Chapter 14
Clash with the Titans
His lips moved with the frowning expression, using his distinct East Indian accent that matched his face.
“Good. You’re here.” The bushy brown bearded captain materialized a box from his inventory and he threw it hard on Siva’s chest. “Wear that and prepare to sortie to protect the Miss.”
“P-Protect?” A confused Siva tried to approach the stage, asking with anxiety on the sudden change of events. “Oh wait just a minute there! What’s happening now? Why do I have to join this fight?”
At that, Newgate glared at him, “This is this ship’s job. Our…job!” And he wore a frown as he continued to speak, “You may be the Miss’s guest but no one in Miranda is allowed to stay without working their share of labor…or are you scared? I do remember saying that I’d kick you off my ship if you cower, right?”
“I’m not scared of anything!”
“Good. End of discussion.” And as soon as Newgate faced the door again, he leaned back as if he forgot to say his reminders while pointing a threatening finger at Siva. “Defending the ship twice from Lapis attacks doesn’t pay up for the price of the ride. And as a fair trade from letting your pest pets be kept in my ship, this much, I think, is just a little fare for the trouble of my frightened men, aye? So let me remind you again, your pets are in my ship!” And as the captain spoke with a daunting voice, Siva clenched fist as he watched him exit the briefing room.
Siva tried his best to suppress his anger.
In the briefing room that was then filled with a moment of silence, the thinly dressed Rafaela on her Aarunian Mage’s wardrobe had an apologetic smile.
“Ship’s comms are down. If we were to contact each other, it would have to be by our communicator devices.”
Curiously, Siva was annoyed and the hard shaking and trembling of the ship, along with the tilting and the sudden shift on gravity wasn’t helping on making his mood better.
Why? He asked himself and could only land on the conclusion that it has something to do with the masked organization, and to bushy bearded captain, added, that he was also worried that his precious packages would get free…or be thrown away.
If that happens…trouble.
Why do I have to go again?
Also, as he began to examine what the box was, he saw the other man taking out another kind of box from his inventory and motioned to equip the item.
From the handle, the man reached out on a slot on the top of the box and pressed something. The box lighted up, split into four, at which the guy took the parts on both his arms and feet. The four parts crawled up to his limbs from the ends, transformed into armor, except that it only looked hard but still as thin as if the normal armor for knights.
It all happened after just a few seconds, looking like an Arthurian Armor version of Ironman.
Siva shook his head aside, trying to think away from the irritation on his chest. He could feel that his heart was pounding and for some still unknown reason, he was in the point where he was going to burst. And then, a loud roar was heard and he knew, trouble is spelling on the people in the Cargo Deck for they really are getting bothered by the Lapis’s roars.
“Why do I have to go again?” He voiced out the question he’s been saving up.
But instead of answering the angry Siva, Rafaela took a step closer to him and purposely ignoring the other man as she pressed her bosom on his left arm.
“Oh dear, you’re not planning on leaving me on the battlefield all alone…are you?”
He was hooked.
The urge to refuse was strong but he was still a man with a dignity to protect. And it just so happens that his dignity took a shape of a person with huge racks.
Meanwhile, the knight-soldier hybrid in the room did an “Ehem” that took away Rafaela’s eyes. “Excuse me, ma’am, me and my men are taking our leave here and returning to our post. I look forward on seeing you on the battlefield.”
“Hmm…” a nonchalant smile came as a reply from the sexy and charming Rafaela. “If the Union had put a finger on this side, then I wouldn’t mind showing some face. After all, sponsors are still sponsors.”
“Then I’ll take my leave. But…before that,” The man faced Siva and wore an honest expression. “I can’t help but be curious, does that loud roar just now was what the captain was referring to as…your pets?”
Siva, with blithe indifference and still wearing a face full of irritation, answered, “Yes.” and escaped Rafaela, going to the table, and facing her. “And I really hate it when I think of leaving them here unguarded.”
At that reply, Reynolds showed an honest concern but layered with a face of curiosity. On the other hand, the maiden in the room wearing a matching silver-colored wardrobe in a two piece classic Mage that emphasized her hips and allowed adequate protection on the upper body, took the door first and swiped a panel that popped up on Siva’s vision along the way.
