Fighter's Fever: The Metallic Siege

by Ricardo Nazaire

  “Okay, you’ve got it!”

  October 3rd – 9:30 PM

  “Did he say ‘David’? As in his brother? But he was killed at the Forensics Building,” Paul says. “This just doesn’t make any sense…”

  “It is simply a matter beyond your comprehension,” David replies, lifting his jet-black hood as he continues forward.

  His appearance, now in full view, is an intricate version of the Phantom-Bomber Armor, equipped with a variety of explosives on his side.

  Discarding his signature glasses, David stares down Keenth and Paul. Before they can question him, James rises to his feet in an attempt to confront his brother.

  “W-what the hell is going on? With that explosion, y-you shouldn’t be alive.”

  “That’s a pretty ironic thing for you to say, all things considered. Regardless, it would take a lot more than that to kill me. Everything fell right into place, as expected.”

  “Shut the hell up! You’re spouting nonsense as if you were in on any of this!”

  “If you weren’t so ignorant, then you’d be able to see that you were being led along this whole time. If you stop and think about it, do you really think a horde of machines of this level would be entrusted to someone like you?”

  “Of course, they were! Agent Keyes and I were the only ones involved with Operation Phantom! There’s no way that anyone else—”

  “Surely you didn’t honestly believe that encountering the rebel vessel years ago was all a stroke of luck, right? How pitiful. The two Agents that were on an undercover mission were on the verge of exposing the operation. Eliminating them inspired us to integrate you into our true intentions.”

  “Our? You don’t mean—”

  “Agent Keyes and myself, of course. Operation Phantom was our endgame the whole time. When it came to getting the project off of the ground, I proposed bringing you into the fold.”

  “So, you’re saying that you people used me…”

  “Don’t speak regretfully. You served your purpose, James. While you clearly aren’t as technologically proficient as Keyes or myself, you were capable enough to play your part.”

  “Did this process include killing Keyes too?”

  “Killing Keyes was a necessity. He was too stuck playing politics to get our machines off of the ground. At the end of the day, he wouldn’t budge when it came to deploying the Phantoms for the sake of the Empire.”

  “Look at you! You speak as if you aren’t doing the same, David!”

  “A conclusion like that shows why you are such a fool, James. Do you really think I would dedicate so much time and effort to benefit LanTech? There was something that the recently deceased commander shared with me that I partially agree with.”

  “It was probably a lovely conversation, I’m sure.”

  “Most of the beings who roam Hasania are truly animals. Dirty, filthy animals driven only by their instincts and personal self-interests. In his arrogance, Lansient didn’t realize that I detest LanTech all the same.”

  “That means your goal was never to use the Phantoms for the sake of LanTech’s dominance, was it?”

  “I could never lower myself to such blind allegiance. LanTech’s rhetoric is just as toxic as the rest of the beasts in Hasania. It should be clear that this world isn’t even worth salvaging. By wiping out all opposition, nothing will stand in my way from reshaping Hasania according to my vision.”

  “You call me arrogant, yet you speak as if you’re a god? You’re sick, David.”

  “Mind your tongue, James. You barely have enough strength to remain standing. You’ll just end up shortening your lifespan further if you make the mistake of pushing me, brother.”

  “I’d rather die than consider a psychopath like you my—”

  “Pity,” David states as he slashes James across the chest. “I can only be so merciful; I’m not one to be tested, James. I’ve come too far for this to be proven otherwise.”

  As James falls down, David begins his descent to Keenth and Paul.

  Upon reaching them, the colossal waves of energy that emit from David’s armor begin to rock the Academy Ruins. Keenth and Paul respond by raising their respective Auraens.

  “I take it that I’m supposed to be impressed by this,” David states. “Perhaps you think that if you were able to destroy the Omega Phantom and the inferior models that you have a chance against me?”

  “I guess we’ll just have to find out,” Keenth responds. “There’s no better time than right now.”

  “I see. You may regret hearing this, but the Omega was a machine of James’ making. Unsurprisingly, he thought he was the first to come to the conclusion of making advancements on the Phantom-Bomber models.”

  “Is that your way of saying that what you have stands above that?”

  “The question you should really be asking is what is an Omega to an Alpha like me,” David replies, as he dons his advanced Phantom Mask. “Though I’m afraid the path to reaching that answer will be quite painful.”

  “…Paul, there’s a quick change of plan,” Keenth states as he observes David’s power continuing to increase. “Grab James and get as far away as possible on the airship you got here with.”

  “Are you out of your mind, Keenth? What do we possibly have to gain from saving Fallon?”

  “There’s no telling where the rest of the machines are. If we can get Fallon to say where they are and how to possibly decommission them altogether, then it’s worth looking into after I end this battle.”

  “You might be right, but there’s no way that you can do this alone!”

