Sophih...

[Kasai Falconi]

Itn tha cuuuuuuute? BUT ITS WRONG!

[jv2k]

I concur, time travel is an intriguing subject! Cheers!

Indeed

[Superyoshi]

Itn tha cuuuuuuute? BUT ITS WRONG!

I miss that show...

[Kasai Falconi]

Itn tha cuuuuuuute? BUT ITS WRONG!

I miss that show...

I dont! its on boomarang so I can watch it when ever.

[Nightmare X]

Awww he wants attention

Nope, I did it so the thread took longer to load and was harder to navigate.

Thanks for quoting me, BTW, you're making the thread much harder to navigate, and thus helping my cause.

[jv2k]

Not for me its not! YOUR PLAN FAILED!

[Superyoshi]

How 'bout now, JV?

[Swiftman]

HA HA! I can do worse!




   "Good afternoon, Deccus. I knew I could trust you in coming here."
   Deccus stood up. He has been sitting for awhile, so his legs were slightly stiff and he wobbled a little, but maintained his composure. He was addressing the General, after all.
   "Yes, sir. I always keep my word. I agreed to be here, and here I am."
   "Good. Then I have an assignment for you. I need you to command a small force and take over an enemy outpost on the outskirts of their territory. It's far enough from their headquarters that they probably won't retake it."
   "How large is my force, sir?"
   "It consists of five soldiers, including you."
   "What? That's a nothing troop!"
   "I assure you, they are very well trained in what they do. They're waiting for you at the Academy, ready to leave when you need. They're all in dorm room five. Go meet them, get to know them, and finish your assignment. One of the soldiers knows how to get to the target. Return here after you're done."
   "But..."
   "GO!"
   Deccus left without another word of objection. When the General tells you to go, you go, no questions asked.
   Deccus stepped out of the head building and blinked from the sudden change of light. It's always so dark in there. The General never showed his full face, for fear of spies finding him when he went home. The fresh coat of snow seemed really bright in the noon sun. Regardless of the weather, he headed for the Academy.
   Deccus walked through the city of Vahal, a town surrounded by a thick, high wall. There were food stores, weapon shops, suburbs, almost everything you'd expect in a city.
   If it weren't completely populated by children.
   This didn't surprise Deccus in any way, for he was only a child of twelve years himself. There was no one over fourteen in the town. The wall around the city was composed of only densely packed snow around a wood foundation, since the engineers here didn't know how to mix concrete. It stood over 10 feet high, and a meter thick. Soldiers walked on top of the wall, armed with Snowthrowers. They were basic infantry, only ten years of age. Since Deccus was older, he was a bit more advanced than the standard unit. For one, Deccus had thicker armor. He also had a shield, which clearly marked him as a 'Shield Joe' unit. He wasn't an average Shield Joe, however. He had a much more advanced gun. Instead of holding a small hand-held Snowthrower, he had an S-buster, which enveloped his entire hand and had a com unit built right in. Usually com units were separate walkie-talkies, but not Deccus's. He didn’t use his gun speaker anymore, not since he upgraded his helmet to have a microphone and speaker unit in it. He made the gun himself, as with his entire outfit. No one had a second glance at Deccus. They were all busy, or they didn't care. Most soldiers made their own outfits, so no one criticized any one else's. Except for the Bunny Boy. Rumor was he was bugged to the brink of insanity, and ran away from Vahal before he graduated from the Academy. Ah, the memories Deccus had at that place...
   He arrived at his destination before he realized it. He entered and paused, looking around.
   It was exactly as he remembered. From the fountain in the middle of the entry hall, from the four huge stairways leading to different destinations in the massive building.
   Deccus took the stairwell that led to the dormitories. The amount of times he took these stairs...
   He chuckled. He was only a child, yet he thought like an adult, thinking of past memories in such a way. He felt rather old, as well. A child shouldn't have to feel this way.
   He found dorm room five rather quickly, since it used to be his friend Holly's room. Deccus opened the door and entered.
   In the room were four people, doing various tasks. Two people were playing cards on the table, one losing badly. Another person, whom Deccus recognized immediately as Holly herself, who was leaning against the wall watching the card game with low interest. The only other person in the room was sitting on the window sill, drawing something on a notepad.
   "I never expected you to be the commander of this mission. At least you haven't changed since our school days."
   Deccus turned to Holly, who had addressed him. "How haven't I changed?"
   Holly was wearing tight armor, red with black trim. Deccus had never seen it before, yet it looked good on her. She didn't have a helmet on, so her pony-tailed brown hair hung down past her shoulders. She had a small backpack on, but Deccus didn't know what was in it.
   She walked up to him and hit him on the chest with her knuckle, making his armor rattle. "You're late."
   "Sorry if the General took longer than expected."
   "That's the same excuse you used when you were late for class."
   "Well, it worked then..."
   "Hey! Lovebirds! Shut up!"
   The soldier that was losing at cards had yelled loudly to stop the bickering. Lovebirds? Deccus thought.
   The angry soldier was dressed in black armor, black helmet and black boots. It seemed to reflect his mood perfectly.
   The silence was broken by the person on the window sill. "Thank you, Kaeden. That will suffice."
   Kaeden grunted and sat down.
   "Hello, captain. I don't believe we introduced ourselves properly. I am Kleth." He stuck out his hand. "What's your name?"
   Deccus shook Kleth's hand. The hand bore fingerless gloves, made of leather. Kleth wore a light coat and boots, with numerous tools hanging from his belt, and a full looking backpack filled with who knows what. "I'm Deccus, your commander for this mission."
   Holly spoke up. "If you can keep your mental stability for more than five minutes, that is."
   "Don't read too much into what she says, Kleth." Deccus whispered to his companion.
   "I've inferred that from the five minutes that I've known her. You look more than adept at commanding our squad." he replied intelligently.
   "Thank you. I don't seem to know the character behind you, though."
   Kleth glanced behind him and looked back. "Oh, yes. That's Ted. He's rather quiet, so we don't know him at all well. Kaeden seems to know him good, though."
   "That's cuz he's my neighbor." Kaeden replied loudly. "I've known him since before the Academy."
   Ted nodded a hello and started packing the cards. He had a navy-blue down filled coat and a toque on, with a face that clearly said he wasn't much a person for talking.
   "I won’t pressure him." Deccus looked to the rest of the group. "What are the details to the mission?"
   "The fortress we're to surmount is poorly defended." Kleth said and laid his notebook on the table. It was a drawing of a small outpost, drawn in perspective. "If we use a divide and conquer tactic, we can conquer this obstacle with relative ease."
   "Divide and conquer? From the looks of it, there are only three fighters in this group!" Deccus exclaimed.
   "Maybe. I'm a Systemator, so I do technical support. Receiving messages, sending and intercepting messages, repairing stuff, things like that. Kaeden is an Elite unit, with a bazooka-like Snowthrower, and such making him lethal on the battlefield. You, as a Shield Joe can defend and attack simultaneously, making you very capable of the assault. Holly is a Snow Fox unit, so she can attack rather deftly with her heavily modified Snowthrower."
   "What's so modified about it?"
   Deccus was then hit with a cloud of snow. He was partially buried in snow from Holly's Snowthrower. He came up sputtering.
   "Wha- ph- was that?"
   "Instead of packing the snow into one projectile, like Kaeden's, it focuses the snow into a continuous stream, like a real flamethrower." Kleth described the weapon in Holly's arms, consisting of a thin gun connected to a pack on her back.
   "Don't we have a mission to do?" Kaeden said loudly.
   "Right. We should go." Kleth started for the door, but Deccus grabbed his collar.
   â€œIt’s my decision when we should go.” He said.
   â€œAnd can we?”
   Deccus kept them on the lone for a second, and then replied “Yeah, let’s go.” He went out the door, and everyone followed behind him.
   The sun wasn’t as bright when he exited the Academy as it seemed when he left the General’s office.
   The first half hour of the trip was spent in silence. Kaeden broke the placid scene by asking when lunch was, but was silenced by a sandwich from Kleth.
   It was a two hour hike to the mission target, but only the first quarter was quiet.
   â€œYou know what? We should talk, get to know each other better.” Kleth said while hopping to catch up. “Better knowledge of your comrades is proven to lead to better performance on the battlefield, you know.”
   He was hushed by a grunt from Kaeden, but Holly came to his rescue. “You know, he’s right. We should talk about each other more. Deccus, tell everyone about yourself.”
   Deccus hesitated. “What? Why me?”
   â€œBecause, you’re the leader. They always go first.”
   â€œFine.” He sighed and began to speak.
   â€œI was raised in Alberta, Canada, in a town that you’ve never heard of before. I was fairly average. Good grades, a few friends, things like that. My parents heard about the problem up here, and I was drafted for the Snowcraft force. They thought it would be a good experience for me. I met Holly at the Academy and we became friends, mostly because of spite. After I graduated when I was ten, and I fought on the field for two years, rising in the ranks up to Valiant status, due to my assistance in numerous missions. I was called to meet the General, and here I am. I’ve never seen Holly since graduation, so I was surprised to see her here.
   â€œNow, how about you, Holly?”
   She launched into her story immediately, not surprised by Deccus’s haste.
   â€œI was born in a farming community in Colorado. I had eight brothers and no sisters, so it’s not a surprise that I don’t act that feminine. My parents wanted me to meet other girls my age, so they sent me here. I was already strong from farm work, so the training here was nothing. The only one that could compete with me in the physical department was Deccus, so we always competed for first. He beat me in the end, and thus that’s partly why he has Valiant status and I don’t. Not that I’d care, but I’d like to beat him at something. I was told to talk to the General, and I offered to use my old dorm as a meeting room, you all came along, so now I’m hiking with some idiots.”
   â€œHey! I’m not at all unintelligent!” Kleth stormed.
   â€œI said some, Kleth. Not all of you.”
   â€œOh. That’s good. Who’s next?”
   No one jumped at the offer.
   â€œFine. I’ll go.” Kleth cleared his throat and spoke.
   â€œI was actually born in the town of Vahal. Believe it or not, my parents were only ten when I was born.”
   â€œWHAT!?” Everyone was completely caught off guard.
   â€œIsn’t it impossible for someone so young to have kids?” Holly seemed genuinely worried.
   â€œOf course not. The youngest couple to have a child were nine years old, so my parents weren’t special. If being raised in this climate doesn’t make a person resistant to cold, I don’t know what does. Of course, I was drafted at the Academy when I was six. I never was good in the physical department, so I compensated by training my mind to the extreme. I graduated with flying colors in the academic courses, but barely passed in anything else. That made me automatically qualified to be a Systemator, so I participated in numerous battles repairing transports while being bombarded by enemy fire. I’ve had to defend myself with my wrench on more than one occasion.”
   He patted the said tool strung to his belt. It looked to be a high-quality chrome tool. “I was asked to come on this mission, so I’m here being packboy for you folks.”
   Kaeden let out a belch from his just finished sandwich.
   â€œWhy don’t you tell us about yourself, Kaeden? I’m sure it’ll be interesting.” Holly asked.
   â€œSure.” He wiped his mouth and spoke.
   â€œI was born in Billings, Montana. That place had cliffs out to wazoo, so that’s probably why I’m so big now, climbing around all the time. Ted was living next door to me, and he was bugged quite a bit from bullies. I helped him out, and showed him a cave in the cliffs he could hide in. He didn’t always use it, though. He just spent all his time on that computer of his. Ted heard about this place on the internet, and he decided to go. I knew someone had to look out for him, so here we are.”
   Kleth nodded slowly. “Yes, I was right. I guess that explanation goes for both you and Ted, so he doesn’t have to say anything if he doesn’t want to.”
   Ted looked at Kleth with such a look of thanks that it took him by surprise.
   â€œAh, come on.” Holly moved up to Ted and put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure Ted has something to say.”
   He shook his head no, but Holly didn’t accept that.
   â€œDon’t you want to say something?” She put her head beside his on his shoulder. He was panicking something fierce, but still shaking his head.
   â€œPlease?” She started to massage his shoulders.
   Deccus couldn’t take it. “Holly, can I speak to you? Over there?”
   She stopped immediately. “Sure.”
   Deccus walked off course so they wouldn’t be in earshot with Kleth and the others. Holly followed.
   â€œWhat’s up?”
   â€œWhat are you doing!?” Deccus was mad.
   She was unperturbed by this. “I said I’d help him around girls, and that’s what I’m doing.”
   â€œWhy are you helping him? You hardly know him!”
   â€œC’mon. If I don’t help him, he’s going to spend the rest of his life alone. Look at his face. Picture him in twenty years, all alone, wishing he had spoken up, but never did, so he’s all alone and miserable. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if that happened, knowing I could’ve changed that. If he’s comfortable with me, I can introduce him to some my friends and maybe he’ll get lucky. He’s kinda cute, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
   Deccus was touched by this speech. He was only thinking of himself, not anyone else. He just got so envious. It could’ve been him she was massaging…
   â€œYou know, if we don’t get back they’re gonna think something’s going on.”
   Her voice snapped Deccus to attention. “Right. Wouldn’t want that to happen, huh? Ha, ha- ha…”
   She looked at him suspiciously, but walked back to the others regardless.
   â€œSorry, Ted. If you don’t want to tell us, don’t.” Holly told him, rubbing his head.
   Ted sighed and smiled, enjoying her hand on his head without fear of having to talk about himself. She continued rubbing him, regardless of not having to persuade him of anything. Even though he knew this didn’t mean anything, it still drove Deccus to the brink. Sensing this, Kleth started conversation again.
   â€œHey, we should see what our interests are. Maybe we can find some similarities between us.”
   â€œGood idea, Kleth. Only this time, Holly goes first.” Deccus wasted no time in making her go first.
   â€œWhat do I like? Let’s see. Umm…” Her brow was furrowed from mock thinking. “I’d say… Fighting.”
   â€œFighting?” Deccus hadn’t expected that, but it fit her. “Why fighting?”
   â€œIt gives off a feeling that you can’t really explain. You may have felt it, but not like I have. Knowing that when I get home, I could easily beat them all to the ground. The knowledge that I’m the strongest in my family, let alone a family of boys, just makes me feel great. That’s why I’m training as hard as I am. I want to be the strongest one in the Snowcraft force. I want to be a general. I want to single-handedly defeat the Howlers. Then I can return home proud.”
   It convinced everyone else, but Deccus was curious on whether that was her true want.
   â€œLet’s see what Kaeden likes. I’m sure it will be most unexpected.” Kleth waved his arm at his large companion.
   â€œFood! I like food!”
   â€œOr… maybe it’s exactly what you expected. Ted?”
   Of course, he said nothing.
   â€œC’mon, kid. Get it over with.” Kaeden persuaded his smaller companion.
   He still waved no.
   Giving up, Kleth decided it was his turn. “What I really like is electronics. If I had the resources, I could make a digital targeting system for Snowthrowers, dramatically increasing the hit rate for units. I have it all drawn out, I just need to make it. But since there’s no metal here on Vahal, I can’t construct anything like that.”
   â€œMaybe when we get back to the General, maybe we can talk him into importing some metal.” Deccus suggested.
   Since there was no metal, the people had to get by on the next strongest thing, wood. The inside of the buildings had a foundation of wood, coated with a layer of snow. The armor that they wore was wood, specially made to fit them. There was plenty of trees on the continent, but since it was always winter, the trees couldn’t grow back, so more had to be imported from other countries.
   â€œI think that covers everyone.” Kleth looked around.
   â€œExcept Deccus.” Holly pointed out.
   Drat. She remembered. Deccus thought to himself.
   â€œWell… Where to start…” He stalled. He had to make something up, since his real passion was not something he was willing to share. “What I really like is cooking. I love to bake bread, grill steaks and make cookies. I originally applied to be a cook, but my physical attributes made me a top-notch soldier. I’d rather be a cook than a fighter, any day.”
   A silence followed this speech.
   â€œCooking?” Kaeden was in disbelief.