“I’ll bid my leave.” Reynolds followed and also sent an invitation on Siva’s vision.
Siva, alone in the room, wore the “box” and upon the completion of its armor equipping, a window appeared on his vision, asking him to select the flight system he wanted to set as default.
There was a classic straight body form intended for beginner stage flyers, Wave Rider, emphasizing speed in exchange for control and balance between shooting off equipped weapons.
Next is the Frog Form, enabling the Flight Suit’s double thruster burner for control and was asking for the user to have at least the Tier-1 magic spell, Burn, to maximized the use of its Bluerock jet chamber.
And then there was the Hybrid Two mode that had the freedom to switch into the first two simultaneously.
Finally, the Shinigami form —a suicidal form where the thruster burners are replaced by Power Jet Engines that consumes the stamina of the user in exchange for superb speed, freedom of movement, and the actual use of the five afterburners on the back, the legs, and the arms. But along with its name, the acceleration and the power output was just too strong that the unprotected body who’s not used to gravity shifts may feel Vertigo and lose his control, that may lead to a crash.
This was a suicidal form of the Flight Armor Suit since there was actually no wings that provide balance of the speed over the control of movements.
Hence, instantaneous repositioning in midair became possible, consuming 5SP at each burst.
It was the first time he had seen such equipment and so he was surprised to see that instead of replacing the armor that he wore, it was actually the gear that was intended on the “mechanical wing set” slot on his equipment settings. Therefore, he immediately set the Flight Armor to the last settings as its default function.
The color matched the clothes he’s been wearing and looked as if he just wore some second layer of the same armor clothes. Siva tried to take a glance to the two large Cargo Containers below and remembered his reason for the boiling temper.
What he was worried about is that these rare and precious cargos might actually escape, wasting away his effort, and most especially, wasting away the items that he used on capturing them.
He stepped towards the door and it opened up after a hissing sound of the air lock. He met Rafaela’s frown in the grey lit room who was now on her own red Flight Armor Suit that matched her voluptuous curves.
“You haven’t accepted my request.”
“Do I really have to?”
After Siva’s reply, Rafaela took a moment before she leaned closer and prompted as if about to kiss him.
“What are you afraid of?” She whispered sweetly.
Stolen story; please report.
Siva looked at her and for the first time ever, did not feel the pressure of her beautiful gaze. “Even if this is just a game, I’m still not okay trusting people of my identity. Isn’t it enough that you’re the first person to ever see my face?”
“Hmp. Identity? I doubt it.” Rafaela’s very adorable pouting reply.
“No.” Siva shook his head. “I’m actually afraid that you will pop up like a mushroom somewhere near my location someday. Friends can be tracked after all.”
“Hmm, that’s not a bad suggestion.” She said, and teasingly went behind him as if to bite his ears.
Siva looked around and saw that the other man was not in the room. The ship tilted and shook, the sound of the Lapis roaring in anger, the trembling of the hull that continued, and the hum of the engines along with the sound of the Blackrock caterpillar base rang to his ears for this room next to the briefing room was the last wall between him and the dawning sky.
“I have a certain skill and I am not someone to be trusted because of it. So in turn, I don’t trust back.”
“But you can trust me. I’m actually hurt you know.”
Siva paused before he replied. “Why do I have to be deployed? Are you really going out?”
“Yes.” She firmly answered. “Yes, I had to. This ship, my ship’s mission, and the purpose for its creation is to meddle in wars like this when summoned.”
“Why and for what reason?”
At his question, Rafaela leaned closer and kissed him on his cheek. Then she smiled on the blushing and surprised Siva, “Because it’s my sister’s orders.” then handed him something that left a slight electric jolt on his hand.
On Siva’s vision, an information window popped up that told him that he received some items from her. And those items aren’t normal inventory items.
“Th-This is…” His eyes were pointed on the first item’s information window and just timely stopped himself from uttering, I already have this one! But in truth, he actually received three accessories.
Tier-1, Quick Draw, puts an item from a slot in the Quick Item Pocket (QIP) directly to the hand.
Tier-3, Alternation, allows two targets of junctioned skill and alternates between them.
Tier-3, Area Extension, expands AOE of junctioned spell by 15m.
