hiss, the sword cut through the steam, its blade aimed straight at Maria’s center. Her eyes widened, a flicker of fear flashing across her face—she hadn’t expected him to be this fast.
But just as the strike was about to land, a loud, metallic clang echoed through the forest.
Seth’s blade stopped mid-air, caught by the edge of a dagger. Holding it was a man with a cigarette dangling from his lips, half his face obscured by a plain, unremarkable mask. The casual ease with which he blocked the strike only deepened the tension.
"Hey, hey, that was a close one," the man said, his grin widening as he lazily tapped the edge of Seth's sword with his dagger. "Almost had you there, didn’t he, Maria?"
"Almost," Maria echoed, her smirk returning as she lowered her pistols. She didn't seem shaken at all by the near miss, her confidence unbroken.
Seth took a careful step back, his sword still raised between him and the masked man. He wasn’t about to make the first move—this new opponent hadn’t shown his full hand yet. But there was something unsettling about how relaxed he seemed, as if this was all just a game.
Hidden behind the trees, Aurora crouched low, her fingers flying over the trap’s controller, trying to make sense of the rapidly scrolling numbers on the screen. The mess of calculations would have been overwhelming to anyone else, but to her, it was a puzzle—one she was determined to solve.
"Just gotta get the angle right..." she muttered, her eyes narrowing as she adjusted the dials and switches. If she could position the traps just right, they might stand a chance of leveling the playing field.
With a quick press of a button, a soft thud sounded somewhere deeper in the forest. Aurora held her breath as, moments later, a copper spear shot out from the shadows, hurtling toward the masked man with deadly precision.
Clang!
The spear was deflected in an instant. The man hadn't even moved his feet—just flicked his dagger to the side, sending the spear spinning harmlessly into the dirt. He looked down at it briefly, almost bored, before glancing back up at Seth with that same lazy grin.
"Nice try," he drawled, the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. "But you'll have to do better than that."
Seth’s blade hovered between him and the two mercenaries, his stance steady, his mind scanning for an opening. Maria twirled one of her pistols casually, her smirk unwavering. The masked man stood just behind her, his dagger spinning slowly between his fingers, eyes sharp beneath the mask, calculating. He hadn’t moved much yet, but Seth could feel it—the man was waiting for something.
"You sure you can keep this up, kid?" Maria taunted, cocking her head. "Your friend’s out of tricks by now."
Seth didn’t reply, his focus locked on the two of them. He had no idea how many traps Aurora could still activate, but if she couldn’t figure out that controller soon, he’d have to face them both alone. Buying her time was all he could do.
The masked man glanced toward the trees where Aurora was hidden, then back to Seth, his voice calm but tinged with an edge of calculation. "You’ve done well to last this long. But keeping us occupied won’t change how this ends." His dagger stopped spinning, held firm in his hand. "We’re just getting started."
Seth's grip on his sword tightened. "We’ll see about that."
In a flash, Seth closed the distance between them, his blade flashing toward the masked man. Their weapons met with a sharp clang, the man parrying the strike effortlessly. His eyes narrowed behind the mask, calculating Seth’s speed, his technique, the force behind the blow.
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"Predictable," the mercenary murmured. In a fluid motion, he countered, aiming a quick thrust at Seth’s side. Seth barely managed to twist out of the way, deflecting the blade as he sidestepped.
Maria’s pistol cracked, and Seth pivoted instinctively, his arms moving faster than his thoughts, deflecting the bullet with a sharp hiss of steam from his blade. The bullet ricocheted off into the trees.
"You’ll wear yourself out at this rate," Maria said, a mock pout on her lips as she aimed again.
Hidden in the underbrush, Aurora frowned as the trap controller beeped. Her eyes darted over the screen—a scrambled mess of file names, each one labeled with cryptic terms like "A37_VT", "CLaw_BURST", and "LN3-X".
"Okay… what even is ‘CLaw_BURST’?" she whispered, her fingers hovering over the controls. "Guess there’s only one way to find out." She bit her lip, her hands moving quickly to activate the trap, hoping for the best.
