Spiral Sallet. Wolver coat (Spiral cutlet costume) Ascended Calibur and Bristling buckler

BTW, gear quality doesn't need to make all to much sense in here.

He's Max. They'll let him through or else.
Even if they didn't let him in, you can guess what he'll do :P

Besides, he was already cleared. He went on a JK run before, remember? Once you have clearance, you always have clearance.

Thats how you can get T3 clearance,t then go Proto in T3. ><

Use your brain dude :P

Please note, Chapter 6 is a lead-up to Chapter 7, I didn't know what else to do with it. :/

What do you think is going to happen?

Hm.......

Name a character type, personality, appearance and I'll CONSIDER putting you into the Storyline, although placement is uncertain.

You can come up with your own race if you want.

Note that I MAY tweak your character to suit the story if you make an entry.

Considered.

And it's a Wrench wand.

I can't guarantee a place, nor can I give you a moment in the storyline your character may appear. But know that I'm trying to find a place for each suggested character in the ever-changing story in my head.

Even if it doesn't appear in Part 3, it may appear in another, possibly semi-related fic.

And I don't mind about the posting space. I was planning to make a new thread for each story so there are no comments in-between for people to be able to read no-breaks when I finish.

So don't worry.

What I said earlier. Places and appearances will be taken into consideration, but I can't guarantee you'll be satisfied with what happens.

But I WILL consider ALL placings.

I was going to make this chapter longer, but I decided to leave the rest of it for another time.

If not, this would take FOREVER to get out!

Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

EDIT: Now there is.

Zack tapped his foot impatiently. “Is this yours or not Max!?”

Max took Mark from his hands and held it in front of him, speechless.

“Where…Where did you find this Zack? How did you know it was mine?” Max finally said.

Zack scratched his head. “Well, I was walking by a while ago when I saw this cart from some Gremlin I know, and it was loaded with knights’ weapons. I recognised the energy signature on the sword as yours, so I nipped it.”

Drake look puzzled. “Energy signature?”

“When you bind equipment to you, the gear synchronises its energy pattern with yours. So it acts like a permanent nametag.” Enzer informed him.

“Oh. Drake nodded slowly. “I knew that.”

Max pressed on. “Tell me, did you see a Silent Nightblade there by any chance? With her energy signature?” Max gestured to Ange.

Zack frowned. “I…don’t…know… I MAY have, because it seems familiar, but I can’t say for sure.”

“Ange lost her sword a while ago, before I did, and I think that gremlin you know may have taken it.” Max told Zack. “Who is he?”

Zack fidgeted nervously. “Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think you should just stick with ‘Mark’.”

Max shook his head. “I’m beyond grateful that you found Mark and brought him back to me, however, I’m not the only one missing an ‘old friend’.” He looked at Ange who watched the exchange blankly.

“I need to find her sword.”

Zack sighed. “Well, I guess I can’t stop you, but I suggest you be VERY careful. I think you have the right guy.”

Max was puzzled. “How are you so sure? And why must we be careful?”

“The gremlin you’re looking for is Tinkinzar. He likes to call himself ‘King’ Tinkinzar, but we just call him Tinker.” Zack scratched the back of his head idly. “He’s really good at making robots and stuff like that, but that’s not what makes him dangerous. He built a mechanized fortress around himself, and doesn’t take well to company.”

Max nodded. “Yeah, that’s nice and all, but how do you know he was the one that stole our weapons?”

Zack hesitated. “Well, for one, the cart was his, but my main point is…”

Drawing a deep breath, he finished his sentence. “Tinker likes to collect Knight’s weapons.”

Max started. “Why!? Why does he want our weapons?”

“No-one really knows.” Zack shrugged nervously. “He’s a pretty scary guy, so we try not to talk about him. Even the gremlins in Emberlight fear him. His mechanical creations have tremendous power. We dare not delve too deep into his doings. Even the Crimson Order, our leaders, fear the day that he unleashes his mechanical monsters on us.”

“That’s it. I’m going to meet this…‘Tinkinzar’.” Max declared, standing up.

Ange jumped up. “You can’t!” She argued. “Didn’t you say you have to get to the Core?”

“That can wait.” Max remained firm. “Right now, the honour of knights all over Haven have been stolen, and now, we have the name of the thief.”

He clenched Mark’s hilt. “With my partner in hand, I WILL bring Tinkinzar to justice.”

* * *

“Seriously, do you HAVE to do this?” Max sighed exasperatedly.

“If you mean setting up a Status Link to you so I know what condition you’re in, then yes, I do.” Ange said, keeping her head down as she fiddled with her armour’s systems.

Drake leaned over to Enzer. “Exactly HOW will this help Max?” He whispered.

“It won’t.” Enzer whispered back.

Max stopped walking and looked up. “It looks like we’re here.” He said.

Tinkinzar’s castle was…threatening. It had a surrounding wall five metres high, made from the reinforced material that is used in the unbreakable blocks found in the clockworks. Sharp spikes towered over the top of the wall, and the only entry point was a solid steel door, with Howlitzer skulls imprinted on it like a mural.

“…Should we knock?” Drake asked randomly.

Suddenly, an electronic voice crackled to life. “Hello? Who’s there?” A wily old voice demanded.

Max stepped up. “My name is Max, Spiral Knight from the surface. I seek audience with the one who calls himself ‘King Tinkinzar’.” He spoke with a firmness that implied tolerance, but with formality.

“Ah, it seems you know of whom you speak young knight.” The voice cackled.

With a heavy groan, the doors swung open, revealing the iron courtyard within.

“Enter, if you dare, young knight.” The voice giggled once more before cutting the link.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Max stepped inside.

If the outside was menacing, then the inside was a mechanical deathtrap. There was a wide courtyard, the size of the Town square in Haven, the pathway bordered with Gunpuppies. The field was a mosaic of status vents; Freeze, Shock, Fire and poison, with narrow walkways in between. The entrance to the main complex was opposite the doorway, and it was guarded by what looked like two Trojan Statues. Mecha knight armour lined the walls, seeming to watch their every move.

Suddenly, the whole courtyard reared to life, all the Gunpuppies barking and spinning their head to face them, the Mecha knights drawing their weapons, and the Trojan Statues rising to their feet.

More Gunpuppies sprung up around the room, including every single one of the statuses, excluding Lovepuppies.

In an Instant, Max had his weapons out, glaring intensely at each of the constructs before him, his shield guarding whichever side his sword wasn’t pointing. The other three followed suit.

“Is this a trap!?” Drake pointed his guns from target to target, unsure of which to concentrate on.

That voice from the door giggled manically over some other speakers. “No no no, I just enjoy playing a good joke on my guests. It does get ever so boring when you live alone in a metal castle.”

With that, all of the constructs sank back into their old positions, even the Trojans put away their arms and stood still.

Cautiously, Max stowed his weapons, but remained tense. The others kept a firm grip on their weapons, unsure of what other unpleasant surprises that awaited them.

They came into a long hallway, with walls of patchwork metal on either side and matching gunpuppies at every 2 metres. Said turrets turned their heads, watching them intensely as they passed by.

“Well,” Ange whispered to Max. “He seems nice enough, for a crazy machine obsessed gremlin.”

“Appearances are deceiving.” He replied in a similarly hushed tone without turning his head. “He only allowed us in so he can show us the power he has. His ‘crazily-happy’ appearance is little more than a façade.”

“How can you tell?” Ange was a bit irked at Max’s militant behaviour. “What makes you so sure that he isn’t just misunderstood, and a tad crazy?”

“Not including the suspicion we have that he was the one that stole our weapons,” Max deadpanned. “Those Gunpuppies he had put up everywhere still contained their firing mechanisms. Each of the Mecha knights swords were either sharpened to a point, or had their ‘edges’ boosted in power. Those two Trojans are actually machines, but their artificial muscle mechanisms have enough power to crush a Knight in Plate armour with its bare hands. There were also countless other trapdoors, presumably for other gunpuppies to come up from, judging by the scorch marks on the floor, and those status traps were not fake.”

