Three large clunks drummed into my ear into my, then a snarling growl that had the reverb from Rikor’s voice. “YOU BITCH!” He growled. “YOU’RE TRYING TO KILL US!”

A loud crash followed then the harrowing scream of Elhisia voice echoed through the com. I heard the tumbling sound of strain metal with subtle sounds of clanking iron and shards of metal spraying across the morning sky. echoed over the dune, and sank my foot once the path.

The buggy flew over the dune, landing a few three meters from the crash. I stared left, pulling the hand brake and felt the whiplash from the buggy as I spun back around.

I looked left and right, hunting for Elhisia body as I didn’t see her in the wreckage. Rikor though was pulling himself free and the scar that ran down his left eye was not a double scar with blood foaming from his lips as he stared at me.

“I KNOW YOU!” Rikor growled. I slammed the breaks of my buggy stopping a few inches in front of him The bastard didn’t move as he eyed me with angered eyes. I would’ve knocked him over if the cylinder for the lineagecube wasn’t right behind him.

“YOU DON’T KNOW SHIT RIKOR!” I snarled in return, stepping out of the buggy. I tried grabbing for my submachine and was confused to find it wasn’t there. Of course…it rolled out of the vein when It was on two wheels…SHIT!

Rikor charged at me, I tried skipping back, but the sand brought me to my feet leaving me open. I felt the pain of Rikor’s onslaught as he loosed three punches into my face. The fourth punch, I ensured I dodged as I felt my mind waddling from the punch

The thud his fist made into the sand was enough to wake me. I used my legs, holding him, then turning him over but before I could loose a punch, he freed his legs with a punch to my side, which weakened my hold. He then punched me in the same side three more times before kicking me off. Then roundhouse kicked me in the chest forcing me up against the wreckage of his buggy.

The man was a mad dog on the hunt for blood, which happened to be mine. As much space as we had between us, he’d covered it in a second, which left me to put my hands to guard.

My usual tactics of feints and baits were half-hearted, not because Rikor was better, but because I wasn’t accustomed to fighting in the sand.

Rikor though was on point. He’d strike me two more times in my side, kneeling me in the process then tried to dent my skull with a knee. I flailed out of the way, tripping him on my way down with a lunging sweep.

I sprung up, then tried to centre myself but felt a kick in my ankle which sent me to the ground, landing on my face. I rolled over and saw Rikor in the air ready to stomp me down. I waited, then rolled at the last second, clotheslining the bastard in the stomach with my cybernetic arm.

The howling groaned he screamed was followed by a pool of blood he spat. I skipped back, half-heartedly and watched as the bastard spit more blood from his stomach before he too skipped back.

“Are you finally warmed up,” I asked bitterly? He spat, then whipped his blood away from his mouth, then snarled a grin. “You’re that body, that was chasing me back into the Broken Sphere.”

“You remember me,” I said coldly. “Barely…” He scoffed, making a step to his right. The cold winds of The Waste of howled as the sun continually raised, I went length, ensuring to keep the sun backing me, as it seemed to be his new strategy.

“You ain’t have bad of a fight bodyguard!” Rikor said wryly. “It’s a pity though…pity that you don’t even know the advantage that you’re at!”

The bastard dashed towards me, feinting left, then sweeping my left foot. I barely got it out the way, but the weight from my cybernetics forced me right. I tried to hop, but Rikor had anticipated and buried his knee into my side once more.

I wailed from the pain, biting my teeth as hard as I could, trying to relieve it from my side. I loosed a punch into Rikor’s stomach, venting my frustration.

The bastard dressed back, dodging it, and then kicked my knuckles with the back of his hand. I rolled, letting the blow carry me to my left. But I stumbled on the buggy.

“…is this all you have to offer Bodyguard?” Rikor hissed, dusting the sand off his knees “You chased me from Bridge City to here. The Carib WASTE” He said, raising his arms, looking around to a non-existent audience.”YOU DID ALL OF THAT…TO GET HER BACK? Don’t you know…she planned her kidnapping?”

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

“I do know.” I snarled, using the buggy as a crouch as I push myself up. “…but I know more than you do…fool.”

“Oh really, then tell me.”

I unclipped one of my pouches, and tossed it to the bastard, he snatched it from out of the air and I began unclipping my other pouches. “Unclipping those won’t help you move any faster! All those cybernetics, I bet you hardly win any fistfights” He said, licking his lips. We’ll see about that…

Rikor finally unzipped the pouch and pulled out the severed hand. He turned it in his hand with an inspecting gaze. I could tell though, he was lost like a rabbit in the snow.

After a few seconds, he tossed the hand on the ground without moving, then dipped his hand into the bag once more, pulling out an eye. He squinted, and I could he saw familiarity in them. “I guess the eyes of the beholder is in your hands then.” I huffed, raising my hands. “You bastard…you killed DERD!”