   â€œYou want to be a cook?” Kleth could hardly believe it.
   "Well, you did work at the cafeteria back at the Academy." Holly wasn't completely sure that this was what he liked. She looked skeptical.
   "That I did. Hey, look. It's the fort."
   It wasn't at all a big fort. Only two levels, and hardly bigger than a garage. A few soldiers patrolled on top of the wall, but that was all.
   "Seems easy enough. At least we're not outnumbered."
   "I have a plan. Deccus, you attack the front gate and try to distract them as much as you can. Kaeden, fire at them from a distance, assisting Deccus. Ted will be the medic if the need arises, and I will be here for support functions."
   "Sounds good. Let's go!" Deccus yelled and ran towards the fort, firing away with his gun to get their attention. They saw him and countered his attack by launching a barrage of snow at him. He rolled, dodging them with ease. He aimed at one of them, but he was out of ammo. Pulling out his shield, Deccus blocked all attacks while loading his weapon, one handed. He specifically built it to be reloaded in a situation like this.
   The roof soldiers had a good strategy. They each fired one blast, then the other one fired, then the next, and so on, so each had a few seconds to reload their weapon.
   Finally done reloading, Deccus charged up his gun, adding more snow to the shot. Draining all of his ammo stores into one blast, he drew his shield and fired at them, a super dense blast heading straight for the head of the main shooter. He didn't have a helmet on, so he took the hit and fell out of sight behind the wall.
   By now, reinforcements had come to their aid, so five people were firing at Deccus instead of three. Using the shield to its full potential, Deccus could charge his weapon from behind its cover, but it wasn't enough. One of the shooters was lobbing shots, hitting Deccus in the head.
   "Hey! Kaeden! Where are you! You're supposed to give me support fire!"
   "Sorry!" One of the shooters suddenly fell to the floor. "I'm workin' on it!"
   Now they separated to two groups to counter both Deccus's and Kaeden's firing. Kaeden had more power to each hit, but he couldn't charge it, like Deccus could. Plus, he couldn't refill his ammo stores as easily. Deccus made his gun himself, and designed it to be filled one handedly. Kaeden's had more power, so he could fire from greater distances.
   The front gate opened a little and three foot soldiers rolled out, while more took to the roof.
   Deccus fired a few shots at the foot soldiers, then fired again at the roof, switching between the two. More came out of the gate, and still more on the roof. He couldn't fire fast enough to keep the foot soldiers at bay long enough for Kaeden to knock them down.
   His shield has never been tested quite like this. His main job was to distract them, and he was doing it well. All of their forces were focused on him and Kaeden. What was Kleth planning, having him sit here like this?
   He didn't have time to think about it, due to the even dozen soldiers marching his way. His shield was large enough to cover his body when crouched down, but no good when they were three feet away.
   Deccus turned on his walkie-talkie, which was built right into his gun. "Kaeden! Focus on the ground guys!"
   "Sure thing!"
   Eventually they came so close that they could fire right above the shield.
   "Get off of me!"
   With a burst of adrenaline, Deccus ran forward, shield first. They hadn't expected this, and didn't have time to dodge before being knocked to their feet, where Kaeden proceeded to bury them under a layer of snow.
   Deccus's speaker came to life. "Nice tactic. They weren't expecting that."
   He turned on his mike and replied. "Thanks Kleth, but what are you planning here? I'm getting pounded here, and you're just sitting back and watching me."
   "If you need it, ask for Ted to come."
   Suddenly a cloud of snow erupted from the top of the fort, completely covering all the soldiers up there.
   "Can't you guys do anything right?" Holly called from up above.
   "I thought we were supposed to distract them, not finish them off." Deccus called back to her.
   "And a fine job you did at that. They didn't even hear me climb the north wall."
   "That's good. Now how about opening the door so we can come in?"
   "Give me a second." She disappeared from view.
   After a minute the front door opened, allowing access for the rest of the group to come in.
   The inside was very well laid out. The second level was only an outrigger of floor a few feet down from the top of the wall. A few people were on the floor, buried from Holly's assault. There were a few rooms on the first floor, but were all very small.
   "I'll call HQ to come and pick up these guys." Kleth kicked one unconscious opponent.
   "Good idea. I'll see if we can find something we can use."
   Deccus went to the dormitory room. The bunks were very close together, and had minimal blankets. Nothing was here except for a few trinkets that the soldiers had.
   He stepped back outside and asked Kaeden if he found anything in the armory, but every weapon they had was being used against them. Holly had found nothing in the kitchen either.
   "Well, guess we should report back to base. Let's go." Deccus waved his hand towards the door.
   "Wait." Holly put her arm up. "Hear that?"
   A muffled cry was heard somewhere to their left.
   "Sounds like someone's gagged somewhere."
   The sound got louder.
   "Sounds like it's in the wall."
   Deccus tapped a part of it. "Seems pretty solid to me."
   "Not there." Holly rapped a section of wall with her knuckle. "Here."
   She pushed and prodded, but couldn't find anything. "It sounds kinda hollow."
   "Maybe try kicking it."
   She kicked the wall. It did sound hollow.
   Then the wall shook from a kick on the other side.
   "Someone's in there, all right. Kaeden, pull the door down."
   Kaeden strolled up to the wall, put his fingers around a loose section and pulled. The snow came loose, revealing a slab of wood separate from the wall.
   "Keep pulling!"
   With a grunt the wall gave way and led to a very small closet.
   With a prisoner.
   "What's he doing here?"
   "Who'd know better than him? Let him out."
   Kaeden helped him stand while Deccus and Holly untied his binds.
   Lastly the gag around his mouth was undone.
   "Finally. I thought no one would come and rescue me."
   He wore minimal armor and had no boots whatsoever. Covering his eyes were a pair of ski goggles, tinted so his eyes weren't visible.
   "Who’re you?" Kaeden asked the new arrival gruffly.
   "My name is Wedge. I was a sniper for a scout squad, but we were ambushed. All my teammates were taken into separate bases, so we couldn't escape as a team. I was the most dangerous of us, so I was put in the most uncomfortable place possible."
   "Maybe we should report back to boss soon, before they find out that this guy's gone." Holly suggested.
   "I'd suggest it. I sent a message to HQ and they're waiting for us back at Vahal. If we hurry we can make it back before nightfall."
   On the way back Wedge was barraged with questions.
   "Where're you from?"
   "I'm from Fairbanks, Alaska."
   "You've come a long ways."
   â€œNot really, if you think."
   "How old are you?"
   "Eleven."
   "Can you tell us about yourself?"
   He cleared his throat. "I was eight when I joined the Snowcraft force. I wasn't the best fighter in my class, but my accuracy with a blaster and my running speed made me ideal for being a sniper class. I fought in the main army for two years before being commissioned for a scout force. We worked for a nearly a full year before we discovered-"
   "Hold it."
   Everyone stopped.
   "What is it Deccus?"
   "See that up ahead?"
   Everyone looked.
   "I don't see anything."
   "I can't see much, but I know something's up there."
   "It's a Howler army. Roughly forty soldiers, all fighters. If we head that way and hide behind that boulder, we can avoid them." Wedge pointed sideways.
   "Good eye."
   "I have to have good eyes to be a good sniper. Let's hurry."
   Everyone went in the direction Wedge pointed. The army marched past without noticing anything behind the rock, though it came close when Ted was about to sneeze, but Wedge plugged his nose to stop him. After a while, the army's backs receded down a hill and out of sight.
   "What's an army like that doing out here?" Kaeden asked. "There's nothing in that direction besides where we were just at."
   "That's probably where they were headed." Wedge suggested. "They may be going there to resupply the forces."
   "But a tiny place like that? I don't get it. It doesn't even have a strategic location."
   "I don't get it either. All I know is that the way they're going is the not the way for us to go."
   And so they trudged on. Wedge did a good job of covering their tracks in case they came back.
   For an hour they walked, until Vahal was in plain sight.
   "Hm. The city seems to have grown since I was last here." Wedge perspected.
   "How long has it been since you were captured?"
   "About six months ago."
   Silence.
   "You've been in that hole in the wall for half a year?"
   "Yeah. I got pretty stiff, but I made it."
   By now they had reached the front gate. Deccus identified himself to the guards on top of the wall, who granted them passage.
   They went through the city until they hit the Main office. They walked in and found that the General had been expecting them. The door opened and they all went in.
   "Hello again, Deccus. I heard of your victory. Good job." the General said, his face hidden in shadows again.
   "Thank you, sir. When we were there, we found this prisoner." Deccus waved his arm at Wedge.
   "Yes, Kleth told me of him. You can supply him with weapons if you go to the armory. He will work for you until further notice."
   "Yes, sir."
   "Now then, your next assignment.
   "There is a force of Howler elites going around, taking out our smaller forces. I want you to find them and capture them. They just took over Fort Prodigy, so you may be able to catch them if you move quickly."
   â€œThey what!?”
   â€œThey recently took Fort Prodigy.”
   â€œBut… There was an entire brigade there! What chance do we have against that kind of power?”
   â€œYou just took over a fortress that had almost as much defense as Prodigy. Do you have any objections?”
   â€œNo, sir…”
   â€œGood. Then go.”
   "Yes, sir."
   The door behind them opened. They walked out, a sense of foreboding about them. Nevertheless, they bucked up and headed for the armory.
   They entered. "Hey, Dagor. We got a new guy and he needs some stuff."
   The stout boy turned to Deccus's voice. "Oh, it's you. I've been wanting to talk to you."
   "What about?"
   "I just built a new type of shield. Since you're the best Shield Joe out there, I want you to try it out." He brought out a huge, four foot high shield from behind the counter. It angled in from the front, making a point, obviously meant to deflect projectiles better than a flat shield, like Deccus’s.
   "Tempting, but no thanks. My shield is fine."
   "That tiny thing? That can't cover any of you."
   "It's light, so I can move it quickly. Plus, it can cover all of me when I crouch. Maybe let Kleth use it. He could use some protection while he's working."
   "Oh, no thank you. It looks much too heavy for me to use effectively."
   "But we aren't here for the shield." Holly spoke up. "We're here to equip our newest member with some sniper equipment."
   "Right. What are you, a medium?"
   Wedge nodded.
   "Give me a sec." Dagor stepped to the back of the shop, where more weapons were kept. He returned with a thin armored coat, some gloves, sniper style boots and a long, thin, rifle like snowthrower.
   "Got a whole sniper outfit here for ya."
   "Thanks." Wedge picked up his equipment and put them on.
   "I'll pay for this. Here." Deccus handed Dagor a few thin pieces of cloth.
   The Snowcraft Force used cloth instead of paper for currency since it lasted longer and held its color better than paper did. Plus it was harder to make counterfeits out of fabric, and cloth was better in extreme cold than paper. The currency you earned depended on what rank you were. Money that Privates earned was worth less than what Deccus earned, since he was a Valiant class and as such was among one of the most highly paid people on the island.
   Dagor's eye's widened slightly. "That should more than cover the cost."
   "Keep the change."
   He grabbed it without hesitation.
   "Let's go, troop." Deccus thumbed the door
   Everyone stepped out of the armory, out onto the street and out of Vahal, then out of the gate and into the field once again.
   "Which way, Kleth?"
   He pointed to a direction to the east. "That way."
   And so they marched.
   "How many are in this Howler force?" Holly asked.
   "About six." Kleth replied. "They're better equipped than us, more experienced and can work together as an army with expert ease."
   "We're the same as they are. This'll be easy."
   "But they're better equipped and more experienced than us. They are not to be taken lightly. They can take over entire fortresses."
   Deccus laughed. "So can we."
   "We took over a very small encampment, with minimal opposition. Fort Prodigy was a very well defended base, with plenty of personnel, and it was completely overtaken! We can't afford to underestimate these people..."
   "Ok, Kleth. We get the picture. You can shut up now."
   Kleth went to the back of the line and was silent the remainder of the trip.
   Holly smacked Deccus on the arm. "That was a bit harsh on him. You should go and apologize."
   "He's fine. After a good fight he'll be nice and happy again."
   "If you say so. Still, you should go."
   "I'll do what I damn well feel like."
   She shrugged and fell back.
   For the next hour they marched in silence. Kleth kept a stiff upper lip towards Deccus, and relayed messages to him through Holly.
   "There they are." Wedge told the others and pointed somewhere south of them.
   Deccus squinted but he saw them. Six of them, all in matching red armor.
   "Let's get a little closer and do some reconnaissance. Maybe we can find a weakness." Deccus said and crouched behind a boulder.
   "It's like what they say." Wedge said and also ducked behind the rock. "'Know thyself and know thy enemy, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles.'"
   "I guess it will help to see what they're like." Holly said and crouched too.
   Looking down, Deccus saw the enemy.
   The first one he saw that stuck out most was a rather portly boy. His armor was very thick, and his weapon was a lethal railgun. His expression clearly said he'd rather be else where.
   One other soldier was a small, skinny kid with minimal armor and weapons. He had a small hand snowthrower, but nothing else.
   Beside him was a girl about Holly's size. She had long, blonde hair and an expression Deccus didn't want to see again. Her weapons were twin heavy handguns and her armor was reasonably thick, but not enough to seriously hinder movement.
   A huge, muscle bound kid was next. His arms were huge, his body was huge, and his guns were huge. Twin cannon blasters, one in each hand, strapped on his arms, connected to an ammo pack on his back. He looked extremely bored.
   The other one was a very strange unit. He was barely three feet tall, and his head was nearly as big as the rest of him. He looked to be like Kleth, a support unit, only he had more weapons.
   The leader had a shield, very much like Deccus, only it was bigger. He also had a small hand blaster, like Deccus, only it was bigger as well.
   The corpulent boy spoke first. "I'm hungry. When can we eat?"
   "When you stop badgering me about it." The leader replied fiercely. "The more times we stop, the slower we go."
   "Venra, at this rate we can't continue much further anyways." The midget said. "We've gone ten hours without rest or food. We can't go on like this. We're all getting edgy and irritable."
   "Shut it, pipsqueak!" The girl yelled and hit his head with her fist.
   The skinny one hurried up to the midget's aid. "You all right, Pix?"
   He rubbed his head. "Yeah. I think so."
   "If he doesn't start closing his trap, he's gonna get more than a thwack on the head."
   "Now you should be nice to Pix. He does a lot of work that otherwise you'd be doing."
   "Does it look like I give a damn?"
   "You all better start shuttin up, or I'm gonna start shootin!" The twin cannoned soldier said, lifting his guns towards the rest of them, his eye twitching.
   "Calm down, Allouette. You're gonna hurt yourself."
   "I can't calm down! I haven't shot somethin fer hours! I can't take it anymore!"
   He unloaded a few rounds of ammo on the boulder Deccus was behind of, yelling. The power of those blasters reverberated through the whole rock. Deccus could feel it through the rock and his shield on his back.
   Allouette panted for a minute afterwards.
   The leader spoke first. "Cool it, Allouette. You've killed people with those things. Don't add us to the list."
   This hit Deccus to the core. Are they so merciless that they kill people?
   "They... They killed the guards of Prodigy?" Holly whimpered.
   "Who'd be sick enough to do something like that?" Wedge was disgusted.
   "We gotta stop these guys. They're a menace to this island. Kaeden, you take on that big guy with the twin cannons. Holly, pick off who you can. Wedge, help Holly out. Ted and Kleth, do what you always do. I'll go after the leader. Ready? Go!"
   Dashing shield first, Deccus slammed into the back of the leaders head, knocking him out cold.
   "He pegged Venra! Get him!" The girl pulled out her guns and fired at Deccus, but the rounds bounced harmlessly off his shield.
   "I'll get through that shield o' your's!" Allouette yelled and started to fire.
   The first shot sent Deccus flying. He was more worried about the condition of his shield than his own shape, at least until he saw the rock his head was aimed for.