He turned around to face her. “Need I say more?”

Ange hung her head slightly. “Sorry.” She muttered.

Max huffed and continued walking. “Look, I’m sorry I’m being so blunt.” He said over his shoulder. “But more often than not, I know what I’m talking about. Especially when it’s combat related.”

“Can’t you take your mind of fighting for even a day?” She hissed back.

Max shrugged. “That’s a bit much to ask. There’s not much else a weapon can think of but fighting.”

Before Ange could ask what he meant by that, they had reached the end of the hall. Two great Iron doors groaned open on their approach, revealing a stone cold interior.

Unlike the rest of the fortress, this room seemed to be made of stone. Banners bearing the gremlin insignia hung down from the ceiling, and there weren’t many constructs in here at all. In fact, there were only four Mecha knights. There was also a strange metal Armour in the centre of the back wall.

About as tall as a regular knight, its helmet had a double slit visor in a V-shape, with a set of Mechtennas extending behind its head. Metal plates coved most of its body, mostly as a breastplate on its torso, and thigh, shin, shoulder and fore-arm guards. Two thin swords were sheathed over its back, but despite all this, it had no shield.

A large desk sat in front of the Armour. Sitting in the desk was a scrawny looking Gremlin.

He was dressed as any other gremlin was, except he wore thick gloves on his hands and a black cloth band around his head.

“Ah, my young semi-organic cyborg friends have arrived.” He said as he stood up from his desk. “My name is Tinkinzar. King Tinkinzar I should say.” He added.

“You honour us with this meeting.” Max’s voice was dry enough to indicate he was just going through the formalities without being overly impolite.

Tinkinzar walked out from behind his desk with his hands tucked behind his back. “It’s not like I get many guests in this desolate land, so company is welcome.”

“Understandably.” Max replied.

“Say, that’s quite a well-kept sword you have there.” The Gremlin remarked thoughtfully.

Max remained stoic. “It should be. Mark is my partner.”

The gremlin was surprised. “Partner? It would seem you have a sentimental attachment to this weapon.”

“Weapons have souls too.” Max said cryptically.

Tinkinzar scoffed. “Pah! Weapons are no more than tools which are used for killing your enemies.”

Ange gulped as she watched Max tense up. Boy was he peeved.

“Speaking of which…” Tinkinzar turned to Max.

“That blade…How did you get it back from me!?” He roared, making everyone but Max jump.

Max narrowed his eyes. “So it was you who stole our weapons. The question is: Why?”

Tinkinzar threw his head back and laughed. “Why? Why not?”

As he spoke, part of the wall behind him opened up, and they all gasped.

The wall was COVERED in weapons. Every single weapon the knights have ever known was on that wall. Strikers, Autoguns, Brandishes, Bombs; all of them were on a wall. A collection of weaponry.

“Weapons are no more than objects!” The gremlin continued. “And since there are so many different kinds, I collect them!”

Max regained his composure. “No doubt you already have an Ascended Calibur, AND a Silent Nightblade. Why did you take ours?”

“Simple.” Tinkinzar grinned. “Not all of the same weapon are exactly the same. Some have Unique Variants, others are better kept. But yours…”

Seemingly out of nowhere, Tinkinzar pulled out a Silent Nightblade. Max could tell by Ange’s gasp that this was hers.

“…Your weapons have seen many battles. Fought in many fights, and yet, they bear no scars from the heat of battle. You obviously treasure them, and all weapon related treasure…

Max dove forward, hand outstretched to grab the sword.

“Is MINE!” He roared, laughing maniacally.

A trapdoor suddenly opened by their feet, and Max barely had the time to jump away before the others plummeted into depths unknown.

Max glared at the gremlin. “Where did you take them!?” he demanded.

The gremlin laughed once more. “Don’t fret little man, your friends have just been deposited outside.”

His laughing stopped abruptly as he grinned wolfishly at Max. “You should worry about what I may do to you…”

* * *

Ange grunted as she hit the cold, hard floor, then gasped as all the air was driven out of her lungs by two other bodies landing on her.

After they untangled themselves, they noticed Max wasn’t there.

Enzer swore. “If he’s not out here, he must still be in there.”

A little pop-up beeped on Ange’s HUD. As she activated it, a small window opened on her HUD and displayed a Status uplink, labelling Max’s current status.

And it showed he had taken some heavy damage. His Energy field was down to 60%, and his armour integrity was on the brink of notable compromise.

A grunt dragged out through the air, making Ange look up.

With a loud *WHOOMPH*, Max sailed through the air and smashed into the ground.

HARD.

[Warning. Energy Field depleted. Armour integrity compromised. Host stability at 95%] A feminine voice reported to Ange.

Ange rushed over to Max and brushed the debris of his frame.

“Max? Are you alright? What happened?” She demanded.

Max coughed a bit, clearing his lungs of the dust. “Ugh. D-dammit.” He groaned.

“Max, what happened?” Ange repeated.

Max coughed one last time. “He-He Tried to take Mark.” He managed. “I resisted him, and some sort of giant hammer smashed me through the roof.”

Ange shook her head. “C’mon Max. Let’s go.”

Max snapped to attention. “No way!” He said tightly. “That gremlin is going to pay.” His voice almost dripped with venom.

‘Max, you’re damaged.” Ange argued. “Your body won’t be able to hold up if you put it through more stress. There’s nothing to gain from fighting this battle.”

“WRONG.” Max shot back, taking Ange by surprise.

“That thief took a shot at stealing Mark, and he has Lady Grey too. I’m not leaving here until I get her back.” Max struggled to his feet.

“It’s ok Max.” Ange said hurriedly. “I can get another one. Maybe a better one.”

Max glared coldly at her. “You know as well as I do that it won’t be the same.”

He finally mustered enough strength to rise to his feet. “ I’m not leaving here until I get what I came for, and THEN some.”

He walked over to the door, which Enzer had been pounding on angrily the moment he got to his feet.

“Enzer? Move aside.” Max’s voice was solid. He wasn’t going to take any sort of resistance.

Taking Enzer’s Troika, he examined it. “…Headstrong.”

Enzer blinked. “What?”

Max continued. “Forceful. Intolerant. Uncooperative. But loyal and righteous.”

“What’s he doing?” Drake whispered to Ange.

Ange too was puzzled. “I don’t know. Judging the sword?”

Max reaffirmed his grip on it as he put Mark behind his back. “I name you Earthedge, ground shaker.”

With that, Max smashed the sword down on each of the door’s hinges, tearing them clean off.

Next he took Drake’s guns. “…Soft. Compliant. Unforceful. Reluctant. Worrying. Adaptable. Quick. Judging.”

Max spun the two guns around in his hand. “I name you Crossroad, chooser of paths.” He held the Antigua firmly. “And you, I name Flashpoint, the judge of wrongs.” The Prismatech Alchemer MK II Seemed to glow in agreement.

Bam. Bam. BAM. With a final kick, Max sent the door flying off its resting place, once again revealing the mechanical deathtrap within.

Max’s eyes were aglow with energy as he stepped up. “…Stay back. This is my fight alone.”

Seizing the opportunity, a Rocket puppy fired at Max, its explosive load tearing through the air towards Max.

Reacting instantly, he pulled out the Crossroad and fired one, single, shot.

As if in slow motion, the bullet impacted directly on the Missile’s trigger cap, detonating the explosive device.

In the ensuing flash, Max darted forward, slamming the muzzle of Flashpoint into the Rocket Puppys barrel.

“…You have been judged.” Max’s voice betrayed no emotion. “Guilty. As. Charged.” He pulled the trigger.

The following explosion triggered the entire courtyard to spring to life. Waves of gunpuppies sprang from the ground, and Mecha Knights shrugged themselves off the wall.

Max ran straight into the fray, guns blazing as a tidal wave of constructs bore down on him. Quick shots from the Antigua detonated missiles in mid-air, while one after another, Mecha Knights dropped to the ground, missing a head, arm, or part of their torso.