With a soft click, something deep in the forest shifted. A low rumble, followed by a sharp thud. From the underbrush, a flurry of metallic claws shot out, aimed at Maria’s legs.
Maria’s eyes widened in surprise, but she was quick. She leapt to the side, the claws just barely missing her and slamming into the ground where she had stood.
"Not bad," Maria said, dusting herself off, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice. "But I’m still faster."
The masked man, however, had already calculated the trap's trajectory. His eyes flicked toward Aurora’s hiding spot, piecing together the direction the trap had come from. His lips curled beneath the mask in a small, knowing smile. "Clever, but you won’t catch me off guard like that."
The masked man took a step toward the trees, his eyes fixed on the spot where Aurora had activated the last trap. Seth quickly moved to intercept, swinging his sword in a low, swift arc meant to drive the mercenary back.
"Stay where you are," Seth growled, blocking his path.
The man paused, cocking his head as if mildly entertained. "You think you’re enough to hold me off? She’s not as well-hidden as you think." He shifted his weight slightly, his dagger held at the ready, the blade glinting in the dappled sunlight.
From her position behind the underbrush, Aurora’s eyes widened as she saw the masked man turning toward her. "Oh, no you don’t," she whispered, quickly thumbing through the trap controller’s cryptic files. Her fingers hovered over a file name labeled "SHCK_THRD". It didn’t give much away, but she didn’t have time to be picky.
"Guess it’s now or never…" she muttered, pressing the button to activate it.
Somewhere above, a mechanism snapped, and a thin, barely visible wire shot down from the canopy, crackling with electric energy. It hummed to life, sparking just a few feet away from the masked man’s head.
The man’s gaze flicked up, and his eyes narrowed, calculating the wire’s reach in an instant. He twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the current as it zapped the air beside him. "Electric snare… nice touch," he murmured, a small smirk beneath his mask. "But close isn’t enough."
Seth took advantage of the brief distraction, launching into a rapid series of strikes, his blade moving in tight, controlled arcs. The masked man met each one with precise deflections, barely shifting his stance as he blocked each hit with clinical efficiency. Sparks flew with each clash of metal, the air thick with the smell of burning oil and steam.
Seth gritted his teeth, feeling the strain in his arm as he pressed harder, but the masked man didn’t even seem winded. In fact, he looked as though he were analyzing every move, as if calculating the exact moment to strike back.
"I can see how you move," the mercenary said, his voice almost casual, even as he parried another strike. "Your left side is slower. A fraction of a second delay when you shift weight." His dagger darted forward, aiming for Seth’s left shoulder.
Seth barely dodged, but the blade grazed his coat, slicing through the fabric. He stepped back, breathing hard, realizing that this wasn’t just a fight—it was a test. The masked man was studying him, looking for weaknesses, turning each moment into an opportunity.
Seth sidestepped, narrowly avoiding another of Maria’s shots as it tore through the bark of a nearby tree. She’d kept her distance, occasionally peppering the battlefield with gunfire, her bullets whistling past with deadly precision. It was enough to force Seth to divide his focus, stealing precious moments he needed to defend against the masked mercenary’s relentless attacks.
"You know, kid," Maria called, a playful lilt in her voice, "the longer you try to keep us busy, the worse it’ll get for you."
Seth didn’t answer, his gaze flicking between the two opponents. He couldn’t allow either of them to break past him, not with Aurora working her magic behind the scenes. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, the clockwork gears in his mechanical arm whirring as he mentally ran through his options.
Meanwhile, crouched behind the trees, Aurora swiped through the controller’s menu again, scanning the cryptic file names. Her mind raced, trying to piece together what each one might do. Finally, her eyes landed on "WLHT_SNARE".
"Snare sounds good enough to me," she muttered, pressing the activation button.
A soft creak echoed through the canopy, and a split second later, a tangled mess of ropes dropped from above, coiling down like a spider’s web. The masked man reacted instantly, twisting out of the way—but the ropes caught the edge of his arm, briefly pinning it to his side.