   *   *   *

   "Ow..."
   Deccus lifted his head. Such pain... He let it fall down. It hurt too much to move. Breathing heavily, he grunted and got up.
   "So he is alive."
   "I thought he'd died."
   "I'm here. Don't worry." Deccus said and started to open his eyes. "You're leader is tougher than he... Looks..."
   Pix was staring him in the face.
   "He looks all right."
   "Lemme finish im off!"
   "No, Allouette. Don't kill unnecessary people if we don't have to."
   "Can it, shorty!" The girl punted him a few feet. "Let Allouette have his fun."
   "Sweet!"
   Reacting quickly, Deccus made a mad dash away from the madman's cannon guns. The shot's followed close to his heels, but he managed to avoid them all.
   "Stop runnin so fast!"
   Suddenly Deccus fell over something. He had stumbled over Pix's unconscious body.
   As if in slow motion, Deccus could see the shell of frost headed for his head. He rolled in time, but was followed by another shot. Making a circular dash around them, he frantically searched for his gun and shield in the snow. Where were they? They had to be buried somewhere. If that was the case, then it was hopeless.
   A small shot hit his arm. Both of them were firing at him. He saw the other enemies unconscious, faces in the snow. It was just the two of them against him.
   Something smashed into Deccus's stomach. It brought him to the ground, and his armor was destroyed.
   "Got him!"
   Another hit his arm. He didn't hear the projectile hit his arm, but the snap of bone was audible. His thoughts were on his arm, but soon switched to his leg, which were also hit. Then his other arm, then his chest.
   "He survived five hits? What is he, a freak?" Allouette paused to reload.
   "He's been trained to specialize in defense." Venra was back up. "His armor is better than ours, and his body adapted to taking hits. You just have to hit him in the right spot."
   "Righto. One shot to th head, comin up!"
   No... Where's Kaeden? Kleth? Ted?
   "Don't move now. It'll only make ya hurt longer."
   "Where's... My team...?" Deccus could only make out a few words.
   "Oh, them. They're over there." Allouette nodded his head to a pile of people. "Good and dead. Yer all alone."
   No... Not them...
   "You'll be joinin them soon, though. Don't you worry."
   "Not... Not them..."
   "What, you gonna start cryin now? Take yer beatin like a man!"
   "Not Holly!"
   Despite all the pain, Deccus managed to get up and dash for Allouette, only to be knocked down again.
   "Jus don learn, do ye? Take this!"
   A shot to his head.
   Hollllyyyy........

   *   *   *

   Blackness. Total blackness. Kind of scary. Almost soothing, though.
   Wait. There's a light. What's going on? Am I dead? Only one way to find out.
   No. Come back here, light. Don't go. Crap. Now I'm all alone, with no where to go. Just blackness.
   Great. Another light. It'll just move  away, like the last one did. Wait. It's coming for me. Dare I? Nothing else to do. May as well.
   Whoa. That's getting bright. Hey, whoever's in charge of lights there, turn them down. Maybe they don't have a dimmer installed, and it's either this or off. Makes sense.
   Wait. Now I hear stuff. Sounds familiar, too.
   "He's alive!"
   "I thought we'd lost him for sure."
   Deccus opened his eyes. So bright...
   "Deccus! He lives!"
   Suddenly something clamped onto his chest.
   "Ouch! Holly! Your crushing me!"
   She jumped off. "Sorry. I forgot you have broken ribs."
   "What isn't broken?"
   "Well, for one, your left leg is perfectly intact." A doctor in a white lab coat said. "But that's one of the few. Nearly every other bone is somehow broken or cracked. It's a wonder you're still alive."
   "Tell it to me straight, doc. How long do I have?"
   "Considering your state, I'd say about a few days ago. But since you're a special case, maybe eighty or more years. If it wasn't for your training in defense, you'd be dead."
   "A few days ago? How long was I out for?"
   "144 hours. You were progressively dying up until yesterday, when you started to recover. Despite the fact you got hit in the head twice, I'm surprised your conscious now. After a concussion and internal bleeding, I thought you were finished."
   "It'd take more than that to kill him." Holly was tearing.
   "Yes, but the best thing for him now is rest. Let his body do it's work. You can have a couple more minutes with him, then leave him alone." The doctor turned and walked out, leaving Holly and Deccus alone.
   She sat back down. "I never thought you would have made it."
   "So why are you crying? Disappointed that I survived?"
   "No, you lummox! I'm happy!"
   "Oh. So... Where's Kaeden and Kleth? Did they make it?"
   "With difficulty, yes. They're not quite as durable as you, but they didn't take as many hits, either. They're on the way to recovery."
   "What about you? You look fine."
   "I pretended to get hit and feigned death. After they went away I radioed a medic team while Ted kept you all warm until they came."
   "So that means you heard me get hit?"
   "I risked a glance to watch you get the beating of your life. How can you take so many hits?"
   "Let's just say I had practice in getting hit."
   "What do you mean?"
   The doctor came in. "That's enough, Holly. Let Deccus get his rest."
   She stood up and leaned in, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and continued out.
   This alone helped Deccus recover more than anything.