Leaping atop a Gunpuppy, Max backflipped to avoid the barrage of elemental bullets that cascaded upon where he once stood, obliterating said machine. A mecha Knight took a swing at him, only to have an Antigua jammed into it shoulder, pinning it in place while he fired it off.

He was brutal, relentless as he tore through them with increasing fury. Soon enough, with a final shot to the head, the courtyard lay still.

“…I’m not done just yet.” Max’s eyeshot toward the two Trojan statues, now rising to their feet.

Max slammed into a wall as one of them charged forward straight into him before he could react. He barely had time to avoid the shattering blow of the other by rolling to the side.

Darting away quickly, Max drew out the Troika.

“Earthedge, lend me strength.” Max closed his eyes as he held the blade before him.

The Trojan charged, but stopped short, blade raised for a crushing blow.

A solid ring echoed through the otherwise silent courtyard, as Max parried the attack with equal strength, his eyes burning with silent fire.

The Trojan drew back for another forehand hit, which Max blocked with another of his own. A slow, spinning backhand blocked the other, and a heavy downcut knocked the Trojan’s shield from his grasp.

It roared with painful fury as Max hit it with a heavy uppercut, and with its massive size, toppled over backwards with a crash, electricity lancing through its body as the electrical trap it landed on flared to life.

The final Trojan roared as its brother fell, which caused Max to snort disgustedly.

“Puh-lease. You machines are just cheap fakes.” Max darted over to it, smashing his Earthedge into the ground for a distracting leap over it. “Weapons like you have no soul, not even corrupt ones.”
The Trojan spun around, only to be met with a Troika travelling in the opposite direction, straight through its neck.

“Now join your brother in the abyss of obliteration.” Max hissed, as with a final thud, the courtyard was truly silent.

Max walked over and handed Enzer the hilt of his sword. “You are obsessed with power. You are violent, headstrong and forceful. But you are also loyal and will fight for what you know is right.”

Max released the blade back to Enzer. “Earthedge will represent you well.”

Enzer nodded, and Max gave the two guns back to Drake.

“You are indecisive. Incapable of making sound decisions on your own. But your judge others all the time, in everything they do. You worry, but can be quick to point out what others do not see.”

Max patted him on the shoulder. “Crossroad will be your guide, and Flashpoint will be your voice.”

Ange just looked on in disbelief. Max had just named her friends personal traits by judging their weapons. Could that be what he meant when he said that weapons have souls too?

If so, then what did he mean earlier, when he called himself a weapon?

Ignoring the slightly awkward moment the others were sharing, Max turned back to the castle.

“Now, there is one more fight left.” Max drew out Mark.

“For the souls wronged, for the pain incurred, I call for Tinkinzar to be brought to justice.”

“And let nothing stand in my way.”

Max walked onward, adding as an afterthought:

“Lady Grey is coming home.”

He has a chunk missing from his BRAIN!?

What do think will happen next? :P

Chapter 8 should be coming soon. The story should be picking up pace now, although I can't say the same for my updates.

Chapter 8 should be up sometime today, if all goes well.

@Tuhui Did you read part 1? Or just part 2?

I'm going to make a little compilation page after I finish part 3, so readers can read them more easily with less confusion.

and @all Oh, and any criticism is allowed. Doesn't matter what you say, it will be noted and taken into consideration.

Almost done with chapter 8...

There was a yelp as yet another gunpuppy exploded into thousands of pieces with Max walking past only a moment later.

He wouldn’t say it out loud, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his form up for this period of time, but the situation demanded it, so he would have to provide.

Little did he know that the others already knew. Well, to a physical extent at least.

Ange had passed on the Status link to Enzer and Drake, just so they could help monitor Max, and so they’d stop asking her about it.

Ange stared with worry at Max, who despite his solid appearance, was beyond peak performance.

[Energy field at 68%. Primary propulsion units under heavy strain. Armour integrity at 85%. Host stability at 90%.]

Max felt Ange’s gaze boring into the back of his head, and he wondered: Why was he doing this?

This was a suicide mission. He knew that from the start. So why was he pushing his body to the utmost limit to simply get back a weapon? Was it something the original Max would do?

He knew that it was dangerous to have doubts this far in but he couldn’t help it. He had committed himself to a cause of his own violation and creation. But for what? Were these really reasons to throw your life away?

When he gained consciousness, he was practically a newborn. Possessing only knowledge from his ‘past self’, he embarked on a journey akin to one of self-discovery.

Even so, there were many things new to him in this world. His emotions for one, his temperament another. But were these feeling he had coursing through his body really triggered by the recent events? Was it really a cause to fight?

The words he spoke. There was something about them…He doesn’t even understand half of what he’s saying himself, but somehow, it fits. He can feel it’s right, even if he can’t consciously recall how.

Max’s gaze re-focused as the door to the main chamber loomed before him.

Now was not a time for doubts or second guessing ones-self.

Now was a time for war.

And he was going to give it everything he had.

* * *

If she said she was worried, then that would be the understatement of the year.

Ange was terrified at what Max was going to do. She recalled his last words as they proceeded down the hallway, as he callously demolished anything that hindered his path.

“Whatever happens next, whatever I do, whatever becomes of me in this battle, do not interfere.”

She looked at him as he prepared to enter the main chamber. What could he possibly have planned?

* * *

Max kicked down the door with a large boom.

“TINKINZAR.” He roared as he stepped in. “Return what does not belong to you, or this matter shall be dealt with by force!”

The wiry gremlin turned around, his had up in a mock surrender.

“Oooh, dearie me! You’re going to deal with me by force?” He smirked as he drew out the Silent nightblade again. “If you want it so bad, come get it.”

Max’s base speed seemed to have doubled as he burst from the ground, lunging toward the gremlin, hand outstretched…

Only to grab at nothing as he passed through the hologram, skidding across the floor.

“Impressive. You have excellent speed, surprisingly agile for a knight.” Tinkinzar’s voice rang out through the room as Max got back up. “Let’s see how you fare against my soldiers.”

The four mechas whirred as they reared to life, drawing their blades and advancing towards Max.

“Mechas?” Max said with mock disbelief. “I’ve battled hordes of them before, and you expect to defeat me with just four?”

*K-CHUNK*. A mecha smoothly punched Max across the face, sending him flying into the foot of another, before a downcut from a third left him grounded.

Tinkinzar laughed. “These are no ordinary mecha knight my young friend. I personally upgraded them with better reflexes and armour. Let’s see if your speed can match up to theirs”

Max grunted from where he lay on the floor. “Yeah, let’s.”

A mecha smashed its sword down, but Max had flipped back onto his feet and evaded, cycling into a spinning slash that flung them all away.

A fierce battle erupted, where Max had to struggle to fend off the four mechas. They exchanged blow after blow, and even if Max successfully defended the attack of one, three others would land.

* * *

Ange was now frantic. She, Enzer and Drake had taken shelter behind the closed door, as Max had instructed. In his current state, she’d rather not be in his way.

Now, she wasn’t so sure.

[Warning. Energy field at 46%. Armour integrity breach. Armour integrity reduced to 71% efficiency. Host stability at 78%.]

[Warning. Energy field at 38%. Armour integrity reduced to 65% Host stability at 68%. Tactical recommendation: Remove from combat.]

Status warning after Status warning played out through Ange’s head. Max was clearly taking a severe beating.

Then she noticed something else on his status screen.

She checked it again just to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.

She even tapped it to make sure it wasn’t a malfunction.

And her eyes widened when she realised it was real.

* * *

Max blocked one last attack before leaping backwards for a breather.

His breathing was ragged. He had several cuts all over his body, each seeping with black fluid. He was tired, and seemed to be making no progress.

Tinkinzar cackled. “What’s the matter? I thought that a knight of your calibre would surely pose a challenge for my Super Mechas.”

