carried by the Basilisk riders. The Proximian soldiers were overwhelming them in terms of numbers. The west faction of Tefot had a little more than a dozen soldiers and three valors. They were slowly gaining on the Proximian army.
“They just keep coming!” Ada complained. Her weapon was a slim sword. It was sharp and very light.
“That’ll change soon!” Axel promised. “Just keep killing them.”
Easy for you to say.
Axel was as fast as the light. His new katana seemed to fit him perfectly. The strength of it scared her.
Their conversation amidst the battle seemed to enrage the soldiers more. They fired their blasters at them. It produced very little progress. The best the Proximian could manage was to lower the number of the Cassian soldiers.
“Don’t the Proximians have Valors?” 048 asked once the size of the enemy troop was considerably lowered.
“They do, but unlike ours, their army and Valor council are independent of each other,” Axel told them as he split the last enemy’s skull.
“So the Valors of Proxima won’t help out?” Ada asked him.
“To my knowledge, Cal Harn, the right hand of the king, is the only Valor in the army.” Axel replied. “He’s a dangerous one, I promise you. They call him ‘The Reaper.’ A fitting name to be honest.”
Ada recalled seeing him on the news. He wore a black mask and a purple robe. He held the longest scythe she had ever seen before.
“Are we close to your father’s home?” 048 asked Ada.
“I think so. The Basilisk might have saved him but I have to make sure of that.” Ada gazed at the buildings that lay in front of her. Her house was only two more blocks away. Soldiers kept spawning from that direction.
“We have to push through.” Axel said. He turned to address the soldiers.
“Split into two. Try to find any survivors. We will deal with the enemy.”
They nodded and followed the order.
What laid ahead of them was another platoon of soldiers. Without the Cassian army by their side, It took a little longer than it did before to deal with them. They were successful, but they were also losing time.
“We have to hurry!” Ada said. This particular platoon had a combination of blasters and other weapons, the most notable of which were daggers. Sharp muscle-piercing daggers. Those were hard to deal with.
“Don’t get hit.” Axel warned. “Even a scratch from that can be lethal.”
It’s poison! Ada remembered reading about Proximian daggers. They could kill you within 30 seconds if they went in too deep. A scar from it could paralyze you within minutes. The realization made her more nervous.
Must be easy for him. Ada looked at 048. Since his body was covered in metal, It could never be affected.
SHKSSKS! Axel’s transceiver started buzzing.
“Backup has arrived!” Meara announced enthusiastically. The ground was shaking to a banging sound. It sounded like one big elephant footstep.
Everyone on the battlefield decided to pause and observe it.
“What the fuck?” Axel gently pushed Ada and 048 back. He was trying to keep them safe. There was the sound of a thruster powering up.
Up from the sky, the flying giant rose.
“The Exterminator!” Ada exclaimed. She knew that this one belonged to Meara as well, the credentials on the armor made sure. It had been almost a year since she last saw her at the shore.
Memories of crossing the Pomloem bridge of the night with Tatsu and Meara came rushing to her. It truly was wonderful.
“Hey!” She yelled excitedly at Meara’s exterminator, but it was already busy burning the Proximian soldiers alive. Out of the thick armor arms came blazing fire, which was aimed at the enemy soldiers.
Three more exterminators arrived at the scene after Meara finished her roasting session. They were all identical to hers except for the scratches and the quality of the metal.
There were a lot of Cassian soldiers, who wore yellow uniforms, rushing in. A few Valors were to be found among them. Green robes, Red robes, Gray robes, but one man stood out of them all. A man with a black robe, the highest of all, with shoulder-length hair and with stubbles for a beard. It was obvious from his appearance, he was a veteran.
“Is that?” 048 asked dramatically.
“Yes, Kai Tung.”
“What? Kai Tung? No way!” Kai was the second most powerful Valor in the whole nation, after Cora, but according to everyone’s opinion, their difference in strength was not that great. He was one of Cora’s first students after all.
“Master Kai!” Axel said. “It is an honor to fight by your side. I am Axel.” He extended his arm for a handshake. Kai’s stiff arm met it. His handshake was strong.
“Axel Pokern. The yellow robe that the council hates.” Kai said, his voice stern and deep. “You were the one who exorcized the fire demon, weren’t you?”