  “That’s the thing, Paul. One way or another, this all ends tonight.” “After you end this battle? You’re here to take me down? You truly must have gone mad,” David responds. “I’ll allow it; I wouldn’t want any interference while I take my time to terminate you.”

  “Ah, because I’m a Person of Interest or something?”

  “Hardly. To you, this will be the final fight of your life. For me? Killing you off here will be just an afterthought,” David announces as he draws his metal rapier. “It is fitting that your journey in Hasania began and will shortly end here.”

  Instead of answering David, Keenth glances over at Paul who responds with a nod, before moving towards James Fallon’s location.

  “I’m disgusted at the thought of someone like you being so highly affiliated with the LanTech Empire. You bring nothing, but shame to their name, David.”

  “LanTech was only a means to reach my true goals. No more, no less.”

  “Whatever, say what you have to convince yourself otherwise. Do you mean to tell me that these goals included killing your brother?”

  “What can I say? I can adapt to circumstances. How does that affect you in the slightest? Isn’t James your enemy?”

  “That’s beside the point. Something about you hurting your own brother doesn’t sit well with me, David.”

  “Again, I fail to see how this matters to you in the slightest. Stop referring to me as David. Agent David Fallon III died earlier, remember? All that remains now is the Alpha Phantom!”

  “David, Fallon, Alpha…It doesn’t matter to me what you call yourself. Somehow you survived death the first time, but I’ll see to it that doesn’t happen again!”

  Keenth soars toward him and their blades clash at long last. His opponent strikes back, the stone structures of the Academy Ruins cracking under the pressure.

  Increasing his Auraen to maneuver around the battlefield, Keenth carefully analyzes his opponent to use any openings to land a clear hit. To his shock, Fallon uses energy boosters to bombard Keenth with a series of blows.

  While Keenth is able to defend himself from the successive attacks, he finds himself with only fractions of a second to collect himself.

  It appears that the acclaim behind the Alpha Phantom Model wasn’t all talk and this machine was leagues above any of the others that came before it.

  Keenth did not allow the seemingly insurmountabl
e odds deter him from defeating his opponent though. Releasing a torrent of Auraen, Fallon remains seemingly unfazed, only to realize that Keenth’s sword strikes have increased considerably.

  “So, he released his Auraen, only to re-absorb it with his sword,” Fallon thinks to himself. “For him to skillfully utilize abilities at this level in such a short amount of time...It’s beginning to make sense now…”

  “Before we continue this, there’s something that you must know,” Fallon explains, as he creates a distance between Keenth and himself. “It is something that I’m sure is still crossing your mind.”

  “Humor me, Fallon. What is it?”

  “Do you really want to know how I actually survived the explosion from earlier? I’m sure it would be useful to know what kind of abilities I have, after all.”

  “I don’t know. I figured that you were probably using your Bombers somehow.”

  “The true power with the Phantoms is their sheer strength in numbers. The fact that you were able to combat them back on the bridge should make that point clear. Even you should understand that Phantoms wouldn’t be able to withstand an attack of that magnitude.”

  “Then what did you end up doing?”

  “Surely, you of all people should know,” Fallon responds as he reveals a crystal necklace. “I take it that this looks familiar to you, Keenth?”

  “W-wait, what? How did you end up with one of those?”

  “I sincerely hope that you don’t believe you are the only one capable of embarking on paths of enlightenment, are you? Did it ever cross your mind that there are others out there with exceptional potential as well?”

  “Potential...Potential...Wait! You’re not saying…”

  “My ancestors were exiled from Azoco many years ago. Generations of my relatives went on to live as nomads throughout Hasania. People envied our latent abilities, but since we didn’t know how to utilize them properly, many of us were killed off as time went on.”

  “Liar! That isn’t something that Lady Aida or the others would allow to happen?”

  “Yet here I stand before you having survived the odds. Years before I joined LanTech, I went on a path to truly harness my power. That’s when I came across someone. A figure who provided you the means to finally harness true power.”

  “Sage Haden?”

  “Yes, but not Haden. Did you really think there is only one way to gain this power. Unlike you, however, I was turned away. From there, I opted to kill the Sage and gain awakening by force. Doing this nearly left me dead. But, as you see, I lived on with the sole purpose revealing the world for what it truly is.”

  “So, you’re the reason why Sage Haden was so hesitant in interfering with what’s been going on in Hasania…”

  “The Sages are nothing but cowards! I’m sure they know by now that my abilities have surpassed theirs because I was willing to evolve. There’s a clear reason why I dedicated myself towards Operation Phantom.”

  “Was it because no one else would be crazy enough to join your cause?”

  “No, that type of logic is beneath me. The real reason is because, as living beings, we all have limits. I don’t care whether you are a human or even a Sage, there are understood limits and boundaries involved when it comes to flesh and bone.”

