OH NOEZ!!! I MISSED THE DEADLINE!!!

._. Oops.

Oh well. At least the chapter is done. Although I was planning to put it in a new super chapter thingamahfrog with CHP 16. But I don't got enough time. XP

NOTE: This chapter contains a bajillion paragraphs. Proceed with caution.

Chapter 15 – Dark Ace Intro

I stepped through the tall grasses of the Jigsaw Valley. It was a nice and sunny day, as it always is with the Valley. But I wasn’t there to enjoy the weather. I was there to kill Gremlins.

I slashed my way through a large field of bushes, using a special weapon I had created myself. It was a Final Flourish, adapted to do Shadow damage. A very nice piece of work, if I do say so myself. It was made so that I could terminate Gremlin rapidly. The regular Nightblade line didn’t seem to agree with me, so that’s why I got my Shadow FF.

Near the end of the bush field, I heard a few voices. It sounded like Gremlins speaking to one another. I couldn’t make any of it out, however. Gremlin language is a hunk of gibberish.

I slowly drew out my Sentenza, and picked a target. A short but heavily built Gremlin wielding a Flamethrower. A Gremlin Scorcher. My favorite to kill. He was speaking to another Scorcher. I could see a third Scorcher fixing the Sky Dome, the artificial sunlight glinting off his gas tank

I fired two bullets from my gun. They both punctured my target’s gas tank, and the Gremlin disappeared in an explosion of flames. That was the exact reason why I enjoyed killing them so much. They make pretty fireworks.

The other Scorcher turned around, alarmed, and I shot him in the head. He slumped over, a bullet embedded in his skull. Then I shot his gas tank, engulfing his dead body in flames.

The third Scorcher didn’t seem to notice any of the commotion. He was too occupied fixing the Sky Dome. He was on a small floating platform, wielding something. I took careful aim and shot him, the force of the bullet knocking him off his platform screaming into the abyss.

Three down, a couple more billion to go.

I tromped around a bit more, blowing up any other Scorcher I happened upon. At one point, I encountered a Demo, and blew him up with his own bombs. But I never saw a single Mender or Thwacker.

I eventually saw the elevator in the distance. I had spent enough time killing Gremlins, so I decided to get to the elevator and head back to the surface. It wasn’t healthy to stay out in the sunlight all day, artificial or not. I had to get back into the shade before I got a bad sunburn.

However, when I reached the elevator, I found a tent set up a few yards away from it. Nothing too complex, just a sheet of canvas propped up by several sticks. I decided to check it out more closely.

There didn’t seem to be much anything inside the tent. A few nuts and bolts were all. Perhaps a Gremlin’s little camp. The sneaky little buggers always carried a few spare parts around.

I would have razed the tent to the ground, but I didn’t have any fire creating stuff with me. So I just decided to knock the sticks over. A little silly, but I didn’t really mind. I hate Gremlins.

I finished knocking the tent over and headed to the elevator. But when I started walking away, I heard a rustle behind me. I spun around, my Sentenza in one hand and Dark FF in the other. Nothing was there.

However, the tent was all propped back up again. Someone, or something, had snuck up behind me and put the tent back up.

I decided to do a little test. I went back over to the tent and knocked it over again. Then I headed back to the elevator. But I suddenly turned around and fired a few shots off my Sentenza. A dark blur sped away. I could hear the bullets plink off its armor.

I gave chase after the figure. I shot a few more rounds, and the figure turned around, its eyes glowing. I got a good look at what it was.

A Mecha Knight? I thought. What kind of Mecha Knight sets up a tent? How very interesting.

But too late did I realize my peril. I had seen the glow in its eyes hundreds of times, whenever I saw a Retrode about to blast me with a laser.

Oh, frick.

*THUUUM*

EDIT: Oh wait. After looking at the preview, this chapter doesn't look very big. Forget about the Porceed with Caution thing.

YAYZ! New posts! And Grittle's back! Haven't seen you around since Rise of Necropolis.

I'm not accepting any more characters, but I'll keep your guy in mind for when I make the sequel. And if I ever do need more characters for this story for some reason.

Sorry for not posting in some time. Spring Break just started and I've been doing other stuff. Not to mention I'm trying to do a 6-chapter super chapter and the fact that the computer seems to be rejecting my USB. T_T.

Expect some kind of update by the end of the week.

Shadow said I wouldn't finish 6 chapters in tim. Well, hah! I did. Granted, the last chapter is pretty short, as is the first. and second. and sort of the third. and the 4th.

Ah, whatevs. Next chapters will be about Kantint and Red and Frostrex and Dusk and Grimalkin.

There might be some confussing stuff in these her chapters. Feel freee to ask any questions.

Oh, and before anyone asks, YES, Bob. Perfectly logical name. Sort of.

Chapter 19 – Euclid: Interrogations

“I already frigging told you, I DON’T KNOW!”

