Post by Reve on Dec 6, 2008 6:07:04 GMT -5
Well, I was out for two weeks, or close to that. Was on a holiday...
Just to keep my readers, however scarce their numbers, I've got two juicy fight scenes in here.
ANYWAY, AFTER DUNNOHOWMANY MONTHS OF PROCRASTINATION (C'mon, I made up for it with the motorbike. Right? Right? An hour of hard work and blood) HERE IS CHAPTER 5. Keep your expectations low, anyway.
By the way, it took up 12 pages in MS Word.
Silver stared at Reptor throughout the whole process. He butterfly-trapped Dragoon, and completely, bleedin’, plainly owned him. Owned him so bad, he’s dying.
‘What... What the f*** do you think you’re doing...’ She mumbled numbly.
The figure on the floor –Dragoon- was motionless, eviscerated, and almost dead. He would certainly be dead if nobody stops the damned bleeding. And Reptor is making no move to do so.
‘You Yurith claimed idiot with a brain made of walnut and worms,’ Silver said after a long moment of opening and closing her mouth, rolling a few choice words around her tongue before settling for that rather mild insult, struggling to keep her frustration in check, staring at his suddenly juicy looking neck.
She gritted her teeth together, taking half a step in Reptor’s direction with her hand on the handle of her katana.
Then changed direction, muttering things under her breath, stomping towards Dragoon.
Reptor stepped in front of her to block her way. She blinked and looked up at him.
‘What is this?’ She growled in a low tone, annoyance flooding into her face.
The man remained silent, locking her image in his dark black eyes.
Which did not seem to unnerve the girl at all.
‘You’re mad,’ Silver snarled after a moment of the staring game, grabbed his collar, and with a small step, threw him aside like a sack of potatoes.
He sprawled against the concrete wall with a crash, a short cry of surprise escaping his tight lips on the impact, eyes filled with a mix of awe and rage, stumbling to regain his balance.
Silver took no notice of Reptor’s glare at her as she crouched down to observe Dragoon, resting her fingers against his wrist. A faint pulse.
Thinking of bandaging the man, she suddenly looked back at Reptor, who was back to his usual collected self, walking towards her. And stopping a few feet away. She scowled.
‘Got some bandages in your med packs?’ she said.
Silence.
‘Hey.’
Silence.
‘Yurith take you, get me some!’ she yelled, suddenly standing up, turning around and glaring at him right in the eye.
Reptor did not react, staring back, expressionless.
‘Kav,’ she said, quieter, ‘I’d give anything now, anything to shoot you a new ***hole in between your eyes.’
Silence. The slight hint of a frown.
Silver groaned, frustrated and annoyed. Reptor, Reptor...
Can't he talk more? Damn it...
She closed a hand around Dragoon’s collar, dragging him to the door, before throwing him over her shoulder to carry him. Reptor was not a talkative man. And that would be why Silver would be glad to be rid of him. Men of few words were rare in Astra, very true. Especially a fighter one. But Yurith, Silver hated quiet people.
Reptor heard a short, rather reluctant yell of farewell, and moments later, the rumbling of the engines of a Steed. He started out to the doorway as he heard it speeding off.
Reptor stared after Silver with a dreamy, vague gaze, quietly watching the dust stirred up in her Steed’s wake.
How quick...
Reptor thought back to the expression on Silver’s face before she left. The way she eyed his throat made him nervous. He almost unsheathed his katana then, especially because she looked like she was about to draw. The look in her eyes was almost genuinely murderous.
Well, perhaps it was I who looked serious...
Reptor smiled inwardly, then closed the door behind him.
Up ahead on the road, exiting Town-3, Silver scowled, wondering if Reptor had remembered to clean the mess up. One whole house of dead civilians to lure one man. The world is awesome, but it wouldn’t be too awesome if we get discovered. Yurith castrate Reptor if he forgets.
As the story went, Reptor left without cleaning up the mess, and attracted a Fable clan to the scene later that day. Just wait ‘til Silver gets her hands on that news.
--------------------
Erin’s eyes darted open to glaring sunlight. She raised a hand to block it, pulling her jacket over her face with a grumbling sound.
What the hell happened? She wondered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was loath to move, the comfort of the bed too sweet to let go. Whatever happened, this is really... Really comfortable—
The door swung open—
Erin’s movements were a blur.
Arladerus, upon stepping into the room, found himself staring down the point of a katana. He momentarily was paralyzed with surprise.
Then, fighter instincts took over. He darted past the point, pulling his own katana out in the process, aiming to cut the person with the draw—
Then its edge clashed on the flat of the other katana, which was suddenly jerked outwards—
The guard of the katana pushed his own blade away and behind his head, his right arm laid uselessly across his chest. His opponent closed in simultaneously, a pistol appearing in his hand, the butt connecting solidly with his jaw, following through –
His head crunched against the wall behind him, his own weight contributing to the impact.
The pommel of the katana hammered into his head, a flash of white flooding behind his eyes. Hot blood streamed down his head, and he let out a loose yell of pain. This was it, he was cornered. The wall was restraining his other arm. He couldn’t defend himself-
Then he was released, collapsing onto the floor like a rag doll.
‘F***!’ He growled loudly, pressing a hand against the wound on his head. ‘Yurith pluck your balls and chew slow--’
‘Oh, sh**,’ a feminine voice responded. ‘I screwed up.’