“…don’t worry,” I said coldly. “You’re about to join him.

Rikor dashed towards me once more. I strafed right, seething through my buggy, putting some distance between us. It was the best I could do. The bastard had high levels of stamina, something I lacked with all this metal slowing me down.

I dodged the kick by stepping in, then swept him off his feet. The bastard twirled midair, landing on his hands then sent two thunderous kicks into my stomach and thigh, kneeling me.

Gravity brought me down, but it was the bastard’s heel that sent my chin to the air. A slithering sound echoed beneath like a snake moved in the grass, then Rikor appeared on the opposite side, floating midair alongside me.

I hit the sand, screaming for air as my back slammed into the ground, releasing what little oxygen I had left in my lungs. The burning sensation I felt within, felt like boiled tea raging inside me looking for an outlet and sadly...screaming wasn’t it.

Rikor piled onto me like a boulder, which left me heaving. But with little resistance, I grabbed the back of his neck and began squeezing. The bastard scuttled away, grinding his knee into the side.

Damn it! I groaned. The flak-jacket I wore, had saved me so many things I didn’t want to acknowledge how shoddy I fought. The cushioned flak-jacket was a godsend, but the bastard used that to his advantage for the entire fight.

“Old Man...you underestimated me,, you think you can fight ME? With all that SHIT you have on?”

“I’m still fighting...arent I?”

Rikor dashed towards me, I sidestepped leaving a trailing leg. The bastard pivoted right, then ducked under my kick, then jumped in the air. As my body was frozen, I could only watch as Rikor floated like a leaf in the wind, spinning slowly as he brought his leg around. My eyes followed his heel as it came towards me, slapping me in the face, bringing me to my knees...once again.

I rolled, not even giving a chance to attack. A loud thud sounded in the air and felt as the struts that kept my cybernetic frame melded to my exoskeleton vibrating for a mere moment. In the corner of my eye, Rikor winced from the pen of sending his shin into my side, forcing me to regain to my knees. I gotchu you now!

My knee sank into Rikor’s chest and the bastard heaved like all the wind had been sucked right out of him. The moment he landed on the sand, puffing sand around us. I rocked my cybernetic arm back and felt sand. The bastard dodged it. He punched me in the side, and the metal plate groan like a hollow point striking cement. I slammed my head into his and felt his nose crunch beneath the force.

A stinging sensation throbbed on my face, in the form of a newly drawn line. Beads of blood dripped slashed against my face, forcing me back. A gleaming silver blade with trailing blood appeared in the edges of my eyes. I jumped back, dodging attempted stabs at my face, neck, waist and chest.

The bastard was tenacious I had to admit, begrudgingly. Not one moment, had he dropped his guard. Nor did he even seem to lose any pep in his step.

I spun, trying to duck under the blade, but caught an elbow at the side of my head instead. I spilled onto the sand, back first and could watch as Rikor tower over me.

“Why struggle?” He asked, twirling the knife in his hand. "THIS IS ALL FOR NOTHING.”

I chuckled, feeling all the pain I mustered from The Broken Sphere till now. The adrenaline was slowly dwindling, but I damn well knew that this was not for nothing.

My feet slid, as I pushed myself up, eyeing Rikor scar beaming with blood. The sheen that sparkled from it in the night was enough to be part of the not receded night sky.

“This...is for something!” I spat.

Elhisia slapped the metallic cylinder across the back of his Rikor’s. The bastard try retaliating, but I made the distance between in two short steps. The strain I felt in my legs and around my body was enough to bring me down. Hell, I even my spine tingle from the strain.

But it was worth it.

My wrist snapped up, opening my cybernetic arm to reveal my new knife, which was from my cybernetic arm. I buried the knife in Rikor’s stomach, then twisted it. The bastard released a mummer of a moan, then fell off my knife, landing on the ground, eyes painted in disbelief. “You’re too late.” He whispered.

“What are you talking about?” I growled.

“You think I'm the main player in this bodyguard?….think again.” He said, coughing up blood. “I'm just a pawn...just like you are…to her. Blood will seep on the ground in which you sought refuge girl!”

“Yes. Blood of your men!” Elhisia snapped.

“Girl…do you think that force is the only one your father had?”

I looked up at Elhisia, whose eyes had questions marks printed on them. She was as confused as I was. Then her eyebrows rose as if she figured it out. “Valeon Epin,” She said.

A gunshot cracked the air, bringing an end to the subtle howl the winds had left. I grabbed Elhisia, bringing her down to the ground, and looked up, seeing six-figure standing at the top of the dune.

I switched to Night Vision and watched as the smoke waft from the pistol that one of them shot. “It’s as they say…if you want something done well. Do it yourself.” Colvolt Weitson said coldly.