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Chapter 10: Calculating King |
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mad Xx:
China, The Great Wall
mad Xx:
“Nothing fancy to this. Just simply hold him down with your strongest attacks once I’ve knocked it on its back. Because you can attack in two areas at once, Bridget, you will attack the sides first. Jam, you aim for the chest and lower body right after he finishes, and I’ll subdue the head after you. Remember to use the strongest attacks you can muster.”
Millia instructed.
“And if this doesn’t work?”
Bridget asked. Millia turned to him.
“There’s a good chance we’ll die weather or not we pull this off. I’m just trying to give us a fighting chance.”
Millia said in her always calm tone. Jam cracked her knuckles in anticipation.
“Rather go down fighting then go down giving up and doing nothing!”
She said confidently. Leopaldon came closer and closer as the trio held their ground. Finally Millia ran towards the beast. As she expected, Leopaldon brought forth a paw to intercept her in her sprint, but she simply rolled right under the high attack until she was right under Leopaldon’s chin.
“Winger!”
Millia rose up with all her might, her hair transforming to shape into large wings. She crashed into Leopaldon’s chin, trying her best to drive the beast upward. With the immense weight backing it up, Leopaldon was only caught off balance slightly and tilted, both right arm and leg dangling off the ground. Millia twirled through the air as she reached the ascent of her jump. She used the second part of her Winger attack to dive down hard on Leopaldon’s lifted side, barely managing to make Leopaldon spin on its back. Millia landed a fairly safe distance away, and Bridget quickly rushed over to Leopaldon’s right side. Leopaldon thrashed about to upright itself again, but Bridget remained out of reach and tossed a yo-yo to Leopaldon’s left side.
“Here goes nothing. One more time Roger! Me And My Killing Machine!”
Roger appeared again and rammed hard into Leopaldon’s side with his flaming wheel. Leopaldon growled in discomfort, and tried to swat the floating teddy bear away, but being on its back, it was made difficult. Now that Leopaldon’s attention was on Roger and it stopped thrashing wildly on both sides, Bridget came in close.
“Tragedy During Maintenance!”
The explosions caught Leopaldon by surprise as it was engulfed once again in flames. Once Roger was done and reverted back to a yo-yo, Bridget timed his jump to evade the explosions of his own attack to land by the left side of Leopaldon, wanting to get in one more attack for good measure while Leopaldon was getting toasted.
“Loop The Loop!”
Bridget brought his yo-yos out and with great skill, began to spin them about in a circular fashion so that they struck Leopaldon. Bridget was already well aware this initial part of his attack would not do much if anything to Leopaldon, but it was the follow up he was waiting for most of all. With precise timing, the flames stopped covering Leopaldon and Bridget stopped pinning his yo-yo as the came back to his hands.
“How about this!”
He stated excitedly, bringing his arms in a downward motion. A giant Roger appeared from the sky to slam into Leopaldon’s stomach, making Leopaldon grunt in pain as it sank slightly into the ground. It was not quite the way Millia envisioned, having Bridget attack Leopaldon’s stomach as well, but she shrugged it off. Bridget had jumped back as Jam ran towards Leopaldon, leaping into the air until she was right over Leopaldon’s chest.
“Renhoukyaku!”
Aiming her right hand down at Leopaldon, Jam unleashed a massive surge of Ki energy in the shape of a sphere. The blast erupted violently as the sphere grew large enough to engulf Leopaldon’s body, kept Jam afloat, and making snow and dirt fly everywhere. As with Bridget, this had not been what Millia wanted her to do, only wanting Jam to strike at Leopaldon from the chest downward. Again she shrugged off the little mishap, remembering that she didn’t really have much time to actually coordinate what Jam or Bridget were going to do. Jam gritted her teeth together as her brows knitted in concentration to keep the attack going strong. Only parts of Leopaldon’s large frame could be made out within the glowing mass of energy Jam summoned, and it was the only reassurance that Leopaldon could not lift itself up with Jam’s attack pressing down on it. After a long while, Jam could not keep her attack going, as it expended a lot of energy to use, and the sphere was growing smaller, little by little.
“I can’t keep this up much longer...get ready, Rage.”
Jam said to the Russian woman. Jam used the last bit of energy to make her propel away from Leopaldon. The only problem was that too much smoke uplifted from the debris, and Millia could attack if she wanted to, but she wanted to make sure she aimed for the head.
“What are you waiting for, Ms. Millia? Hurry up!”
Bridget urged, hoping to end the battle with a victory. Millia shook her head.
“I need a clear shot.”
Was all she said as she kept her eyes trained on the smoke. Even with being urged on to just attack, Millia still waited, seeing for that perfect moment. A part of Leopaldon’s snout was visible, and Millia could confirm that Leopaldon was still on his back, motionless.
