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Thread: Zoids: Cataclysm

  1. #191
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    -Eleven days later-

    There is only one word that can be used to describe the journey through Devil's Canyon: Hell.

    Throughout the whole canyon, there had only been one narrow path that the group had been able to travel on. This was due to the fact that the canyon was a tight squeeze at some parts, wide open with endless falls to either side at others, and sinkhole-ridden valleys in between. The Korzai's Elephander and Ginger's Gustav and Lanstag held them up on many occasions, for their weights caused rotten rock to collapse multiple times. Every single step that they took had to be double, triple, and quadruple-checked before they took it, and they had dozens upon dozens of close calls.

    The weather of Zi even seemed to be against them. Freezing rain that created hazardous ice fell from the heavens on many days, and when it wasn't freezing rain that fell on them, it was normal rain. They had a few days where the weather was nice enough to move at a normal pace, but most of the days were dreary and wet.

    Along with those difficulties, they also had to fight against seemingly wild zoids every step of the way. Terraces bombarded them from the skies, Heldigunners clawed at them from below, and Rev Raptors swarmed them from all sides. Although they were not particularly difficult models to handle, their numbers were rather overwhelming. Also, it was near impossible for the group to battle them in their precarious environment.

    Understandably, all of these things placed a great amount of stress upon the group. Not only was the constant tension of the air wearing them down, but their night watches were becoming increasingly more difficult. The loss of sleep was positively killing them, and bags began to form underneath their eyes. Sometimes, they weren't even able to rest during the nights.

    The first two days were not horrible, and they were all able to bond with each other. But two days after that, every group member's patience had been completely destroyed. Afterwards, there were three or four days of almost constant yelling as each group member pointed out each individual fault and flaw in the opposing members' attitudes. The rain certainly did not help their moods. The last three days that they had been in the canyon consisted of little to no conversation, for the pilots were too exhausted to participate in conversation. Every snide remark had been met with uncaring silence, and even the rare jabs at each other had become extinct.

    Nonetheless, the pilots finally triumphed over Devil's Canyon. When they reached the other side, they had released a cheer of joy, and all frustration and annoyance had vanished. Tears of relief had been shared, and many hugs had been given. Due to the fact that all of the zoids had major and minor wounds, they found the nearest repair station that they could, applying the necessary repairs.

    Finally, after eleven days of Hell, the pilots were ready to go to Zyphron.

    ~~~~~

    Cadmus yawned and stretched his arms back over his head, feeling his joints pop. The previous day, they had exited Devil's Canyon, and last night, they had all finally received a night of well-deserved sleep that hadn't been interrupted by wild zoid ambushes. They were all still filthy with mud and sweat, which is why Cad was itching to get to Zyphron.

    He sighed as he heard the pattering of raindrops upon the outside of the zoid. Damn, it's STILL raining? The rain had only been stopping momentarily for the past four days, and Cad had begun to miss the sun. This didn't dampen his mood, however. They had gotten out of Devil's Canyon, and that was good enough for him. After tapping a couple of controls to wake the Liger, he felt the familiar rumble beneath him.

    Well isn't this strange? I'm the one waking YOU this time, Rigon.

    Let me rest, Cadmus. You weren't the one who had to walk through the whole canyon.

    Get up, you lazy beast.


    The Liger slowly stood up, shaking its body groggily. Cadmus saw that the other zoids were awake and moving. He connected with the others to send them a little good morning message.

    "Another day of rain. Sweet. Korzai, make sure you keep an eye on your Elephander's front right foot. It looks a bit weathered down, so watch your step in this rain."

    Cracking his neck, he prepared himself for another day of traveling.

    ~~~~~

    Even though the journey through Devil's Canyon had been impossibly terrible, Aelia knew that it would be worth the trip. Zyphron had to have some answers about her parents and her past, for nowhere else did. A city full of genezoids like me. How could they NOT know anything about my past? But if I don't find anything here...what else is there?

    It matters not, Aelia. We will find you answers.


    Looking distantly out the window, she let out a short sigh. Yeah, we're too far to turn back. Shrugging, she tapped a few of the buttons on the controls. She had become much more comfortable with this group, and after hearing Cadmus' message, she established a connection with Michael.

    "Rise and shine, bud. Time for us to move."

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  2. #192
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    Waking to the soft pitter patter or rain on her cockpit, Nell rolled onto her back and let out a yawn. Closing her eyes again, she listened to the little drops as they hit the glass and the metal. She remembered the last couple days and let out an audible sigh.

    "I'm starting to hate the rain." she muttered to Necros sourly.

    She felt Necros shift and then settle again. From what she could tell, he was just as tired of the rain. In fact, he was probably tired in general. She had heard the rumors of Devil's Canyon, and the last eleven days have proved everyone of them true, and also added so much more. She was glad to finally be out of there. She was also thankful that she joined up with Cad, Michal and the rest of them. She hated to think what would have happen them if they didn't.

    Once again Necros shifted, they must be up. Almost as if to prove a point, she got Cad's message telling them good morning, so she sent a quick one back. It was amazaing what eleven days with people could do. At last, it was time to get going to Zyphron and she was ready to get there. As she felt Necros stand, she watched as Korzai's Elephander foot came down, something was wrong. "Necros, keep and eye on Korzai and the Elephander's right foot. If they need help we'll do what we can."

    She knew he agreed when she felt the rumble throughout the cabin and she mentally prepared herself for another day of traveling.

  3. #193
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    "Curtis wake up!" Michael yelled, pulling on a tight black shirt.

    "I don't want to go to school mommy." Curtis mumbled before rolling over on to his side, pulling his blanket over him.

    "We ain't got time for this." Michael grabbed Curtis' ankle and dragged him out of the tent.

    "What the hell!?" The teen yelled in surprise.


    "Get ready." The Captain ordered and he made sure Curtis actually started getting ready instead of going back to sleep. Once that was done he grabbed himself some breakfast. Sitting next to Vega he started talking. "Good to be out of that damn canyon."