Arladerus was suddenly stumped, the bad words he was about to throw out suddenly vanishing. Realization set in. Is that a girl’s voice? What the f***?
He suddenly felt his hairs raising slightly, and it wasn’t from the pain throbbing in his head. He looked up at her, unaware of his wide-eyed expression as the disbelief wore away to surprise. She looked almost frantic as she carelessly wiped the blood off her pommel on her jacket, sheathing her katana.
‘By Kavveled,’ he said, voice suddenly hoarse, ‘You’re f***ing scaring me...’
She raised an eyebrow, suddenly ceasing all her fidgeting, and replied in a dramatically more formal tone, ‘Should I take that as a compliment?’
‘No.’
‘Oh.’
‘Right.’
‘Who’re you?’
‘Arladerus, Cavalry clan, and we saved your sorry ass two hours ago,’ he snarled, unwilling to let go of what shreds of dignity he had left.
‘Oh... dang,’ she said with a nervous laugh. ‘Sorry ‘bout that, was seriously thinking that you were Fable clan or summat... What happened?’
‘Grenade. You got blasted outta the air, kid. We saved you, and this is how you repay us!’ He scowled. ‘Damn Kav and his principles...’
Arladerus’s voice trailed away as he felt her hand close about his arm, helping him up.
He looked up at her, expression stuck midway between anger and a smile. How was he supposed to react? By Yurith’s Blade, she had that childish little look on that face which made him feel like laughing in happiness.
And in Astra, that sort of feeling? It’s a damned universe more alien than Kavveled, and it scared the living sh** out of him. He maintained a placid look and let go of his head wound. His hand came away with blood, even as the pain was slowly no more.
‘Oh, dang, I suppose I should get a bandage for that,’ she said, reaching into her med.
‘Nevermind,’ Arladerus growled. ‘I got m’own.’
‘Sorry,’ the girl said quietly, sheathing her sword, smiling at him sheepishly. ‘Instinct took over. Ya know.’
Arladerus stared at her, and nodded awkwardly. ‘Nay, it’s good...’
‘Why... were you there?’ She said slowly.
‘Just to check on you. Nothin’ more, really.’ As the pain ebbed away, he turned. ‘By the way, why do you ride a Mule?’
‘What?’
‘A Mule. Your bike. Where did you get one? Only Cavalry members use it... Your clan uses the Steed, right?’
‘Oh... that,’ she said, hesitantly, ‘is something you don’t need to know.’
Arladerus frowned, and stayed silent, feeling an invisible wall start to build between them. After a long period of quiet, he finally asked, ‘Hey Axiom girl, what’s your name?’
More hesitation. Then, she mumbled, ‘Erin.’
The barrier began to crumble away. He smiled. ‘Arladerus, and the blonde one’s Ryxtre, he’s out on a little jog to Town-4 at the mo’...’ He scratched his orange hair, keeping Erin inside his vision. ‘I expect him to come flying here with the rest of the gang, shriveled up and dead any moment in a few hours.’
An image flashed into Erin’s head. She grinned.
Arladerus beamed at her, then turned away, descending the rest of the stairs, a strange, light feeling filling him.
I must be getting emo, he reflected, entering the living room, closing the door gently behind him. And I’m supposed to be the life and soul of the Cavalry...
Erin watched as Arladerus disappeared behind the door, leaning against the wall. Then, pivoting on the ball of her foot, started to walk towards the room behind her.
Suddenly, from outside, distant rumblings of engines. She snapped awake, bolting to the window to see what caused the disturbance.
Yurith's blade.
Erin cursed, turned, and ran towards the living room.
----------------
Narrow kicked Lithium off his bike at the sudden revving of his engines.
‘Shut up!!’ Narrow snarled in a half whisper, watching Lith pick himself up from the ground, pushing his bike upright again, cursing under his breath.
‘What the hell is your problem?!’ Lith yelled at Narrow after he steadied himself.
It earned him a solid punch to the jaw, making him fall onto his back, gums bleeding.
‘What the f --’
‘Just... Shut... Up, haven’t you learnt your lesson, you bastard?!’ He said, voice low.
Lith met his eyes with ones of indignation and fury, absently resting his hand on his katana. Then, after observing the mocking looks on the other two of the Fable clan, he pulled his hand away, muttering under his breath, swinging his legs over the bike, rubbing the bruise forming on his jaw.
Narrow muttered something about idiots and cruised quietly towards an alley. Lith followed behind Toc – a teenage boy -, suppressing the desire to shoot Narrow at the back of his head. It was so easy! Point, shoot, laugh, run.
Too bad they were both in the same clan.
Narrow killed the engine of his bike with the flick of a switch, stepping off the vehicle, tugging his shotgun out of its holder, glancing with a raised eyebrow at a Mule parked nearby behind some bushes. Looking up at the buildings, there were the black marks of a recently exploded grenade, with chunks of missing wall. Suspicious, bingo, eureka, Cavalry clan is obviously here, and possibly injured. He grinned, putting a cigarette to his mouth, lighting it with a casual flick of his fingers, shoving the lighter back into the pocket of his trench coat.
‘Think they spotted us?’ Ressor asked, a grin on his face.
Lith turned his head around to shoot a look at the man. ‘You hope so?’