Max smirked as he rose back to his feet. “I don’t…recall...saying that…I was done…yet…” He breathed.

“Just give it up already.” Tinkinzar snapped evilly. “You’ve already lost, so why fight on?”

Max grinned. “It’s not over until it’s ALL over.”

A flying backhand slash knocked back one mecha fifteen metres, while it’s brother, who tried to counterattack, was met with a swift sweeping kick that dropped it to the ground. Another mecha tried for a downcut, but Max stabbed his sword into its torso and lifted it up over his head, slamming it down on the other.

Max blocked a fourth assault with his shield, drawing back for a forward slash. That was met with a parry from the first mecha he attacked, who swung back at him.

The battle increased in speed and ferocity, driving Max to his absolute limit.

And perhaps, even beyond.

* * *

Ange tapped Drake on the shoulder, who was looking blankly at his guns.

“Huh? What?” He started.

Ange shushed him. “Are you guys seeing what I’m seeing?” She asked both him and Enzer, who came to listen when he noticed there was conversation.

“What DO you see?” Enzer enquired.

“Look at Max’s status link.” She tapped her HUD.

Enzer squinted. “I…Don’t…see anything…”

“Specifically the Energy output readout.” She cut in.

Both of them stared at her oddly, then glanced back at their HUDs.

Enzer’s eyes widened. “Oh. My. God.”

Drake just stuttered incoherently.

Ange looked back at her own link.

Max’s energy output read 200%.

When she first saw it, it had been at 104%. But it steadily rose, and rose, and even still, continued to rise.

[Armour integrity breach. Armour integrity at 58%. Energy field depletion level critical. Switching over to Core function mode. Energy output levels approaching 300%. Host Stability at 56%]

Intentionally or not, Max was increasing his power output to his armour, and when those levels reached high…

She didn’t want to see what would happen next.

* * *

Max’s speed had increased exponentially, and was now dodging attacks at a super speed.

A mecha knight dove into a downcut, whilst another came in for a running uppercut from his other side.

He backflipped over the mechas, their attacks colliding with each other is the confusion. In the next moment, a shining Ascended Calibur was protruding from their torsos.

The moment didn’t last long, as another mecha charged at Max. He quickly drew his blade out and cycled into a backhand slash, crushing the oncoming mecha with his own two allies.

The fourth and final mecha ran toward Max as well, as Max dived, stabbing his sword through the head of one of the fallen machines, ripping it off, and swung it into a parry, of sorts.

Their blades now locked by the head of the fallen mecha, neither could disengage his weapon. Max kicked his opponent’s feet out from under him, using the momentum to get on top of it, and pressed down on his hilt, impaling the mecha.

Max breathed heavily as the battle ended, regaining his composure being very difficult with his current energy output.

“You...You!” Tinkinzar sounded enraged.

“What?” Max challenged. “Is my Calibur good enough for you?”

“You will regret mocking me!” Tinkinzar roared. “Face my ULTIMATE mecha!”

Max readied his sword as gears groaned and whirred, signalling the coming of a new mechanical threat.

To his silent horror, the Suit of armour that stood behind the desk twitched.

Really, he should have been expecting it, but it was still surprising, to put it lightly.

Its mechanisms groaned to life as it detached itself from the wall, flexing its limbs as Tinkinzar cackled.

“Meet my Ninja Mecha, Shadow Shinobi!” He giggled as his mechanical minion drew out twin katanas. “This isn’t a battle you’ll be leaving alive.”

Max regained his form and readied himself for battle. “That’s what you think. Bring it on!”

* * *

Ange was once again driven to the verge of panic. Max’s energy output had started to decrease from 328%, but now they were on the rise, faster than ever.

Added to that, more and more status reports flooded in. Max was clearly in trouble.

[Warning. Energy field critical. Multiple armour integrity breach. Propulsion units damaged 15%. Armour integrity at 46%. Re-routing core functions. Running in power saving mode: all nonessential programs shut down. Host stability at 43%. Tactical recommendations: Remove from combat immediately. Seeking medical attention is advised.]

Unable to hold back any longer, she burst into the room. “MAX!!”

* * *

Max didn’t even have time for fancy dodging, this was toe-to-toe combat, and he was losing.

Each of the Shadow Shinobi’s attacks were co-ordinated with each other. A double overhead chop, double backhand slice, double forehand slice, forward crosscut; he could barely keep up.

He blocked another double overhand with his shield and lashed out with his blade. The Shadow Shinobi just backflipped and tossed a kunai in response.

The ninja dart exploded by his feet, throwing his off balance, only to be met with a speedy crosscut at his legs, tripping him up entirely.

“Bwahaha!” Tinkinzar cackled victoriously. “No matter what you do, you will never defeat the Shadow Shinobi!”

Max grunted as he struggled to rise to his feet. “I’m…not…done yet!” His speech was cut by his opponent stepping on his back.

“Come on! Why do you continue to resist? What are you even fighting for?” Tinkinzar’s voice mocked him from the speakers, as like an executioner, the Shadow Shinobi raised its swords for a final blow.

Max started. That question again. What was it he was fighting for? Why was he fighting so hard?

Suddenly, memories flashed through his head. He saw Mark, his weapon, his ally. He saw random knights through hardship.

“For souls wronged.” He whispered. “For the defenceless. For those who cannot fight themselves. For honour. For what is right.”

An image of Ange and her friends wafted through his mind. They were happy, smiling. He saw the pain in Ange’s eyes when she realised Lady Grey was gone.

“MAX!!”

Max’s head tilted to one side, and he saw Ange, the same pain she felt at losing he partner reflected in her eyes as she saw him, dying in front of her.

“For my friends; and to stop them from losing another.” Max smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I’m fighting for.”

Energy erupted from Max’s body, casing the Shadow Shinobi to leap backwards.

Max rose to his feet, easily and steadily. “You messed with the wrong knight on the wrong day.” He said with a smirk.

Tinkinzar growled. “Fine. You still have no chance against my super machine!”

Max readied his weapon at his side. “We’ll see.”

“Shadow Shinobi, ATTACK!” Tinkinzar ordered.

“Let’s ROCK!!” Max roared, his energy aura flaring all round him as they collided.

* * *

Max’s energy output skyrocketed, soaring up to 600% in a single moment. Ange had to shield her eyes from the intensity of the blast to stop herself from being blinded entirely.

When they refocused, it seemed the tide of the battle had turned.

Max was zipping around so fast, the moment she looked at him he was no longer there. The Shadow Shinobi was fast, but he was now faster.

* * *

The mecha launched a flurry of lightning quick attacks at Max, who blocked each and every hit with a solid stance.

“Come on!” He drifted past his opponent, running in the opposite direction. The Shadow Shinobi attempted to follow, before realising a massive gouge it had in its side.

“That’s impossible!” Tinkinzar declared, outraged. “Kunai attack!”

Obediently, it launched a volley of the explosive kunai at Max, who simply laughed as he ran straight up a wall to avoid them, before flipping off it, catching one, and throwing it back in a single, swift spin.

It impacted directly on the mechanaloid’s torso, upsetting its balance.

“Don’t just stand there, counterattack!” Tinkinzar roared through the speakers.

The Shadow Shinobi raced towards Max, who blocked a forward strike with a parry. However, it used the contact to push his blade up, so it was no-longer defending him. Taking its chance, it made a stab at Max, who evaded quickly.

Suddenly, it leapt backwards and fired another volley of explosive kunai.

Max activated his shield. The first kunais bounced off, but the ferocity of the attack was stronger than ever, and one broke through his barrier and clipped into his shield.

“Ack-NO!” He made out as another slammed into his left shoulder.

His screams couldn’t be heard over the following explosion.

* * *

Ange looked on in horror as the kunai detonated, shrouding the immediate area in a thick blanket of smoke. “MAX!!”

Tinkinzar guffawed. “You see!? Nothing can withstand my mechanical might!”

“Oh please. You make it sound like I’m already through with you.” A chilly voice spoke above all others.