    "My thoughts exactly." Vega sipped some coffee.

    "Damn it." Curtis cursed as he joined his fellow Paladins around the fire. He also got some breakfast. The three of them didn't talk for the remainder of their meal, no one was in the mood to talk. Curtis about to fall back asleep where he sat, Vega enjoying the silence, and Michael lost in his own thoughts.

    Once they were don they cleaned up camp and mounted their zoids. The group started traveling. Michael hit a few buttons on his console, music started playing. Something to relieve the boredom of travel. "Not much farther guys. Then we can sleep in actual beds for once."

  4. #194
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    CO POST (Doc, Ushima, Mask)

    The rain poured harder and harder as the zoids marched on. Due to the consistent rainfall, there were many patches of slippery mud, but they plowed through it. Eventually, lightning began to flash from the storm, and booms of thunder rumbled across the sky.

    The plain ahead of them, though, was as clear as day. With each flash of lightning, they could see in the far-off distance the forest that served as a landmark for Zyphron. The forest surrounded the city for many miles, and it was in the center on a piece of slightly raised land. They couldn't see the city yet, but it would be in sight within a few days.

    Cadmus blinked slowly, shaking his head as if exhaustion was an insect. His eyes were starting to droop due to the mindless hours spent on the road, and he still needed to recover from his lack of sleep in the canyon the day before. He may have gotten plenty of sleep last night, but he still had a few weeks until his sleep schedule would return to normal.

    Finally, he decided that he couldn't take it anymore. Letting out a wide yawn, he connected with Cyrus.

    "Hey Cy, could you take point for me? I gotta catch up on a bit more sleep."

    The radio crackled for a second due to the weather, and then Cadmus heard him reply. "Yeah, sure. Let me know when you're done slacking off." The voice had a jokingly sarcastic tone to it.

    Cad rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, asshole."

    "Tsk tsk. You realize that I don't have to take the offer, right? I'm the one doing you a favor here. I could just let you pass out on the wheel." Nonetheless, Cadmus saw from out of his window that the Saix was pulling up next to him. He grabbed the rim of the nonexistent hat on his head, tipping the imaginary thing to Cyrus as thanks with a tired grin. The pilot of the Saix nodded, jerking his head behind him to indicate where Cad should go. Slowing down, Cadmus took his place behind the Saix, letting the Liger go on autopilot and shifting his seat back. Now for a bit of beauty sleep...

    As he shut his eyes, though, a bright flash of lightning illuminated the plain, and Cadmus was suddenly wide awake as he saw the dark silhouette of the Centipos standing imposingly many hundred feet away from them. Jerking back to his controls, he tapped several buttons, returning the piloting to manual as the seat reconfigured itself. Suddenly, a seemingly omniscient voice could be heard across the full plain.

    "My messengers! I had hoped that I would catch you in the middle of the mission I sent you on."

    Cadmus, I don't like this. Let's just go around him.

    I doubt he'll let us, Rigon. Let's just take it easy, but we will get out of here as soon as we can, I promise.
    The group halted as the man in the Centipos spoke, and Cadmus connected to the rest of them nervously. "Guys, this is him. The Zoid Prime. The one who was in that military base. What do we do?"

    "He doesn't look too hard." Ginger's voice came through the intercom. "We can take him if he attacks or resists us!"

    "I wouldn't be sure of that, Ginger." Cyrus cautiously spoke. "Something is...off about that zoid."

    Cadmus hesitantly responded to the Zoid Prime. "What do you want from us now? Look, we just want to get to Zyphron, and then we will spread your damn word all over the city, ok?"

    He was answered by a short laugh. "Cadmus, I'm only waiting for your Republican friends, don't worry. However, I did hear an interesting rumor from a couple researchers involving a certain ruin...and a certain man. I came to see if the rumors are true."

    Republican friends? Researchers? What does he-

    "What did you do to them?!"

    ~~~~~

    The outburst had come from Aelia. When the Zoid Prime had mentioned the researchers, she became instantly worried. He's talking about where I met Michael! He has to be talking about Gunther and Ran... Concern was biting into her, and the anticipation was killing her. "Where are they? What happened to them?"

    The voice let out another short laugh. "Concerned, are we? They served their purpose, so I had no use for them anymore. After all, they were digging in places that should be left buried. I was merciful, though. I made it short and to the point."

    As the Zoid Prime answered, hundreds of different emotions slammed into Aelia. Sorrow, guilt, anger, frustration, shock. He killed them...I don't believe it... Tears started to accumulate in the corners of her eyes. They didn't even do anything wrong, and he killed them like they were animals for the slaughter! No, not even animals. Something below that.

    I'm...sorry, Aelia. This is unreasonable. Unjust. Undeserved.

    You're damn right it was undeserved.
    Anger finally took hold of her, and she gripped the controls fiercely, closing her eyes tight and gritting her teeth as slow tears traced wet tracks over her cheeks. Varien. He must be punished.

    "How could you?! They did nothing wrong!!"

    The voice snapped back at her angrily. "They did everything wrong! They destroyed this land, just like the rest of the population! You know nothing, Aelia Auburn...oh! But Auburn just doesn't sound...correct, does it?"

    She gasped as he spoke, but before she could reply, the voice continued. "See, you really do know nothing! You don't know anything about your past. Not a single memory. Nothing. You know who did know, though?"

    The girl she used to be returned to her. The one who stuttered, who was nervous about everything she did. She was afraid again. Her breath taken away, she whispered back to him. "W-who..."

    The voice rasped back to her a single word.

    "Azuroth."

    ~~~~~

    Cadmus glanced to the side as the conversation ensued, and as soon as the Zoid Prime spoke that word, he saw the black and gold Zaber Fang crouch down, ready to leap into action. I've never seen her like this before! This is insane! He hurriedly connected to her.