‘Perfect.’
Millia thought as her hair began to twitch.
“Iron Maiden!”
Her hair was sent into the ground rising up under Leopaldon’s head. All that could be heard were the deafening scrapes of hair against Leopaldon’s skin. Soon the mass of hair began to split and form into two large spiral shaped drills, that descended towards Leopaldon, crossing over one another to form in the shape of an “X”. Leopaldon’s roar pierced the sky, and the three had to cover their ears. Finally all the smoke settled, but all was not well. Millia’s aim with her hair had been dead-on perfect, but Leopaldon’s skin proved to be far more resilient that any of them could truly count on. The drills were stabbed into Leopaldon’s chin, but they only left large scrapes along with the smaller ones from the rising of hair from the ground.
“Too powerful...”
Millia murmured, her hair beginning to retract. Leopaldon righted itself again, glaring eerily as its eyes glowed.
“UUURRRAAAHHH!”
Leopaldon’s roar of anger was shattering as it ran towards the three with great speed. The footfalls were so loud, all failed to notice the strange whistling sound in the air, until Leopaldon stopped mid run to stare at the sky.
“That sound...”
Bridget began, as he, too, looked skyward. A missile came ripping from the clouds, heading straight for Leopaldon’s direction.
“HIT THE DECK!”
Jam screamed out, since they were all really close to Leopaldon’s proximity, and would therefore get caught up in the blast. All three ran away as Leopaldon kept looking towards the missile. It had recognized the weapon after being bombarded by airships in service to the IPF. Leopaldon jumped back to evade the missile, however, it was actually a homing missile, so when Leopaldon moved, the missile moved with it, slamming into the beast and unleashing a massive explosion that sent Leopaldon flying through the air, before skidding along the ground on its side.
mad Xx:
Sky, The Megaton, Ultimate Heavy Class Mecha Transporting Zeppian Airship
mad Xx:
“Status.”
Potemkin commanded as he sat in a massive helm, controlling the giant airship.
“Direct hit, Captain Potemkin.”
A navigator responded. By Potemkin, Johnny sat, sulking.
“Hey, Potemkin, I thought I could be the captain of the ship.”
He said to the large ex-slave. Potemkin smirked.
“That would have been tolerated...if you had the necessary brute physical strength to move the wheel and maneuver the ship.”
Potemkin stated. Johnny simply grumbled.
‘Damn you, Gabriel. You didn’t mention only Potemkin had the ability to fly this thing, or I could have figured out a way to dump all these soldiers and escape from Zepp with this thing. But no...it had to be made so only a specific person could steer it...damn b*****d.’
Johnny cursed softly in his head. Gabriel mush have really wanted it back, and with his most loyal servant being able to be the only one to pilot it...well, there was really no chance in hell in getting Potemkin to join up as a pirate because his sense of duty was too strong and prioritizing. Which basically made him a lot like Ky Kiske, personality wise.
“We have what appears to possibly be three bounty hunters down there, Captain.”
One solder stated, another one spoke as well.
“Leopaldon is rising again.”
He confirmed. Potemkin nodded.
“Fire another homing missile then. And get me data on the bounty hunters down there.”
Potemkin ordered.
“Yes sir!”
mad Xx:
China, The Great Wall
mad Xx:
“Here comes another.”
Millia stated as the three watch from a safe distance while Leopaldon got pounded by another missile that sent it flying. Growling it fury, Leopaldon stands up on two legs again this time, rational side regained.
“...must...become...complete...”
The beast mumbled as another missile came down. Leopaldon was hit again, but instead of flying, it remained in place, getting caught in the whole explosion. However, when the smoke faded, Leopaldon was nowhere to be found, only a large crater was left in the ground where Leopaldon once stood. Soon The Megaton descended, hovering over the ground slightly. Potemkin, Ky, Johnny, and Testament jumped from deck to land on the ground where the crater was situated.
“Damn, there’s a giant hole at the bottom...it seems Leopaldon may have gone underground. And we won’t know where its headed until it shows itself again.”
Ky said.
“We could go after it underground, but that could be a fatal mistake.”
Johnny responded. Potemkin nodded.
“I agree with Johnny, Sir Ky. We don’t know the combat ability of Leopaldon underground, nor will we have much evasion room to engage with Leopaldon with. We will simply have to wait and hope no more destruction comes about.”
Potemkin said. Testament looked off in the far off distance.
“South.”
He said simply, making the others turn towards him.
“What?”
Ky asked. Testament turned to face everyone.
“I can hear it. Leopaldon is going south. Where it will appear again is unknown, however.”
Testament stated. Potemkin crossed his massive arms together in thought.
“We should head south to try and monitor when Leopaldon may surface again.”