   "And there goes the last cast." The doctor took off the plaster around Deccus's leg.
   "Finally I can scratch that itch. It's been bugging me for a week."
   With the greatest feeling of satisfaction, Deccus scratched his leg.
   "Every time I remove a cast, they itch. It must be horrible to have that itch for weeks and weeks, but you can't reach it. I wouldn't know, since I've never had a cast.
   "Say, are Kaeden and Kleth recovered?"
   "Yes. Both of them have made a full recovery and are waiting for you to return."
   "Am I able to stand now?"
   "Yes, but no sudden movements. Your body is still stiff."
   Slowly Deccus sat up, tilted so his legs were over the side of the bed, and nimbly put both feet on the floor and stood.
   "Feel all right?"
   "Hard to move, but otherwise I feel great."
   "Excellent. The record has been broken."
   Deccus cocked an eyebrow. "What record?
   "The record for worst injuries recovered from. You had 57 broken bones, internal bleeding and a concussion, yet they're completely healed. I have to say, I'm impressed."
   "I don't blame you. I'm surprised myself."
   "Try moving around now. See if you're completely recovered."
   Gingerly Deccus lifted one foot. Instantly all his weight was put on one appendage. It wasn't too unbearable, though. He moved his lifted foot forwards, then put it down. He lifted his other one, and did it again.
   "Wow." The doctor was mightily impressed. "After only three weeks, you're walking again. Truly amazing."
   Deccus continued to walk, over to his boots. He noticed that his armor was repaired and hanging on a coat rack.
   He slipped one foot into his boot and tied the string. He did the same to the other foot, put on his newly refurbished armor, then his shield and the rest of his uniform.
   It felt wonderful to be wearing them again. All decked out for battle and everything.
   "By the way, Doc. Do you happen to know where Holly might be?"
   "I assume at the Academy. That's where the General told them to stay until you returned."
   Deccus nodded. "Thanks."
   "Hold on, there."
   "What?"
   "You're still in your hospital gown."
   He looked around himself. His entire behind was exposed.
   "Ah... Heh heh. Where're some clothes?"
   The doctor strode over to a closet and opened it, revealing some of Deccus's clothes from his dorm.
   "Thanks."
   Quickly he dressed and redonned his armor. Instead of carrying his shield on his arm like in battle, be put both arms in the ropes that held it on his arm, so it was carried like a backpack. His blaster he put in his holster.
   The sun reflecting off the city walls nearly blinded Deccus. He hadn't been outside for nearly a month, so his eyes weren't used to bright sun. He wondered vaguely what the General felt like when he stepped outside.
   He stopped squinting when he entered the front doors to the Academy. Thinking of where to go, he headed for dorm room 5.
   He knocked a few times. A groan was heard inside. It sounded like Holly's groan. He knocked again.
   "Hold on, I'm coming."
   The door opened. Yep, it was Holly. She was a mess, though, like her room. She brightened up immediately as soon as she saw who was there, though.
   "Deccus! Hi! Are you alright?"
   "Yes, I'm fine. You don't look good, though."
   "Oh. Sorry. I haven't been able to sleep very well recently."
   "How come?"
   "Oh, look at me. I'm leaving you in the hallway. Come in, come in. I want to tell you something." She stepped to the side to allow him passage.
   "So why haven't you been able to sleep well?"
   "Because... I wasn't sure if you were really going to make it. Your wounds should have been fatal, yet you survived. Any sort of outside force could have finished you off with the slightest effort. If you didn't make it, I wouldn't have been able to tell you..."
   "What? What is it?"
   She swallowed. "I..."
   The door opened and Wedge came in.
   "Good to see you walking again. Hard to believe after that pounding you got."
   "Yeah. Just my luck, I guess." Deccus shrugged.
   Just then Kaeden and Kleth came in as well, followed closely by Ted.
   "He's back! He walks again!" Kaeden yelled.
   â€œThis is quite extraordinary. Statistically, you shouldn’t have survived. Even with your defense training, your wounds were fatal especially since we don’t have licensed doctors on the island.”
   Deccus shrugged again. “I try not to think about it.”
   Then someone else came in the room. She had a red robe on, and a pretty face. Deccus recognized her as a messenger Nymph. Why they were called that is unknown, but they do their job very good.
   â€œDeccus?” She asked.
   He stepped up. “That’s me.”
   â€œYour presence is requested by the General as soon as possible.” Her voice seemed mystical and other-worldly.
   â€œDid he say why?”
   â€œNo. He said only to tell you to be there.”
   â€œOk. Anything else?”
   â€œNo. That is all.” She said in a final tone and walked out.
   Holly had a peculiar expression. “What was that for?”
   â€œWhat was what for?”
   â€œWhy did she have to talk like she has a throat disease to deliver a simple message? A paper airplane with the message written on it would have worked just as well.”
   Deccus shrugged. “Who knows? Let’s go see what he wants.”
   He strode out the door with the rest following him.
   It was a fairly long walk from the Academy to Headquarters. Vahal wasn’t the biggest of city’s, but the Academy and Headquarters were across town from each other, and was still a considerable distance.
   The secretary waved them into the General’s room when they arrived.
   As always it was very dark. His hands were visible, but nothing else of the General could be seen.
   â€œYou came post-haste. I like that.”
   Deccus nodded. “Yes, sir. I came as soon as I heard.”
   â€œExcellent. Now, I called you here to assign another mission.”
   Deccus gulped. He hoped it wasn’t another difficult one.
   â€œDon’t worry. It’s not quite as impossible as the last one. Given all of your previous history, this one should be just right.” He cleared his throat. “The sub-city of Arcania is under siege from a heavy Howler attack. They could withstand the assault, but it would be with difficulty. Your assignment will be to attack the Howlers from the other side. At the same time, you’ll give a signal for the Arcanian forces to go all-out, thus capturing them in a pincer attack. One of the most important things to do will be to jam all Howler transmissions while you fight so no Howler reinforcements come, and since all personnel in Arcania are needed to fight so none of them can work the radio. This job will depend heavily on Kleth, so a new recruit will be added to your team to give him extra protection. Shed, come on out.”
   A rather young boy came out from the shadows.
   The most startling aspect of him was the gigantic shield he was carrying. It was taller than him, and rather heavy looking. It put Deccus’s shield to shame. Despite his young age, he looked like he could carry it rather deftly. It was red in color, as was his armor. The chest plate alone looked huge compared to the rest of him. Despite all this, he looked to be a very bright and optimistic person. He had a small handgun strapped to his belt, but for weaponry that was all.
   â€œHi! I’m Shed.” He stuck out his hand at Deccus.
   He took it and shook. “I’m Deccus. Nice to meet you.”
   He blushed and cringed slightly. “Wow. The great Deccus shook my hand…”
   He wasn’t expecting this. “I didn’t think I was famous at all…”
   Shed couldn’t believe it. “What!? How can someone with Valiant status not know he’s famous? How could have the army have pierced Styx Path without your help? And what about when those Howlers were attacking Vahal? You alone volunteered to be launched into the air with a catapult and parachute to the ground behind them to distract them while we gathered our army! Plus, with only minimal forces, you captured a heavily defended Howler fortress! That was only a few weeks ago, but still! It was amazing!”
   Quite overwhelmed, Deccus decided to introduce Shed to the rest of the group.
   â€œThis is Kaeden, our heavy weapons specialist.”
   He grunted and nodded.
   â€œWow. He looks like he’d be a fierce opponent on the battle field.”
   â€œWhen he has a full stomach, he can do anything.” Kleth said.
   Kaeden put a smug look on his face.
   â€œThis is Ted, our medic.”
   Shed put out his hand. “How do you do?”
   Ted nervously shook his hand and remained silent.
   â€œIt’s best not to push him to talk. He won’t do it. One person who can talk, though, is Holly here. Boy, can she talk.”
   She thumped Deccus on the arm. “Quiet, you!”
   Shed waved his finger. “Hey, I know you. You took my lunch money when I was at the academy still, a couple years ago.”
   She was unyielding. “Yeah, so? What’re you gonna do about it?”
   â€œI’m going to ask for it back.”
   â€œLike hell you are!”
   Shed shrugged. “I knew it’d be pointless.”
   â€œGeneral! I have a question.” Kleth spoke up.
   â€œWhat is it?”
   â€œHow are we going to get to Arcania in time to help with the siege on foot? It’d take hours to get there.”
   â€œI have that problem solved. Go outside the city and your question will be answered.”
   â€œA-all right.”
   â€œUh, General, sir?” Deccus started.
   â€œHm?”
   â€œWill just us seven be enough to make a difference?”
   â€œWhat, you thought I’d have you go alone? No, no. The Elite Eight will be assisting you.”
   An awed silence followed.
   â€œThe Elite Eight!?”
   â€œThe most powerful single force on this island?”
   â€œYes. With both them and you combined, you should do enough damage to aid the Arcanian forces.”
   â€œWow. The Elite Eight…”
   â€œI never dreamed I’d ever be able to work beside them.”
   â€œSee, Shed, those are people you should admire, not me. They have the most optimum equipment possible, they have very highly trained units, and enough power to punch a hole into any Howler army.”
   â€œDon’t you people have somewhere to go?”
   â€œRight, sir. We should head out.”
   Losing interest in the Elite Eight altogether, Kaeden headed out the door. “I wonder if we got rides! I love riding in those carts!”
   â€œKaeden, we can WALK faster than carts.” Holly said and ran out after him, with Kleth and Ted following.
   â€œSo what’s your name?” Shed asked.
   â€œI’m Wedge, the sniper. I’ll tell you about me outside.” They both walked out. Deccus followed.
   â€œOh, and Deccus.”
   He stopped and turned. “What?”
   A creaking sound was heard as the General leaned forward, and a very small part of his chin was exposed in the light. “I spent a lot of money to fully heal you. Don’t make that investment go to waste.”
   He puzzled that for a second. “Yes, sir.”
   Again, Deccus’s eyes had trouble adjusting from the darkness inside to the brightness of the city. He couldn’t see the others, so he went to the main gate, where they’d most likely be.
   He found them arguing with the guards at the top of the wall, who granted passage in and out of the city.
   â€œI’m sorry, but I can’t let you out without a master password.”
   â€œBut only leaders know that password! We don’t know it!” Kaeden yelled to them.
   â€œSorry, but no can do. The Howlers are getting very active out there, and I can’t send some random people out there to get captured.”
   â€œSorry!” Deccus yelled very loudly, right by Holly’s ears, so as to see her jump. “I know the password.”
   The guard nodded. “Ok!”
   Deccus said the password and they were allowed out.
   And granted with something never seen on Vahal before.
   â€œWe get to ride Ski-doo’s!? Sweet deal!” Kaeden exclaimed and jumped on a yellow one.
   â€œThis will get us there faster for sure.” Holly was trying to hide her excitement, but failing. She jumped on the black one, the biggest smile Deccus had seen from her on her face.
   â€œYahoo! I love these things!” Shed yelled and jumped on the red one.
   Wedge seemed quite disgruntled. “I hate skidoo’s.” He grumbled but got on nonetheless.
   There wasn’t one for both Kleth and Ted individually, so they paired up one, while Deccus got on the last remaining vehicle.
   He started the motor. It shook and vibrated, brimming with power.
“Let’s go!” He waved towards the direction they were to go and sped off, the rest of them following.
   What normally would have been a three hour hike was a quick ten minute ride on skidoo’s.
   This is great! Deccus thought as he sped faster than he had ever gone before. Trees went by too fast to be seen properly, and a couple patrols had shocked faces as they went by so fast.
   As Deccus approached where Arcania should be, he could see eight figures on the horizon. Deccus saw the middle person standing, and assumed him to be the leader. Slowly coming to a stop he got off and addressed him.
   â€œAre you the leader of the Elite Eight?”
   He looked Deccus up and down once. “Yes. Call me Anton.” His voice was harsh, tuned to years of battle, and had a slight accent to it, but not much of one. It was impossible to tell what kind of accent it was, however.
   Anton was rather tall for his age. He was considerably higher than Deccus, by at least four inches. His armor was a simple white, with shoulder plates that stuck out quite a ways. His boots looked like high-tech ski boots, but more flexible. There were red stripes here and there, but other than that he was all white. His weapons were twin cannons on his back and twin handguns on his belt. His forearm and foreleg plates were widened for increased protection. The rest of his team seemed to be dressed in a similar fashion.
   Deccus nodded. “Ok, Anton. What’s the situation here?”
   â€œThe Howler forces have surrounded this side of Arcania. Take a look at it.” He pointed over the hill. Deccus walked forward and saw.
   Siege machines by the dozens had lined up in front of the Arcania wall. Nearly an even hundred infantry were there, some guarding the siege machines and others attacking by either lobbing shots or putting ladders up against the wall and climbing. The machines consisted of towers, catapults and rammers. The towers inched slowly towards the wall; the catapults threw huge shots over the wall and rammers moved forwards, carrying infantry inside it and rammed the wall, hoping to break it down.
   On the Arcania side, some soldiers were on top of the wall, firing with random weapons. Some were on the ground level, but they were really getting pounded. Sometimes a rope came down and pulled a soldier up, while another came down. They had a couple of turret cannons on the wall, but the most noticeable part of the city was the tower near the middle of the city. It had a cannon that looked nearly as large as the city gate. It must have been broken, since it wasn’t firing anything.
   â€œAs you can see this will be a difficult task.” Anton continued. “I’ve formulated a strategy that I think will work well. I just need you to agree to it.”
   â€œLet’s hear it.”
   Everyone gathered to Anton, and he quickly explained his plan to Deccus and the others.
   â€œAll the close range fighters will run forward, doing as much damage as possible. The snipers will stay behind the fighters cover, and pick off whoever they can. Deccus, you go first, since you’re quite a good fighter and you have a shield, along with you, Hadrian. CJ, Kaeden, you cover him.”
Kaeden and CJ nodded. CJ looked to be very similar in style to Kaeden, while Hadrian was the same as Deccus, a Shield Joe.
   â€œHolly and Meg, you go with me and give me cover fire.”
   They both nodded.
   â€œShed, you try and cover both systemators at once the best you can. This mission depends on them, so the Howlers don’t call for reinforcements.”
   â€œOk!”
   â€œSystemators, send the signal to Arcania to attack when I signal for us to attack. Ted, Krea, watch for whoever needs medical attention.”
   All mentioned nodded.
   â€œEveryone, assume positions!”
   All present conformed according to Anton’s orders. Deccus and Hadrian in front, fighters behind them, snipers further behind and systemators at back.
   Deccus gritted his teeth. He hoped he wasn’t making a big mistake in doing this.
   But… There are people down there who need our help. I have to go!
   â€œAll ready?” Anton cried.
   â€œYes, sir!”
   â€œCHARGE!”
   Deccus sprang forward shield first, matching Hadrian’s speed. Deccus charged his blaster to full power and fired. The shot was focused as wide as possible, to announce their approach. Quickly Deccus popped open the ammo valve and refilled his gun while running still, then charged again, only more focused this time. Kaeden and CJ were firing as much as possible while still trying to keep up with the Shield Joe’s.
   For the first time Deccus saw why Anton was the leader of the Elite Eight. His twin cannons were immensely powerful, and still had a high refire rate. He ran and switched between both guns without taking his eyes off of the Howlers. Sometimes he pulled both handguns out and released a barrage of shells, then switched back to his cannons, all without straying his vision. He himself downed more foes than anyone else.
   By now they were closer to the enemy than before, and were in firing range of them.
   â€œHadrian! Go faster and ram into them!” Deccus yelled.
   â€œOk!”
   Gathering more speed, Deccus hoped to do as much damage as possible while he still had the momentum. The enemy shells bounced harmlessly off Deccus’s shield, not slowing him at all.
   â€œDeccus! What are you doing?” Anton yelled at him.
   Deccus ignored him so he wouldn’t lose his concentration.
   Seeing what Deccus was intent on, the Howler soldiers were starting to get out of the way.
   This is gonna hurt.
   Deccus braced himself for impact.
   Many hard bodies slammed against his shield, but he kept as much speed as possible. Looking to the side he saw Hadrian doing the same.
   Finally stopped, Deccus signaled Hadrian to fall back. They ran back to the others at top speed, hoping not to get attacked on the way.
   â€œWhat were you thinking?” Anton yelled at them both.
   â€œWe did more damage there than a firing range would, and we made it out okay, didn’t we?” Deccus told him.
   â€œYou’re right. But, no time to argue. Get back to the front.”
   Looking over the massive forces of the Howlers, Deccus could see the rammers starting to break the wall. There wasn’t much to the Arcanian forces, and they were taking a beating.
   â€œHadrian! We gotta help the Arcanian soldiers! Let’s circle around the Howlers!”
   â€œOk, but Anton won’t like it.”
   â€œKaeden, CJ, follow us!”
   Splitting apart, they went separate ways around with the other two struggling to catch up to them while still firing. Deccus caught a glimpse of Anton following Deccus.
   Eventually they worked their way around and were on the side of the Arcanians, who needed the help badly.
   Deccus set his sights on the rammer doing lethal damage to the wall. He ran up and jumped on top of it. He charged his gun, poked it through a window on the side and fired, then jumped in himself. His shield worked very well as a melee weapon, as he found out then.
   After he had taken over the rammer, he turned it around and aimed for the Howler forces. He inched it slowly for a catapult in the middle of an infantry swarm. He