    "Aelia, stop! Don't attack him yet! This isn't what we need right now!"

    Her angry response returned quickly. "You don't get this, Cadmus! You aren't even involved! Stay out of it!"

    "Aelia, calm down and listen to Cadmus. For once, he is actually thinking this through. Just take it easy, please." The voice came from Michael through the radio, and then a fragile silence layered upon the group. Finally, Aelia responded.

    "Fine. Do something before I change my mind."

    Cadmus silently thanked Michael for his intervening. Then he heard Cyrus speak to Zoid Prime. "What do you mean 'Republican friends?'"

    The voice responded. "A couple of trucks here, a couple soldiers there. Those genezoid refugees. I have a meeting with them that I must attend."

    This time Michael spoke to them. "Dammit! He means the trucks full of genezoids that the Republic was sending to Zyphron! I'm supposed to be there by now to cool things off between the Empire and the Republic! We have got to keep him from getting to those trucks. It's the top priority."

    Vega tuned in. "Agreed. Curtis, prepare yourself. I'll move to a suitable position on your signal, Michael."

    Something was still nagging on Cad's mind. The others were discussing a plan, and as Michael started to tell Korzai what to do with the Elephander, Cadmus spoke to the Zoid Prime.

    "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

    The communication network between the others suddenly fell silent as they heard Cadmus ask the question. There was a pause where the only thing that they could hear was the pounding of the rain upon their zoids, and then the voice came again, this time firm and serious.

    "How strange that you of all people, Cadmus, decided to ask this. Interesting indeed. Do you know why this is so interesting? You should know, Cadmus. You really should know the answer to that question. But, alas, it is not so. He was a mysterious man, was he not? You looked up to him, didn't you? Unfortunately, it seems that he was not able to inform you during his time with you."

    Cadmus' stomach was in his throat. Is he talking about who I think he is? There was a pause, and then he asked another question.

    "You...know my father?"

    The Zoid Prime grimly chuckled. "Well now, I did know him. That was before things started to get out of hand, and then we had...complications."

    "Cadmus, NO!"

    The call was too late. The Murasame Liger was already running full speed towards the Centipos, and it glowed slightly as Cadmus fused with his zoid.

    I'm ready, Rigon. Kill him.

    He shall know pain faster and stronger than the lightning that plagues our skies. Our blade shall stay true, little one.


    As they came within one hundred feet of the Centipos, however, it vanished. The Liger skidded to a halt, turning its head to each side as it eagerly searched for its prey. Where is he?! Suddenly, the Centipos appeared away from them. The voice returned.

    "And so we begin."

    Letting out a screeching call, the Centipos opened fire.

    ~~~~~

    "Shit! Everyone move, now!" The Kinami Liger rushed the Centipos, sword in it's mouth. The blade started glowing a bright red. Explosions from the Centipos' bombardment rocked the zoid, but it was a very agile zoid, evading the attacks the best that it could.

    Nearing the Centipos, the liger jumped into the air. "Devil's Slash!"

    Just as the blade was about to strike, the crimson zoid vanished, reappearing behind the Kinami Liger. It then unloaded several shots from the cannon on its nose. However, none of these shots hit, because as soon as the zoid fired, it was immediately tackled by the black and gold Zaber Fang.

    Aelia, who was fused with the Zaber Fang, connected with Michael. "I got your back!" As the two zoids' momentum carried them, the Zaber Fang leaped off of the Centipos and immediately fired at it with the double barreled anti-zoid cannon. As the Centipos straightened itself, several panels of its armor on its side opened up, and a shield deployed around it, deflecting the shots.

    "Vega hit him with the Particle Cannon!" Michael yelled.

    "On it." Several hatches on the Snipe Master's tail opened up and started absorbing energy. The gathered energy formed at the end of the barrel. "Fire!" The large pink beam shot out towards the Centipos. The particle cannon on the Snipe Master was not as powerful as a full charged particle cannon, but it was certainly able to deal a decent amount of damage.

    It wasn't enough, though. The energy shield around the Centipos cracked, but didn't break. It once again vanished, appearing away from the group.

    "This isn't what I expected! I thought that you would at least be able to break the shield! Seems as though I was mistaken!" Then the panels opened up again, this time deploying thirty holograms of its own image. Then the Centipos vanished again.

    Damn it all! Which one is the real one!?

    Only one way for us to find out, little one.
    The Murasame Liger jumped back and forth, lunging at different holograms while simultaneously cutting at others with its massive blade and shooting with its shock cannons. Suddenly from one of the Centipos replicas there came a flash of blue, and the Liger received a blast wound on its side. It roared in pain, turning to unload upon the Centipos. However, it once again hit a hologram.

    This is ridiculous! How are we holding up, Rigon?

    That blast hit me pretty badly, but I'm holding up. I've endured worse.


    "Cadmus, get out of there! Let me handle this." He heard Curtis' voice contacting the Liger, and he quickly obeyed, escaping from the holograms.

    "Alright let's hit him with this." The Bear Fighter roared as it's weapons activated. Missle pods opened and guns aimed towards the holograms. "Armageddon Barrage!" All of the weapons on the zoid fired, smoke trailing behind each missile. The area full of holograms was suddenly masked with smoke and dust as the weapons hit their marks.

    As the smoke finally cleared, the Centipos was seen standing amongst the craters, its side flashing with electricity. It tried to vanish, but its cloaking only partially hid it, glitching the zoid back to their vision. The cloaking device was damaged, but another screech from the zoid showed it to still be very much functional.

    "My turn." The message came from Cyrus as the Saix ran towards the Centipos at blinding speeds. As it raced towards the zoid, barrages from the Centipos rained down upon it. It was too fast, though, and the shots fell uselessly. As the Saix approached, it ran to the side and turned, slowing down and sliding upon the muddy ground as it opened fire upon the Centipos' wounded side. The zoid screeched again, firing everything at the Saix, almost point blank.