He surmised. Everyone nodded and began walking away, when they were confronted by Jam.
“Hey! You guys just scared off my bounty.”
Jam said in an annoyed tone.
“Our bounty, you mean.”
Bridget corrected. Millia just remained silent. Potemkin looked down from over his collar to regard the three.
“You should be thankful. We saved your lives, as far as I can tell.”
He said. Ky stepped forward.
“I’m still impressed you three managed to hold him off so well. Regardless, it is highly likely that the bounty is just a set up done by the Bureau. We’ve discovered that Leopaldon was probably going to be used as a weapon of some sort, so the Bureau will most likely do anything to get it back.”
Ky informed them. Millia lifted her head upon hearing him say that.
“So...the Bureau is behind all this after all...”
Millia said softly. Johnny nodded.
“Yep. As far as Sol’s concerned, however, That Man may have some kind of involvement, too.”
He stated.
“So, Badguy is with you as well?”
The assassin asked. Ky shook his head.
“No, he decided to pursue someone else. I still believe he will come to intercept Leopaldon again, however. Anyway, we should get back to pursuing Leopaldon. Let’s get back onto The Megaton.”
Ky informed. Potemkin, Johnny, and Testament nodded, and the four made their way back to the hovering Airship.
“Actually...can we get a ride? I don’t know where I threw my jacket in all the fighting.”
Bridget said, shivering slightly now that Leopaldon was gone and his adrenaline began to lower. Potemkin turned back to regard them.
“Alright. None of you will be dropped off to your homes until Leopaldon is dealt with, however.”
Potemkin told them. Jam smirked.
“Hey that’s the plan, anyway! I don’t care if the bounty might be a fake. Nothing will be gained without putting an effort, right? Let’s go smash Leopaldon into the ground!”
She said excitedly. Bridget looked at her.
“You probably just want to spend time with Sir Ky.”
He said sarcastically. This earned him a bop on the head.
“Shut up, squirt.”
Jam said, before rushing off in the direction of the airship.
“Hey, stop treating me like a kid!”
Bridget yelled as he ran after her. Millia simply shrugged.
‘This is going to be a long trip...’
mad Xx:
Zepp, floating country of Blackteck
mad Xx:
Baiken woke up slowly, a moan escaping her lips.
“So your awake now.”
Anji’s voice sounded in her ear, and she instinctively tried rising up, but her limbs were tied to the posts of a large bed she lay in.
“b*****d. Where are we?”
She demanded, seeing Anji sitting in a heart shaped cushion chair.
“A Love Hotel.”
Anji mentioned. Baiken’s eye narrowed.
“You...”
She began, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. Anji shook his head, already knowing what she was going to ask.
“...didn’t violate you, right? Of course not. Your beauty is beyond words to me, Baiken, but I would never try and do such a harmful thing to you. The only reason I brought you here was because they sell ropes for the...well, the more kinky things couples like to engage in. But enough about that, I’m going to impart some information to you.”
He said. Baiken was about to speak, but he held up a hand to silence her.
“And no, its not about That Man, per say. Anyway, you of course do want to find out more information about That Man, correct? To do that, you’ll need to ask Sol.”
Anji mentioned. Baiken looked at him questioningly.
“Why should I ask that bounty hunter if he’s searching for That Man as well?”
She asked. Anji cleared his throat before continuing.
“Because he has That Man’s blessings.”
Anji said.
“What is that suppose to mean?”
Baiken asked back, not understanding. It was pretty obvious Sol was a rival who was chasing down That Man as well, but why would he have his said enemy’s blessings? And for what reason.
“Sol is a Gear, Baiken. All Gears have the blessing of That Man, though he can take it away if he pleases to.”
Anji informed. Baiken looked at him disbelieving, however.
“That’s bullshit. Sol fought as a Knight in the Crusades. If he was really a Gear, he would have been under Justice’s control! Plus, he has the aura of an ordinary human. There’s no way he could be a Gear.”
Baiken stated. Anji nodded his head.
“Good deduction. Your right to ask how and why Sol, if he were a Gear, could escape the control of Justice. Yet the answer is simple. He is truly the first humanoid Gear in existence. That alone bypassed Justice’s control, because she could only control Gears made after her time, and being Type-01, that meant every other Gear in the world. Sol is Type-00, the prototype for all humanoid Gears after him, Justice included.”
Anji told her. Baiken still looked as if she hadn’t believed him, but Anji could see the small glint in her eye, reflecting some doubt. This is what Anji wanted, so he continued to press forward.
“Ask yourself why Sol is so protective about wanting to kill That Man himself? Could it simply be a ploy to hide the fact That he is actually trying to protect That Man by fending off those who would try and pursue his master?”
Anji continued. Baiken’s eye widened in surprise of those words.