Axel was at a loss for words. Kai Tung knew his name, but was it for good reasons?
“I did.” He shyly said,
“Good Job.” Kai smiled and patted his shoulder. “I always knew that the Pokern family was bound to raise a rebel.”
Pokern family? That was not a name she heard before. To her knowledge, no such bloodline of Valors existed.
“Your father sends your best,” One of the other Valors among the crowd told Axel. He simply nodded in reply.
Who’s his father? Ada was about to ask, but It was quickly interrupted by Master Hanshon.
“So, the rescue is almost complete. The Basilisk saw to that.” Hanshon said.
“We cannot trust them.” 048 said. “They are killers.”
“But we cannot deny their help. It’s imperative in such an emergency.” Kai asserted. “Killers or not, they are saving the citizens. We will deal with the morality of it later. For now, just keep an eye on them.”
“What about the safety of the citizens? What if they do something to them? They are, as the Sizaxian said, killers.” One of the Valors spoke up.
“It is risky, yes, but this is our best shot at saving everyone in time. I have already placed patrols outside the city. No survivor will be harmed or taken out.” Hanshon assured them.
“Now, what is the plan of action?” Axel asked.
“Getting rid of the army will be easy.” Kai said.
“Don’t you think it’s a little strange?” Ada mustered up her courage to speak in front of them. “Why would they launch an invasion on such a popular spot? It is an easily accessible location for the army. I am sure that the Proximians already know of their victory’s chances. Without any Valors in their army, such an attack seems pointless, don’t you think?”
“Are you saying that the Proximians have something else planned?” Meara got out of her Exterminator armor, leaving behind a small trail of smoke.
“Most definitely.” Ada answered.
“This is a distraction then,” Kai suggested. “Word is that the new king of Proxima, Ryuma Shoji, is a brilliant tactician. It is safe to assume that he has planned ahead.”
“We need to know more then. Rid the city of Proximians and get more information. That is our objective.”
The Valors and soldiers agreed. They split into different groups again. This time, Meara joined the three of them. An Exterminator being a part of the group called out a lot of attention, but it was still useful.
It was nearing evening. There were no more soldiers coming out from that spot, which finally meant checking on her father’s home.
“Your father? Professor Clifan?” Meara was familiar with the popular engineer. “A man of his talents is being wasted in such a city. The Cassian government offered him a job a million times. Why won’t he accept?”
“He’s too stubborn.” Ada said bitterly, “He says he wants more ‘freedom’, and he thinks he’ll lose it if he works for the government.”
“So, what does he do?” 048 asked.
“He is a freelancer, and occasionally builds stuff for the city. He hates working under someone forever.” Ada saw her father in her mind again. A slim man with round glasses. He was younger than he looked. His gray hair and dirty beard always made him look like a crackhead to her.
God, I hope he’s okay.
Bam! A swiftzer bike was thrown towards them, interrupting their progress to her father’s house once again.
“What the?” Meara said from her suit. She was ready to intercept whatever was in front of her.
“Wait!” 048 said. “Don’t attack.” 048 and Ada ran to the place from where the swiftzer came. The red sizaxian, now red from being bathed in blood, was standing in front of them, holding the Basilisk biker’s corpse.
“Igor!” 048 shouted. “What are you doing?”
“Payback,” Igor stated coldly as if it was that simple.
“Oh my god, what have you done?” Ada screamed in horror. Igor was surrounded by other bikers, all dead from his punches and cuts. His ax was laying on the ground too.
“This is too far, Igor!” 048 said with rage. “They were helping us. They were helping the people.”
“You are a disgrace to our kind. Have you forgotten?” Igor dropped the corpse and faced 048, who was a foot shorter than him. “Or should I remind you? Should I remind you of their crimes?” Igor pushed 048 aside and walked away.
“You won’t hurt any of them, not anymore.” 048 said confidently. He positioned his great sword.
“Oh really?” Igor asked mockingly. He picked up his ax. “What are you going to do to stop me?”
“I will do what I must.” 048 spun his great sword at him. It met with the clash of Igor’s ax. Ada did not know what to do.
Help 048? But this is Sizaxian business?
“You could have waited!” 048 said as he swung his great sword away at Igor’s body. “At least till the people were safe.”