Euclid slammed his fists down on the metal table, shaking the ground and creating a dent in the steel. He was feeling mighty frustrated, with this metal moron called ‘Core’ pumping him for information day after day after day. It had already been several… days? Weeks? Months? Years? It was impossible to keep track of the time down there. Anyway, there was only so much questioning you could take, especially when the questions were all the same.

Core stared at him blankly. “How did you enter the Core?” He repeated for the umpteenth time. He seemed to have infinite patience.

“For goodness sakes, how many times do you want me to repeat the same story? We were exploring the Clockworks and entered the Core Terminal when we were attacked by these living shadows! Then a bright light appeared and swallowed us up! Next thing we know, we wake up in this…” Euclid waved his hands around madly. “…This place!”

But Core didn’t seem to be listening any more. He looked quite stricken, as if he had received a blow to the face.

“Shadows? Living shadows?” He exclaimed. Euclid sighed. At least it was a new question.

“Yes! Shadows! Why is that such a surprise? Considering all the weird things on this planet, I hardly think that living shadows would amaze anyone. You’ve got bony skeletons, furniture-throwing midgets, homicidal robots, creepy lizard things that seem the enjoy stealing your stuff…” Euclid rambled on, mentioning several other Clockworks monsters before finally stopping. “You name it, you’ve got it.” He concluded.

Core still looked surprised. “You’ve never mentioned the shadows before.” He commented. Euclid opened his mouth to object when the truth in those words dawned upon him. He hadn’t mentioned the living shadows before. If he had known that that was all he had needed to say to keep the robot happy, well…

“I must have forgotten.”

Core stood up, knocking his chair away from the table. and slapped his hands down on the table. “No wonder those motion readings were so high! They’re closer than I thought! They weren’t supposed to reach the Core for another two months!”

Euclid felt confused. “Um, what?”

Core shook his head, looking at his hands. “The Swarm. He wasn’t supposed to reach us for another two months. And it’s been a bit less than two years since we found you. That means…”

“Two years!” Euclid exclaimed. His team had been missing for two years? And what, or who, was this ‘Swarm’?

Core looked up, a horrified look painted on his metallic face. “Oh, crap...” He whispered.

“Excuse me?”

“This conversation is over.” Then Core suddenly stepped into a hole in the air that had just appeared in front of him. The rip closed, and Core was gone.

Euclid sat in front of the table for a few more moments, utterly confused, before exiting the room and heading toward his team’s barracks.

Chapter 20 – Grantz: At the Moment

Grantz was lying down on a soft bed, head resting on his hands, and staring at the ceiling. He had long since stopped wearing his heavy and uncomfortable Ironmight Plate Set and now lay in fuzzy Grey Feather robes, courtesy of Parma. She always carried around nice stuff to wear for whenever they weren’t out in the field. Which seemed to be always, in their current situation. Stuck in some Mecha Knight’s fortress, with no way in or out.

Rulen lay huddled in a corner, fiddling with a broken piece of equipment he had apparently discovered underneath one of the beds. He was only 58 years old (while Grantz himself was only 43), both ages still very young for a Spiral Knight, yet he was already out of action. He had never completely recovered from being swarmed by those shadows when they reached the Core Terminal. The burns had left permanent scars all over his body. He could barely walk. Eating was a chore. His vocal cords and his voice box had been destroyed when he was engulfed in the shadows, so he couldn’t speak anymore. He stayed away from the rest of the team, keeping to himself. He always seemed distracted, as if he was listening to someone in his head.

Parma was probably in the VR Room, honing her skills against virtual enemies. She was intent on keeping fit and ready for an imaginary battle. At only 19 years of age, she was the youngest of the team, and the most energetic, the highest in spirits, and so on and so forth. But she wasn’t a battle-scarred veteran like the rest of her team. She hadn’t been born yet when the Spiral Knights were at intergalactic war. She hadn’t had to face to horrors of Morai Typhoon Fire during the bloody battles of Ilsola. She never fought against the Vealox and their terrifying Darklight weapons. She had never defended the Great Outpost from Dragons on Jolheitiem, the dangerous Dragon Planet. And she had certainly never been on the run from killer puddings that – oh, wait, that was a dream.

“I should really stop eating all that pudding before I go to sleep.” Grantz muttered to himself.

Although she had helped the team battle through the Gloaming Wildwoods, the Jelly Palace, the Ironclaw Munitions Factory, the Grand Arsenal, the Greaver Caverns –

Greavers. Grantz shuddered.

- the Firestorm Citadel, the Graveyard of Lost Souls, the Frozen Dungeon, the Grinder, and every single other major outpost and deathtrap that the Clockworks Lords had posted over, and under, Cradle. That would classify her as a… a very experienced rookie, he supposed.

And then there was Euclid.