The dust swirled around his body as Max’ stepped out of the cloud, the air around him being manipulated by the fierce energy winds that flowed all around him.

[WARNING! WARNING! SEVERE Armour breach! Armour integrity at 16%! Left arm control disrupted. Massive stress on motorized joints! Warning: Shield generator disabled! Shield integrity compromised, function ceased! Visual module damaged. Vision impaired 56%! Left eye function ceased! Energy output approaching 800%! WARNING]

“MAX! Stop this! You can’t fight on!” She pleaded.

But her words fell on deaf ears.

* * *

Tinkinzar was silent, obviously stunned by Max’s not-destruction.

His left arm was limp. No wonder, after taking an explosive hit directly to his shoulder. His shield was broken, a hole smouldering near its centre. His left eye had been taken out by the blast, and his right one was a little damaged. His upper torso sported fresh burns all over, missing chunks from it even.

Despite all this, there was only one course of action for him: All or nothing.

Tinkinzar regained his composure. “It matters not you survived! I’ll just have to kill you once and for all!” He roared with fury.

“Bring it Tinkerbell!” Max mocked, beckoning with his right hand.

“It’s TINKANIZAR!”

The Shadow Shinobi leapt towards its weakened opponent, starting with a forward crosscut. Max blocked it with surprising speed, considering his damage level, and continued to block each attack with just his one had, swaying in all directions to accommodate the range he couldn’t reach normally.

Leaning in for another block, Max suddenly spun around sharply. His strength, multiplied by his rising energy levels, added to his speed, sheared straight through the katanas. As the Shadow Shinobi started in surprise, Max rammed his blade through its chest.

For a moment, time stood still. Then, Max reached out with his left hand, and grabbed a kunai from the machine’s belt.

“Try this on for size.” He growled as he, mustering all he remaining strength in that arm, stabbed the explosive dart through his adversary’s head.

Max leapt away just early enough to avoid the explosion, which disintegrated half of the Ninja mecha in a bright explosion of fire.

* * *

Ange watched on in awe as Max demolished the Shadow Shinobi even with all the damage he had sustained. But one thing still puzzled her…

Why hadn’t Max’s energy level dropped yet?

* * *

By now, Max’s body had had enough time to repair bits of itself, and Max’s left eye let out a mechanical whine as it re-activated itself.

“Come on now Tinker. You defences are dust, your ultimate creation in pieces. Concede now, and I may leave it at this.” Max said as he walked over to the back wall.

There was a moment of silence as the offer was considered.

Then to his surprise, he heard laughter.

Tinkinzar’s laugh was one that would be use when told a good joke, or during some equally amusing event.

His laugh stretched out for a good 20 seconds, before he finally spoke. “That’s rich, you actually think I’m done with you?”

Max smiled. “I didn’t think so.” He muttered.

“All my creations are controlled by a central computer that provides their programming and direction!” He declared. “Now, see its true form!”

With a massive groan, panels on the wall shifted. Parts folded, moved, shifted until…

A massive stone colossus stood before him, its inner workings defended by the stone wall. Its arm alone was at least twice as big as Max himself, and its body was rooted into the ground. It took up the whole back wall, being able to reach anything in the room with a sweep of its arm.

“Face it! You may have defeated my other creations, but you will never survive this!” Tinkinzar giggled, in the same annoying way as always.

“A fight’s never over until it’s over.” Max replied as he readied his weapon.

“Really?” The mechanical menace lifted one hand and opened it. “Even when I hold the prize?” Lady Grey sat silently on the stone palm, its plea to be free not passing unnoticed by Max.

“Not even then.” Max dashed forward. “Let’s ROCK!” He yelled as he disappeared, only to reappear at the hand with his blade pinning it to the wall (Yeah, he moved THAT fast). The other arm reached for him, but Max already grabbed Lady Grey and danced out of reach, over to the other wall. Fed up, Tinkinzar smashed the fist into the wall in a futile attempt to hit Max, only to have him stab Lady Grey through it, pinning it to the wall the same way he did the other.

“Give it up.” Max said as his opponent tried to wrench his arms from their restraints. “They won’t be letting go anytime soon, so you may as well accept defeat with grace.”

“Defeat?” Tinkinzar scoffed. “You don’t have any weapons left, and I have the potential to create countless more! I’m not defeated yet!”

Max nodded slowly. “No, not yet.”

* * *

Enzer and Drake had managed to drag Ange back to safety, where they were now gaping at the newest development.

Max’s energy output was at 900%. AND STILL RISING.

* * *

Tinkinzar roared and fired a huge missile from his machine’s head, which Max jumped over, landing on his head.

“I may not have any weapons, but I don’t need any.” He declared. “You’ve stolen from the innocent. You play ruler of people who are not yours. You are a tyrant and a fool.”

[WARNING! DANGER! ENERGY LEVEL REACHING UNSTABLE LEVELS!]

Max’s hands glowed blue as energy built up around them. “You stole my partner from me, you tried to endanger my friends.”

Tinkinzar couldn’t keep the fear from his voice as the ground itself trembled from Max’s power. “Wh-what are you doing!?”

* * *

“What’s going on!?” Ange yelled as the earth shook beneath his feet.

“Max’s power is growing unstable! His energy is flowing into the area around him!” Enzer was guessing, but that was the best ANYONE had. “If he keeps this up, he may never come back!”

* * *

Max’s eyes burned bright with the energy coursing all around him, giving him a blue aura.

“Making sure you can never rise from this fall.”

* * *

Ange will never forget what happened next.

She crawled over to the doorway, intent on finding SOME way to help Max, when she saw the most amazing sight.

Max stood on the head of a stone colossus, a neon blue aura flaring around him, the very air itself seeming to convey his power as it rushed around the room like a high wind, the mechanical monstrosity powerless to do anything.

Only two words appeared on her status uplink, blotting out all the rest. Two big, blue, bold words:

[POWER SURGE]

Energy erupted from Max’s hands into the machine, his blue energy seeping into every single crack, hole or joint, even through the rock itself. It splayed across the surface as the room rumbled with power, and the shaking on the ground intensified.

“WHATS HPPENEING TO ME!?” Tinkinzar screamed as parts of his machine glowed and warped.

“All matter changes state depending on the amount of energy they possess in the bonds between their particles.” Max smirked as the whole room continued to shake uncontrollably. “Solids contain the least, gases the most. But I’m loading your machine’s whole structure with pure energy. The solid particles that make up your machine are having so much energy forced into them, the forces binding them together are falling apart. In short…”

Max’s grin widened. “I’m gonna disintegrate your little toy.”

“STOP!” Tikninzar panicked. “You won’t survive this ordeal either! You’ll destroy yourself and everything else!”

But Max was no longer listening. The earth continued to shake, even harder than before. Enzer and Drake joined Ange, who was kneeling on the floor after the quake brought her to her knees.

“MAX! Stop this!” She pleaded. “The fight’s OVER. You WON!”

But max didn’t even seem to acknowledge her presence. His eyes were empty, devoid of anything at all. He didn’t even notice the massive chunks of rock breaking up and floating up all around him. He was oblivious to everything around him, intent on destroying his target.

“Max! You’ve got to stop or this whole place will fall apart!” Enzer’s voice was drowned out by the energy winds that whipped around the whole room, ripping apart everything that wasn’t tied down.

Ange herself struggled to keep her footing.

“Max! PLEASE. You have Lady Grey! Tinkinzar is finished! Stop before you destroy yourself!”

As if disregarding her plea, the energy winds intensified, forcing her back. Undeterred, she crawled closer to Max, the energy winds intensifying with every step.

[WARNING. DANGER. HOST UNSTABLE. ENERGY OUTPUT OVERLOAD. DANGER! DANGER!]

The energy field surged once more, forcing her to her knees. “Max….” She groaned, struggling to stand.

“Ange, get out of there!” Drake called. “It’s too dangerous!”