“I am doing this for us, Can’t you see it? They killed our kind!” Igor was struggling to dodge every single one of 048’s shots. He was clearly overwhelmed.
“People are dying! This is not the time to settle our differences.” 048 used his sword to cut down Igor’s ax. It fell on the ground. 048 did not allow Igor to pick it up. He made sure of it.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“You have to help us!” 048 used his great sword to perform a full rotation blow to his armor. Igor moved aside, missing the fatal blow by an inch.
“Or for god’s sake, don’t get in the way.” 048 slammed him to the ground and pointed his sword at his neck. Igor grunted furiously.
048 walked away with Ada. Ada could only hope that 048’s advice got to him.
“What the fuck happened here?” Axel asked about the piles of dead bodies on the ground. “It’s a bloodbath.”
“It’s sorted. Don’t worry.” 048 assured. The four of them had reached the block Ada talked about.
“Is it close?” Meara asked.
“Yeah, It’s that house over there.” Ada pointed it out. A two-story house painted green. It looked old.
“Shit!” Axel cussed at the sky, Four glass bottles were coming their way. “Find cover and be on guard.” Axel instructed.
The four of them split out, just in time before the bottles crashed on the ground. Two dozen ghouls spawned out of it, most of them regularly. Axel was quick to cut off the Fume-ghoul’s nose before it, well, fumed.
That could have been bad. Ada thought. The Fume-ghoul would have complicated the already complicated situation.
Ada did not have time to think. The ghouls were fast, and they came for her. She used her katana to slice them down.
“FURURURURU” The ghoul’s laughter made her ears bleed. She was immediately on the ground, covering her ears. It was an unimaginable sort of pain.
The Sound-ghoul! She realized. Sound-ghouls were almost invisible to the eyes. They hid in plain sight and released a burst of deafening laughter. It was capable of disturbing the opponent’s rhythm. In extreme cases, the Sound-ghoul can permanently render humans deaf.
The Sound-ghoul is still far away. She knew. Otherwise, the effect would have been far worse. Ada clenched her teeth and exorcized the ghouls attacking her. After she was done, she plucked a flower from one of the home gardens and used its petals to plug her ears. It was better than nothing.
Axel was the only one who was also affected by the Sound-ghoul. Both 048 and Meara were fighting away without any care. Ada passed a flower to Axel.
“We have to find it, quick.” Axel said.
Ada closed her eyes and tried to remember.
Every special ghoul has a unique Gia signature to it. She did not regret reading the library books. I just have to find the signature!
She focused hard and tried to locate it. There were only two special signatures she could pick up on, meaning there was another special ghoul, waiting to strike. She followed the signature which was closest to the loudest spot. Her knees were wobbling and her grip was weakening.
What’s the Sound-ghoul’s weakness? She tried to remember. A body part? Verbal attacks? No… It’s light! She got it. Brightness is the Sound-ghoul’s weak spot!
She figured out where the ghoul was hiding. It was between a small alley, where little light was getting in.
“Nats-Gia! Thunder-clap!” She performed the flashiest attack she knew. Not only was it fast, but it also released a lot of green lights. The attack seemed to enrage the Sound-ghoul more.
“FURURURUUUU!!!” The ghoul screamed harder as it started to disintegrate. Ada pressed her offense and slashed the blue ghoul’s neck. The noise died and only echoes of the former scream remained.
I did it! My first special ghoul kill!
The blue line appeared on her hilt. She was very pleased with her kills so far.
21 regular ghouls, 3 human kills, and 1 special kill.
She ran out of the alley and hoped to see Axel fighting without any disruptions. Well, he was, but he was fighting another special ghoul, the mutator. From the looks of it, Axel was not breaking a sweat. He exorcized it in no time.
“Go ahead.” He told Ada. “Find your father.”
“Thanks!” Ada ran for her house, occasionally exorcizing a ghoul or two that got in her way. Her heart was pounding. She prepared for the worst when she saw the door of her house. It was open, or broken in, judging from the busted lock.
She charged into the house with her katana held high. There were two Proximian corpses on the floor. There was no blood but she could tell that they were dead. Her thoughts went awry.
She heard the shuffling of footsteps from the top floor. It sounded hurried. She decided to take the stairs to find out what it was. Her father, his glasses broken, was running around his room, packing his belongings.