‘Could that be it...? If Badguy really is a Gear...could he really be trying to protect That Man under the guise of pretending to try and kill his master? But...’
Baiken continued to think along the lines of the information Anji was giving her. All of his words sounded so farfetched, yet at the same time, they didn’t.
“...if Sol was a Gear...how could he disguise his own aura to be human? Is that really possible?”
Baiken murmured softly to herself, her gaze lowering from Anji. Anji, thinking the question was directed to him, began to speak again.
“That? If you remember, Baiken...all Gears in the Crusades have an emblem on their forehead, correct. And what does Sol wear over his forehead?”
Anji asked. Baiken looked back up to him.
“A metal head piece. But that doesn’t explain...”
Baiken began, but Anji interrupted.
“Actually it does. The head piece Sol wears is a control device meant to hide Sol’s true form and aura of a Gear and make him look and seem human. Confront him, and you’ll find out the truth.”
Anji told her, standing up.
“All these things your telling me, how did you find them out? From That Man? Did he tell you all that?”
Baiken asked, her voice sounding like she demanded an answer. Anji smiled.
“That was only some of the information parted to me by That Man. The rest I can’t tell you. But Sol probably can.”
Anji said.
“Untie me.”
Baiken ordered. Anji looked at her, but shook his head.
“Sorry, but I know you’ll try and beat all the information out of me the first chance you get so I’ll make myself scarce before that can happen. Good luck trying to get free.”
Anji said as his fans enlarged. Anji crouched covering himself in the fans before he disappeared in an explosion that sent small translucent blue butterflies going every which way as before they disintegrated. Baiken saw her sheathed blade rested against the chair Anji was sitting on just a while ago.
‘Damn...maybe my Anki can get me free then...’
Baiken thought, as her right sleeve had been tied up considering she had no arm to use. However, she could not get any of the hidden weapons to move. The answer presented itself when Baiken saw the small table by the bed, which had her hidden weapons placed on them, which meant Anji had already thought ahead to remove them so she couldn’t prematurely get free.
“s**t...”
Baiken cursed softly. This would make things a bit difficult, but she was determined. Using the fact that she had no right arm tied down to her advantage, Baiken slid the right side of her body out of her kimono, which had the sleeve still remaining tied down. With most of her upper body movable now, she brought her face towards her left arm where the rope was tied around her wrist, biting it and beginning to loosen the rope. It took a few unsuccessful tries before Baiken freed her arm. She turned to the table by the bed, grabbing a small claw from it and sat up to cut the robes that bound her legs. Now totally free, Baiken slid the top of her kimono back on and began to put her anki back in place, hidden under her right sleeve. She went and grabbed her katana afterwards.
“Mito may have gotten away, but Badguy won’t.”
Baiken said softly as she made her way to the door of the room Anji brought her to.
mad Xx:
Unknown
mad Xx:
“Hello, everyone.”
A large fan appeared from thin air, Anji making it shrink to normal before tucking it in his sleeve. Raven glared at him.
“You fool! Why did you go to Zepp? Now you have Sol Badguy chasing you, and Baiken chasing him. What good will that accomplish?”
Raven said dangerously. He did not trust Anji as being another one of That Man’s followers.
“Calm down Raven. Though I too am a bit disappointed in you interferences, Anji Mito. Do you plan to rectify the situation?”
That Man asked from his throne. Anji merely grinned.
“Don’t be so hasty, master. Everything is under control. Sol will meet up again with Leopaldon soon enough. You just need to be patient while my secret plan goes underway.”
Anji said confidently.
“Oh, and what’s this secret plan of yours?”
I-No remarked. Anji looked at her in mock surprised.
“It wouldn’t be a secret if you all knew, now would it? Just keep watching and you’ll see. With that being said, I’ll be returning to Zepp now, if you don’t mind, master. I’ll be needed there for the rest of my plan to keep progressing.”
Anji informed. That Man thought on this a bit before nodding.
“Fine. Hopefully you will meet with good results.”
That Man said. Anji nodded, bowing in respect.
“I hope so too, master. Farewell.”
Anji disappeared again, and Raven turned to That Man.
“My liege, can you honestly say you trust that human? He hides so many plans from you.”
Raven said.
“True. But he has made his intentions known, so I will make use of him. He has not undergone any physical procedures by me to augment his abilities, so he will be easy to kill off if it comes to be truly necessary. Though I highly doubt it. He wants to gain information from me in exchange for his services, and that’s fine. Now then, let us see how his secret plan unfolds.”
That Man said. Satisfied with the response, Raven decided to not question his master’s judgements anymore.
:ToBeContinued:
 Mariah_Silvermane · Wed Apr 16, 2008 @ 09:11pm · 0 Comments |
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