Euclid was no longer the leader he used to be. He was wasting away, kept away from the heat of combat and the excitement of battle he was accustomed to. The oldest of the team at 452 (Still pretty young), he was a hardened veteran of several wars, and the everyday chaos and danger of his life had been taken away. It seemed to be affecting him. He also seemed to blame Rulen’s own condition on himself. He was the leader, and he had led his team into the trap. Now, he spent his time wandering around aimlessly, with no meaning in his life anymore. His mind seemed absolutely blank. The only times when he seemed to show some emotion were when Core questioned him. The Mecha Knight seemed to really annoy Euclid.

There was the VR Room to solve his battle-withdrawal problem, but Euclid believed that it was completely different from real battle. He insisted that it just wasn’t the same, and refused to even go near the place. Parma had tried to get him to train with her several times, with no avail. He seemed to shut everyone out.

Grantz sighed and closed his eyes. Nothing he could about it at the moment. He could try and solve those problems some other time. But for now, he decided, he’d just take a nap.

Chapter 21 – Rulen: Silent Conversation

Rulen stared at Grantz as he fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Lucky him. Rulen had to stay up for hours at end before he could fall asleep. And it certainly didn’t help that he had another mind in his head, annoying him 24/7.

I heard that… Commented a rather raspy voice, dry and ancient.

Oh, shut up. Rulen thought.

I heard that too.

Rulen sighed. Oh course you heard that! You’re in my head and can hear my stinking thoughts! He thought.

Rulen had started hearing a new voice in his head ever since his team had entered the Core. At first he had thought he was going crazy, and didn’t tell anyone. But he had long since accepted the fact that he was either completely mad, or there really was someone else in his head. He had asked it what its name was, but it said it had no name. So Rulen just called it ‘Bob.’

Stinking? It actually smells rather good in here. The disembodied voice chuckled at his little joke.

You’re horrible at making jokes, Bob.

I hate that name. Anyway, it doesn’t help that you are Mister Joke-Master, does it? Everyone else’s jokes are plain compared to yours.

Rulen shook his head and looked back down at the metal stick that he had been fiddling with. With buttons, screens, switches, and various other contraptions, it was extremely complicated to figure out what did what, let alone how to fix it. Bob had directed him to it, telling him that an object of great power was hidden in a secret cache under one of his team members’ bed. But looking at the mess of metal now, he hardly believed Bob’s original words.

Whatever. Can we get back to the main program, please?

Ah, yes. Bob replied. Where were we?

Trying to fix the Stick Laser.

Rulen could hear Bob sigh. Yes, I know that! I meant which step were we on. And Stick Laser? It’s called a Focused Molecular Disruptor Ray.

I know that. But Stick Laser sounds way cooler. And it’s shorter.

Oh, fine. Be that way. But Laser Stick sounds better than Stick Laser.

Stick Laser, Laser Stick, big diff. Rulen thought sarcastically.

For goodness sakes, do you want to learn how to fix this or what? Bob replied impatiently. Rulen was silent.

Good. Now, where were we?... Oh, yes, I was teaching you how to connect the power source to the main power conduit. If this goes one correctly, the ‘Stick Laser’ will be ready to use.

Laser Stick. You’re right, it does sound better, Bob.

…

I’ll shut up now.

Good. Now, see that red wire? Just connect it to the glowing blue… thing.

Staring at the several red wires and glowing blue things, Rulen didn’t move at all.

The thickest red wire. Connect it to the biggest glowing blue thing. Bob said.

Rulen picked up the correct wire and attached it to the biggest glowing blue thing. The device flashed, and a steady buzzing sound filled the room.

That should do it. Commented Bob. Now test it out on that wall.

Rulen pointed the Laser Stick at a wall. He waited for following instructions.

Okay. The following instructions will be very confusing and you won’t be able to understand me. So give me control of your body and I’ll activate it for you.

Rulen looked interested. You can do that?

Of course I can! We’re pretty much sharing a body. Either of us can control it. It’s like two people with one airship, with a set of dual controls. Both can control the airship at any given time. Sort of.

Can you just yank control from me, then? Rulen questioned.

Nope. You have to give up your control. I can only take it when you willingly give control over to me.

Rulen thought it over. Well… Okay, I guess. But give me back control once you’ve activated the Laser Stick.

Very well. Close your eyes. This won’t be pleasant. Bob replied. Closing his eyes, Rulen felt a strange sensation, like he was being pulled backwards, flipped upside-down, spun around in circles, and the whatnot. When he felt like he had stopped moving, he opened his eyes and saw exactly what he had seen before he had closed his eyes. Had nothing happened?

Rulen tried to move his arm, but it didn’t move. He heard Bob chuckle.

I have complete control over your body now. You won’t be able to move or do a thing until I surrender control back to you.

Yeah, well, hurry up and activate the Laser Stick. I’d like my body back soon.

He watched his hands move and press several buttons, flick several switches, and tap a blue screen. A blue stream of light shot out from the end and hit the wall, creating a large hole.

Oops. Bob said. I think that was the trigger.