‘Absolutely--’
‘Shut the f*** up,’ Narrow snapped, dashing forward with a sound of whooshing air towards the building in front.
Lith exchanged looks with Ressor. They frowned simultaneously, then tugged out their rifles, following Narrow with equal grace.
Toc was the only one who seemed lost, and quietly pulled out his twin handguns in front of him, then followed the two as best as he could with that slow speed of his. No, he was not a True Fighter.
And that was why the other three ignored him.
-------------------
Reve reeled as the bullet sank into her lower left shoulder, just beneath the clavicle. Legro, in the middle of a roll, regained her footing in a less graceful manner as a bullet took her in the stomach.
Metro and Imppala were behind the nurse’s counter, together with the nurses and the doctor, who were cowering, one and all. Shadow was sitting at where she had been sitting a moment before, staring at the two, jaw slacked in an incredulous expression.
How did a mild confrontation turn into a full blown fight?
Both fighters, in a blur, holstered their guns and unsheathed their swords- Reve a katana, Leg a longsword – and rushed each other, blades lashing out.
Leg was butterflying, though not at full speed because of the small space, aiming to circle Reve. Reve was on the defense, deflecting the blows, flowing through various guards seamlessly with the least possible movement. That was difficult, as Leg was directing her slashes at almost everywhere at once, and it was easy to panic and lose control; and to lose control was death, as her defenses were just slightly faster than Leg’s slashes, and any wastage of movement may sacrifice some speed.
Both their movements looked strangely fluid, as if it were choreographed, but it was more of the result of one fighter with almost flawless defense against another equally good in the offense.
And then, suddenly breaking the timing, Reve surged forward mid-parry in a decisive move, the base of her palm cracking against Leg’s jaw, pushing the head back, throwing her off balance for but a moment as her katana pulled away from the longsword, trying to catch her in the exposed chest—
Unable to look, Leg blindly drove the pommel of her sword at where Reve’s head was, her other hand stretching out to try to redirect the katana, wherever it may be—
Shadow watched as, three feet away from her, Reve’s blade plunged through Legro, just below the lungs – she had managed to redirect Reve’s thrust by a small distance to somewhere less fatal – exploding out the back, blood spurting in large amounts. At the same time, the pommel of the longsword crunched hard against Reve’s skull, blood spattering out---
Watched, then, as both of them fell, Reve’s katana still lodged in Leg as she crumpled onto the floor, unconscious from the pommel strike, and Leg scrambling away from her as she dropped her longsword, grasping the katana impaling her with gauntleted hands, savagely yanking the sword out of her body with another spray of blood.
The doctor had been staring at the whole fight which lasted for less than half a minute with morbid fascination, while one of the nurses were crying, the other’s face twisted in shock.
Metro had been constantly patting the crying nurse’s shoulder as an act of consolation, although it was an annoyed expression on her face rather than kindly. She glanced up at Imppala as he walked out from behind the counter, who stared unmoving at Legro.
She stood up with wobbly-looking feet, the blood still spurting from the stab wound, bending down to pick up her sword. With a dazed expression, she had turned to look at the others in the briefest of gazes, before collapsing against the door, swinging it open, and disappearing into the streets.
Reve lay face down on the ground, a pool of blood spreading beneath her head, fingers twitching slightly. Imppala walked over to her sprawled body, looking down in a mixed expression of anger and shock. He turned around at the sound of footsteps. It was Metro, and behind her, Shadow seemed to be pinned to the chair, her jaw slightly ajar, her expression blank.
'Well, that was bloody,' Imppala said into the silence that followed. 'I hope Legro doesn't get caught in a fight outside-- '
From outside, a distant exploding sound of a rocket launcher. Voices followed, mostly screaming.
Everyone looked at him.
He offered a beatific smile.
------------------------------
‘Yurith test his blade on them,’ Arladerus growled. ‘May Kavveled feast on their entrails, break every bone in those pitiful bodies of theirs, may they get a heart attack from all that beer the fat idiots drink...’
Erin leaned against the wall, next to Arladerus, checking her pistol with something like paranoia. Fable clan’s tracked them so far. She wasn’t even involved, and that made her feel like walking out of this. Because even Fable clan’s afraid of Axiom. Kind of.
But then again she was just one puny member. Expendable, especially that. She was only 12 years old, after all. And not ready to forfeit her life yet.
‘...Kavveled smash their heads in and eat their brains!’ Arladerus finished, taking deep breaths—
The front door swung open, followed by the smell of a cigarette. Erin and Arladerus both fell completely silent, gripping their weapons.
Silence. Then, ‘They spotted us.’
The dull thud of a punch, and then a squeak of pain.
‘I told you to shut the f*** up, didn’t I, Ress!’
‘Don’t have to be so damned tyrannical,’ another man said.
‘You callin’ me a tyrant, mate?’
‘Yes.’
A pause, then, ‘Well, I’m gonna f*** up your face after this, mark me.’
‘Oh, cut it out,’ a younger, more tremored voice said.
‘I’m with Toc on this one,’ gasped the man who got punched.
A snort, then, approaching footsteps. Erin, from the corner of her eye, saw a boot emerging from the other side of the wall, the plumes of smoke visible now. She breathed deeply, silently. Glanced back at Arladerus.
The orange haired boy, a maniacal grin on his face, nodded.
Erin fired.
