“You bastard!” CAL screamed in rage.
“I find the term sick fuck, far more appropriate. But I’m not here to argue semantics with a droid.” His voice was like a deep wave of sensual pleasure upon the ears, as pompous and egotistical as it was refined and educated.
Looking toward the mutilated body of the Raider he continued, “I do hope you were not fond of her, as there are few things I despise more than traitors and cowards.”
“She was an innocent soul mixed up in all Negas’ madness, and you mercilessly slaughtered her!” Cal grasped the handle of his blade even harder as he crouched into battle position.
“A tearful shame she became little more than a meatshield for you then, isn’t it?”
Cal looked down, merging his dual blades into a twin blade staff.
Zimone laughed a vile nasally laugh as most of his kind do, powering up his Y-Zers, “Aww, it appears I stirred the hornet's nest! Did I touch a nerve? Did I offended the Apex Predator’s sensibilities?”
CAL launched himself forward with the force of a bullet train, blade aimed straight for his foe’s sapphire neck. Zimone countered, using his suit’s thrusters and the Y-Zers to blast himself out of CAL’s Attack range.
“Come now CAL, you didn’t think I’d be foolish enough to take you on alone again?”
“YEEE-HAAAAWWWW!”
CAL looked up just in time to react to the massive slab of steel falling right where Zimone was standing. Flipping to the side as it landed, CAL turned to see the massive form of Calcifus charging out of the smoke and dust. CAL began to flip back to avoid the psychotic freak, getting hit with a blast to the ribs from Zimone’s Y-Zers. Stunned from the blast, CAL was unable to avoid Calcifus’ massive slab hammer as it slammed right into him, sending him flying through the jungle.
Rising back to his feet, CAL slapped his head a few times to jar his vision back to normal. Returning his attention to the twin monsters emerging from the treeline. Individually, they were both a formidable force, the towering hulk of an Allowian, Calcifius, was an anomaly among his species. Unlike the other thin and spindly members of his race, he was jacked like a weight lifter juiced on the most vile chemicals known to man. His weapons of choice, a warhammer made of slagged and fused ship hulls and two sharpened ship struts as claymores, only further confirmed his beastly strength. Worse than that though is his commitment to wear full ceremonial plated armor. While not as pristine as his fellow lieutenant’s, it was equally as durable, covering him from diamond shaped helm to fortified magna-boots.
Standing at three fourths the height of his beastly compatriot, Zimone was no push over either. What he lacks in strength he makes up for in tactics and combat proficiency. A true sadist who loves his “work” almost more than he loves the pay. His brand new Y-Zers, named so for their ‘Y’ shaped nozzle, are an instant death sentence to the uninitiated, as the friendly raider quickly discovered.
“Ooowwee! Boss man’s gone be so happy when we bring him your corpse!” Calcifus’ high pitched, manic voice would be laughable if it weren’t attached to his hulking frame.
“Indeed, I do believe he will pay us with riches even more splendid than our brand new suits of Tindalos Armor.”
“Tindalos?!” CAL looked at them in utter shock.
“Yes, yes! Tindalos Armor! Courtesy of the previous month’s meteor storm. Do you like how it fits, I believe it is quite slimming in all the right places.”
“It’s super hard too!”
“Yes, My dim-witted friend, it is super hard as well.”
“Tindalos puts me in a pretty bad spot doesn’t it?” CAL said as he relaxed and began scratching the back of his head. Noticing the bushes moving behind the duo.
“Fuck yeah it does! We’re gonna splatter you like a bug!”
“Agreed, however, I would like a full corpse to return to Negas.”
Calcifus lowered his head and shrugged in disappointment. “Fine, I'll only smash his legs.”
Summoning a sword, CAL approached the two, “Sorry to rain on your payday guys, but I’m going to have to skip out on the part where you both disassemble me. Instead we are jumping straight to the part where I show you a new, never before seen power and easily murk both of you.”
“Then allow us to test this wondrous new ability of yours.”
“Sure! But first, a message for our sponsor! Conveniently placed ambushes!”
On queue, Gerin jumped from the bushes, two spears in hand and throwing them at both of the raiders. Exploding on contact, Gerin slid between them, narrowing avoiding Calcifus’ wild blade swings. Running toward CAL, He quickly slid a small box under CAL’s damaged arm as they ran past each other. CAL nodded in acceptance and gestured for him to return to the village.
As the smoke from the explosions cleared, Calcifus charged CAL, slamming his hammer toward him. Who deftly leapt over the brute just as the slab hit the ground. Landing behind him, CAL leaned back just in time to dodge a blast from Zimone. Taking the opportunity, he threw the box high into the air, jumping forward to avoid the low sweep of Calcifus’ blades as he turned to face him. Mid-Jump CAL threw his sword into the airborne box, causing a spectacular explosion.
A blue explosion…
“Shit! That was that stuff that heals you wasn’t it?” Calcifus asked as he covered his eyes from the blast.
“You’re darn right it is! But I’m not using it for healing!”
“Then it is a waste of resources, I’ll end you far before you can make use of it.” Zimone fired several shots at CAL all narrowly missing him as he avoided them like a pristine dance.
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“Ah, you don’t understand fishlips, I’m already using them. Can’t you tell by the sparkling coat of polish on my skin?”
Indeed there was a shiny new coat on his body. As if a child spilled iridescent blue glitter across a famed art piece, his entire body glowed. Not only that but he gained a solid chunk of muscle mass, no longer resembling his former slender frame. Summoning his blade, it also changed, no longer transparent and ghostly, he instead held a solid chromatic green blade.