[Swiftman]

Kleth took it and feverishly dismantled it. Within minutes he had a crude lighting system built.
   â€œOk, we’re ready. Take the supplies and let’s go.”
   Deccus used his shield as a basket to carry most of the weapons.
   Up on the wall, Kleth started to light the fuses and throw them at the enemy horde.
   The grenades meant to explode didn’t really explode with any force. They just made a loud bang. The other ones, meant to be a firebomb, didn’t explode in the least. The glass just broke, but for some reason they worked better at scaring the Howler’s than anything else.
   â€œWhy do the non-exploding ones scare them more?”
   â€œI didn’t make them to explode, as per most intent on making a firebomb. I simply made a massive chemical reaction inside, so when the glass broke, it released high amounts of carbon dioxide, which eats away at oxygen in the area, making it hard to breathe.”
   â€œHow would difficult breathing scare them?”
   â€œHow would you feel when you’re sieging a city and suddenly you couldn’t breathe and there’s explosions happening beside you?”
   â€œWell, I would of course freak out a bit.”
   â€œExactly. It’s more a psychological effect than anything.”
   It seemed to work, too. All the Howler’s were dropping their equipment and running like their lives depended on it. They even left behind their catapults and rammers, they were so frightened.
   â€œYahoo!” Anton’s yell was heard from a few meters below. “I don’t know what you guys did, but it worked!”
   Everyone else that was fighting on the other side of the battle had gathered at the foot of the wall.
   â€œWe didn’t lose anyone, did we?” Deccus yelled out.
   Shed was walking up, carrying something. It looked familiar.
   â€œWhat is it, Shed?” Deccus said as he slid down a ladder.
   â€œIt’s Ted…”
   It was indeed Ted he was carrying. He looked quite motionless.
   â€œTed?”
   He looked closely at his still body. Could it be…?
   â€œIs he…”
   â€œA Howler cheap shotted him while giving me a heat pack. Right to the head.”
   Deccus couldn’t believe it. “I… I don’t know what to say…”
   He then noticed something. “Hey. There’s no wound on his head. There isn’t even a bruise.”
   Shed dropped Ted right away, who quickly stood up. “You’re right. You caught us.”
   Anton began to laugh, which signaled to the others that it was okay to laugh too.
   For quite a while they all laughed, including Ted, though he made no sound, but his mouth was moving. Deccus made a mental note of it to ask him later.
   Anton decided to give the congratulatory speech.
   â€œExcellent work, people. With our help, Arcania has survived to live another day. Tonight we shall celebrate, and tomorrow gather the war machines and pack them into the city. Deccus,” Anton walked up to him and stuck out his hand. “Thanks for your help.”
   Deccus took his hand and shook it. “No problem. Just doing my job.”
   Anton waved his arm to the city. “Come! Let us celebrate!”
   The city gate opened, and they all poured into the bar, almost already decorated for a party.
   â€œDrinks on the house!” The barkeeper yelled.
   Almost immediately everyone swarmed to the counter, quite overwhelming the poor boy. Deccus hopped behind it to help.
   â€œPepsi here!” Kaeden yelled.
   â€œI want orange!” Holly elbowed Kaeden aside.
   â€œOne at a time! Have patience.” Deccus was trying to prepare two drinks at once, but failed and stayed to doing one at a time.
   For a few minutes Deccus served as assistant bartender, until Krea came and took over. Deccus quickly poured a root beer for himself and went off.
   â€œHey, Deccus! Come on over here!” Anton yelled above the crowd. He was sitting at a table with CJ, Hadrian and another person he didn’t know. Deccus went and sat down with them.
   â€œHey, Deccus. Nice going out there. That idea to use the rammer on their catapult was genius!” Hadrian was quite talkative once he had a drink.
   Deccus shrugged. “Well. Yeah. It was a spontaneous thing.”
   â€œAn’ what made you ram them with your shield? That was suicidal, man.”
   â€œIt worked before.”
   Hadrian laughed. “You’re alright, Deccus. I gotta say, you sure turned that fight around.”
   â€œSay, Anton.” Deccus tried to change the subject away from him. “Who’s this guy here? I don’t think I know him.”
   â€œHim?” Anton pointed his thumb at the new figure. “He was the commander on the Arcanian side. Brilliant strategist.”
   He seemed quite honored to be complimented by the leader of the Elite Eight. “Now, I can’t say I’m that good. I just do what has to be done.”
   â€œThat’s the same with me!” Deccus said. “People always say I’m a good fighter and say I can command an army well, but really, half the time I’m not even thinking. What’s your name, anyways?”
   â€œThe name’s Butch. And I know you already. Who doesn’t know of the great Deccus?”
   â€œOh, come on. I can’t be as famous as that, can I? I mean, I’m nothing compared to Anton. If me and him had a fight right now, he’d kick my butt in barely a few seconds.”
   â€œPlease.” Anton seemed to like the recognition. “In a few seconds? You’re very good yourself. You have good defense, more than me. You could just block everything I throw at you.”
   â€œYou know, on a different subject,” CJ said, tired of being left out. “I’m kinda curious where you came from, Deccus. Where you were born and stuff.”
   Deccus stammered a bit, but with little convincing he launched into his story. It was a little spiced up from what he told Kleth and the others, but stayed to the facts enough to be classified as accurate. He finished in a few minutes, then finished off his root beer.
   â€œHadrian, why don’t you go?” Deccus said above the rising noise of the crowd.
   He finished his drink and went to his story. “I came from British Columbia, in Canada. A nice town, not too big, with very little to disturb the peace. I thought it was too boring, and asked my parents if I could go to summer camp. They thought I could do better, and sent me here instead. I graduated at an early age from the Academy, and served well in the army, until Anton asked me to join his force. I said yes, and I’ve been working for him ever since.”
   â€œHow old were you when you graduated?”
   â€œOh, just a year early. I only trained for two years.”
   It was normal for everyone attending the Academy to train for three years, work in the regular army for at least one year, then they could start their own team, join another, or stay in the army. Many stayed with their friends in the army, and barely any made their own teams. Much like Deccus. He worked in the army a year extra, then started his own team against his will. He was on break from working in the army, living in a small house in Vahal, working at the armory. It was traditional for people that acquire Valiant status to take a short break. His was cut short by the General, but that was all right. It was boring working at the armory, anyways.
   â€œGood story. You want to go, CJ?”
   â€œSure. Why not.” He took a drink then started to talk. “I’m from New York. You know, the Big Apple. Let me tell you, it’s quite different from there to here. Where I come from, the most frightening thing to happen would be getting mugged in Central Park, but after this place, that’d be a cakewalk. Having to charge a full on army with only fourteen other guys? Come on. That’s almost suicidal. Muggers are only one person. Just punch him in the face and move on. I was getting pretty rowdy over there, and was starting to hang with the wrong crowd. My parents changed that by sending me here. See, I saw the Howler’s and the scum of New York as the same thing. I learned to hate the Howler’s, and as such saw that the people I was getting with were part of that. My parents made the right choice in sending me here. Anton and Hadrian make way better friends than they would’ve ever been. Once I graduated…”
   He was interrupted by Kleth setting off the remaining fireworks in quick succession, making for quite the show now that he put different colors of dye in the mix.
   â€œOoh, fire.” CJ said and ran for Kleth.
   Deccus watched him wrestle Kleth for the lighter. “You know, I used to think of the Elite Eight as a highly disciplined, emotionless team, but after this it proved that theory wrong.”
   â€œWell, if we’re all relaxed and happy, it improves morale and…”
   A firecracker went off by Deccus’s head, singing his hair slightly.
   â€œCJ! Watch where you throw those things!”
   â€œSorry!” He promptly lit another and aimed directly at Deccus’s face.
   â€œDon’t throw that!” Kleth yelled, but it was too late.
   The glass shattered on Deccus’s face. He fell down and knocked his chair, which swung and hit him in the stomach and took his breath away. He tried to inhale, but nothing came. He tried again, but nothing happened. He needed oxygen… Bad… Couldn’t breathe…
   â€œYou idiot, CJ!” Anton got up and pushed Deccus out of the field of carbon dioxide. Air… Wonderful air…
   Anton went to CJ and backhanded his face. “When Kleth says ‘don’t throw that’, then that means, don’t throw that! Listen better next time!”
   CJ looked quite shocked. Anton never resorted to physical punishment on his crew.
   Anton went to Deccus and helped him up. “You alright?”
   â€œYeah. I’m fine. Thanks, though.”
   The mood lightened after Kleth made more fireworks, with improved formula’s for enhanced explosions. CJ left the demolitions to him and sat at the same table with another drink.
   After the party lasted for nearly two more hours, Deccus went to the second floor to sleep for the night. He shared a room with the rest of his team, which had only two beds, and the beds could only sleep two people each, so they had a few rounds of Janken to see who would sleep in them. Perhaps by a pure coincidence or a cruel mistress of fate, Deccus and Holly got a bed together.
   Better than Kaeden. Deccus thought to himself as he opened the door.
   He was the first one there. Kleth and the rest were still partying downstairs, making a huge ruckus. Removing his armor he climbed in and rested his eyes, since sleep was nigh impossible at the moment with the racket downstairs.
   Ted was the first one in. He took his sleeping bag, removed his toque and boots and curled up against the wall. Kaeden came second, slightly charred and rather sticky looking. He went into the bathroom and the sound of the shower was heard. Ted had to use the bathroom, but since Kaeden was in that one, he went to a different washroom in the hallway.
   Then Holly came in. Without saying anything she got changed and went in the bed, her back to him and a fair distance away from Deccus. Perhaps too far? He edged a little closer to her to experiment. She didn’t move, but the second time he moved she went further to the side.
   Perhaps she’s nervous? He thought to himself hopefully. He edged more to his side, just to be careful.
   â€œSo… All alone.” He said quietly.
   â€œYep.” She responded.
   â€œHolly… About… This morning… Back at the Academy, when I went in your room after I could walk again. What were you planning to say before Wedge came in?”
   Her breathing paused for a second. “Wwwhhy do you want to know?”
   â€œIt sounded important, like you wanted to say it for a long time.”
   She inhaled sharply, turned over and sat up. “You’re right. I have been wanting to say it for a long time. I just never seem to get to be alone with you long enough to get it out.”
   He sat up as well. “We have time now. Say it.”
   She closed her eyes and looked down. “Deccus, I…”
   The door to the room burst open and Shed, followed by Wedge. They appeared to be firing on one another.
   Shed had his shield and blaster going, working in unison blocking Wedge’s shots while attacking himself. He fired a few shells and put his shield in his face. Wedge jumped on top and pushed Shed’s shield to the floor while he blasted his face with a few shots. Shed lifted his shield and smacked Wedge on the cheek and continued to fire.
   â€œHey!” Deccus jumped out of bed, grabbed his shield and blaster and ended the fight within seconds. “What’s going on here? Are you all hopped up on sugar?”
   Shed answered first. “We’re just seeing which is better in a fight: Offense or defense.”
   â€œYeah. We weren’t fighting for no reason. This’ll help us on the field.”
   â€œKnow what else will help? Getting some sleep!” Deccus dropped his things on the floor and went back to bed.
   â€œSorry, boss.” Shed went back out, while Wedge went to get a sleeping bag. As soon as he left Ted came back in.
   â€œOkay, Holly.” Deccus whispered to her under the blankets. “What did you want to say?”
   â€œNot with Ted here.”
   Deccus would just have to wait another day.


   He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t even get drowsy in the slightest. He could only think on what Holly had to say.
   Could she feel like I do, but just too nervous and never getting a second alone with me? Yes, that could be. It’s possible. But, what if it wasn’t that? Could she hate me? No. That’s impossible.
   But even as he thought it, he found it grew more and more true. At first it was a radical thought, but seemed entirely possible now.
   Finally, in a disheartened state, Deccus fell asleep.