The man’s head sprung a fountain of blood, and he didn’t even have time to scream as he collapsed onto the floor, eyes opened wide in surprise, still staring ahead.
The men behind him exclaimed in shock.
Whooshing of air and screeching of blade against concrete wall. Erin stepped back, her shotgun whipped out with a brief spasm, pointing up –
Shooting as the man flew out from the top of the wall. His torso and neck erupted in blood even as he fired his rifle at the same time at Erin, letting out a garbled scream as he struck the floor –
Erin let out a short cry as three bullets sank into her left shoulder, sending a shockwave of pain through her body. She staggered a step, blood spraying from the wounds. Behind her, Arladerus’s revolvers were out, pointing forwards.
He laughed in an almost insane manner as he saw the next man run out from the hallway, sword out in a guard position – he was smarter, at least. Arlad fired, the clashing of bullet against metal as they were deflected by the man’s sword –
Then, Erin was upon him, her shoulder wound already numbing, katana licking out to slash him across the midriff. He had leapt back, realizing that he could not block both the bullets and the blade – Although obviously did not manage to dodge the blade.
She heard gunfire to her side, and threw herself backwards, barely missing a pistol shot to the head. A young, teenage boy, around her age, advanced forwards slowly, pistols trained on the spot in front of him, obvious panic on his face. He had two pistols, but had only fired one, suggesting inexperience.
Whoever is in charge of recruiting for the Fable clan is a motherf***ing bastard, she thought.
Rifle bursts from the front. Erin air dashed backwards, her sword shunting aside the few bullets which were on target. Then, her shotgun snapped out and fired at the man—
He twisted to avoid the pellets, then rolled towards the nearest cover possible – a sofa . Arladerus fired his revolvers at the man, who had just managed to dive behind the sofa before a group of holes were punched into the concrete wall behind by a shotgun. Though the man managed to dodge most of Arlad’s revolver shots, a bullet caught him in the leg, and he loosed a suppressed cry.
Footsteps. Arladerus shifted his attention to the young boy who suddenly ran across the room --
Laughing his insane laugh, Arladerus pointed a revolver at him, and fired twice.
Holes appeared on the boy’s calves. Then, spraying blood, he stumbled onto the floor just before he could reach the sofa, yelling in pain, face twisted in agony. A few moments, then, he fell silent, his thrashing limbs motionless.
‘Toc!’ The man behind the sofa shouted.
Arladerus glanced back at Erin, who, strangely, although her shotgun was directly aiming at “Toc”, did not fire, indecision in her eyes. He breathed in deep, shaking off the sudden sympathy he felt for her.
‘HAH! These are the failures Fable clan recruits, then!’ He taunted, suddenly merry, pointing his gun at the sofa. ‘F***ing coward!’
‘Shut the f*** up, Calvary idiot,’ the man replied.
‘You’re going to die! Face it, coward!’
‘I’m not an idiot!’
‘You know what they call you around here? Idiots! And you know what’s the worst kind of idiot? The cowardly—’
‘SHUT UP!’
‘What’s yer name, kiddo? What’s it? Huh?’
‘Why should I tell you?’
‘We’ll settle for Coward, then? How fitt—’
‘Lith! Stop calling me a coward, you’re no better—’
‘Oh, yes I am, because I’m the one ready to face you like a man—’
‘Call your companion off, then, you f***ing noob double teamers!!’
‘Why should I, you noob! It was four against two—’
‘Well, now it’s two against one, noob—’
‘S-T-F-U, we killed your noob mates fair and square, you noob—’
‘Stop sounding like bickering women, it’s getting creepy,’ Erin said, rubbing her temples.
‘F*** YOU, YOU NOOB!’ Lith screamed.
‘NO, F*** YOU!’ Arladerus yelled.
‘NO, F*** YOU!’
‘F***--’
‘I’LL F*** YOU BOTH YOU F***ING NOOBS--’
‘You’ll do what?!’ Lith and Arladerus both exclaimed at Erin’s random declaration after a yelp of surprise.
‘No, really, just kidding.’
‘Just come out here, you bastard,’ Arladerus said, voice rising in pitch.
‘Make me, noob!’
‘F*** you! I’ll just go there myself—’
‘I’m tempted to escape through the window, oh yes, deliciously in front of me right now...’
‘GO ON, THEN, CO—’
‘...BUT FOR HONOR’S SAKE!’ Lith’s voice rose to a yell, then dropped suddenly. ‘How about a sword duel?’
‘Did I hear that right?’ Arladerus said, picking an ear with his finger.
Silence. Only heavy breathing could be heard.
‘Dude,’ Lith said after a time, ‘Swords, 1 v 1. Dead serious.’
‘Dead... serious?’
Erin put her shotgun away, watching as Arladerus drew his katana, eyeing the man who emerged from behind the sofa –bloodied across his stomach, a slight limp to his step – shortsword in a hand. He stepped to Toc, dragging him behind the sofa, then stood in front of Arladerus.
‘First blood?’ He asked.
Arladerus glared at the man. ‘You f***ing coward...’
‘Shut up. Yes or no?’
Sudden movement behind the window. Erin tensed.
‘N—’
At around that moment, Erin loosed a cry as the window behind Lith shattered with a loud gunshot. She threw up her sword to shield herself even as her right shoulder exploded in blood – And she was thrown backwards like a rag doll, striking the wall further back –
Arladerus screamed.