“No!” She staggered back to her feet. “I’m not going witho-”

The energy field gave one final heave, and with Tinkinzar’s desperate cry of: “NOOOO!!” the field expanded rapidly, dragging Ange screaming off her feet and throwing her through the door, as the whole building was engulfed in an explosion of blue light.

And above it all could be heard one word: “MAX!!!!!”

* * *

Drake shrugged off the rocks on his back, stretching to ease the stiffness in his limbs.

“Owwww…” He moaned. “That HURT.”

The explosion had levelled the whole area in a flash of blue light, complete disintegrating parts of the structure.

Drake managed to find Enzer, and together, they found Ange. But one question was on all their minds: Where was Max?

Suddenly, they heard voices over to one side.

“Please, spare me! I beg of you!” Tinkanizar’s voice seemed squeaky and helpless, in comparison to his previous cocky ranting.

Max stood silent, his gaze seeming to penetrate deep into Tinkinzar’s very soul.

Terrified, Tinkinzar turned and fled, stumbling a bit as he ran.

“Max!” Ange ran over to him. “Are you…”

Max collapsed to the floor in an unconscious heap. Ange quickly consulted her HUD on his status.

[Core energy at 35%. Temporary system shutdown. Recovering from system overload. Physical status: Armour integrity at 14%. Shield self-repair complete, now at 57%% efficiency. Left eye damaged, vision impaired, now at 86%. Left arm severely damaged. Limb functionality at 17%]

Ange sighed. “Max…can you not kill yourself for five minutes? Please?”

“Ange?” She looked up to see Drake holding Mark and Lady Grey.

“…To think you put yourself through all this, just for some weapons…” She nearly cried at how ridiculous and sad it was.

“Hey…” Enzer looked around cautiously. “Did anyone hear that…?”

Ange looked around. “Did we hear wh-”

*CRACK* The ground under them sank suddenly, and Ange cursed.

She got up and tried to drag Max out of the room. “The grounds going to fall apart, we got to get- AHH!!!!!”

The floor gave way, and screaming all the way, they plummeted down into the dark depths beyond.

Minor edits, don't freak out.

Anyway, like I said, the story will be picking up speed. Can anyone guess what happens next? All guesses and comments welcome!

Stand by for Chapter 9, coming sometime within the next 7 days! (Hopefully)

When Max opened his eyes, he felt groggy.

He tried sitting up, but for some reason, he wasn’t able to.

At first he panicked. He thought that maybe he was tied down or something, but feeling no restraints on his body, he put his immobility down to tiredness.

Eventually, with some effort, Max managed to pull himself into a sitting position and get a better look at his surroundings.

There wasn’t much. A few discarded helms and armour here and there, broken bits of wood. Evidence of a fire in structures that appeared to have once been houses was apparent as well.

Then He noticed Ange, sitting away to one side, hugging her knees to her chest. He stared at her in silence, unsure of what to say.

“…Structural integrity of your armour has suffered severely.” She said, seemingly randomly. “Your left eye is functioning at just above 50%, your shield is barely working and your left arm’s movement is impaired.”

She patted the sleeping Chromalisk beside her. “We managed to patch you up with some Health capsules Rom had, but it wasn’t enough.”

“Worst of all, your stunt back there drained all of your suit’s energy…and…” She gulped, obviously distressed.

“…You nearly drained all of your Core energy.” She finished.

The Core energy of a Knight is his lifeblood. A dense, potent store of energy, it acts as the heart, soul, and main driver for a knight. The suit itself draws on external sources of energy, but the Core energy maintains its main functions. If a Knight’s Core energy dies out, the knight is truly dead.

Max was silent as Ange turned to look at him.

“…Why do you do this to yourself Max?” She demanded. “Why? Do you have something to prove? Do you need to show off? What is it?”

“…” Max remained silent.

“Answer me Max!” She screamed, making him flinch slightly. “What makes you do these things? Why can’t you just live and let die? Turn back from a fight? Why must you fight until you can’t even stand!? Answer me!”

Max stayed silent for a moment. “…I…Don’t…Know…” He said slowly.

Ange was taken aback. “What?”

Max sat up straighter. “I’m…not entirely sure…” He said as he looked over the rest of his body. “This body…It seems to have…a…Mind of it’s own…It wants to fight. It wants to keep going, and it won’t give up or give in.”

He looked back at her. “…What am I?”

Ange started again. “…What?”

“Who am I? What am I?” He asked again.

“You’re Max.” She stated plainly.

Max looked at her skeptically. “Am I? Am I really?”

Ange shook her head. “What do-I don’t…”

“Am I really Max? Or am I just some cheap copy in his body or a body that looks like him?” He looked down. “Every time I fight, there’s something…some-ONE that seems to control what I do. Whoever it is, he’s strong, and skilled. I think, he may be the real Max, which makes me wonder…”

He stood up and laid his hand on a broken mirror hanging on the wall, gently stroking his distorted image.

“…If he’s Max, then who am I?”

Ange was silent. She had nothing to say to that.

“…What was the real Max like?” He said as he turned back to her.

Ange looked at him. “…He was…kind. Funny, skilled, powerful, protective. He would be a jester one moment and a die-hard warrior the next.”

She looked down. “But…he also seemed…troubled…” she said with a frown. “He would never tell us anything but what we needed to know. Sometimes, it was as if he had put a wall up between himself and the rest of the world.”

She looked back at Max, who has closed his eyes.

“Yes…That is something this form seems to want more than anything.” Max’s voice was level. “It wants to fight as hard as it can to protect those around it.”

Ange walked over to his side. “Max, you can’t keep doing this to yourself.” She said as she laid an arm on his shoulder. “If you keep this up…”

“A path of destruction will lead only to destruction.” Max said plainly, summarizing what Ange was trying to say. “This form knows this well.”

“Why do you keep referring to yourself as a ‘form’ Max?” Ange let go of him. “You live, you breathe, you fight. And it worries me, because you aren’t invincible. You injure, you bleed, you can die. But you don’t care, do you?”

Max walked over to another dark corner. “Why should I worry? For that matter, why should you worry? I’m NOT Max. I’m just his replacement until he comes back. A substitute. A copy. A FAKE.” He said bitterly.

Ange walked over to him. “You don’t know that…”

“I don’t NOT know that.” He shot back, halting her mid-step. “Even if I AM Max, I’m little more than a shadow of the real him.” He averted his gaze again. “…What use will I have once he comes back? What will I be? Where will I be?”

“I…” Ange started.

“Wait, where’s Enzer and Drake?” Max snapped his head up suddenly.

“Oh, I sent them out to recon while you were unconscious.” Ange replied.

Max looked back at her. “And HOW long have they been gone, exactly?”

Ange opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, unsure.

Max glanced away. “I’m going to go look for them.” He said as he stood up.

“They’ll be back.” Ange said with more certainty. “Don’t worry so much.”

[Ten minutes later…]

“WHERE ARE THEY!?” Ange screamed suddenly.

“…Yeah, don’t worry so much.” Max said sarcastically as he winced.

“They’ve been gone way too long! Where could they-HEY! Where are you going!?” She yelled as she saw Max walking away.

“Lost people don’t find themselves.” He replied without stopping.

“…What?”

Max sighed exasperatedly. “I’m going to look for them.”

“Oooh…” Ange mouthed before running after him. “Hey, wait for me!”

* * *

They had been walking in silence for around an hour already, but there was still no sign of Enzer or Drake.

“Where could they be?” Ange mumbled. “Whew. And it’s getting hot in here.” She added as she fanned herself with her hand.

She looked at Max, who had been silent since they had set off. “The real Max was chattier than you.” She teased, trying to lighten the mood. “At least he smiled.”

“I’m not Max.” Came the blunt reply.

Ange stopped. “Why do you ALWAYS say that!?”

Max turned back and raised an eyebrow. “…Say what?”