   â€œHey, guys! Wake up!”
   A thump at the door violently awoke Deccus.
   It continued. “Hurry! The Howler’s are back!”
   â€œWhat!?” Deccus jumped out of bed and very quickly put on his armor and weapons. He burst the door open, ready to run, until he saw CJ on the floor laughing.
   â€œYou fell for it! Hook, line and sinker!” He was clutching his sides.
   Anton came into view and kicked CJ in the leg. “You just don’t know when to shut up, do you?”
   Deccus dropped his stuff in his room and went downstairs for breakfast.
   Only Hadrian, CJ and Anton were up already. Hadrian was enjoying pancakes, while Anton went for waffles. CJ appeared to have eaten already. Deccus got a little of everything and sat with the others.
   â€œOh, yeah. Deccus.” Anton said with a full mouth. He swallowed twice before continuing. “I got a message from the General.”
   _Oh, bloody hell. Not already._ He thought. “What is it?”
   â€œHe wants you to take the skidoo’s you have and scout the area around here. Make sure there aren’t any Howler’s preparing for a second attack.”
   Deccus sighed in relief. “Ok. Thanks. I thought he wanted us to attack another fort.”
   Hadrian finished his orange juice. “You haven’t attacked a fort in over a month! We had to assault one just three days ago!”
   â€œI guess you have a point there.” Deccus took a huge bite of sausage.
   Anton took a huge gulp of his drink before speaking. “Say, what was it like being in bed for three weeks without being able to move?”
   â€œAlmost as bad as taking the hits that caused the injuries. It gets awful boring there, you can’t itch yourself under the casts, and there’s barely anyone to talk to. Just the occasional visitor.”
   Holly came down, dished up and sat beside Deccus. Closer than she should be, perhaps?
   â€œYou know, I never have broken an arm or anything. I never seem to get hit very often.” Anton said thumping his chest after a particularly big bite.
   â€œDepending on how you get hit,” Hadrian spoke up. “It’s alright to get an arm or leg broken. They don’t hurt much if they’re broken right. What hurts is having your ribs broken.”
   â€œI know! It hurts to breathe even.” Deccus said to Hadrian
   â€œYou’ve had them broken?”
   â€œSeven of them.”
   â€œHow?”
   â€œThat guy in the red team we had to take down named Allouette. He’s evil with his blasters.”
   CJ laughed so suddenly and hard that he fell off his chair.
   â€œAnd what’s so funny?”
   â€œAllouette’s a girl’s name!”
   â€œAnd how would you know, Mr. Mature?”
   â€œMy parents are French. My full name is Criqué Jacques Matúr. My cousin’s name is Allouette, and she’s small compared to that guy.”
   â€œSo if we get a French exchange student, we should find you for translator?”
   Anton coughed. “Back at the Academy he always bugged us by talking to us in French.”
   CJ laughed again.
   â€œDid you notice that CJ’s last name sounds like mature?”
   Hadrian thought a second. “Yeah, it does. Not that it’s true or anything.”
   Anton coughed harder.
   Hadrian ignored him. “So you have to go on a scouting mission next?”
   â€œYup. I don’t mind, though. I’m riding the ski-doo’s, and if I’m doing that I’m not complaining.”
   Anton was having trouble breathing.
   â€œAre you all right, Anton?”
   He coughed quite hard and shook his head.
   It took a second before anyone reacted.
   Hadrian got up and started thumping his back, but it didn’t help.
   â€œWho knows the Heimlich?”
   â€œNobody does! We’re just kids!”
   Deccus picked Anton up and slung him on his shoulder. It wasn’t very easy. “Where’s a hospital in this town?”
   The barkeep pointed towards the gate through the wall.
   â€œThanks!” Deccus ran off.
   The morning sun was very bright, but Deccus paid it no notion. The hospital was a rather small building located close to the wall.
   Only one nurse was in at the moment. She seemed quite flustered to have a choking person come in so suddenly. “What’s wrong with him?
   â€œHe choked on some food.”
   â€œSet him on that chair.”
   Deccus sat Anton up and she came over, stuck her finger in his mouth, turned him around and performed an expert Heimlich maneuver. A piece of waffle flew out and hit the floor.
   â€œThere. That’s it.”
   â€œThat’s it? He’s fine now? It was just a piece of breakfast food that made him choke like that?”
   â€œUh… Yeah. He’s free to go now.”
   â€œSweet! Back to eating.” Anton said and ran back.
   Quite in awe at the rapid recovery, Deccus followed him. He quickly finished his breakfast, went to his room and put his armor on. He then went outside the city and gathered the skidoos to the front of the city, since they had to park a ways away due to the large Howler swarm in front of the city when they had arrived there. Afterwards he went back into the bar.
   By now Holly had finished eating and Kaeden had come down. Shed and Wedge had continued their ‘discussion’ outside, where more room was available. Ted was presumably still asleep. Deccus got another plate of food and sat down again.
   â€œSo, Anton.” Deccus asked. “Where are you going after this?”
   He couldn’t answer, due to the roughly half a pound of food in his mouth. Hadrian answered in his place.
   â€œWe were ordered to take a week long break. Apparently, Anton thinks we’re over worked. Personally, I can’t sit still for more than a day. I was thinking of returning to the army for a while.”
   â€œWhy not join my squad? We can always use the help.”
   Hadrian thought for a second before answering. “Sure, why not. I know I’ll be bored sitting around.”
   Deccus sealed the deal with a hand shake.
   â€œThanks. I know we could use all the help we can get.”
   â€œIt is proven that we’re an excellent team. We alone knocked out more Howler’s than all the snipers and fighters combined, excluding Anton.”
   A particularly loud belch came from Anton.
   Hadrian continued. “Yet, he can still drink us under the table. He alone consumed more sugar that night than any one single person, yet never got a sugar high.”
   â€œWait, I just thought of something.”
   â€œWhat’s that?”
   â€œOur next mission is to patrol the area on ski-doo’s.”
   â€œAnd?”
   â€œWe only have seven of them. With you, that makes eight. We need an extra ski-doo.”
   â€œYou’re right. We may have to call for another one.”
   The door opened and Shed and Wedge came in, both very wet and covered in frost.
   â€œSo, how did it go? Who won?” Anton asked.
   â€œIt’s still a tie. Neither of us has won yet.” Wedge said while he flagged the bartender for a hot chocolate.
   â€œHe put up one heck of a fight, though. I’d say that my shield is probably the best weapon if I’m being swarmed by multiple enemies.” Shed put two fingers up, saying he wanted a hot chocolate also.
   â€œWe’re just taking a break, then we’ll give it another shot.”
   â€œYou do know that we’re about to leave on a mission, right?” Deccus said to the two.
   â€œYeah, but frankly, I’m too pooped. It’s just a patrol anyways, right?” Shed said as he brushed off a layer of snow.
   â€œI hate ski-doo’s. I’m not riding them.”
   Deccus shrugged. “Guess we have room for you then, Hadrian.”
   The door opened and Ted came in.
   â€œWere you at the cannon, Ted?”
   He nodded.
   â€œIs it fixed yet?”
   Ted shook his head.
   â€œOh, well. Meet us at the gate in ten minutes, okay?”
   He nodded and went upstairs.
   â€œSay, where’s Holly?”
   â€œI saw her outside climbing to the cannon before I came in.” Wedge said with a gulp.
   â€œThanks.”
   Deccus got up and left. He headed for the ladder that led to the cannon and climbed it. It was about ten stories high, and it made Deccus slightly giddy when he looked down.
   Indeed, Holly was up there. Her legs were over the edge, and she looked rather lonely.
   â€œSomething wrong, Holly?” Deccus asked and sat beside her.
   â€œNo, nothing.”
   â€œYou sure? Wanna talk about it?”
   â€œNot to you.” She replied rather snidely.
   â€œOh. Ok.”
   They didn’t speak for the next couple minutes, but rather looked at the breathtaking view that was provided from the height of the tower. Deccus could see for miles. He could just barely see Fort Prodigy on the horizon, and the walled city Achilles was visible if one squinted.
   â€œSure a good view, huh?” Deccus tried to break the awkward silence.
   â€œSure.” She replied quietly and looked down. Deccus tried to catch her eye, but was rudely interrupted by a loud, piercing yell.
   â€œThere’s something really big heading this way!”
   The yell cut through the entire city and everyone within Arcania’s walls heard it. Within seconds all soldiers were gathered and ready at the gate.
   Deccus got up immediately and went to the viewpoint in the tower.
   It was indeed very big. In fact, its  foot was as big as the bar.
   It was a giant, walking, robot. It was much taller than the wall, and definitely had the ability to destroy the city in seconds. It was made of unpainted wood, and stepped very slowly.
   â€œWhat the hell is that!?” Deccus yelled.
   â€œIt looks like a mech, only way bigger!” Holly appeared quite frantic.
   Deccus slid down the ladder and made for the city gate. Since Anton was still preparing, Deccus was in charge.
   He spoke to the guards on top of the wall. “Open the gate and get to the bar’s basement! It’s the safest place!”
   They both opened the gate and ran for the tavern. By that time, everyone had gathered at the gate.
   Deccus gave orders to his team took charge. “Wedge, stay here. Shed, you’re coming with us. Hadrian, you choose who to go with: The Elite Eight or us. Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll ride out on ski-doo’s, giving the Elite Eight a ride. They’ll jump on the feet of that thing, and hopefully work their way inside and dismantle it. We’ll distract it by attacking and chasing it away.
   â€œEveryone ready?”
   â€œYES, SIR!”
   Deccus got on his ride and started the motor as Anton got on behind him. “Let’s go!”
   They all sped off towards the hulking opponent. It moved fast for such a large mechanism, and since its footsteps were so slow.
   Deccus circled around the foot, getting as close as possible for Anton to jump on. A door was visible on it, so they wouldn’t have to make an entrance.
   â€œGet ready to jump!” Deccus yelled to Anton.
   Anton jumped, but just as the foot lifted. Deccus quickly reached out and grabbed his arm before he slid too far. Deccus caught up to the foot, but by the time he got there it was gone again.
   â€œHolly! Go ahead and catch up to it ahead of time!”
   She did so, Hadrian preparing to jump behind her. The foot landed, and Hadrian jumped. He managed to climb on, but the door seemed unopenable. No latch or knob was on it.
   Deccus spoke in his mike. “Hadrian! Is the door loose at all?”
   He saw him thud it a bit before replying. “Yeah, a little.”
   â€œKaeden, Get on that foot!”
   â€œHow?”
   â€œSwitch places with CJ!”
   Deccus saw the two fighters attempt some sort of a shuffle, but didn’t quite work. Holly rode up and held the handle still while they switched. They managed to switch, and Kaeden jumped in time to get on the foot.
   â€œNow what?”
   â€œPull that door off! Hadrian, hold him still!”
   Kaeden used both hands to grip the loose board while Hadrian kept his arm behind him to keep him from falling off. He tugged at the door, but it only got looser in its frame. Deccus drove up and Anton pulled as well, then Kleth came and Ted tugged also.
   â€œI think it moved!” Kaeden yelled.
   â€œKeep going!”
   Then the foot lifted. It didn’t come straight down, but rather shook in mid-air. Kaeden and Hadrian fell off easy and landed in the soft snow. Holly and CJ came and picked them up.
   â€œI have an idea! Anton, you drive.”
   They switched places so Deccus was in the back.
   â€œDrive up to the foot again!”
   Anton proved to be a very skillful driver. He drove up within seconds and stopped by the foot on a dime. Deccus jumped on.
   He spoke in his mike. “Hadrian, get on the other foot!”
   He saw Holly drive to it and Hadrian jumped on.
   â€œNow climb up and we’ll get to a better spot!”
   â€œAre you crazy? What could possibly be up there?”
   â€œWhat do you think they use to see? Bulletproof glass? Let’s work to the head!”
   Deccus put his gun away so he could use both hands to climb. He hugged the leg, then wrapped his legs around it. He began to shimmy up like he would a tree. Hadrian was doing the same.
   It was difficult due to the thing they were climbing was walking, but eventually they made it to the hip joints.
   What use could come of that, though? Then Deccus saw that the way to the joints was bare. No armor protected these vital parts. He put on his blaster on and fired a shot. The snow seemed to stick in the gears a bit.
   â€œHadrian! Can you charge your blaster?”
   â€œNo! Only you can!”
   â€œThen fire at the open spot beside you and maybe we can slow it down a bit!”
   Deccus charged his gun and fired. The increased size of the shot knocked one gear off its track and loosened another. He fired another charged shot and a couple were nearly removed.
   The speed of the mech was definitely lowered. Now it would take longer for it to get to Arcania, thus giving Deccus and Hadrian more time.
   The two continued on their vertical ascent. Getting to the shoulders were quite difficult, but they managed to get there in time.
   â€œOkay, here’s the plan.” Deccus said to Hadrian. “We’ll climb on that rim there and attack through the optic area. From there we’ll knock out and capture the pilot squad, thus halting the mech.”
   Hadrian nodded and got into position. They climbed the side at equal speeds, so that they would attack at the same time. Deccus could see Hadrian, and put up three fingers, counting down to one. All fingers down, they jumped into the gap.
   â€œAlright! We’re takin over this mech!” Deccus had his blaster charged and ready to fire.
   Only to have roughly a dozen guns aimed at him.
   The pilots didn’t drive unguarded. Many security soldiers were prepared to fight Deccus and Hadrian to their last ounce of ammo.
   But, Deccus and Hadrian weren’t just anyone.
   In near-perfect synchronization they charged forward, shields first. Knocking out four soldiers and firing at another two, half of them were effectively stopped. Then the Howlers started firing. Deccus and Hadrian walked backwards while firing until they were back to back. Hadrian’s blaster had greater ammo supply, but Deccus could charge.
   One after another of them fell to the constant barrage fired from the two shield joes. Soon it was just them and the pilots.
   One let go of the controls. “Don’t hurt me! I was only following orders!”
   The mech violently swerved to the side. “Jenkins! Don’t let go of the controls!”
   Jenkins immediately grabbed the stick.
   Hadrian spoke up. “Now, make this thing stop or we’ll start firing! NOW!”
   â€œHow ‘bout I fire instead?”
   Deccus turned to see who spoke.
   Allouette had returned.
   â€œAh, crap! Not him!”
   â€œHey, it’s you again! Fancy that! Thought I’da killed ya off!”
   Hadrian readied his shield and blaster. “He’s not alone this time!”
   â€œTwo ‘o yez? That’s almost unfair!”
   â€œDon’t underestimate him, Hadrian. His blasters are very deadly.”
   â€œAny advice?”
   â€œDon’t get hit.”
   Simultaneously they charged forward. Allouette raised his guns and fired, but the duo spilt and ran circles around him, hoping to confuse him. He began to fire in random directions, hoping to hit one of them. One shot came very close to Deccus’s head, one nicked Hadrian’s leg and he tripped, another hit a pilot, and one more hit one of the control systems.
   The pilot captain spoke. “Allouette! Watch where you’re firing or you’ll destroy this thing, with you in it!”
   â€œShut up, boss man! I’m trying to kill these guys!”
   One of the shots made contact with Deccus’s shield. He was blown back and into a wall by the massive power of the literal cannon.
   â€œFinally, you stopped movin!” Allouette raised his blaster.
   Oh, bloody hell. Not again.
   But just as Allouette fired, Hadrian knocked the blaster downwards, making a hole in the floor. Then he took his shield and smacked Allouette across the face with it. He swung his cannon and knocked back Hadrian, then prepared to fire a couple shots, but Deccus tackled him shield-first, then fired a charged shot to his head. Allouette kicked Deccus back and fired a shot, but it was dodged easily. Hadrian tried to attack from behind, but Allouette swung around and hit Hadrian in the head a couple times with his cannon barrel. Deccus ran up from behind, but Allouette turned, hit Deccus with both of his guns and turned back to Hadrian, who was getting quite dazed. Deccus tried to fire a shot, but he was out of ammo. He scooped what he could off himself and fired at Allouette’s head. The force of the shot knocked off his helmet, drawing his attention away from Hadrian until he could get his bearings.
   â€œYou’re really annoyin, ya know that?”
   â€œI’ve been told.”
   Allouette fired the first shot, but Deccus stepped aside and dodged it easily. He fired again and again, but did more damage to the mech than him.
   â€œThat’s it!”
   Allouette ran forward and thwacked Deccus across the head. It hurt plenty. “I’ve had it with you!”
   He hit Deccus a few more times, then picked him up and threw him out the window.
   Deccus was too disoriented to notice he was falling. He saw the ground, but he didn’t seem to be able to think straight.
   The snow plummeted closer and closer, but Deccus couldn’t focus. He could only fall…
   Suddenly Anton appeared in front of him. He had his armor off, and he broke Deccus’s fall.
   â€œUhh… Thanks Anton…”
   He helped him stand, but Deccus was too weak and he crouched instead. “No problem. I expect Hadrian will be out shortly.”
   â€œProbably. He sure took a beating to the head… If both of us at once couldn’t take him down, Hadrian alone doesn’t stand a chance.”
   â€œWho? Who knocked you out?”
   Deccus grabbed Anton by the collar. “Allouette has returned…”
   Anton couldn’t help but be surprised. “Allouette? The guy with the killer cannons?”