    Fortunately, the Lanstag had activated its energy shield, leaping in front of the Saix. "That's two that you owe me for, baby!" Ginger's flirtatious voice carried through the radio as the Saix leaped away, allowing the energy shield of the Lanstag to receive the bombardment. The shield shut off as the bombardment finish, and the Lanstag charged the Centipos with its thruster lance, aiming for the chest of the crimson zoid.

    The Centipos, however, glitched to the side of the lance with unthinkable speed, firing upon the Lanstag's side as it passed by. The zoid was totally exposed, and it fell to the ground, its open side sparking uselessly. Ginger cursed: It was in Command System Freeze. The Centipos then trained its guns upon the fallen zoid, prepared to completely destroy it.

    Blade extended, Necros and Nell ran at the Zoid. Leaping, she “missed” him, only to have Necros’s tail come whipping back and making a slash. The Centipos reeled away, shrieking at the new attacker. The KatFysh and the Centipos circled one another, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Suddenly the Centipos flinched from the wound in its side. Seeing her chance, she leaped.

    She continued this five times, giving the other Zoid so minor damages. On the sixth try, the Zoid countered, causing Necros to skid in his side several feet. Red lights flared in front of Nell as the screen pointed out damages that had just received, but nothing was too major. Without even doing anything, Necros stood, she could practically feel his want to get back in the battle and have some fun. Without any hesitation, she fulfilled his wish and hopped back in with the others.

    Cadmus, Michael, and Nell prowled around the Centipos, watching for any movement. Their zoids' blades were ready to strike, positioned to attack and defend from anything. The Centipos suddenly glowed blue, and blades glowing with a similar color emerged from the sides and along the neck of the zoid. With an even louder shriek, it ran towards them.

    The speed and intensity of the battle was incredible. The Murasame Liger, Kinami Liger, and Katfysh were all very agile zoids, but the Centipos was so impossibly fast and quick that it managed to block or evade each and every one of their slashes and hits, dealing minor damage in return to all three of them. Eventually, the Murasame came within inches of impaling the Centipos through the chest. Then the energy shield flared up again, glancing the blade of Zi away.

    ~~~~~

    The three of them retreated to a safe distance, watching the Centipos from afar. The rain was starting to let up, but it still distorted their vision slightly as they watched the glowing shield of the Centipos.

    Cadmus' voice came from within the Liger, connecting with the others. He was obviously exhausted. "That thing is impossibly fast. I don't see how we can handle this."

    "You guys seem to have forgotten me entirely!" The voice came from the Elephander. Cadmus had, in fact, forgotten entirely about Korzai. However, it was almost impossible for her to get a good shot at the Centipos, for there had been much close-quarters fighting.

    "Well, to be honest, Korzai, I kind of did."

    "Shut it, Cad. Here's the thing: that shield is impossible to get through with the firepower of Vega's particle cannon, although it did crack it. You still haven't seen the power of this Elephander. If I unload on that thing with all I've got, I can probably damage that shield. Then, Vega, when you see the shield crack again, you shoot. Curtis, if you fire around that...thing...then you could provide a good distraction."

    "Wait, a distraction for what?"

    Korzai laughed. "For you and Michael, Cad." With that, the Elephander let out a trumpeting call and started to fire. It's firepower was truly impressive, and the shots landed upon the shield. The ground almost seemed to shake as round upon round was fired. In preparation for their move, the Murasame and the Kinami started to edge towards the sides. The bombardment continued, and then they finally had their opportunity. In a flash of light, the shield cracked.

    "Now, Vega! Curtis, fire!"

    The Snipe Master's panels opened again, and the particle cannon was off. The pink beam fired again towards the Centipos, hitting the shield. Suddenly the flashes became more frequent, and the cracks began to form a spiderweb on the shield. Then all visual contact with the Centipos was lost as Curtis unloaded with the Bear Fighter.

    Run, Rigon, RUN! The steady thumping of the Murasame increased as it ran on the left, the Kinami running on the right. The swords were between the two of them, forming a gauntlet as they ran faster and faster towards the Centipos. The Murasame accelerated as it entered the cloud of dust, evading Curtis' shots. Energy started collecting in the sash around the Kinami's leg. The sword started glowing a golden color. Explosions went off around him as he avoided attacks, moving toward the enemy.

    There was a moment of contact. Both of them felt it.

    Then they were out of the cloud.

    The shots from Curtis stopped, and as the dust cleared, there were was a large gash on each side of the Centipos. The wounds sparked violently, and with a flash, a ball of light flew into the air. It landed on the ground, and the light subsided. In its place, a cloaked man was on the ground on one knee. The Zoid Prime.

    He was breathing heavily, blood trickling down the side of his face. His face was somewhat frantic, but suddenly he started to laugh. Then he stood.

    "You do not understand what you have just released."

    He turned to face the Centipos that was frozen in place. Suddenly, the violent sparks on the side of each wound grew greater and greater, and electricity started to cascade from the sides of the zoid. It became more and more violent until it was surrounded by electricity, and then a blue light started to glow from the center of the zoid. It became so bright that everyone was temporarily blinded.

    When their vision returned, the Centipos was gone. No, not gone--replaced. Replaced by a massive glowing blue pyramid that was at least three times larger than the Centipos. Gentle rays of light pulsed down from the top of the pyramid, beating like a heart. It was an incredible sight, especially under the dark clouds of rain.

    They watched as the Zoid Prime laughed harder. "You are no longer Siren, my friend. You are so much more." With that, the man strode straight into the pyramid of light and vanished, leaving the pilots to stare at the great structure in wonder.

    Thanks to Karma for the dandiest set
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  5. #195
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    Eyes wide and mouth opened, Nell stared at the pyramid that had appeared before the group. Every few seconds would pulse out of the top of or it, almost like a living breathing heart beat. Honestly, it was kind of creepy. It almost felt like it was alive to her. She felt Necros shift, his uncertainly toward the object clear as well.