Ange huffed. “You always insist you’re not Max. Why can’t you accept that you are Max? Once you regain your memories, you’ll…”

Then she realized Max wasn’t listening. “HELLO!? I’m…”

“SHH!” Max had his eyes closed, but his face was contorted in an expression of focus. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Ange listened hard. “I don’t…”

Then she heard it. At first, it just sounded like the crackle of a fire burning. No surprise, with the level of heat around. But then she heard something else; a faint mutter on the wind; the mutter of voices.

“C’mon, let’s go!” Max darted off in the direction of the voices.

Ange hurried after him. “What’s the rush Max?”

“Something’s not right. Those voices, there was something hostile about them. I’m not quite sure, but I doubt it can be good.” Max replied as Ange pulled up behind him.

“But…”

“These thing are what I specialize in, remember?” He reminded her.

The voices got a little louder, and Ange realised what Max meant. There was a deep, demanding voice, speaking above all others, and it there was no way it held any fragment of a friendly tone.

Max skidded to a halt as they entered a large room, cursing as he did so.

Ange caught up with Max. She gasped lightly as she noticed Enzer and Drake tied up on the floor, their armour having taken quite some damage. Now in range, her HUD showed their energy fields had completely drained.

Just aside from them, a tremendous figure stood with a gaze as intense as the fire that burned the walls of the room they were in. A mace easily twice the size of a knight rested in his hands of molten rock, as armour thicker than plate shields guarded his back.

Even more unsettling was his rage; it seemed to burn like fire, shrouding the room in an aura of doom.

“FOR THE LAST TIME, WHA-What’s this? More dogs hungry for the blood of Almire? Our great kingdom shall never fall to the likes of beasts!” The colossus roared, the flames seeming to rear at the sound of his voice.

Although damaged, and with a defective memory, Max had no problem at all identifying the new threat.

“Vanaduke…” He growled.

“Max, Enzer and Drake…” Ange reminded him, indicating their limp forms on the floor.

Max tightened his grip on his sword. “I…am aware of their presence in the current conflict…” He replied, although not all too focused on her words.

“Max, you don’t understand, we need to…YIPE!” She squealed as Vanaduke rushed up to them, Mace raised for a crushing blow.

Max dived to the side, tackling Ange to the ground and rolling back to his feet. He unleashed a spin slash at the monstrosity, but his attack was blocked with ease, as the Lord of the undead retreated to a safe distance.

“Ange, get Enzer and Drake, then get out of here.” Max said tightly.

Ange raised her hand to stop him, but he had already zoned back into the fight, running forward to try and fed off a wave of slag walkers that had just risen out of the ground.

He wasn’t even at peak performance. Far from it in fact. The Slags had already surrounded him, with Max fighting desperately to keep them off. But still, he insisted on fighting. She clenched her fist.

She doubted he’d read it, but she made her message visible on his chat log.

“Is fighting really so important to you Max?” She demanded. “All you do now is fight. Do you even care about life at all? Are you so disconnected from normal life that you don’t care what happens to anyone else, so long as you can fight?”

She huffed. “Fine then. You obviously don’t need us, so we’ll just leave. Like you always wanted it.”

With a ‘hmph’, she cut off the voice link. “The nerve…” She muttered.

Suddenly, she screamed as a slag walker smacker her off her feet, sending her tumbling to the ground, Lady Grey Just out of reach.

She cursed herself for not paying attention. Rom jumped between Ange and the offending zombie, trying to attack it with his tongue, but only succeeded in singeing himself. Consequently, the chromalisk was knocked aside, unconscious.

Ange crawled backwards, desperately trying to get away from the flaming zombie. Her heart was racing, and her breathing ragged. She was terrified, and even more so as she found herself pressed up against a wall, the Zombie drawing ever closer.

Frantically, she felt around for some sort of plausible weapon, her hand falling into something wet.

Not daring to take her eyes off her attacker, she gasped. Could it be…?

The Slag hissed, and swung it’s arm down, just as Ange flung the water orb at its face.

The water sizzled as the Slag screeched in pain, and Ange felt a wave of relief wash over her. The moment was short lived, however, as it reared back, its eyes blazing with fury as it raised its arm for yet another blow.

Ange’s scream was cut off by a sharp *Sh-TING!* as something flew by, knocking the Slag’s hand, stopping its attack.

Even more annoyed, the Slag raised its arm again, only for it to be cut clean off by yet another flying object, as Ange watched on in confusion.

Disregarding everything now, the Slag roared and lunged straight for her, only for another object to appear between them.

Max grunted as the Slag’s hand scraped the armour from his shoulder, but recovered quickly with a straight punch to the jaw, a left jab to its non-existent gut, finishing with a clean uppercut that decapitated the fiery Zombie.

“Max?” Ange said, dazed by the ordeal, before noticing the multiple burns and scratches in in armour. “You’re hurt!”

Max hissed as he noted the gouge in his shoulder. “…You…mistake my will to fight…for…apathy…” His text appeared on her HUD.

Anger checked her status link:

[Minor burns incurred on armour surface. Armour integrity breach in multiple sections. Voice box damaged, speech impaired. Recommend switch to text speaking.]

Ange stopped. “…I don’t get you.” She said, truly confused. He was willing to fight, even though his friends needed immediate attention, so what else could he mean?

Max laughed humourlessly; more of a cough than a laugh actually. “I told you…this form…it…it has a single instruction…a…single instruction, that…overrides…anything…absolutely anything…any command…I could be given…”

With some effort, Max rose back to his feet. “That instruction…is to Protect.” He spoke out loud this time, his voice ragged and breaking up.

Ange was at a loss for words. She thought he was being so selfish, but there he was-always had been, trying to keep them out of harm’s way. Even now, he had discarded his personal safety just to get to her, damaging himself badly in the process, to the extent where he couldn’t even talk straight. “Max, I…”

“Get going. Now.” He ordered back in text speak as he retrieved his shield and Mark; the things he threw to delay the Slag.

Ange turned and ran over to Enzer and Drake, then cursed. Reviving them wouldn’t do any good because they were unconscious. She’d have to drag them over to the lift.

Just as she grabbed a hold of Drake’s arm, a large shadow loomed over her, as Vanaduke raised his mace to crush her.

“No beast who invades Almire will be spared!” He roared, bringing his mace down.

Max grunted as the blow impacted on his shield, yet did not break it. He was supporting his left arm with both hands, resisting the force as the Lord of undead pressed harder.

Massive amounts of text appeared on Ange’s HUD, all repeating one word: “GO!”

She scrambled back to her feet and hauled Drake over to the elevator. It wasn’t until she stopped that she realised what Max was doing. He was feeding energy into his shield; his core energy.

Vanaduke sprang back, and with a sweep of his mace, knocked Max to one side, the shield only buffering the damage.

But before he could get back to Ange, he felt something on his shoulder. “Unhand me foul dog!” He roared again while shaking his back in attempt to dislodge Max.

“Now’s your chance! GO!” Even in text, Max sounded urgent. Ange quickly darted over to Enzer and began dragging his body to the elevator.

“THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM THE LORD OF THE UNDEAD!!” Vanaduke’s voice shook the entire room as he picked Max off his back and flung him across the room.

“MAX!” Ange screamed, before hurrying on her way. She couldn’t afford to waste any time, or Vanaduke would catch up with her.

“You have stalled me for the last time! Face your end!” Vanaduke raised his mace once more, as Ange futilely continued to drag Enzer across the ground.

A light slapping sound echoed throughout the silence, as Max’s glove fell from Vanaduke’s mask.

Ange looked on in horror as the being of fire turned slowly towards Max, who had already retrieved his gauntlet.

“…Yeah, you know what that means.” Max’s voice was barely stable, but he was speaking in a taunting tone.

“The stakes?” Vana smiled. The knight had a death wish it seemed.

“Single combat. No time limit. No restrictions. I’ll be your opponent, the others go free.” Max said with some effort.

“Max, you can’t…!” Ange started.