   Deccus nodded, out of breath.
   Hadrian was thrown out much like Deccus had been and he started to fall. Anton positioned himself directly below him and flexed his stomach. Hadrian landed on him, completely unharmed besides the hits to the head from Allouette.
   â€œYou all right, Hadrian?”
   â€œUhh… I guess…”
   Anton snapped his fingers. “Ted! I need some medical assistance.”
   Kleth drove up and Ted jumped off. Some hot sugar water and a couple of heat packs rejuvenated the wounded soldiers.
   â€œNow what? If you two couldn’t stop that, what can we do?” Anton said, watching the mech.
   Suddenly it stopped. A rope came down, followed by another and several more. Down descended from them were Allouette, Venra, Pix, and the rest of the team.
   â€œThe Crimson Bandits!” Anton yelled and readied his weapons. Deccus and Hadrian did the same.
   â€œHa! Three against seven? Don’t make me laugh!” Venra laughed and pulled out his shield and gun, which appeared to have received an upgrade.
   â€œOne of them is Anton, the best soldier on the Badger’s side. He alone is more dangerous than any other team.” Pix said, flipping through a book.
   â€œCan you shut up for one second, pipsqueak?” The blonde girl exclaimed.
   â€œAnita, calm yourself.” Venra ordered.
   â€œCan we get to killing them already? Them’re the only ones who’ve ever survived my shootin!”
   Then rode up Holly, Kaeden, Kleth, Ted, CJ and the rest of the Elite Eight. They assumed positions that flanked Anton, Deccus and Hadrian.
   â€œOkay… Twelve against seven is quite impossible.” The skinny one said, rather nervous.
   â€œJust shut up! We’ll fight them to the death! Badgers! I’ll make you a deal!” Venra stepped closer. “If you beat us, we’ll stop the mech before it crushes your city. If we win, we continue our attack. Agreed?”
   Anton grimaced. “I don’t like the sound of it.”
   â€œWhat do you mean? We can take them on easy!”  Deccus explained.
   â€œI’m not so sure. I’ve seen these guys in action before. They specialize against large amounts of people, plus their deal sounds fishy.”
   â€œHow are we gonna stop the mech otherwise?”
   Anton thought, at a loss for words. “You’re right. Venra! I accept your proposal!”
   He grinned rather nastily. “Very well. ATTACK!”
   Anton and company charged forward, but Venra’s team stood their ground.
   â€œFIRE!”
   They all raised their blasters and fired. Anton was knocked out first, as they had all focused on him solely. He fell to the ground and the medics attended to him. Deccus and Hadrian tried their trademark attack of charging shield first. They got very close before being knocked back by Allouette. Deccus got back up and did a sweeping run around Allouette. One after another members of Deccus’s team and the Elite Eight were knocked down and buried in frost. CJ was the first to go, and then Holly and Kaeden, effectively disabling over half of the team’s attack power. Deccus was nearly the only fighter remaining.
   He came up with a desperate plan…
   Charging his blaster, he ran behind Allouette and fired at his back. It didn’t hurt him much, but it made him focus on Deccus. He fired, but Deccus dodged. Deciding that the best way to dodge was to stand still at a distance and make small steps to the side.
   Allouette tried again and again to hit Deccus, but it never worked. He was simply too fast. He started to get very angry. Normally a person didn’t survive one encounter with him, let alone three.
   â€œYou little prick! Stand still!” Allouette’s accuracy fell as his rage rose.
   Anita came behind Deccus and locked his arms. “Now, Allouette! Hit him now!”
   Allouette grinned and fired.
   Reacting swiftly, Deccus jumped and flipped around so Anita was in front.
   â€œTerribly sorry to do this to you.” Deccus said to the struggling girl.
   The shots pounded her. One in the stomach, both legs and her head were hit. She passed out immediately.
   â€œNo! Anita, No!” Venra yelled.
   He saw Deccus holding her unconscious body.
   â€œYou bastard!” Venra ran for Deccus.
   Deccus readied his weapons. “Bring it!”
   Venra ran faster. His affection for the girl made him infuriated, and he wouldn’t stop until Deccus was either mortally wounded or forever crippled. Deccus didn’t want to die yet, and he had already been mutilated once, so he had no choice but to fight back.
   Deccus jumped to the side when Venra got close and fired a charged shot to the head. Venra ducked in time to dodge it, and fired a few shots of his own. They ricocheted off Deccus’s shield harmlessly and Deccus returned with his own fire. Venra blocked them with his shield, continuing to fire. Taking him by surprise, Deccus charged forward and ran into Venra. He was knocked back, but rather put his gun away and readied his fist. Deccus blocked the first punch, but the second felt like it knocked a tooth loose.
   â€œOw. That hurt.”
   Venra didn’t respond, but rather high-kicked Deccus on the head and punched him in the stomach. Deccus bent to his knees, trying to get air, but Venra clasped his fists together and brought them down on his head.
   Deccus tasted blood.
   This guy sure can hit hard…
   â€œHah ha hah! This is too easy!”
   Deccus risked a glance at Allouette.
   All of his team was knocked out or worse. Once again, he was the only one left.
   â€œThat’s it.”
   Deccus swung his shield up and hit Venra on the chin. He quickly stood up and hit him again in the face. And again in the nose, and again in the arm, then knocked him out with a running jump with his shield.
   Without wasting time, Deccus ran for Allouette. If this worked, he’d win. If not, he’d be as good as dead.
   While Allouette’s back was turned, Deccus made for his guns. He grabbed the barrel and pulled. Allouette naturally pulled back. This broke the arm brace on his arm that helped him hold it. Deccus ripped the ammo valve that led to the backpack Allouette wore that held all the ammo he needed. Deccus ran back a few steps and aimed at Allouette, who in turn aimed his at Deccus.
   The weight of this thing was no laughing matter. How Allouette managed to carry two of them and a backpack of ammo was extraordinary.
   â€œYa idiot. Ya only got ammo for two shots in that.”
   â€œI guess I’ll have to make them count.”
   He laughed. “’Make them count’? That’s stupid. Can’t ya come up with a better comeback than that?”
   â€œI don’t need to.”
   Deccus fired. Allouette fired.
   Deccus managed to jump in time, but Allouette was hit across the face.
   â€œOw ow ow! That thing hurts!”
   â€œImagine getting hit seven times with it.” Deccus fired another shot. It hit Allouette in the stomach, who bent to his knees in reflex. Deccus ran up and hit Allouette with the giant barrel a few times, then grabbed the other gun and the backpack.
   â€œYou’re defenseless. Give up.”
   â€œNeva’!”
   Deccus fired a few shots to his back.
   â€œGive up?”
   â€œNo!”
   A few shots to the legs. “Say uncle!”
   â€œNo way!”
   Deccus was enjoying this way too much. “C’mon. You’re about to pass out. May as well surrender.”
   He was panting and out of breath. “No… Never… Not…”
   Deccus prepared the final shot. He aimed to the head…
   Suddenly a barrage of rapid fire shells tore across his back. He dropped the weapons and tried to cradle his wound.
   â€œHipou! What took ye?”
   The stout boy with the railgun reloaded. “Sorry! This systemator was giving me trouble!”
   Deccus looked and saw Kleth holding his arm.
   â€œKleth! You all right?” Deccus yelled, but was silenced by Allouette’s barrel.
   â€œShut up! I think it’s time I finished ye, once and fer all!”
   Deccus tried to run, but Allouette tripped him, put his foot on his chest and aimed, point-blank range, to the head.
   â€œSay g’night.”
   â€œNo!”
   Kleth grabbed his wrench and flung it at Allouette.
   â€œEh?” He turned his face to Kleth.
   The chrome tool struck him right on the nose. Deccus couldn’t help but hear a crack.
   â€œBy node! You budder! You brode by dose!”
   Deccus took this opportunity to wallop Allouette to the side of the face. It hurt his fist, but managed to knock out the behemoth of a boy.
   â€œHey! Take this!”
   Hipou raised his railgun and fired a stream at Deccus. He blocked them harmlessly with his shield and ran for him.
   He was hopelessly outmatched. If Allouette couldn’t stop Deccus, what chance did Hipou have?
   It was over in a couple of seconds. Hipou was lying on the ground sobbing, cradling his bleeding nose.
   Deccus surveyed the scene.
   â€œUnnh…” Venra tried to get up.
   Deccus stepped on his head deeper in the snow. Only he and Kleth were left standing.
   â€œIs that everyone?” Kleth asked timidly, coming up from hiding behind Kaeden’s unconscious body.
   â€œLooks like it. Radio HQ to have a cleanup crew sent.”
   â€œOkay.”
   Deccus went to a mound of snow. He swept it aside, revealing Hadrian’s unconscious body.
   â€œHadrian?” You okay?”
   Deccus shook his shoulder a bit.
   â€œHadrian?”
   He moved slightly. “Oh… Whatzit…”
   â€œYou all right?”
   â€œUh… I think so.”
   Hadrian stood up, but wavered slightly.
   â€œYeah, you’re fine.”
   Deccus went around and woke everyone up. Some he left sleeping and others wouldn’t wake up.
   Deccus looked up at mechanical behemoth before him. “Now… What to do with the mech.”
   Anton answered. “Simple. We use it on its creators.”
   â€œAre we that cold-hearted? I mean, that thing can crush entire cities. Imagine if someone was under that foot.”
   â€œWell, what else can we do? It’s not something you can store and keep until we’re attacked.”
   â€œKleth, what do you think we should do?”
   He was still talking on his mike.
   Deccus continued. “But even if we capture it, how can we drive it? I saw the control scheme and it didn’t look easy.”
   â€œI’m sure we can figure something out. Let’s go take a look.”
   â€œWait.”
   Deccus stopped in his tracks.
   â€œWhat?”
   â€œThe pilots are still in there!”
   The giant foot beside them lifted up and the mech stomped for Arcania.
   â€œNo!” Anton ran for a leg and grabbed on. He repositioned himself and began to climb.
   â€œWe can’t stop it that way! We have to destroy it somehow!” Deccus yelled to Anton.
   â€œHow exactly?”
   He stammered. “I don’t know!”
   Kleth came up. “If I had some gunpowder, I could destroy the legs.”
   â€œThe powder you made isn’t near powerful enough!”
   Deccus turned on his mike. “Wedge! Can you hear me?”
   He responded after a second. “Yeah, I can hear. What d’ya need?”
   â€œA way to stop this mech. Can you think of anything?
   â€œWell, I can see an opening in the eye area. Maybe there?”
   â€œWe’ve tried that. Anything else you can think of?”
   â€œUh… That powder Kleth made?”
   â€œNot powerful enough.”
   Deccus looked at the mech. “Wah! It’s almost to the wall!”
   Wedge’s voice became more frantic. “Well, I could try and snipe the pilots from the cannon tower!”
   A light came on in Deccus’s head.
   â€œThe tower cannon! It’s big enough to make the mech fall over at the least!”
   â€œIt’s broken, though!”
   â€œGet crews going on fixing it. Kleth, get in the city and help them.”
   â€œOkay!” Kleth said and he jumped on the nearest ski-doo.
   Deccus waited and watched. The mech got closer to the wall with each step. Thinking that maybe he should jump on and fire at the gears in the hip area to gain more time, he remembered that Anton was on the mech already.
   â€œHey, Anton! Where you at?”
   â€œI’m on the leg! It’s taking all I got to talk here, so don’t ask anything that I need to talk back to!”
   â€œOkay! Up on the hip area, there’s a bunch of gears. Me and Hadrian knocked some loose and there was a definite drop in speed! Go up there and shoot the gears. Knock some loose!”
   Deccus looked up and saw Anton climbing the leg.
   He waited half a minute before he radioed in to Kleth.
   â€œHow’s the fix up going?”
   Kleth’s voice replied. “Slow. The launch spring is out of alignment. Try and slow it down!”
   â€œAnton’s already going on that. What else can we do?”
   â€œI don’t know! Think of something! We’re busy here!”
   Deccus looked around for ideas. Nothing came at first, until he saw Allouette’s body.
   _His guns… They ripped through the floor inside the mech. Maybe they can damage the outside._
   Deccus slung his shield on his back and picked up the two guns. The weight  was more than he could bear, plus only one gun had ammo.
   â€œKaeden! Come here!”
   Kaeden stumbled up. “What?”
   â€œCan you carry these guns?”
   Deccus passed the giant cannons to Kaeden, who took them and maneuvered them with ease.
   â€œYeah. What do ya want me to shoot?”
   Deccus pointed. “The mech. Try to damage it as much as possible.”
   â€œOkay!”
   He aimed up and fired. The left gun had no ammo, but the right one did. Deccus managed to connect the left tubes together so that the ammo could travel through.
   The shots didn’t do anything. They just ricocheted off harmlessly.
   â€œWell, I’m outta ideas. How else can we slow it down?”
   Deccus looked around again.
   The mech was standing next to the wall.
   He yelled in his mike. “Hurry! The mech’s about to wreck the wall!”
   â€œTell me something I don’t know!”
   There was nothing Deccus could do now.
   The mech raised its arms. It made a fist with both hands, and brought them down on the wall.
   It never stood a chance. The heavy wood buckled and crumbled at the hand of the giant.
   â€œHurry, Kleth! The wall’s gone!”
   â€œWe’re working on it!”
   It continued on its warpath. It ripped the roof of the bar off and crushed the armory.
   â€œThe town’s being destroyed! Hurry!”
   â€œWe’re goin as fast as we can!”
   Then it saw the tower. It turned and made for it.
   â€œAck! It’s heading for your position!”
   It was standing right in front of it. It reached with its arms and grabbed the support trusses. It was about to pull…
   Then the cannon fired. A shell the size of its head hit and knocked the head off of the body altogether. The body slacked and fell backwards with a crash.
   Deccus did an impromptu victory dance. A couple ski-doos were heading for the city, so Deccus got on one, pulled Holly aboard and sped off for Arcania.
   A couple of buildings were crushed under the mech, but no one was in them.
   Deccus saw Anton still clinging to the leg. He had his eyes closed.
   â€œAnton! You all right?”
   He raised his head, looked around and got off. “Oh. I’m okay, I guess.”
   Everyone gathered at where the head should have been on the mech.
   Deccus gave the orders. “Kaeden, CJ, Meg, go in there and capture whoever might be in the body. Holly, Wedge, Ted, go find the head and take whoever’s in it.”
   All mentioned nodded.
   â€œKleth, where’s the clean-up crew I ordered?”
   â€œThey’re ten minutes away and are ready to take the captives to Vahal.”
   â€œGreat. Thanks.”
   Everyone started discussing what to do with the body. It wasn’t an easy topic, since no one seemed to have a way to move it.
   â€œHey, what’s that sound?”
   There was indeed a foreign sound.
   Over the remains of the wall came a helicopter. It was composed of unpainted wood, and was an open cockpit design. It was very small, barely enough to hold one person. Driving it was an older boy, almost about to leave the island for being too old. He had a light armor the color of reddish-brown on and a bazooka strapped to his back, but other that that he was rather plain, besides the shock of bright blonde hair.
   He spoke with a crude megaphone. “I see you’ve destroyed our prototype mech, Gamma. How you did it, I don’t know, but there will be more, I assure you!”
   Anton addressed the flying boy. “Who’re you?”
   â€œMy name isn’t important. I will tell you it, though. You may call me Clash, newly appointed second in command to the Howler army.” He laughed sinisterly, then yelled out a question. “Who was it that destroyed Gamma here?”
   Everyone looked at each other. Wedge was the one who spoke up.
   â€œNo one single person, really. We all helped to fix the cannon, but Deccus had the idea to do that. Plus, he would’ve stopped the mech before if not for the Crimson Bandits.”
   â€œDeccus!? Which one of you is that?”
   Deccus walked forward. “I am.”
   Clash looked him over, then yelled out “I assure you, Deccus, you will pay for what you’ve done.”
   He flew up a little higher. “Now, taste the power of the Sprinters!”
   Like a wave of water, nearly fifty Howler soldiers climbed up the broken wall and ran for the group.
   Since the attack was so spontaneous, no one had time to do anything but pick up their weapons before the runner’s were upon them.
   â€œHadrian! Let’s do the ‘Twin Shields’!”
   Hadrian nodded and readied his shield. He lined up parallel to Deccus, and they sped off.
   The Sprinters were simply too fast to be hit at all, really. They had minimal armor and weapons, but their speed was unreal. They just kept running circles around them.
   Deccus fought them with their own weapon. He ran parallel to them and hit them with his shield. They couldn’t dodge something going as fast as themselves. Hadrian saw this, and did the same.
   One had caught up to Deccus. He was slightly larger than the rest. He swung his arm and smacked Deccus upside the head. He countered by swinging his shield, but that was blocked and countered to. Deccus stuck his foot out and tripped him instead of fighting him.
   Then another came up. Deccus promptly knocked him out, but he was replaced by two others. They tried to grab on and slow Deccus down, but they were knocked out because of it. They were both disposed of, but five more came to their aid, then another six. They had all grabbed onto Deccus, who was finally slowing down. After the next eight Deccus fell to the ground and they piled on top of him in swarms, punching and kicking and biting.
   â€œLeave him alone!” Hadrian yelled and rammed through the crowd. Several dozen Sprinters went flying, and were replaced by more. Only this time, they picked him up and carried him off over the wall. Deccus tried to struggle, but one of them pressure pointed him and he passed out…