His eyes flicked to Aurora’s hiding spot, a flash of irritation breaking through his cool demeanor. "You’re becoming a nuisance," he muttered, yanking his arm free from the ropes with a single, powerful jerk.
Aurora’s heart raced as he turned his gaze fully on her for the first time, his attention no longer split between her and Seth. She quickly ducked behind the tree, fingers fumbling with the controller as she searched for another trap to activate.
"That’s right!" she called out, forcing more confidence into her voice than she felt. "You’ll have to work a little harder to catch me."
Seth saw the masked man’s focus shift toward Aurora, and seized the opening. He lunged forward, his sword sweeping down in a fierce arc aimed at the man’s midsection. The masked mercenary turned at the last moment, bringing up his dagger to parry, but he was off balance—a subtle shift, but enough for Seth to press the attack.
Seth’s blade clashed against the man’s dagger with renewed force, driving him back a step. "Not so easy when you’re not in control, is it?" Seth challenged, his voice cold and steady.
The masked man didn’t reply, his eyes narrowing as he assessed Seth again, adjusting his stance with mechanical precision. Seth could feel it—he was recalculating, already formulating a new strategy. He wasn’t fazed, just momentarily off rhythm.
Maria’s gun cocked, and Seth had barely a moment to react before she fired. He twisted to the side, the bullet grazing his shoulder as he spun away from the masked man, now forced into a defensive stance once more.
Aurora, her heart pounding, swiped through the controller again, her eyes darting over the next line of cryptic trap names. She needed something stronger, something that would buy Seth more than a few seconds.
Her gaze landed on a file labeled "BZ_SWARM".
She grinned. "Oh, that’s gotta be good."
Her fingers darted over the controls, and a soft click sounded from somewhere within the trees. A split second later, the forest floor burst into motion, and a swarm of metallic insects poured out from the underbrush.
The creatures were small, no larger than a fist, but each was a buzzing mass of gears and wings, their eyes glowing with faint blue aetheric energy. The metallic swarm moved like a single entity, darting forward in a chaotic rush that filled the air with a sharp, mechanical hum.
The masked mercenary’s head snapped toward the noise, his eyes narrowing. “Another trap?” he muttered, his tone suddenly less amused.
Maria swore under her breath as the first insect launched itself at her, tiny metal claws reaching for her face. She swatted it away, but two more were already on her, their wings beating wildly as they latched onto her jacket, tearing at the fabric with surprising strength.
“Annoying little pests,” Maria growled, firing at them with her pistol. The bullets punched through two of the insects, sending sparks flying, but the swarm barely faltered, shifting and adjusting like a living thing.
Seth took advantage of the distraction, pressing forward with a series of rapid strikes against the masked man, forcing him back a step. The mercenary parried each blow with practiced ease, but Seth could see a hint of irritation in his movements—this wasn’t going according to plan, and he was starting to feel the strain.
Aurora, peering out from behind the trees, couldn’t help but grin. “Looks like BZ_SWARM was a good choice.”
The masked man noticed her watching and took a calculated step back from Seth, his gaze shifting toward Aurora. “Enough of this,” he murmured, his voice cold. He raised his dagger and pointed it toward her, his eyes narrowing in focus.
Seth quickly blocked his path, planting himself between the mercenary and Aurora. “You’ll have to go through me.”
A flicker of a smile crossed the man’s face, calm but predatory. “That was the plan.” In a blur, he feinted to the left, drawing Seth into a defensive stance, then pivoted sharply, his dagger slashing toward Seth’s side.
Seth barely managed to parry, his sword absorbing the impact with a hiss of steam. But before he could recover, the masked man was already shifting, his movements fluid and precise as he pressed Seth back with relentless strikes.
Meanwhile, Maria cursed as another insect latched onto her pistol, its tiny claws scratching at the barrel. “These things are getting real old, real fast,” she muttered. With a frustrated yell, she dropped her gun and pulled out a second pistol from her belt, firing a shot into the swarm that sent a few more metal bugs clattering to the ground.