“I accept your terms!” Vanaduke swept his mace to one side, sending Ange to the lift. A light tap on the ground and the gate rose, trapping Ange on the other side.

“MAX!” Ange shook the bars. “Come on! Let’s go!”

“…Ange, get out of here. I’ll stay back and hold him off.” Max text spoke, but even then, his voice held its weight.

“But…” Ange protested.

“A challenge issued cannot be retracted.” The text-voice was final. “If you stay, we’re all scrap. If it’s just me…” The text trailed off.

“But…”

“ENOUGH!” Vanaduke smashed his mace on Max, who barely brought up his shield in time.

“Just…go…” How Ange could seem to hear Max through text was something that surprised even her. Now, his voice was laced with strain, demonstrated when his barrier cracked.

“But…” She lowered her hand helplessly.

Max squeezed his eyes shut under the strain. “ANGE JUST GO! PLEASE, NOW!” He screamed out loud, the crack in his barrier widening with every passing second.

Ange looked away. “…Ok” She whispered as she ran to the lift, the safety bars popping up as she descended down the shaft.

[NOTE: I’m trying out something new here, so don’t get mad.
This scene was inspired by a song I heard, so I put the link to the song in here.
The lyrics alongside the text correspond to the place in the song the scenes should be happening if this was a video, so use your imagination.
I recommend you listen to the song once through, then read.

If you want though, you can disregard this entirely and just read it however. With song, without song, whatever you want.

Ok whatever. This is a shot at a songfic scene

The song is: Simple and Clean Planitb remix, taken from the opening video in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by sleep.

The music starts now.]

Max managed to squint with one eye, just in time to see the lift descend.

He smiled. They were safe now.

Suddenly, the pressure on his shield lifted, then without warning, smashed into his side, sending him rolling across the floor.

Max staggered to his feet. He expended too much energy in his defence, but there was no backing down now.

Even now, looking at his opponent of titanic proportions, flames pouring out of his body like sweat, backing down never seemed an option.

Max sighed. “…Lets rock.”

Max sprinted off the ground, leaping into an overhead slash, only for Vana to swing around behind him with speed that belied his size and smash him with a mace swing, sending him crashing to the ground, his face grinding into the dirt.

He staggered back to his feet, breathing hard. He closed his eyes, trying to remember what he was fighting for. Trying to capture the image in his mind. Instead, a picture of Ange formed. A picture of her pleading for him not to lose.

He opened his eyes, and with a roar, clashed his blade ---------------------------------------------You’re giving me
against Vana’s mace.

Ange opened her eyes, the darkness of the elevator -------------------------------------------------Too many things
shaft giving no warmth to her anxious heart. -----------------------------------------------------------------Lately

She remembered Max, and how they first met. Scenes
flashed through her mind, reminding her of the ---------------------------------------------------------You're all I need
seemingly happy-go-lucky knight he used to be, while
making a complete turnaround to the tide of a battle.---------------------------------------------------You smiled at me

She hugged her shoulders tighter, savouring the -------------------------------------------------------And said (and said and said)
memory, as the lift descended further into the darkness.

Max panted heavily as he pulled back up for the -------------------------------------------------------Don't get me wrong I love you
hundredth time that day, looking back up at his --------------------------------------------But does that mean I have to meet your father?
opponent; he didn’t even seemed fazed. Max cursed.

Ange began to tear up as her status link constantly ------------------------------------------When we are older you'll un-der-stand
prompted her of all the damage Max was taking. ---------------------------------------------------What I mean when I said No,
Fuel-line ruptures, armour breaches, error reports, -------------------------------------------------------I don't think, life is
energy depletion everywhere.

She closed the link. She didn’t want to hear anything else. ---------------------------------------------------Quite that
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sim-ple
Max sailed through the air, following a mace smack to
the torso, rolling over on ground three times before ----------------------------------------------------When you walk away
getting back to his feet. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------You don't hear me say

He growled, then the picture of Ange revisited him; --------------------------------------------------------Please, oh baby
the picture of her pleading for him not to lose. Not to die. -------------------------------------------------------Don't go
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight
He squeezed his eyes shut. “…I’m sorry…” He whispered.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It's hard to let it go
Vana smashed his mace into the ground, waking Max up
as he quickly darted away, just in time to avoid the falling rafters.

Max ran. As fast as he could, he ran, trying to avoid ------------------------------------------------------------ Hold me
being a still target. He ran past Slag guards, falling ----------------------------------------------------Whatever lies beyond this
debris, flames erupting behind him. He ran and ran and -----------------------------------------------Morning, is a little later on
ran, before jumping onto a wall and leaping off, roaring
as he raised Mark for a stab, straight towards Vanaduke.---------------------------------------------Regardless of warnings, the

The Ascended Calibur penetrated deep into Vanaduke’s
mace, but there he stuck, as Max failed to wrench him -----------------------------------------------The future doesn't scare me at all
free, and was struck back when the weapon was swung
again.

Max glared back. “Nothing to lose!” he yelled as
Vanaduke roared, the Slag guards vanishing, only to --------------------------------------------------------Nothing's like before
be replaced with fresh ones.

Max dashed forward and grabbed a spear left ------------------------------------------------------------------- Hold me
behind by them, leaping into a jump-swing that ---------------------------------------------------------------Whatever lies beyond this
decapitated another Slag guard. He ducked, and -----------------------------------------------------------Morning, is a little later on
impaled another Slag guard as it charged him, his --------------------------------------------------------Regardless of warnings, the
duck taking him under its spear and past its shield.------------------------------------------------------The future doesn't scare me at all

Max ran towards Vana, lifting the spear high for -----------------------------------------------------------------Nothing's like before!
an attack as he jumped…

Vanaduke caught him by the throat, causing Max to drop the spear as he struggled to maintain breathing, squirming around in his grasp.

“…You fought well, brave one.” Vanaduke smiled lightly, amused at Max’s inevitable failiure. “If you have any other brave words to speak, do so now, or forever hold your peace.”

Max struggled to speak. “…Your…ugh…power…is…one…born of rage and…ugh…pain.” He managed. “If you won’t fall by my hand…then you will….ack…at the hands of…ungh…another.”

Vanaduke laughed. “Take your foolish fantasies with you, into OBLIVION” He said as he flung Max at the wall, sending him crashing through it.

Max fell, past where the ground should be, falling further and further, but frankly, he didn’t care.

He closed his eyes. He lost. He let everyone he knew, his friends, down. He had lost, and he wouldn’t even know if they were safe.

As he fell, images appeared in his mind. New images. Old images. Then he realised: His memory…it was back.

He smiled. He knew now, for sure, he was Max.

He was Max.

And nothing, not ever, would change that.

* * *

Ange stepped out of the lift, weak kneed and teary eyed.

Wiping away her tears, she stumbled over to the ledge that overlooked what should be the Core.

Rom followed behind her, keeping his distance. Even he was upset, both over Max, and Ange’s despair.

Ange wiped her eyes as she looked down, gasping as she did so.

“…..No….”

The Core was sealed.

“…No….NO!” She screamed. “NO! It CAN’T be closed! NO! Not now! Not after all we’ve been through! Not after what Max sacrificed for us! NO!”

She screamed and screamed, pounding the ground as she collapsed, her knees finally giving way under her, and yet she continued to pound the ground, until she was too tired to move her arm.

“…Why…?” She whispered to no-one who would listen.

Suddenly, she had a strong urge to look up. There, she saw a light in the distance.

She rose to her feet, and walked to the edge of the platform, squinting at it.

She gasped. She saw Max, falling, towards the Core, when something both amazing and horrifying happened.

Max’s body began to glow, slowly dissolving into particles of light, as he fell, the light particles descended further and further down, until nothing remained. Nothing at all.

She covered her mouth, unable to speak. Unable to believe what she just saw.

She sank to her knees and cried. No words, just tears. She cried and cried and cried, even as Enzer and Drake finally came to, and as they gathered around her, there was nothing they could do, but watch her cry.

Max was gone now.