Yeah, whatever. I’d like my body back, please. He closed his eyes and waited for the unpleasant feeling of switching of control, but it never occurred.

I don’t think so… He heard Bob say. He opened his eyes, and saw that his body was standing up. A misty purple aura was starting to form around him.

Bob! What are doing? Rulen thought, panicking.

Shut up! My name is not Bob! And I am now in control of your body, with no intention of giving it back.

Give it back! Rulen mentally shouted, like a child who’s toy had just been taken from him.

Silly Knight. Do you really think that that’ll happen? The purple aura grew, and became a darker shade. I am Swarm, and someone like you would never have the power to defeat a Faustian as powerful as me! Now, I have some business to attend to. You can stand by and let me go about my business, or I can squash you like the bug you are.

Rulen stayed silent. Swarm? Faustian? He mind raced as he thought of ways to somehow trick Bob – or, rather ‘Swarm’ - into giving him back control of his body. He hoped that Swarm couldn’t read his mind while he was in control. Rulen couldn’t, so he had no reason to believe that Swarm could.

I’ll take your silence as a ‘go ahead’ for my plan. Swarm thought. Now, some of my friends are about to arrive, and I’d like to give them a warm welcome. He began to walk towards the hole when the wall when –

KABLAM!!!

An explosion rocked the ground. Rulen watched as the mighty tremor made Grantz fall out of his bed and land in an untidy heap. Rulen’s own body stayed firm, and didn’t budge an inch.

What was that? Rulen mentally shouted.

That, Swarm began, an exaggerated happy tone in his voice, was the sound of my friends arriving. How very nice of them to ring the doorbell, don’t you think?

And with those words, Rulen watched helplessly as his body, no longer under his control, leapt out though the hole and into the corridor, a vicious plan about to unfold.

Chapter 22 – Parma: What is this Madness?

Parma leapt backwards into the air, firing away with her Callahans at several pursuing Vog Cubs, and was about to land when –

KABLAM!!!

The sheer force of the explosion blew her out of the air, and she hit the ground had. The Vog Cubs flickered and disappeared, as did the forest background. The walls of the VR Room were now fully visible, the illusions it had just been creating destroyed.

“What the crap?” Parma pulled herself up, her Justifier Hat askew on her head and the bandanna hanging loosely from her neck. She wondered what had just happened. Was that an explosion? Judging by the alarms blaring up and down the entire fortress, it probably was. Were they under attack?

A large voice boomed from somewhere unseen.

ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL! THE FORTRESS IS UNDER ATTACK! MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

So they were under attack.

Parma holstered her Callahans, and grabbed the rest of her equipment that were placed on several surrounding tables. She headed for the room’s exit when –

“OUT OF MY WAY, YOU FOOL!!!”

Parma heard someone scream, and Euclid suddenly flew into view for a second, into the corridor right outside the VR Room, before he went out of sight. A resounding crash was heard.

Euclid? Parma dashed for the exit in time to see a second Knight, sporting a dark purple aura, dashing down the corridor towards her. She had just enough time to register his face before she too was blasted back screaming, just like Euclid.

Parma collapsed in a heap, rubble from the wall she had crashed into piled on her. Euclid was next to her, struggling to get up. With even more sirens blaring now, she watched the purple-glowing Knight dash down the corridor. When he reached the end, instead of turning the corner a hole suddenly appeared in the wall, opening up to the passageway on the other side of the wall, and the Knight jumped through, disappearing from sight.

Euclid had managed to free himself. He helped Parma remove the rubble collapsed on her, and pulled her up.

“Was… Was that Rulen?” Parma exclaimed, wide-eyed. Euclid nodded his head. He had a troubled look on his face.

“It would appear so.” He replied. “Although I didn’t know he could still talk… Or run… Or make instantaneous holes in walls… Or have super powers…”

Parma winced. “What was that stuff that he used to blast us with, anyway?” Euclid shrugged.

“As far as I can tell, it was some sort of shadow energy. Might possibly be related to that purple aura surrounding him.”

“You think?”

They stood in silence for several moments, staring at wisps of Rulen’s aura, still hanging around in the air.

“So… Do you think we should tell Core?” Parma asked Euclid.

“Probably.”

They dashed down the corridor, trying to find Core. Somewhere along the way, Grantz joined them.

“Hey guys!” He huffed, running while he spoke. “I just fell out of bed rather painfully to discover a hole in the wall and everyone gone. Care to freshen up my memory?”

“Apparently, there was a big explosion, Rulen looks all purple now and has gone crazy, and the fortress is under attack.” Euclid summarized. Parma nodded.

Grantz looked confused. “Under attack? Isn’t there that impregnable shield that Core keeps blabbing on about? So that no one can get in or out?”

“We got in somehow.” Parma reminded him. “The attackers might have done the same.”

Euclid grimaced. “Or they might have brought down the shield.”

“Do you really think that’s possible?” Grantz question.