“Ya ate your wheaties and got all sparkly, so what? It won’t stop me from smashing you like a bug.” Calcifus yelled as he once again charged CAL, angrily slamming his hammer down upon him once again.
Unlike before CAL stood there, allowing the hammer to not only hit him, but bounce off of him. Both Calicifus and Zimone’s eyes grew wide as they realized what just happened. Calcifus stood bewildered for a moment before continuing to slam his hammer against CAL. Each monumental blow striking with the force of a tank, yet effortlessly bouncing off of him.
“I call this little boost in power, Hardlight Mode. It comes with the following benefits:”
CAL caught the next blow from Calcifus, throwing it back before spin kicking the brute’s legs out from under him and quickly dropkicking him as he began to fall to the ground. Sending him flying through several trees, and straight into a concrete wall.
“A speed and strength boost.” Cal said as he began running toward Zimone.
The Blue skinned sadist began firing at CAL. Deflecting every shot with his blade, he quickly closed the gap, crossing sword against gun with Zimone. Trading blow for blow, dodge for dodge and counter for counter, the two played their deadly dance at breakneck speeds.
“Hardlight Mode also comes with sharper blades!” CAL said as he cut through the ribs of Zimone’s power armor, laughing as he did so. “But I take it you already noticed that.”
“Fuck off droid! I am the superior fighter here and I will not be laughed at.”
“You sure about that? I’m the most dangerous thing on the planet!”
“And in a moment you’ll be the deadest thing on the planet!!!”
Sacrificing one of his guns, Zimone allows CAL to slice straight down the barrel of his right Y-Zer. Detonating it right in both of their faces, and sending them flying in opposite directions.
Recovering from the explosion, CAL realizes his blade broke in the explosion. Though Zimone leaves him little time to repair it, as he lands right in front of him. Forcing CAL to drop the blade and fight hand to hand against him.
“YEEE-HAAAAWWWW!” Screaming from the top of his lungs, Calcifus leapt toward both of them, once again slamming his hammer into the ground.
Tanking the blow straight to the back, CAL spun around to grab the handle as Califus struggled to recover from the bounce back of the hammer. CAL dug his hand into the slab’s massive handle and pried it from the brute’s hands, lobbing it right into Zimone’s face and crushing him under it. Turning his full attention to Calcifus, CAL tanked several blows from his claymores before dropping the brute to a knee with a devastating 8 piece combo. Only to take a triple blast to the back from Zimone, dropping CAL to a knee.
“Your sparkling new form is great and all, but it has a fairly noticeable drawback doesn’t it? Your weapons aren’t as durable and your reaction time is slower. And I’ll guess that’s because you need to concentrate on maintaining it, am I right?”
Grabbing CAL by the neck, Calcifus laughed, rising to his feet, “Yeah! Fuck your wheaties, you can’t kill us without your shiny weapons.”
Lifting him off his feet, Calcifus readied his blades in a scissor position in front of Cal’s neck.
“Are you sure about that? You wanna bet your life on it?”
“Fuck yeah! I’m about to have the world’s largest paycheck once I kill you!?
“End it already Calcifus. There’s no need for your taunting.” Zimone crossed his arms, impatiently waiting for him to stop gloating.
In that single moment of impatience, Zimone noticed a deviation in CAL’s body. Everything appeared normal for this new form of his, except for his feet. They both appeared… off, like an unfinished texture in a video game, the were both thick and fuzzy. Zimone paused for a moment, unwavering in his confidence regarding his previous statement, he knew CAL took much longer to form new weapons. He was stumped in regards to what this new creation was.
His eyes grew wide as the realization hit him like a truck, “Calcifus drop him now!”
“Wha–”
It was too late, CAL swung his legs up, slamming his armor boots into Calcifus’ face. Shattering his helmet, Cal used the upward momentum to flip himself into the air breaking Calcifus’ grip, and created a trio of blades between the fingers of his remaining hand.
“Damn it Calcifus!” Zimone fired a volley of shots at CAL, as he finished his triple flip into the air.
Seeing them coming he effortlessly deflected them with his boots. Using the weight of his massive boots like an anchor, CAL rocketed to the ground like a meteor. Slicing off both of Calcifus’ right arms as he came down, the manic brute screamed in pain. Slamming the blade in his other hand down on CAL, the glowing warrior sliced right through the scrap metal blade. In the same motion, he spun around, severing the giant’s legs at the kneecaps.
While Calcifus fell to the ground, writhing in agony, CAL stood up, glaring at Zimone. “You already figured it out, right? The true power of this form.”
Calcifus screamed curses and vitriol at CAL as the two remaining warriors stared each other down.
Zimone grimaced, “Creating separate weaponry takes far longer than normal and are more likely to break, in exchange, they are more complex.”
“Bingo, twice as hard, twice as fast, three times the complexity of the weapons. Not a hit with the ladies but it was never really about showing off.”
CAL began walking towards Calcifus face, “Now Zimone, I’m the Apex Predator of the planet. I’ve never lost a battle, and I’ve killed hundreds of you and your ilk. Meanwhile you, my dude, you are a sick animal. A murderer through and through with few redeeming qualities. But I’m gonna make you an offer, run away now, and this…”
CAL lifted his foot, and crushed Calcifus’ head. Still being protected within the broken helmet, when Cal brought his foot down his head exploded like a jelly donut. Brain matter, blood and eyes coating the area like a thick gel.
“...Won’t happen to you.”
Zimone looked reviled by the act, sneering at CAL. “Unlike that idiot, I can back up my skills with more than brute strength. So I think I’ll pass on your offer.”
“Oh well, don’t say I never offered mercy.”