*      *      *

   â€œUhh…”
   Deccus awoke, but kept his eyes closed and pretended to still be unconscious. What had happened?
   Oh, yeah. He remembered now… They had just defeated Gamma, the giant mech, and Clash flew by. He rambled a bit, then sent a wave of Sprinters after us. It gets hazy after that…
   â€œIs he awake or not?”
   â€œLooks like he’s still sleeping. Wanna poke him?”
   â€œSure!”
   Deccus opened his eyes and lifted his head.
   Two Howler interrogators were in front of him, fingers at the ready. They seemed to be below Deccus a bit, but then he noticed that he was tied to the wall. But not his feet…
   â€œHe is awake.”
   â€œLet’s poke ‘im anyways!”
   They walked up and were about to jab him, but Deccus kicked their fingers and then their faces.
   â€œOw! You little…” One of them reached for a dangerous looking tool.
   â€œWait! Remember what Clash said! We can’t interrogate the prisoner without him there to ask the questions!”
   â€œFine. But if he kicks me again, I’m defibulating him.”
   Deccus assessed his situation. He had been captured by those Sprinters and brought to a Howler base, where he was about to be accosted for answers. He was tied to the wall by the wrist and shoulders. His feet still hung free, which was good. They couldn’t interrogate him too hard if he could break their necks.
   The room had a dark blue glow to it. The walls were painted wood, and dark blue lights were scattered around. A couple of tables carried various instruments of torture, none of them looked desirable near your body. On one table he saw his shield and blaster.
   Good. If I make it out of here, those are going to be needed.
   â€œSo when’s Clash gonna get here?”
   â€œHe said he’d be about an hour since he brought in the prisoner. All we have to do is make sure he doesn’t escape.”
   â€œWell, then.” He sat down and propped his feet on the table. “Let’s relax. It’s not like he’s going anywhere.”
   The other one followed suit. They started talking about things uninteresting, until something caught Deccus’s ear.
   â€œSo what would you do if you were the Baron?”
   â€œWell… I’d send all the troops we have and attack that Badger city, Vahla or somethin?”
   â€œVahal, I think.”
   â€œNo, it’s Vahla, I’m sure of it.”
   â€œIt’s Vahal.”
   â€œYou.” He addressed Deccus. “Is it Vahla or Vahal?”
   â€œVahal.”
   â€œThanks.” He turned back to his accomplice. “Told ya it was Vahal.”
   â€œWell, how would I know what the name of some Badger city was?”
   â€œIt’s only their capital! You should know it. We were sieging it once and some guy parachuted on top of you and he knocked you out. Wait, now I know why you don’t remember.”
   â€œI remember fine! Just that part was kinda hazy.”
   â€œAre you getting old timers already? Need to be sent to a nursing home?”
   â€œI’m two weeks younger than you are!”
   â€œAnd yet you still have memory problems. Tsk tsk. For shame.”
   â€œAt least I was able to not get captured after that battle!”
   â€œThat’s because you were drug off somewhere else after you were landed on.”
   The other one got up and socked him on the chin. “Shut up! You’re really annoying!”
   â€œAt least I’m not stupid!”
   â€œOoo, great comeback.”
   â€œHow’s this for a comeback?”
   He walloped the other one square on the nose.
   â€œBetter. But try this!”
   The other one had picked up a long, black metal rod and pressed it against him. Sharp electrical currents flowed from the rod and shocked him.
   â€œOw… You…” He grabbed a lethal looking knife and sliced the other one’s arm. The other one countered with a few extra volts and a kick to the shin.
   He returned fire with a roundhouse to the other one’s open arm wound and another slice. Other one went into a flurry of punches against him.
   The door slammed open and Clash came in, storming mad.
   â€œHime! Otherun! Stop beating each other senseless before I have to!”
   They stopped immediately.
   â€œGood boys. I’m going to interrogate the prisoner now. If you have a weak stomach, turn away.”
   Neither of them wanted to miss seeing a Badger get defibulated, so they turned their attention to Clash.
   â€œNow, Deccus.”
   Clash walked up and looked Deccus in the eye. They were almost nose to nose.
   â€œI really don’t like you, Deccus. But, also, I like you as well. You see,” He turned around and began to pace. “If you joined our side, we’d make you a general, and you’d have command of the entire Howler army. But, I dislike you also, because you’re not on the Howler team. You’re a fighter with incredible potential. I should know, for I am one too. I learned to utilize that potential, and I used it for my gain. You, however, squander that potential with things like ‘kindness’ and ‘mercy’.” Clash whipped around and began yelling. “I can protect myself! What can you do? Nothing! I could beat you to the ground if we fought.”
   â€œWrong, Clash.” Deccus would try to talk himself out of getting defibulated, whatever it meant. “I can protect myself. But I don’t choose to. I’ve learned my potential, and it’s worked for me so far. Only thing is, I use my potential to protect others. So you see, Clash, we’re not so different. The only thing that ‘clashes’ between us, so to say, is who we’re protecting.”
   Clash’s lip quivered.
   Deccus continued. “If you truly know what’s good for you, you’d let me down and allow me a free passage to Vahal.”
   â€œAnd why would I do that?”
   â€œBecause, I could break your jaw right now if I wanted to. I know how much it’d hurt you if you couldn’t talk. It must be your favorite pastime. Only thing is, you’re a person of talk, and I’m a person of action. You talk about doing stuff, but do nothing. You said I would pay for what I did to Gamma, and you’re right, I should. I think I can cover the cost. Reach in my pocket and you’ll find quite a sum of Snowcraft money. Go ahead and take it.”
   Clash looked quizzical at first, but decided to reach in and grab the money anyways. Instead of letting him take his money, Deccus raised his knee into Clash’s jaw. He jumped backwards.
   â€œHey! You said I could have that money!”
   â€œYes, but I never said I wouldn’t stop you.”
   â€œYou… You really can get annoying, sometimes!”
   â€œJust like Hime.”
   Otherun suppressed a laugh. Hime held his anger though, since Clash was in the room.
   Clash backhanded Otherun. “Shut up, idiot!”
   Deccus tried not to laugh, but failed fairly miserably.
   â€œYou shut up too!”
   Clash tried to punch Deccus in the kidney, but he blocked with his foreleg.
   â€œHey! Your not allowed to b-“
   Deccus kicked him in the neck, hitting him where Deccus was pressure pointed earlier, thus rendering Clash unconscious.
   Hime and Otherun watched in horror. No one had been able to

[Superyoshi]

Hey, I broke the topic.  I win.

[Jehuty]

GAH!!! This whole topic is falling apart!!!

[NeoCalculus]

You broke my internet.  You bastard.....

[Swiftman]

This thread looks really funky now...... heh heh.

[Lazlo Falconi]

Who killed the tables?

[Superyoshi]

Who killed the tables?

Read that longass post I made.  That did it.