“Dad?” she asked. Professor Clifan turned around. He was surprised.
“Ada? Oh my, It’s good to see you.” He said coolly as he hugged her. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here? The whole city is under attack, why haven’t you evacuated yet?”
“Oh, the soldiers came to rescue me. I refused.” Clifan answered.
“Why?” She asked annoyedly.
“Because I can’t just leave my work behind. They are my kids! These are your siblings!” He gestured to the inventions that were laying on the table.
Ada picked out anti-depressant tablets from the table and gestured to her father’s face. “Seriously, these are my brothers?”
“That’s from a month ago!” Clif grabbed the meds and shoved them into his pocket. He looked a bit uncomfortable.
“Look what I made last week,” He handed her a small box. It had a metal design with a switch on top of it.
“Press it.” He instructed. Ada pressed the red button. She waited for something incredible to happen…
She kept waiting.
What does this even do? She tried to ask, but the words were not coming out of her mouth. She tried to speak but her mouth was only moving. She also noticed that the room was awfully quiet. Even the sound of the fan was muted.
What’s going on? Did he burst my ear or something?
Clif just smiled and pressed the switch again.
“I call it the muter.” He said. “It can suck in all the sound around you. It can also record it.”
“What’s the point of it?” Ada asked. “It’s impressive, sure, but it’s also useless.”
“It’ll shut up people, that’s what it’s used for. I like that.” He laughed and threw it in his bag.
“Is that a gun?” She asked. Ada grabbed it and checked it out.
“It is a customizable stun gun that can immobile your target from any angle. The stun can travel in the manner you require.” Clif explained.
“What?”
“It’s a gun that can make people faint, the only difference is that you can control the trajectory of the shot.” He took the gun from her. “Watch.”
There was a blue tracking screen at the handle of the gun. He drew a bending arrow. Clif pressed the trigger. A white laser-like bullet shot out of the gun. It traveled in the bending trajectory that Clif drew. The laser completed its course and landed on the plant pot, which was rotting in the corner of the room.
“That’s so cool, Dad. It’s way better than the muter thingy.” Ada said excitedly.
“You can have it.” He tossed the gun to her. She carelessly grabbed it.
“Alright Dad, watch me!” She placed the stun gun in her hands and focused. With a popping sound, the gun disappeared into the air.
“Gia concealment.” Clif noted. “Impressive!” He hugged her.
Ada knew it was useless to talk him out of packing, so she decided to help with it. In the end, they were able to load up professor Clif’s weird inventions into three suitcases. They had no idea about how they were going to carry it through the battle.
“Can you conceal them?” Clif asked.
“No, I’m not that good.”
As skinny as he looked, Professor Clif carried two pieces of luggage by himself. Ada decided to carry it with her one hand. This situation surely became more difficult for her.
“Can’t we just leave this one behind and come for it later?” Ada begged. Clif stared at her and finally gave in.
“Fine.” he sighed. Ada placed the suitcase by the staircase before they walked out.
Outside, the three of them were still busy fighting with the ghouls.
“Try not to get spotted.” Ada told her father as she led him out.
“Ghouls!” Professor Clif said, “Such a clever way of attack.” He admired the Proximian strategies.
Ada continued to help out her friends. There were only regular ghouls still lurking around. They were able to exorcize them all in no time.
“Oh no.” Professor Clif calmly said,
All of them stared at the sky as Clif did. A mini-missile was piercing through the sky. Ada dropped her katana. She knew that the missile was not going to be in their vicinity but it still horrified her.
“Where is it going?” 048 asked, trying to calculate the distance.
“It doesn’t matter. We need to make sure everyone is evacuated before it lands.” Meara blasted off into the sky. Her exterminator suit was not capable of high-altitude flights but it was able to fly over buildings and houses.
The three of them, Axel, Ada, and 048 followed Meara’s smoke trail.
“Find the bikers! Get off the city!” Ada yelled at her father. “Take care of yourself!”
“You too!” Professor Clif yelled back.
The missile was already beyond their reach. Any hope of catching up to it was destroyed. Her anxiety became heavier as the missile noise grew louder. Pure adrenaline kept them on their feet.
Meara picked up Ada and Axel as she flew.