    Pressing the button for open communication, Nell asked the one question that was on her mind. "What happened and what do we do now?" she voiced. She wasn't expecting an answer for the first question, but at the same time it seemed like Micheal had met this "Zoid Prime" before, it made her think that he know something. Although it was highly unlikely that he did. About the second question, well she hoped that someone would have a answer.

  6. #196
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    "Fuckin' a." Michael kicked the sand.

    "Seems you've encountered this thing before." Vega pushed up on his glasses, watching the swirling mass of energy.

    "Yeah. Back in Neo Haven. I didn't fight it directly but this thing attacked the city. It's what all the humans blamed the Genezoids on." Michael took a drink out of his canteen. "Then there was the visions I had in the ruins."

    "So this things been around for a long time." Curtis sighed. "Great."

    Michael just moved closer, standing next to Cad. "Well this sucks."

  7. #197
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    Cadmus stared at the massive pyramid, eyes wide and mouth open.

    "Well this sucks."

    He paused, unable to answer Michael because he was so mesmerized. "Yeah...this...pretty much sucks." Placing a hand on the Murasame Liger's leg, he sighed. "This can easily go from bad to worse. We need someone to let the Empire know that something bad is here. We can't handle this on our own."

    Cyrus walked up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can do that. My Saix alone will get there in a couple days, maybe only one day. Depends what I run into."

    Cadmus nodded. "Good plan. Get going, Cy. And don't be late with those Empire troops." He looked over his shoulder, winking at the older man.

    Cyrus grinned. "You're not the boss of me, punk." He shoved Cadmus' head and started to walk away. Then he turned around. "Oh yeah, and in the predicament that that asshole breaks out of the pyramid before I get back, good moves out there, Cad. You finally thought with your mind, not your skull."

    Cad turned to face him, grinning back. "And in the case that you do get back in time?"

    Letting out a short bark of laughter, Cyrus extended his hand to Cadmus. "Then I take it back, and you'll be dead. But I'm fast, Cad. I'll be back in time."

    Cadmus gripped his hand firmly. "I'll hold you up to that promise." Then Cyrus turned away, but before he could reach the Saix, Ginger got in his way.

    "Not so fast, sugar. If you think that you can run off again without me, then you've got a lot to learn."

    Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "What, you're gonna leave your Lanstag here? Besides, the Saix at full speed is...difficult to handle."

    Ginger shrugged casually. "Well the thing is trashed, so I won't do much good here. Plus, if you think that zoid is tough to handle at full speed, then you obviously haven't seen me in bed." She winked at him in a completely different way than how Cadmus had winked at him before.

    Sighing, Cyrus connected the palm of his hand to his forehead, a red color accumulating in his cheeks. "Look, Ginger, this is serious, and-"

    She cut him off, putting a finger to his lips. "I don't care how 'serious' it is. You aren't getting away from me again, and I can handle the Saix. Let's go."

    Rolling his eyes, Cyrus brushed past her, throwing up his arms hopelessly. "Fine. Let's go."

    Cadmus watched as the Saix sprinted away. The rain had finally stopped and the clouds had cleared away, revealing a starry night above them. The pyramid gave off a luminescent blue glow, illuminating everything around them with a tint slightly brighter than those of the two moons. Then, stretching, he walked over to the others.

    "We need to keep an eye on that pyramid." Michael said to all of them. "Which means that we are going to be adding to the shifts. We can rotate through the night with three people up at all times."

    Cadmus nodded. Looks like another sleepless night. Starting to sound like Devil's Canyon again.

    ~~~~~

    Aelia sat on top of her Zaber Fang, legs dangling off of the edge. It had been a full day since Cyrus' departure, and they were partially through their second night watching the pyramid. She was watching now with Cadmus and Korzai, though it seemed as though Korzai had fallen asleep in her zoid. However, she was too uncomfortable with waking Korzai up. She didn't want her to react in the same way that she had in Devil's Canyon. Shuddering at the thought, she turned her attention back to the pyramid. It doesn't really matter anyway. It doesn't look like anything is happening with this thing anyway.

    Don't let your guard down, my love. That thing could jump out any minute, and we need to be ready when it does.

    But Varien, 3 guards? Really? Is this necessary? 2 guards can easily play the same role as 3. Cadmus and I are doing fine ourselves.

    He isn't really watching, though. He's busy repairing his zoid, which could cost us our lives.


    Aelia rolled her eyes. Forget it. She then looked over at Cadmus, who was focused on the blast wound on the Murasame's side that it had received during the fight yesterday. He was shirtless, and the light pulses from the pyramid showed the shine of sweat upon his back. He looked to be struggling, maybe due to lack of sleep. Hopping off of the Zaber Fang, she grabbed a canteen of water. I'll be back, Varien.

    Careful, my lady.


    ~~~~~

    Cadmus grit his teeth as he turned the wrench with all of the force he could muster. There was a low rumble of anger coming from the Liger that he was working on, and he cursed at it. Shut it, Rigon. I'm helping you out here, and you're just getting pissed at me. It's like kicking and screaming after someone cleans your wound with alcohol.

    I think I know my insides better than you do, Cadmus, and THAT ISN'T THE RIGHT BOLT.


    The Liger roared in annoyance, turning its head to growl at Cadmus. Instead of reacting in fear, the boy threw the wrench angrily at the side of the zoid, causing nothing but a scratch in the paint. FINE. If you're gonna keep whining like a whelp, then you can fix yourself!

    In response, the Liger stood up, walking away from him into the night. FINE. If you're too busy doing everything wrong, I might just do that!

    Jackass!
    Grumbling curses underneath his breath, he turned from the Liger that was walking away-

    -and saw Aelia standing directly behind him with a metal canteen.

    Shit. He grinned sheepishly, cheeks turning darker in the dull light. "Hey there Aelia. What's up?"