---------------------------
Just to keep my readers, however scarce their numbers, I've got two juicy fight scenes in here.
ANYWAY, AFTER DUNNOHOWMANY MONTHS OF PROCRASTINATION (C'mon, I made up for it with the motorbike. Right? Right? An hour of hard work and blood) HERE IS CHAPTER 5. Keep your expectations low, anyway.
By the way, it took up 12 pages in MS Word.
Silver stared at Reptor throughout the whole process. He butterfly-trapped Dragoon, and completely, bleedin’, plainly owned him. Owned him so bad, he’s dying.
‘What... What the f*** do you think you’re doing...’ She mumbled numbly.
The figure on the floor –Dragoon- was motionless, eviscerated, and almost dead. He would certainly be dead if nobody stops the damned bleeding. And Reptor is making no move to do so.
‘You Yurith claimed idiot with a brain made of walnut and worms,’ Silver said after a long moment of opening and closing her mouth, rolling a few choice words around her tongue before settling for that rather mild insult, struggling to keep her frustration in check, staring at his suddenly juicy looking neck.
She gritted her teeth together, taking half a step in Reptor’s direction with her hand on the handle of her katana.
Then changed direction, muttering things under her breath, stomping towards Dragoon.
Reptor stepped in front of her to block her way. She blinked and looked up at him.
‘What is this?’ She growled in a low tone, annoyance flooding into her face.
The man remained silent, locking her image in his dark black eyes.
Which did not seem to unnerve the girl at all.
‘You’re mad,’ Silver snarled after a moment of the staring game, grabbed his collar, and with a small step, threw him aside like a sack of potatoes.
He sprawled against the concrete wall with a crash, a short cry of surprise escaping his tight lips on the impact, eyes filled with a mix of awe and rage, stumbling to regain his balance.
Silver took no notice of Reptor’s glare at her as she crouched down to observe Dragoon, resting her fingers against his wrist. A faint pulse.
Thinking of bandaging the man, she suddenly looked back at Reptor, who was back to his usual collected self, walking towards her. And stopping a few feet away. She scowled.
‘Got some bandages in your med packs?’ she said.
Silence.
‘Hey.’
Silence.
‘Yurith take you, get me some!’ she yelled, suddenly standing up, turning around and glaring at him right in the eye.
Reptor did not react, staring back, expressionless.
‘Kav,’ she said, quieter, ‘I’d give anything now, anything to shoot you a new ***hole in between your eyes.’
Silence. The slight hint of a frown.
Silver groaned, frustrated and annoyed. Reptor, Reptor...
Can't he talk more? Damn it...
She closed a hand around Dragoon’s collar, dragging him to the door, before throwing him over her shoulder to carry him. Reptor was not a talkative man. And that would be why Silver would be glad to be rid of him. Men of few words were rare in Astra, very true. Especially a fighter one. But Yurith, Silver hated quiet people.
Reptor heard a short, rather reluctant yell of farewell, and moments later, the rumbling of the engines of a Steed. He started out to the doorway as he heard it speeding off.
Reptor stared after Silver with a dreamy, vague gaze, quietly watching the dust stirred up in her Steed’s wake.
How quick...
Reptor thought back to the expression on Silver’s face before she left. The way she eyed his throat made him nervous. He almost unsheathed his katana then, especially because she looked like she was about to draw. The look in her eyes was almost genuinely murderous.
Well, perhaps it was I who looked serious...
Reptor smiled inwardly, then closed the door behind him.
Up ahead on the road, exiting Town-3, Silver scowled, wondering if Reptor had remembered to clean the mess up. One whole house of dead civilians to lure one man. The world is awesome, but it wouldn’t be too awesome if we get discovered. Yurith castrate Reptor if he forgets.
As the story went, Reptor left without cleaning up the mess, and attracted a Fable clan to the scene later that day. Just wait ‘til Silver gets her hands on that news.
--------------------
Erin’s eyes darted open to glaring sunlight. She raised a hand to block it, pulling her jacket over her face with a grumbling sound.
What the hell happened? She wondered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was loath to move, the comfort of the bed too sweet to let go. Whatever happened, this is really... Really comfortable—
The door swung open—
Erin’s movements were a blur.
Arladerus, upon stepping into the room, found himself staring down the point of a katana. He momentarily was paralyzed with surprise.
Then, fighter instincts took over. He darted past the point, pulling his own katana out in the process, aiming to cut the person with the draw—
Then its edge clashed on the flat of the other katana, which was suddenly jerked outwards—
The guard of the katana pushed his own blade away and behind his head, his right arm laid uselessly across his chest. His opponent closed in simultaneously, a pistol appearing in his hand, the butt connecting solidly with his jaw, following through –
His head crunched against the wall behind him, his own weight contributing to the impact.
The pommel of the katana hammered into his head, a flash of white flooding behind his eyes. Hot blood streamed down his head, and he let out a loose yell of pain. This was it, he was cornered. The wall was restraining his other arm. He couldn’t defend himself-
Then he was released, collapsing onto the floor like a rag doll.
‘F***!’ He growled loudly, pressing a hand against the wound on his head. ‘Yurith pluck your balls and chew slow--’
‘Oh, sh**,’ a feminine voice responded. ‘I screwed up.’