Rafaela bit her lower lip, “I don’t need those things in my inventory so instead of throwing them, use them to improve your skills a notch higher.” and pressed a button that opened up the latch that bade a rang of the decreasing pressure.
“I guess a thank you is in order. Thank you.”
He smiled in appreciation then she swiped the air to send a Crew Notice on Siva’s vision.
As the owner of the ship, she had every authority to recruit its crew. And whatever the ship’s captain do, the crew is all part of The Captain’s decision.
When Siva confirmed that he was a crew of the ship, a transparent gold indicator appeared above her head.
“Tell me one thing, if you are not part of the Masked Organization, then why do you wear a mask?”
Siva could only pause and gaze at her.
As the moment of his hesitation ended with a stare, Siva switched his equipment to his Dragunov set, that also enabled him to be The Destroyer and wear the mask. The mask is The Destroyer, after all.
His red and black domino, an anti-glare mask worn to help him focus on whatever was it that his goal was, is the trigger that changed his mood. A sudden sense of urge flowed in his body, an urge to release the violent wind upon this battlefield, The Destroyer’s birthplace, the only place he could call home…
…a place where he feel an urge of excitement.
Is this ‘that’ something that awakened in me?
—No.
It can’t be.
Siva ignored the other invitation and stared at her wearing a smile that made Rafaela frown.
“Well, if there really is a good thing that happened between us, I think that would be the time that you taught me about the junctioning of Items and Abilities.”
“Wa-Wait… What are you…”
“…and for giving me the Lapis that we defeated, thank you.” Siva took steps towards the blowing open latch.
“Hey, wait! What about my friend request? We can’t contact each other without us being friends.”
At that, Siva stared at the violent winds blowing outside. The black smokes that filled the battlefield, the sparkling lights of the flashing spells below…he smiled as he felt the fervor of entering a real battlefield for the first time inside the game.
“You want to know who I am…” He took the last step towards the edge of the latch. Then, the speakers rang with the female operator’s voice.
[All hands! All hands! We are about to break TGG’s formation! Prepare for a left barrel roll!]
Rafaela instinctively held on to the holding bar on her side when Siva only remained standing there, and keeping his balance to himself. At that moment, she saw the smile that made her heart skip a beat that time .
“I’m the Destroyer.”
[Now!]
And the barrel roll came that Siva timed to jump out of the latch. The timing of the left roll to reach the peak of its momentum came at the very apex of its arc. At the same time, Siva activated the flight suit’s Power Jet Engines that created a BOOM in the latch, momentarily deafening Rafaela who was also knocked aside, clinging dearly on the support bar, and could only look out on the latch opening and follow his jump after ten seconds had passed.
But when she was already outside, the chaos of the war could be seen all around her and there was actually no sign of that fleeting image of the man on her mind.
Or so she thought.
Her hairs started to rise, her vision became a blur, and her skin began to have gooseflesh. The feeling of a cold chill running through the negated current, passing through the gaps of her flight suit, and through the roar of the Power Jet Engine that kept her balanced while standing in midair. Still, looking around at the now dawning battlefield below and around her, there was no sign of that black and white clothed man anywhere.
But when she looked up, there, she saw it! A blue light coming from beyond the thick clouds of war. The clouds of dawn that’s normally white and fluffy as seen below had a bluish purple flicking light that constantly felt like becoming bigger.
She knew what it means.
He already used the items?! That was fast!
In their exchange of stories from the past few days, she learned from The Destroyer how he was able to do that loud, thundering attack —at least its principle.
With the strong push of her heart, amplified by her desire to see the completion of that ability, she gave him what she thought was going to improve the skill on the grade that she imagined it should be.
The next moment, something small dived down like a meteor, followed by whirlpools of smog on two sides as if the space he went through was split up by a sword.
Magnified Vision told her that it was at least a 4km drop towards the solid ground filled with people.
That’s Suicide!
She tried to call out and follow him but he was too far to hear her voice. What more, his dive was pushed by the Power Jet Engines and so it didn’t take long before he actually crashed to the ground, in the middle of the transparent red marked army and creating a crater of dust and stormy wind, expanding 200m wide.
And what’s the hair raising best part of it all is that the advent of The Destroyer was accompanied by a lightning strike along with a loud thundering roar that came from the sky.