    She offered him the canteen, rolling her eyes. "It looks like you two need a break." As he took the canteen, she walked towards the pyramid, sitting down on the ground in front of it. How thoughtful of her. He took a large swallow from the canteen, savoring the cooling taste of water in his mouth. Well I'm dehydrated. No doubt about that. Grabbing his shirt from the ground, he slung it over his shoulder and sat next to Aelia.

    They sat in silence for a time, feeling the pulses of light wash over them. There was something oddly soothing about the pulses of the pyramid, but at the same time, it made him feel uneasy. It was as if he were on the edge of comfort, only to have it snatched away by a feeling of intimidation. The silence between them was assuring, not like a silence of nervousness. It was a mutual silence, where neither of them had anything to say, but they were ok with it. It was a strong silence. Then Aelia broke it.

    "What do you think they are doing inside of that?"

    Cadmus stared at the pyramid thoughtfully, then shrugged. "I wish I knew. I don't feel safe checking it out, though. I don't really want to know what's on the other side of that."

    Aelia nodded in reply. The silence fell upon them momentarily, and then she broke it again. "Cad, does this moment feel...odd to you? We might not even survive this attack when it happens. Doesn't that bug you?"

    The words knocked Cadmus' breath away. He hadn't really thought of it that way. What if we don't survive this? What if everything that we are doing is entirely futile? They might exit the pyramid at any time and kill every one of us. She's right. Another attack could kill us.

    He sighed, looking away for a moment. Do I have any regrets in my life? If I don't survive this, will there be anything I wish I had done? Sure. I wish I had spent more time searching for dad instead of being a mercenary. I wish I had found a zoid earlier so that I could've defended us from that bandit attack that killed mom. I wish that I had actually approached Elle before she left so that I could've maybe convinced her to stay. At least I would've been able to at least make an impression on her instead of hiding away.

    Cyrus' advice suddenly resounded in his head. “If you want something, you shouldn’t be afraid to take a risk for it. Otherwise they’ll never know how much you mean to them.”

    Okay. I'll do it. Wish me luck, you bastard.


    ~~~~~

    Aelia watched as Cadmus contemplated her question. It was a heavy one, but she wanted to know Cadmus' answer. He can't be older than 18. This must be pretty difficult for him. After a few seconds of silence and a sigh from him, he turned back to her.

    "I mean, of course it bothers me. I'm not going to pretend that I have no regrets or say that I'm totally okay with it. But...staring potential death in the face right now...I wouldn't really have it any other way."

    She turned to him, a questioning look on her face. "What do you mean?"

    He shrugged. As he spoke, she noticed that he was shaking slightly. Chills? Or nervousness? "I...I don't think..." He sighed, giving up on the previous statement and starting over. What's up with him right now?

    "Aelia, I can't think of anyone better than you to wait on this thing with me. I wouldn't change this journey at all, not even the parts in Devil's Canyon, because I got to know you."

    Her jaw was slightly open, her eyes open in concern. Oh my gosh...what is he saying? What does he mean? Only then did she notice that they were in very close proximity, their faces only half a foot away from each other. Her face turned slightly red as she tried to glance away. What do I do?!

    "To be honest, Aelia, I can't think of anyone else that I would rather die with."

    A few seconds passed after he said that, but those seconds felt like hours to Aelia. She was frozen in shock, returning to the shy, silent girl that she had been before. This...I don't know what to say! This is entirely new to me!

    Then she gasped inside as she felt Cadmus kiss her.

    Her initial reaction was absolute shock. She had no idea what was going on, for it was all moving so fast for her. Then that feeling faded, and she melted faster than ice in a flame. She was actually enjoying it. It was new, exhilarating, terrifying, heart-stopping, and perfect all at once. Closing her eyes, she opened herself up to the kiss, easing into the wonderful formation. She put one of her hands at the place where his shoulder and his neck meet in a comforting gesture, gently moving her hand down to his chest. As her lips closed, sealing the first kiss, they opened again, embracing another one from Cadmus as they moved closer. The kiss was so slow, so different, so...

    What am I doing? Why am I doing this? I don't even know what's happening right now. What does this mean for us? I don't like him like THIS! Dammit, what do I do?!

    Then she withdrew from the kiss, a sad look in her eyes.

    ~~~~~

    His thoughts were everywhere, possibly literally. They zoomed from place to place as he experienced dozens of different emotions. It was truly incredible as the thoughts flew through his head, and as he closed his eyes to truly experience the kiss, he almost saw all of the thoughts happening in the same instant.

    Then they all stopped as she withdrew. He finally opened his eyes as the feelings drifted away, and he smiled warmly at her as he looked at her, eyes flickering with excitement. But she wasn't happy. She was sad. Almost...disappointed. He instantly felt ashamed. What did I do wrong?

    "Cadmus...I...I can't...this...it isn't right."

    Isn't right?! Where did that come from? She was enjoying it! He spoke hastily. "What do you mean? I thought you enjoyed it!"

    She looked away, blue hair covering up her face. "I did...but...I can't do this, Cadmus."

    He leaned forward a bit, not noticing that he was pressuring her. "Why not? What is it?" Now look what I've done...

    He saw her bite her lip. "I...I just can't, Cadmus. This isn't right. I-"

    Suddenly, she was cut off as the pyramid let out a loud boom that resounded across the plains. Something was happening. They needed to be ready.

    In an instant, Cadmus stood up, grabbing Aelia's hand and pulling her up. "Go! Get to your zoid!" With that, he ran to wake the others. Come on, Rigon! I need you now!

    ~~~~~

    All of them were wide awake, staring at the pyramid in anxious excitement. It had been only seconds since the pyramid had boomed, and everyone except for Cadmus were in their zoids, for the Murasame Liger was still out somewhere. All of their weapons were aimed at the pyramid, ready to destroy the first thing that came from it.