A second explosion rocked the fortress, sending the trio onto the ground. As they picked themselves up again, Euclid nodded.

“I think that proves me correct.” He commented. “Nothing should be able to get through that shield. We wouldn’t even be able to feel the impact if they attacked it with a series of Darklight Cannons.”

Grantz shuddered. “Don’t remind me of those things. I still have nightmares.”

“I have nice dreams about the Vealox campaign.” Euclid said, grinning. “Those guys were certainly lots of fun, don’t you think?”

“Shut up.”

Parma stopped running and folded her arms, a jealous look on her face. “You know, I still think it’s unfair that you guys got to do all that stuff without me.”

“You’re already pretty lucky to be on the Alpha Squad, young as you are.” Grantz commented.

“If I had known all we’d be doing was sit around in a fortress for Vog knows how long, I wouldn’t have joined.”

Several tremors rocked the fortress once again. This time, a large portion of the ceiling broke off, and landing several feet away from the trio. They stared at the chunk of metal for a moment.

“Maybe we should keep running.” Grantz commented.

“Yeah.” Parma agreed.

And with that, they set off running again, praying that they wouldn’t get smashed by a piece of the ceiling. Besides, that wouldn’t have been a fitting death for a group as important and famous and the Alpha Squad.

Chapter 23 – Core: On the Defensive

Core was busy typing in codes to activate security measures to help fight off the attacking army when the door slid into the wall. A group of three Knights ran into the room, and they found Core staring at several computers, switching back and forth. A white Gremlin was standing by his side, typing codes in along with Core.

“Core!” Euclid shouted. “I have to tell –“

“Yes, I know the fortress in under attack. It’s just as I feared. They arrived earlier than I expected, so they should attack earlier than I expected. Now, we am trying to activate several hidden Mecha Turrets, nigh-power explosives, and the whatnot. Please do not disturb us.” Core briskly said, moving to yet another computer and rapidly typing a new set of commands. He messed up and swore. Why had he made the codes so long and complicated?

“It’s not that.” Parma interjected. “Rulen’s grown a purple aura and he’s trying to destroy something. He attacked Euclid and me in the corridor.”

Core stopped in his tracks. He had a growing suspicion things were about to get a lot worse. “Purple aura, you say?” He asked.

“Yes, a purple aura. And he seems to be able to shoot this dark energy from his hands, and his eyes are glowing red, and he made a hole randomly appear in the wall –“

“Blast!” Core banged his fist down on one of the computers. Everything was going wrong. “They’re already in? How could I not detect that?”

Once again, Euclid was confused. “That’s the second time today you’ve gotten me lost. Who’s in? What couldn’t you detect?”

“The Swarm. He already has an agent inside the fortress! I should have been able to pick him up on the sensors!”

“So you’re saying that Rulen is working for The Swarm?” Parma gasped.

“For goodness sakes, we don’t even know what The Swarm is!” Grantz exclaimed.

“Well, if you’ve been paying attention to anything that Core has told us, The Swarm is a deity of dark energy, much like Core himself. Except for the fact that Core is… light energy, I suppose. Core and The Swarm are enemies.” Parma explained.

Core nodded. “Very good. I see someone has been paying attention.”

Grantz and Euclid stared at their feet, trying to suppress memories of falling asleep whenever Core tried to tell them something important.

“The Swarm is able to corrupt any being, organic or mechanical. When that happens, the poor creature falls completely under The Swarm’s command. A part of The Swarm corrupts the host’s mind, basically. It becomes a slave to The Swarm’s will. Or in more severe cases, The Swarm actually takes control of the body altogether. I’m afraid that that’s happened to Rulen. Although how, I have no idea. They couldn’t have broken into the fortress yet.”

“Anyway,” He continued, “As I was going to say, The Swarm has somehow found a way to completely destroy the shield that has kept me in, and others out, for a long time. It shouldn’t be possible. Tinkinzar used my energy to create such a powerful barrier that nothing should have been able to pass though, in or out.”

Core went back to typing codes while another explosion rocked the fortress.

“What is they managed to counter the energy shield?” Parma suddenly said. She had thought of something that might have disrupted the energy shield. “You said that Tinkinzar used your energy to create the shield. Is there anything that could counter it? The Swarm is dark energy. You’re light energy. Wouldn’t those cancel each other out?”

Core paused for a moment. She was smart. “You may be on to something, Parma.” He typed a bit more. “That might explain how your team got in here in the first place. The Swarm’s minions at the Core Terminal would have created a small hole in the shield, allowing you to pass through.”

A loud explosion was suddenly heard, tremors shaking the fortress. A computer screen suddenly flared to life, an albino Zombie appearing.

“Commander!” The Zombie yelled with a raspy voice over the din of battle. “They have almost broken through the Scouting Wall!” An explosion lit up the screen. The Zombie flinched. “They’ve brought some heavy artillery! It’s absolutely pulverizing our defenses! We need backup, ASAP!”