But the swarm was relentless, and it wasn’t just targeting the mercenaries. A few of the metallic insects were starting to drift toward Seth and Aurora as well, drawn by any movement in the underbrush.
“Uh, Aurora? I think they’re coming after us too!” Seth called, glancing over his shoulder as one of the bugs buzzed dangerously close to his arm.
Aurora’s grin faded as she realized her own trap had become a double-edged sword. “I… might not have thought that part through.” She quickly ducked as one of the insects shot toward her, its mechanical wings humming with menace.
The swarm of metallic insects buzzed and whirred around the clearing, filling the air with a frenzied energy that neither side could fully control. The masked mercenary dodged and weaved through the chaos, his moves precise but increasingly hindered by the relentless buzz and snap of claws. Maria fired another shot, but the bullets went wild as she swatted at the insects crawling up her arms.
Seeing the mercenaries distracted, Aurora scanned the trap controller, desperate for a final trick to turn the tide. Her eyes landed on a file name she hadn’t noticed before: "STN_BLAST_9".
She bit her lip. "Here goes nothing." With a quick press of the button, a deep rumble sounded from beneath the forest floor, followed by a sudden burst of energy as a shockwave erupted outward, centered just a few yards in front of her.
The blast caught Maria off guard, knocking her backward and sending her pistol skidding across the dirt. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury as she steadied herself, but the swarm of insects took advantage of her disorientation, surrounding her in a frenzied cloud.
At the same time, the masked man staggered, momentarily thrown off balance by the blast. That was all the opening Seth needed.
“Set two, configuration four,” he whispered, gripping his sword tightly as he focused all his strength. Steam hissed faintly from the vents along the blade, and he surged forward in a blur of speed.
“Gravity Sever!” Seth’s voice rang out as he swung his sword down in a powerful arc, the force amplified by his calculated momentum and precise angle.
The masked man barely managed to raise his dagger in time, but the impact sent him reeling. He stumbled backward, his mask cracking down the center as Seth’s blade cleaved through his defense. A thin line of blood trickled down his cheek, his eyes now filled with a mixture of surprise and fury.
“Not so casual anymore, huh?” Seth said, his voice low and steady, the edge of his blade pointed directly at the masked man.
The masked man steadied himself, breathing hard, his once-relaxed demeanor gone. He looked to Maria, who was swatting at the swarm, her eyes filled with desperation as the metal insects continued to tear at her sleeves and jacket. She met his gaze, and a silent exchange passed between them—an unspoken decision.
“This isn’t over,” the masked man growled, his voice cold. He sheathed his dagger and took a slow, deliberate step back, keeping his gaze locked on Seth. “Next time, we won’t underestimate you.”
“Looking forward to it,” Seth replied, not lowering his sword.
With a final, seething glare, Maria and the masked man began to retreat, slipping into the shadows of the forest. The swarm of metallic insects buzzed after them, snapping at their heels as they disappeared into the underbrush.
As soon as they were out of sight, the swarm gradually powered down, the aetheric energy that drove them fading until the metallic insects clattered lifelessly to the ground.
Aurora let out a shaky breath, clutching the controller with trembling hands. “Remind me never to mess with STN_BLAST_9 again.”
Seth chuckled, his own exhaustion showing as he leaned on his sword, catching his breath. “That was… a little too close.”
Aurora grinned, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Yeah, but we got them, didn’t we?”
He nodded, but his face grew serious as he looked toward the distant core of the island, where the deep rumble had been growing steadily louder throughout the fight. “We did… but it’s not over yet.”
Aurora followed his gaze, her smile fading as the reality sank in. “Leone’s waiting, isn’t he?”
Seth sheathed his sword, his expression resolute. “And we’d better be ready for him.”
With a final look at the scattered remnants of the swarm around them, the two of them turned and started toward the island’s core, side by side, ready to face whatever came next.