    Suddenly, a dark silhouette of a man appeared on the side of the pyramid, slowly becoming more and more defined. Cadmus was defenseless, standing in front of the pyramid in awe. Then, without a noise, the silhouette became a man outside of the pyramid.

    When the figure emerged, Michael jumped from his zoid, landing in front of Cadmus. It was too dangerous for them to attack the figure with the weapons on the zoids without hurting Cadmus, so Michael drew both guns from his holsters, pulling the hammers back as he raised them up. The man waved his arm in the air, a spark of electricity zapped both weapons and Michael dropped them. "You son of a bitch." Reaching behind him he drew his sword. "Now you're in for it. Cadmus, run!"

    The man let out a laugh as Cadmus escaped from the battle, the Zoid Prime's new features finally becoming clear with the glow of the pyramid behind him. "Then show me. Show me what I'm 'in for.'" Swinging the massive sword slung over his shoulder with surprising speed, he went for a cut across Michael's chest.

    The speed caught him off guard but Michael quickly raised his sword to block the strike. Both blades locked into place. "What's the matter? Over compensating for something with that thing?"

    The man grinned darkly, leaning forward and pushing his weight against Michael. "I don't see it as overcompensation. More like...insurance." He pushed the swords to the left against the ground and shoved forward with his metal-coated shoulder, knocking Michael backwards. Then he swung his sword up, bringing it down in an overhead strike.

    Michael rolled to the side to avoid the strike. While his opponent struggled to free his stuck blade Michael attacked, swinging his blade. The sword became dislogged to block the attack. Michael grabbed onto the man's arm, pulling him and delivering a headbutt. Michael ignored the forming headache as the man staggered backward, holding his head. Now he took a two handed grip, preparing to attack.

    The man held his head, smiling. "Michael, Michael, Michael. Getting dirty in this fight?" As Michael slashed at him with his two handed attack, the red haired man knocked the attack to the side with his blade. Michael came for another two-handed attack, but this time the man blocked the slash with the metal on his left arm, swinging the massive sword one-handed for Michael's head. He ducked underneath the cut from the Zoid Prime, but when Michael dropped his sword from the man's armored arm, the man landed a punch with that same fist square on Michael's jaw.

    Michael reared back from the attack holding his jaw. He wished he was wearing armor. That punch wouldn't have hurt nearly as bad had the fist not been surrounded by metal. "And how is this fair? You wearing plate armor." Michael picked up the sword. It was then Prime got a good look at the blade.

    "Where did you get that?" Something familiar registered in Prime's mind. He'd seen that blade before.

    "That temple the professors told you about." Michael spat out blood. "This was supposed to go to the prince of the Zoidians. I guess so he could cut your head off with it. Guess I'll get that honor instead."

    As Michael swung the sword overhand down upon the man, he brought his sword up, using his armored arm to press against the blade of his own blade keep Michael's blade up. "Prince of the Zoidians...that's not right..."

    He kicked Michael's chest, sending the man sprawling to the ground. "How can that be...." He stared at Michael, a confused look on his face. "No...not...Kelran..."

    Visions floated into his head and he dropped to his knees. Michael was hearing voices in his head, telling him to get up, to fight on, to avenge the fallen. A bright beam of light came down and enveloped him. His eyes and right shoulder burned as memories flooded his thoughts. Everything clicked in his mind. Why he could open the sealed door in the temple. Why Delta activated. Why he was seeing visions.

    The child in the pod. It was him.

    Standing up he lifted his sword, staring at his reflection. His normal brown eyes were now replaced with light pink. Zoidians had bright colored eyes. Glancing at his right shoulder he saw an emblem had appeared. "Look familiar?" He turned his body, showing the emblem to Prime, the emblem of Zoidian royalty.

    The man stared in shock. "This isn't possible...I wiped out the royal blood! You should be extinct!" Gritting his teeth in anger, he raised his sword up with both hands, bringing it down upon Michael with as much force as he could. Michael glanced the sword to the side, but it obviously jarred him. With a quick recovery, the man swung the sword back with a sideways cut, and Michael hopped backwards, just barely dodging the slice.

    The Zoid Prime continued, battering on Michael until he was too tired to block his attacks. His defensive maneuvers became worse and worse. Finally, Michael brought his sword up to parry one of the man's cuts, but the man feinted the attack, slicing from above diagonally downwards instead.

    "Death to you, Zoidian!" The roar was loud and almost supernatural as the man brought the sword down upon Michael.

    He was tired, but he still had to fight. Raising his sword up he found he lacked the strength to block effectively. Instead he deflected it. The large blade instead cut across his face, his eyes. He dropped to the ground. His vision gone. "You bastard."

    The man paused, breathing heavily with his whetted sword at his side. He wasn't breathing heavily out of exhaustion as much as he was with anger. Raising the sword up over his head, the Zoid Prime prepared to deliver the final blow.

    "No."

    The omniscient voice came from the pyramid, a deep, low rumble. It was almost as if two voices were speaking at the same time: one a normal man's voice, the other a voice that was impossibly deep. The man paused, lowering the sword to his side. "Why?"

    "In your anger, have you forgotten the situation? He is of royal descent." With each word that came from the Pyramid, it flashed for every syllable. "Do not kill him."

    The Zoid Prime closed his eyes, a flood of understanding hitting him as he smiled, chuckling calmly. "Ah, of course. My apologies, Siren."

    "I am Siren no longer. I am Harbinger."

    With that, the man turned from Michael, striding back into the Pyramid.

    Michael lay on his back, watching the stars above him twinkle out as he had tunnel vision. He had failed, failed to avenge his people, failed to kill the enemy. He could hear voices and he felt his body being moved as a set of arms hooked underneath his armpits, pulling him back. Then he lost consciousness, blood spilling from his lacerated face.

    ~~~~~

    Cadmus knelt beside Michael, using his own shirt to put pressure on the wound on Michael's face as he watched the man pass out. Dammit, no! This isn't what we need! Rigon, get over here, fast!