Arladerus was suddenly stumped, the bad words he was about to throw out suddenly vanishing. Realization set in. Is that a girl’s voice? What the f***?
He suddenly felt his hairs raising slightly, and it wasn’t from the pain throbbing in his head. He looked up at her, unaware of his wide-eyed expression as the disbelief wore away to surprise. She looked almost frantic as she carelessly wiped the blood off her pommel on her jacket, sheathing her katana.
‘By Kavveled,’ he said, voice suddenly hoarse, ‘You’re f***ing scaring me...’
She raised an eyebrow, suddenly ceasing all her fidgeting, and replied in a dramatically more formal tone, ‘Should I take that as a compliment?’
‘No.’
‘Oh.’
‘Right.’
‘Who’re you?’
‘Arladerus, Cavalry clan, and we saved your sorry ass two hours ago,’ he snarled, unwilling to let go of what shreds of dignity he had left.
‘Oh... dang,’ she said with a nervous laugh. ‘Sorry ‘bout that, was seriously thinking that you were Fable clan or summat... What happened?’
‘Grenade. You got blasted outta the air, kid. We saved you, and this is how you repay us!’ He scowled. ‘Damn Kav and his principles...’
Arladerus’s voice trailed away as he felt her hand close about his arm, helping him up.
He looked up at her, expression stuck midway between anger and a smile. How was he supposed to react? By Yurith’s Blade, she had that childish little look on that face which made him feel like laughing in happiness.
And in Astra, that sort of feeling? It’s a damned universe more alien than Kavveled, and it scared the living sh** out of him. He maintained a placid look and let go of his head wound. His hand came away with blood, even as the pain was slowly no more.
‘Oh, dang, I suppose I should get a bandage for that,’ she said, reaching into her med.
‘Nevermind,’ Arladerus growled. ‘I got m’own.’
‘Sorry,’ the girl said quietly, sheathing her sword, smiling at him sheepishly. ‘Instinct took over. Ya know.’
Arladerus stared at her, and nodded awkwardly. ‘Nay, it’s good...’
‘Why... were you there?’ She said slowly.
‘Just to check on you. Nothin’ more, really.’ As the pain ebbed away, he turned. ‘By the way, why do you ride a Mule?’
‘What?’
‘A Mule. Your bike. Where did you get one? Only Cavalry members use it... Your clan uses the Steed, right?’
‘Oh... that,’ she said, hesitantly, ‘is something you don’t need to know.’
Arladerus frowned, and stayed silent, feeling an invisible wall start to build between them. After a long period of quiet, he finally asked, ‘Hey Axiom girl, what’s your name?’
More hesitation. Then, she mumbled, ‘Erin.’
The barrier began to crumble away. He smiled. ‘Arladerus, and the blonde one’s Ryxtre, he’s out on a little jog to Town-4 at the mo’...’ He scratched his orange hair, keeping Erin inside his vision. ‘I expect him to come flying here with the rest of the gang, shriveled up and dead any moment in a few hours.’
An image flashed into Erin’s head. She grinned.
Arladerus beamed at her, then turned away, descending the rest of the stairs, a strange, light feeling filling him.
I must be getting emo, he reflected, entering the living room, closing the door gently behind him. And I’m supposed to be the life and soul of the Cavalry...
Erin watched as Arladerus disappeared behind the door, leaning against the wall. Then, pivoting on the ball of her foot, started to walk towards the room behind her.
Suddenly, from outside, distant rumblings of engines. She snapped awake, bolting to the window to see what caused the disturbance.
Yurith's blade.
Erin cursed, turned, and ran towards the living room.
----------------
Narrow kicked Lithium off his bike at the sudden revving of his engines.
‘Shut up!!’ Narrow snarled in a half whisper, watching Lith pick himself up from the ground, pushing his bike upright again, cursing under his breath.
‘What the hell is your problem?!’ Lith yelled at Narrow after he steadied himself.
It earned him a solid punch to the jaw, making him fall onto his back, gums bleeding.
‘What the f --’
‘Just... Shut... Up, haven’t you learnt your lesson, you bastard?!’ He said, voice low.
Lith met his eyes with ones of indignation and fury, absently resting his hand on his katana. Then, after observing the mocking looks on the other two of the Fable clan, he pulled his hand away, muttering under his breath, swinging his legs over the bike, rubbing the bruise forming on his jaw.
Narrow muttered something about idiots and cruised quietly towards an alley. Lith followed behind Toc – a teenage boy -, suppressing the desire to shoot Narrow at the back of his head. It was so easy! Point, shoot, laugh, run.
Too bad they were both in the same clan.
Narrow killed the engine of his bike with the flick of a switch, stepping off the vehicle, tugging his shotgun out of its holder, glancing with a raised eyebrow at a Mule parked nearby behind some bushes. Looking up at the buildings, there were the black marks of a recently exploded grenade, with chunks of missing wall. Suspicious, bingo, eureka, Cavalry clan is obviously here, and possibly injured. He grinned, putting a cigarette to his mouth, lighting it with a casual flick of his fingers, shoving the lighter back into the pocket of his trench coat.
‘Think they spotted us?’ Ressor asked, a grin on his face.
Lith turned his head around to shoot a look at the man. ‘You hope so?’
‘Absolutely--’
‘Shut the f*** up,’ Narrow snapped, dashing forward with a sound of whooshing air towards the building in front.