Core looked troubled. “Those special Gremlin forces should arrive soon. They’re going to drop off troops outside the Scouting Wall. Stay alive, get back behind the Scouting Shield, and they’ll meet up with you.” The Zombie nodded and the screen went blank.

“Scouting wall?” Parma asked. “I don’t recall hearing about a Scouting Wall in any of our discussions.

“The Scouting Wall is basically the shelling that helps keep this place protected.” Core explained. “If you look down at the Core from the Core Terminal, you’d see a metal casing surrounding it. That’s the Scouting Wall. Underneath it is a secondary energy shield, the Scouting Shield. Luckily, that shield isn’t powered with my kind of energy. It should be able to hold off the enemy for a long period of time. They won’t be able to break through it easily.”

Core felt something was wrong, however. He felt as if he was forgetting something important, about what the Knights had said and about what he had just said. He shook his head.

“Now, I suggest that you threesome should get properly equipped. You’re going to leave soon, and I wouldn’t want to be caught out there without something to kill those things with and – ah, never mind, I have something for you here.” Core remembered he had been saving something for an occasion such as this. The Knights looking confused, he pressed several buttons on his electronic bracelet and a large container suddenly appeared, various pieces of gear inside. “Hold on a minute.” He finished typing the last of the codes, and a loud PEWing sound was heard.

“And that would be the giant Mecha Turrets.” Core said to no one in particular. He cleared his throat and turned to the Knights.

“Well, now that’s over with, I suppose I have some time to give you some new gear.” The Knights looked excited but confused at the same time.

“Why would we need new gear?” Euclid asked. “Our current gear is already sufficient for our needs.” Core chuckled.

“I’m afraid they aren’t. They weren’t crafted to withstand the kind of damage those creatures out there will do. But the gear I am providing will be much more effective against The Swarm than whatever you have.” He leaned over the box and picked a strange looking gun out. It was humming with energy and glowing, with several switches and an ammo reader scattered across its large body.

“I’ll start with Euclid first. As the captain of your squad, you’re an all-rounder, trained to use all types of weapons.” Core hefted up the gun. “This is a Spark Cannon. Although ‘spark’ doesn’t really do it justice. This thing shoots out a heavily concentrated blast of solid lightning. Very useful for blowing things up. But watch out; it’s pretty heavy.” He handed the Spark Cannon over the Euclid, who staggered under its weight. Core picked out a short sword from the box, about a foot in length. It looked rather plain, just a simple white blade of metal stuck to a metallic white hilt.

“Looks puny, doesn’t it?” Core asked. Euclid nodded warily. “Well -” The blade burst into flames, burning tongues licking at Euclid’s armor. It was about two feet long now. He stepped away.

“Looks can be deceiving. This is an Inferno Blade. Rather short, mind you, but still very useful in combat. It’ll turn Void Monsters into ash in a matter of seconds, once you stab them with this. And if you swipe it correctly, you can shoot a disk of fire.” The flames disappeared, and Core tossed the remaining white dagger at Euclid. “To activate and deactivate the flames, press the button on the hilt’s bottom.” Euclid flipped the Inferno Blade upside down, and sure enough, there was a small red button on the bottom of the hilt.

Core lifted a small box out of the bigger box. He opened it to reveal a large amount of tiny spheres packed in it.

“These are called Sun’s Shadow. Very powerful flash-bang grenades, or rather flash-bang Bombs. Be sure to close your eyes tightly. These things will blind you if you stare at them directly when they go off. Fortunately, they’re deadly to The Swarm’s minion. They’ll melt into pools of shadow.”

He closed the box and handed it over to Euclid. He nodded his thanks and began examining his new weapons.

Core turned to Grantz. “As team Guardian, you’ll only receive a sword and bomb. But keep in mind that I have special armor for you, as well as Parma.” He nodded in Parma’s direction.

“Now, the first item for you is this.” Core lifted a large, thick sword out of the box. It was pure white, and had a shining aura. It seemed to resemble a mix between a Sealed Sword and a Sudaruska. “This is the Solar Saber. The aura helps to blind your enemy, especially if it’s a Void Monster. A powerful downwards smash can create an equally powerful explosion. There’s a lot of untapped energy in this thing. Very powerful, very heavy, very dangerous. I wouldn’t recommend dropping this on your foot.” Gratz grabbed the sword with apparent ease, studied it for a moment, and slung it over his shoulder.

“Very nice. Well balanced, long range, and seems very adept to smashing things. Anything else?” He asked.

Core took out a smaller box, similar to the box that he had given Euclid, and opened it. Inside were small spheres, lights blinking on and off. A metal rod was also inside the box.

“These are Plasma Orbs. When they explode, liquid plasma, infused with my energy, is blown everywhere. It’s acid to The Swarm’s minions. Extremely painful to them. Not very harmful to you. They’re very useful for clearing a path through a mob. They hate this stuff. Just being near it gives them slight burns.”