    I'm coming, little one! Stay there!


    As soon as the Zoid Prime's silhouette vanished, another boom rocked the earth, this one much louder than the other. The pyramid began to pulse rapidly, cracks forming along its outer shell. The others in their zoids backed away as light seeped from the cracks, and it began to grow more and more violent. Then suddenly, with a bright flash of light, there was a loud roar.

    Cadmus' vision finally came back, and when he saw what stood in the pyramid's place, he lost his breath.

    A massive crimson Dark Spiner the size of Korzai's Elephander stared back at Cadmus, anger and rage building within its eyes, which were entirely different. It's huge talons looked to be incredibly sharp, and it roared once again, approaching where Cadmus knelt next to Michael. The terrifying zoid came within ten feet of him, staring at him like a lion stares down its prey.

    Rigon...please...

    I'm here, little one!


    Suddenly, the Spiner looked up, and the Murasame Liger soared over Cadmus' head, tackling the Spiner in a tangle of blue and crimson metal. The two zoids clawed at each other as they tumbled, each of them roaring loudly. Finally, they escaped from the initial tangle and began to circle each other. The Liger had deep claw marks in its armor, but it still functioned well.

    Cadmus, I want you to take Michael and get away as fast as you can. Now.

    Rigon, I-

    That is a command, Cadmus. Trust me.


    Cadmus nodded, and as Vega came to help him with Michael, he turned to see the battle.

    The Liger was now running towards the Spiner, blade ready. The Spiner easily evaded, though, smacking the Liger with its long, spiked tail. As the Liger fell to the ground, it quickly righted itself and attacked again, unloading with its shock cannons. Once again, the Spiner evaded with impossible agility, clawing open the Liger's side. Although the damage was obvious on the Liger, the zoid continued to attack nonstop, occasionally dealing minor damage to Spiner.

    Finally, after another short brawl with the Murasame, the Spiner leaped away. The Murasame crawled away in severe pain, almost unable to keep itself up. Nonetheless, the Liger roared, its blade of Zi shifting two the side, ready to impale the Spiner. It began to run, its lope increasing dramatically as it bolted into an all-out sprint. Just as it looked to impale the Spiner, though, the crimson zoid evaded with breakneck speed, facing the side of the zoid.

    Rigon, NO!

    The Spiner's cyan eye glowed brightly, and with a bright flash of blue, a beam of light flew from it, piercing straight through the Murasame.

    Cadmus watched as the Liger roared helplessly, falling to the ground. It was almost as if he had become deaf as he screamed at the top of his lungs, damaging his throat. Glowing, he flew into the air in a ball of energy, flying directly towards the Spiner. He slammed into the zoid, sending it stumbling away, and landed on the ground again next to the Liger laying on the ground.

    There was a hole one foot wide in the Liger's side, and as Cadmus tiredly climbed onto the zoid, he saw that part of the zoid core had been incinerated. Rigon...no...not you... His trancelike state wasn't even disturbed by the Spiner recovering and approaching them. Suddenly it stopped, its head perking up.

    "The refugees." Then without a second thought, the zoid bolted away.

    Cadmus climbed down from the destroyed zoid, kneeling in the sand as the others approached him in their zoids. The Liger rumbled weakly, a sign of its life. Why did you do this, Rigon...Why...

    I needed to, little one.
    The zoid's voice sounded incredibly weak. I would rather see you live in this world without me than I without you. You are young. You have so much to see in this world. I can see nothing but hate.

    No! Don't you get it?!
    Tears began to cloud Cadmus' vision. Who will I have?! My mom is dead, my dad left me! I need you, Rigon! You're all I have left! You're my life! What am I supposed to do without you!?

    Live. Experience life without me. Find your father, and find another zoid. We always knew that this time would come.

    I can't, Rigon!
    The tears spilled over his eyes, tracing rivers down his cheeks. This isn't right! Please, don't leave me! You don't have to go! I can help you! I can fuse with you-

    No, Cadmus. You can't. My zoid core is damaged. This is inevitable...this has to happen.

    Rigon...

    Be strong, little one. Please be strong in my memory. I will find you again one day, and we shall run through the plains of infinity.

    ...Thank you for everything...I love you, Rigon.

    I-


    Then the zoid core collapsed, and the Murasame Liger stopped rumbling.

    -EPILOGUE-

    "What in the name of Zi happened..."

    Colonel Torric of the Genezoid Empire stood at the top of a pit twenty feet deep smoking a cigarette. Many of his soldiers dressed in Empirical military uniforms stood at the edge of the pit as well, but none of them lasted long. There was only so much that each of them could take, for they ran away from the pit, vomiting their partially digested lunch away from the horror.

    That is, all of them except for Torric. He had to embrace this kind of thing, and he could not show weakness in front of his own soldiers. They were greenhorns, after all. This is the result of a lack of foresight. We should've resumed the war a long time ago. There were obvious tread marks in the mud from trucks, and the tracks looked to be from military-grade tires.

    There was no doubt about what had happened here. It was undeserved, cruel, and heartless. The strangest part about the whole situation was the fact that it was so blatant, almost as if the enemy were sending them a message. Then again, those primitive fools aren't known for their stealthiness. They're as graceful as Red Horns.

    With a sigh of despair, he turned away, tossing his cigarette stub into the pit full of the bodies of innocent men, women, and children.

    Those poor genezoids. Every one of them, executed with a bullet to the head. I don't understand why the Republic wants another war, but this cannot be ignored. This means only one thing. "Private Reynolds, do you have all of this recorded?"

    The soldier quickly recovered from his sudden sickness, saluting Colonel Torric with a pale face. "Yes sir, I believe I do."

    Torric nodded. "Good. Send a full report to the Emperor. I hope you know what this means."

    He turned to all of his men, his hands behind his back. "The Empire is going to war."

    ~END OF PART I~

    Thanks to Karma for the dandiest set
    Spoiler: RPs I'm in 

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