Lith exchanged looks with Ressor. They frowned simultaneously, then tugged out their rifles, following Narrow with equal grace.
Toc was the only one who seemed lost, and quietly pulled out his twin handguns in front of him, then followed the two as best as he could with that slow speed of his. No, he was not a True Fighter.
And that was why the other three ignored him.
-------------------
Reve reeled as the bullet sank into her lower left shoulder, just beneath the clavicle. Legro, in the middle of a roll, regained her footing in a less graceful manner as a bullet took her in the stomach.
Metro and Imppala were behind the nurse’s counter, together with the nurses and the doctor, who were cowering, one and all. Shadow was sitting at where she had been sitting a moment before, staring at the two, jaw slacked in an incredulous expression.
How did a mild confrontation turn into a full blown fight?
Both fighters, in a blur, holstered their guns and unsheathed their swords- Reve a katana, Leg a longsword – and rushed each other, blades lashing out.
Leg was butterflying, though not at full speed because of the small space, aiming to circle Reve. Reve was on the defense, deflecting the blows, flowing through various guards seamlessly with the least possible movement. That was difficult, as Leg was directing her slashes at almost everywhere at once, and it was easy to panic and lose control; and to lose control was death, as her defenses were just slightly faster than Leg’s slashes, and any wastage of movement may sacrifice some speed.
Both their movements looked strangely fluid, as if it were choreographed, but it was more of the result of one fighter with almost flawless defense against another equally good in the offense.
And then, suddenly breaking the timing, Reve surged forward mid-parry in a decisive move, the base of her palm cracking against Leg’s jaw, pushing the head back, throwing her off balance for but a moment as her katana pulled away from the longsword, trying to catch her in the exposed chest—
Unable to look, Leg blindly drove the pommel of her sword at where Reve’s head was, her other hand stretching out to try to redirect the katana, wherever it may be—
Shadow watched as, three feet away from her, Reve’s blade plunged through Legro, just below the lungs – she had managed to redirect Reve’s thrust by a small distance to somewhere less fatal – exploding out the back, blood spurting in large amounts. At the same time, the pommel of the longsword crunched hard against Reve’s skull, blood spattering out---
Watched, then, as both of them fell, Reve’s katana still lodged in Leg as she crumpled onto the floor, unconscious from the pommel strike, and Leg scrambling away from her as she dropped her longsword, grasping the katana impaling her with gauntleted hands, savagely yanking the sword out of her body with another spray of blood.
The doctor had been staring at the whole fight which lasted for less than half a minute with morbid fascination, while one of the nurses were crying, the other’s face twisted in shock.
Metro had been constantly patting the crying nurse’s shoulder as an act of consolation, although it was an annoyed expression on her face rather than kindly. She glanced up at Imppala as he walked out from behind the counter, who stared unmoving at Legro.
She stood up with wobbly-looking feet, the blood still spurting from the stab wound, bending down to pick up her sword. With a dazed expression, she had turned to look at the others in the briefest of gazes, before collapsing against the door, swinging it open, and disappearing into the streets.
Reve lay face down on the ground, a pool of blood spreading beneath her head, fingers twitching slightly. Imppala walked over to her sprawled body, looking down in a mixed expression of anger and shock. He turned around at the sound of footsteps. It was Metro, and behind her, Shadow seemed to be pinned to the chair, her jaw slightly ajar, her expression blank.
'Well, that was bloody,' Imppala said into the silence that followed. 'I hope Legro doesn't get caught in a fight outside-- '
From outside, a distant exploding sound of a rocket launcher. Voices followed, mostly screaming.
Everyone looked at him.
He offered a beatific smile.
------------------------------
‘Yurith test his blade on them,’ Arladerus growled. ‘May Kavveled feast on their entrails, break every bone in those pitiful bodies of theirs, may they get a heart attack from all that beer the fat idiots drink...’
Erin leaned against the wall, next to Arladerus, checking her pistol with something like paranoia. Fable clan’s tracked them so far. She wasn’t even involved, and that made her feel like walking out of this. Because even Fable clan’s afraid of Axiom. Kind of.
But then again she was just one puny member. Expendable, especially that. She was only 12 years old, after all. And not ready to forfeit her life yet.
‘...Kavveled smash their heads in and eat their brains!’ Arladerus finished, taking deep breaths—
The front door swung open, followed by the smell of a cigarette. Erin and Arladerus both fell completely silent, gripping their weapons.
Silence. Then, ‘They spotted us.’
The dull thud of a punch, and then a squeak of pain.
‘I told you to shut the f*** up, didn’t I, Ress!’
‘Don’t have to be so damned tyrannical,’ another man said.
‘You callin’ me a tyrant, mate?’
‘Yes.’
A pause, then, ‘Well, I’m gonna f*** up your face after this, mark me.’
‘Oh, cut it out,’ a younger, more tremored voice said.
‘I’m with Toc on this one,’ gasped the man who got punched.
A snort, then, approaching footsteps. Erin, from the corner of her eye, saw a boot emerging from the other side of the wall, the plumes of smoke visible now. She breathed deeply, silently. Glanced back at Arladerus.
The orange haired boy, a maniacal grin on his face, nodded.
Erin fired.
The man’s head sprung a fountain of blood, and he didn’t even have time to scream as he collapsed onto the floor, eyes opened wide in surprise, still staring ahead.