Grantz took out the metal rod. “What about this?” He asked.

Core chuckled. “These bombs can also be used as a melee weapon.” He picked up one of the bombs. “Attach them to the rod like so…” He touched a glowing blow screen on the end of the rod to a red light on the bomb, and pulled them apart. A humming laser connected the two.

“You can use this as a flail. An exploding flail that spits acid. The laser keeps the two connected, but it isn’t harmful. It’ll pass through anything, and the connection won’t be disrupted. It can shrink or grow to whatever length you want it; it depends on how much strength you put into waving the rod around. But when the bomb explodes, the laser disappears. And if you want to disconnect the two without destroying the bomb, simply flick the switch on the side of the rod. It turns the laser’s power on and off.” He flipped the rod over and pressed a switch lying on the side. The laser disappeared and the bomb fell into Core’s hands.

Grantz took the bombs and rod and began studying them. Satisfied, he placed them on his belt.

Core turned to Parma. “And then there’s you. As team Scout, or Recon, you deal mainly with bombs and guns. Let’s see what I have for you…”

He turned to the box and picked out a transparent assault rifle-shaped gun, short and stubby. It was faintly glowing.

“This is a Lumanite Launcher. It shoots tiny shards of Lumanite, which are deadly to The Swarm. Despite its small look, it can shoot rather far, has a high fire rate, and incredible accuracy. I guess you could say it’s a rapid-fire sniper rifle. 600 rounds per minute.”

“Cool!” Parma took the gun from Core.

“Unfortunately, it fires solid ammo, unlike the guns you’re used to. Those take in energy from the atmosphere and turn it into bullets, don’t they? The Lumanite Launcher uses real shards of Lumanite, so be on the lookout for Lumanite.”

“Do other minerals other than Lumanite work as ammo?” Parma questioned.

Core thought for a moment. “Well, I suppose they would. But do not use Dark Matter. It’ll only increase the Void Monsters’ power, seeing how Dark Matter energy is part of them.”

Parma nodded, taking what Core had just said. And once again, Core picked a small box out of the bigger box and opened it. Silver and gold bombs littered the space inside, resembling Graviton Vortexes.

Core picked one up. “These bombs are called Homecomings. They open a stable wormhole for you to travel through.”

The trio stared at him dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open.

“Seriously?” Euclid exclaimed. “They can really do that?”

“Oh, c’mon, that’s not fair at all!” Grantz complained.

“Yes, they can really do that, and yes, of course it’s not fair.” Core said, amused. “But keep in mind that Parma is the Scout, so she has to go ahead of you guys and put herself in dangerous situations. If she ever needs a quick escape, she can use the bombs.”

“Don’t worry, Grantz.” Parma said. “I’ll trade for some of your Plasma Orbs.” Grantz’s face brightened.

“But the Homecomings are for long distance travel. The armor I’m going to give you lets you all teleport, but only short distances. Anyway, to use the wormholes, you must think of where you want to go before you step in. Keep your destination in mind and you’ll end up there.”

“So… If I used one of these now and thought of Haven, I’d end up somewhere in Haven?” Parma asked. Core nodded.

The trio looked at each other. Could this be the way out that they had been looking for for so long?

Core then pulled three sets of silver armor out of the box. “These are called Energon Mail. Forged out of Lumanite, they offer very good protection against The Swarm.” He also pulled out three silver helmets.
“And these are Energon Crowns. They have retractable visors which allow night-vision, infared-vision, can show you information about any new creature you happen upon, shows your enemy’s health, strengths, weaknesses, everything. Not to mention it protects your face from fire and explosions. It’s fire and blast proof. Very useful. To get them out, simply say, ‘Activate visor.’”

And just when he said that, all three helmets were suddenly equipped with a see-through visor.

“Now, according to your role in your team, each set of armor has a different ability. All three sets already have short-range teleportation bracelets, jetpacks, self-repairing systems, pulse wrist-cannons, the visors, personal force-field generators, omni-language translators, and the such like. But each has their own ability.”

He turned to Euclid. “Yours, nothing too special, unfortunately. It shoots a beacon into the air so your squad members can rally to you, and fires out a constant pulse that boosts the moral of any ally who’s within ten yards of you.”

He turned to Grantz. “Your armor creates a large area-shield to protect your teammates. Say ‘Activate shield’ to, well, activate it. It creates a pulse of energy that should blast any enemies inside the shield’s area to dust, and creates your Guardian Orb Shield. Any enemy that comes in contact with it will also be destroyed. Like your Plasma Orbs, very useful for getting out of a mob.”

He turned to Parma. “Your armor and helmet makes you invisible, to help you fit your role as Recon. The others can see you with their visors, but not without. And as a bonus, when you’re invisible, weapons and projectiles will pass through you, unless they’re energy weapons. The armor vibrates your atoms and molecules to the point where you’re vibrating so fast that you seem invisible, and object can pass through you. Anyway, you probably already know the magic words to activate your armor.”