"Sorry, 48." Meara apologized. Ada guessed that he was too heavy to carry without slowing down.
The missile landed with a boom. Shockwaves sent from the impact made them fly back a bit. Ada was momentarily blinded by the brightness of it. The explosion was like a mini-sun, shining fiercely.
Ada saw the Basilisk riders using their jetpacks for the first time. They were flying out with screaming survivors in their arms.
"They can fly?" Axel asked.
"That's what the jetpacks are for," Meara's exterminator's voice said. The three of them finally landed on the ground, close to where the explosion took place.
Ada felt the sweat building up in her body as she stepped out into the hot steamy ground. Everything in sight was blocked by a layer of vapor. Almost every building was on fire.
A few unlucky Basilisk riders were laying dead on the ground, freshly cooked along with their swiftzer bikes.
This is what hell must feel like.
"Search for survivors." Meara took command. The four of them spread out. Staying together was not a concern anymore, since most of the proximians were dealt with.
Ada was unprepared for everything she was about to see. Half-baked humans, amputated children, and mourning families.
"Help…" one of the children on the ground grabbed her foot. His face was completely roasted. His teeth were sticking out of his cheekbones. The boy cried even though his eyes were melted.
"Please." The boy released her foot. He joined the pile of corpses that lay beside him.
"Sorry." Ada mumbled before running off to save the next survivor. She had no time to cry. There was still hope for some survivors.
"My legs." The woman who was stuck on the ground said. Her legs were under a boulder, but the rest of her body was in salvable condition.
"My legs, I can't feel them. I think they're crushed." She cried. The woman tried to get up by pushing her arms against the ground.
"Stay still." Ada pushed the boulder off her feet. The woman kept screaming for her life.
Ada was disgusted by the state of the woman's legs. The bones were detached but a few patches of muscles denied it from being completely amputated. Ada had to act fast.
"Close your eyes." she ordered her. "There is no other way." She swung her sword at the last few strings of flesh in her legs. They were cut off. The woman kept cursing and screaming.
She put her sword back in her waist and lifted the woman up. Ada took off her white robe and tore it in half. She used it to tie it around the woman's bloody legs.
"Save me!" one of the other survivors cried. "Help!" He groaned.
What am I going to do?
The heat was draining her will. She ran with the woman on her back, hoping that she'll run into another one of the Basilisk rescuers.
Luckily, she spotted a Cassian rescue team driving a van toward them.
"Over here!" She screamed as loud as she could. The soldiers took out a stretcher from their mini-van.
Ada placed her on it.
"Thank you." The woman cried.
"There are more over there." Ada told the soldiers, pointing to where she came from. "Some are still alive."
"Ok." Half the soldiers ran to their help. Ada was going to join them, but she heard a familiar voice.
It was Tatsu's, she was crying from somewhere. Ada could only hope that she was not injured. Her heart sank as she pictured her dead friend.
Ada could not let that happen. Not until she was alive.
It's not fair.
It took a minute or two of searching, but Ada found her. She was hugging Master Hanshon and crying her eyes out. Even Master Hanshon's eyes were wet, but they looked more vengeful.
What's going on? Where's Yuri?
She hoped not. She didn't even want to think about it. Ada ran to them.
"Master Baldwin." Hanshon said to Ada. "He could not make it. He died protecting the kids."
Ada finally noticed the body. It was covered under a black cloth, presumably done by the rescuers. Only his head was showing. It was not burnt by the fire.
"How?" Ada cried softly. "He's so strong."
"He used a metal tarp and himself as a shield for the survivors. He didn't die in vain. I'm sure Baldwin wanted to go out this way." He consoled her.
Tatsu cleaned her red cheeks and nose. She took out her katana, which was glowing intense green.
"I'll kill them, I swear." Tatsu promised. "I'll kill them."
"He died protecting you, always remember that." Hanshon told her and walked away.
"Where's Yuri?" Ada asked her. Tatsu did not reply.
Ada decided to search around, both for Yuri and any other survivors. The heat was dying down but the smoke was not, it made her eyes water.
Yuri?
She saw him on the ground, crying on his knees. Axel was also beside him, patting him and saying something. Ada wanted to go to them, but she figured that he was safe with Axel. That was all that mattered to her. Her friends were still alive.