The men behind him exclaimed in shock.
Whooshing of air and screeching of blade against concrete wall. Erin stepped back, her shotgun whipped out with a brief spasm, pointing up –
Shooting as the man flew out from the top of the wall. His torso and neck erupted in blood even as he fired his rifle at the same time at Erin, letting out a garbled scream as he struck the floor –
Erin let out a short cry as three bullets sank into her left shoulder, sending a shockwave of pain through her body. She staggered a step, blood spraying from the wounds. Behind her, Arladerus’s revolvers were out, pointing forwards.
He laughed in an almost insane manner as he saw the next man run out from the hallway, sword out in a guard position – he was smarter, at least. Arlad fired, the clashing of bullet against metal as they were deflected by the man’s sword –
Then, Erin was upon him, her shoulder wound already numbing, katana licking out to slash him across the midriff. He had leapt back, realizing that he could not block both the bullets and the blade – Although obviously did not manage to dodge the blade.
She heard gunfire to her side, and threw herself backwards, barely missing a pistol shot to the head. A young, teenage boy, around her age, advanced forwards slowly, pistols trained on the spot in front of him, obvious panic on his face. He had two pistols, but had only fired one, suggesting inexperience.
Whoever is in charge of recruiting for the Fable clan is a motherf***ing bastard, she thought.
Rifle bursts from the front. Erin air dashed backwards, her sword shunting aside the few bullets which were on target. Then, her shotgun snapped out and fired at the man—
He twisted to avoid the pellets, then rolled towards the nearest cover possible – a sofa . Arladerus fired his revolvers at the man, who had just managed to dive behind the sofa before a group of holes were punched into the concrete wall behind by a shotgun. Though the man managed to dodge most of Arlad’s revolver shots, a bullet caught him in the leg, and he loosed a suppressed cry.
Footsteps. Arladerus shifted his attention to the young boy who suddenly ran across the room --
Laughing his insane laugh, Arladerus pointed a revolver at him, and fired twice.
Holes appeared on the boy’s calves. Then, spraying blood, he stumbled onto the floor just before he could reach the sofa, yelling in pain, face twisted in agony. A few moments, then, he fell silent, his thrashing limbs motionless.
‘Toc!’ The man behind the sofa shouted.
Arladerus glanced back at Erin, who, strangely, although her shotgun was directly aiming at “Toc”, did not fire, indecision in her eyes. He breathed in deep, shaking off the sudden sympathy he felt for her.
‘HAH! These are the failures Fable clan recruits, then!’ He taunted, suddenly merry, pointing his gun at the sofa. ‘F***ing coward!’
‘Shut the f*** up, Calvary idiot,’ the man replied.
‘You’re going to die! Face it, coward!’
‘I’m not an idiot!’
‘You know what they call you around here? Idiots! And you know what’s the worst kind of idiot? The cowardly—’
‘SHUT UP!’
‘What’s yer name, kiddo? What’s it? Huh?’
‘Why should I tell you?’
‘We’ll settle for Coward, then? How fitt—’
‘Lith! Stop calling me a coward, you’re no better—’
‘Oh, yes I am, because I’m the one ready to face you like a man—’
‘Call your companion off, then, you f***ing noob double teamers!!’
‘Why should I, you noob! It was four against two—’
‘Well, now it’s two against one, noob—’
‘S-T-F-U, we killed your noob mates fair and square, you noob—’
‘Stop sounding like bickering women, it’s getting creepy,’ Erin said, rubbing her temples.
‘F*** YOU, YOU NOOB!’ Lith screamed.
‘NO, F*** YOU!’ Arladerus yelled.
‘NO, F*** YOU!’
‘F***--’
‘I’LL F*** YOU BOTH YOU F***ING NOOBS--’
‘You’ll do what?!’ Lith and Arladerus both exclaimed at Erin’s random declaration after a yelp of surprise.
‘No, really, just kidding.’
‘Just come out here, you bastard,’ Arladerus said, voice rising in pitch.
‘Make me, noob!’
‘F*** you! I’ll just go there myself—’
‘I’m tempted to escape through the window, oh yes, deliciously in front of me right now...’
‘GO ON, THEN, CO—’
‘...BUT FOR HONOR’S SAKE!’ Lith’s voice rose to a yell, then dropped suddenly. ‘How about a sword duel?’
‘Did I hear that right?’ Arladerus said, picking an ear with his finger.
Silence. Only heavy breathing could be heard.
‘Dude,’ Lith said after a time, ‘Swords, 1 v 1. Dead serious.’
‘Dead... serious?’
Erin put her shotgun away, watching as Arladerus drew his katana, eyeing the man who emerged from behind the sofa –bloodied across his stomach, a slight limp to his step – shortsword in a hand. He stepped to Toc, dragging him behind the sofa, then stood in front of Arladerus.
‘First blood?’ He asked.
Arladerus glared at the man. ‘You f***ing coward...’
‘Shut up. Yes or no?’
Sudden movement behind the window. Erin tensed.
‘N—’
At around that moment, Erin loosed a cry as the window behind Lith shattered with a loud gunshot. She threw up her sword to shield herself even as her right shoulder exploded in blood – And she was thrown backwards like a rag doll, striking the wall further back –
Arladerus screamed.
---------------------------