Parma nodded. “Activate invisibility, am I correct?” It was Core’s turn to nod.

“And now for your shields.” Core picked out three shields from inside the box. They were little more than thick steel wire frames. But wavering sheets of energy filling in the gaps between the frames were very visible.

“Nothing very interesting. Just energy sheet shields. No, that’s not my energy, so they will protect you from Void Monsters’ attacks.”

Corer then waved his right arm, and all the new equipment suddenly exchanged spots with the gear the Alpha Squad was already wearing. They picked up their discarded armor and weapons.

Parma noticed there was still some gear in the box. “Are those for Rulen?” She guessed. Core nodded.

“Unfortunately, he isn’t here today. I shall keep his equipment with me until he… until he is of the right mind.” But Core looked rather worried.

“Something wrong?”

“One of the pieces of his gear is missing. The single weapon I was going to supply him with is an extremely powerful but dangerous piece of equipment, and it’s missing. If it’s fallen into the wrong hands… Well, let’s just say I’d have a very short time to worry about it.”

“What was the weapon?” Parma asked.

“A little something called a Focused Molecular Disruptor Ray. Like your armor, it shakes an object’s molecules until they detach from each other and the object simply disappears. It can also shoot high-power lasers, deactivate and mess up the hardware of pieces of electronic equipment, and generally do a lot of damage. If something bad happened to it, and the enemy got it, a hole could open up in the Scouting Shield in a matter of seconds, and we’d be overrun.”

There was an awkward silence for a moment, broken by Euclid.

“Hey, Core, as much as we’d like to stay here and stare at each other all day, we’ve got stuff to do.”

“Ah, yes. I guess that you want to return to your Spiral Order now?” Core asked. The trio nodded.

“Very well. Farewell, friends. May fortune be with you.” Core said.

“And with you.” Grantz replied. He poked Parma. “Well?”

Taking the hint, she took out one of her Homecomings, and threw it on the ground. A portal appeared in the air, and with a final farewell, the trio stepped through.

As the portal closed, Core returned to the computers. The Scouting Shield would still be holding, and stay holding for a long time. But if his suspicions were correct, he would be in deep trouble in a short amount of time. And when that time can, he had to be prepared.

Chapter 24 – Necro: On the Offensive

My army was milling around, bored and eager for action. We had arrived at the Core some time ago, expecting a major fight. But so far, nothing. The best we had received was giant Mecha Turrets vaporizing large portions of the army. Fortunately, the heavy artillery had seen to them.

I could hardly believe it when the shield had simply shut down and let us pass. We had brought heavy artillery to batter it down, and there we were, with big guns and nothing to shoot. Was it luck? Had the system malfunctioned? I didn’t know and I didn’t care. All that mattered was that we had made it past the main barrier. The guards had put up a bit of defense, but had retreated in the end.

But there was still the secondary shield. It had proved more of a problem than the first. Our heavy artillery was trying to bring it down, but it would be a long time before it died. However, is Swarm’s instructions were correct, we already had an agent on the inside, with a powerful device that could break the shield in a few seconds.

And there he was! A flicker of movement from beyond the wavering shield, a person waving something in the air. I could see others chasing after him, but they would be too slow. I could already see the beginnings of a hole appear in the shield. As it grew larger and larger, the agent’s pursuers stopped, staring at the growing hole. They suddenly ran back to where they had come from, no doubt about to warn their comrades of the trouble.

A large opening had appeared in the middle of the shield. The agent stepped forward.

“Rulen, at your service.” He said with an exaggerated bow. I noticed a metallic rod in his hand. Was that the device of great power Swarm had spoken of?

But before I could ask, the old Necro inside of me stirred. Rulen? As in Alpha Squad Rulen? I had no idea that he was down in the Core. Well, I knew that it had ‘eaten’ the Alpha Squad, but still. Very interesting.

“Necro, commander of this here army.” I waved my arm at the monsters, who had noticed the hole and getting excited.

We stared at each other for a moment. Two Spiral Knights, both infected by The Swarm and now about to destroy a planet. How very delicious.

“So, shall we go on with the attack?” Rulen asked.

“Yeah.”

I turned and faced the dark army, my arms raised in the air. “Everyone, I have an important announcement to make!” They all grew silent. Rulen snickered.

“Not exactly language one might expect during war.” He commented.

The army looked at me expectantly, like a Wolver staring at a Knight, begging for the bone they were holding to chew on. A dangerous Wolver. A dangerous Wolver who’d bite off the hand of the one who handed him the bone.

I stared at them for a moment. They stared back. There was silence. And then –

“The shield is breached! The fortress in vulnerable! ATTACK!!!” I rapidly shouted. The entire army yelled and cheered, and surged forward, though the hole and onto victory.

blimp

I see you found it without my help. :P

Expect next chapter(s) out by... May 15.