  “This talk about evolving is your way of saying you’ve surpassed the rest of us?”

  “It should be abundantly clear that I have. I’m sure that you’ve noticed by now that you had an uphill battle on Prospear due to your strength eventually declining. The same will be seen with your allies fighting in Azoco village as we speak.”

  “If striking you down is all it takes to stop them from being defeated, then—”

  “Don’t speak as if you are exempt from this inevitably as well,” Fallon retorts, swinging down on Keenth. “Did you really think that exerting your Auraen throughout our battle, would end in your favor?”

  “Damn, he’s right,” Keenth thinks to himself as his breathing begins to become more difficult. “It doesn’t seem like Fallon is having any problems at all.”

  “It seems as though you still don’t understand, Keenth. Here, I want you to strike me. Right here, right now. Use all of your strength and I’ll prove that you still won’t be able to even scratch my armor.”

  “Tsh, maybe surviving death has made you even more arrogant, but it’ll be my pleasure to finally take you out of your misery!”

  Keenth pours the entirety of his Auraen into his sword and uses all of his strength to stab Fallon straight through the chest. This shatters the remaining windows in the vicinity of their battle.

  To his shock and horror, Keenth looks up to see Fallon standing before him while half of his sword falls to the ground. Before Keenth can even comprehend what just happened, he is blasted through the shoulder.

  “How…How in the hell,” Keenth asks as he leaps away from his opponent. “That didn’t come from his sword, did it?”

  “With your recent increase in strength, the odds of you being able to contend with me in battle were a bit too high for my liking. That’s why I designed this electromagnetic crossbow as a precaution.”

  “This isn’t good,” Keenth thinks to himself as he struggles to prepare a defense. “I can’t afford to keep getting struck by these. A few more direct hits and—”

  “Sure, this weapon is effective,” Fallon taunts. “But it truly lacks the satisfaction of directly slaughtering opponents. No worries, I’m sure I’ll just get over it.”

  Fallon maniacally fires a series of blasts towards Keenth who is barely able to dodge them. Keenth attempts to hide among his surroundings, but his wound makes him easy prey.

  Seeing the opportunity to take a clear shot, Fallon prepares an enhanced blast to kill Keenth with one shot, but he’s met with a sudden sword attack. He’s confused since Keenth’s blade was broken in two and it’s a black blade which entered the fray.

  “P-Paul! What are you doing here?”

  “Finishing what we started! We have to stop this Fallon guy, now or never,” Paul shouts back, as he continues battling.

  “Funny, I didn’t expect to be challenged by the help, of all people. Clearly, you coming back here means you could not wait to die. If you that is what you want so badly, then—”

  Paul takes the opportunity to punch Fallon across the face. Revving up the brace around his arm, he attempts to do this again, but is stopped when his opponent grabs his wrist.

  “While your strength is commendable, do you really think it could come anywhere close to mine?” Fallon boasts as he snaps Paul’s arm in half. “You really must be determined to die in this Academy, after all.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Keenth frantically shouts as he wields what’s left of his sword like a dagger. Before he can land a blow on the back of Fallon’s neck, his opponent fires a blast at breakneck speed, hurdling Keenth back several feet away.

  “Up until now, these blasts were simply designed to injure you. Killing you instantly would be terribly satisfying on my end, but alas, this skirmish must come to an end.”

  “Keenth Hedstrom,” he continues. “Taking your life will hold more meaning than you realize. For some reason, you represent hope among these fools. But by hindering your light, I will not only break their bodies, but their spirits as well.”

  Fallon raises his arm towards Keenth as the Academy Ruins completely darken, only to be illuminated with the murderous glow of the energy blast he’s formulating. Keenth makes inaudible pleas for his body to move, but to no avail.

  Seeing that Keenth is completely incapacitated, the former Agent decides to impart his final words to his young opponent.

  “You should be proud of your accomplishments, Hedstrom. Having survived against the Phantoms and Kusari, among other challenges. Had you gone against anyone aside from me, I’m sure you would have risen as the victor. Be sure to give Keyes my regards.”

  With those words, Fallon releases a mammoth of a blast that encompasses their entire battlegr
ound.

  The fallout from the attack is so powerful that parts of the roof crash down in the surrounding area.

  Fallon begins to walk away as the smoke and debris disperses. He stops himself from leaving the area after hearing labored breathing from a distance.

  “No...No, not you. No...Why would you do that?”

  Fallon focuses his attention on the aftermath of his blast. A bloodied warrior stands facing ahead, while their ally mourns.

  “Come on, you’ve gotta say something...Anything at all,” Keenth calls out. “Just give me something to know that you’re okay, Paul…”

  “S-sorry. I can’t do it this time,” Paul replies as he collapses onto the ground. “I think this just might be it for me, Keenth.”

  “But why...Why you? Why would you do this?” Keenth asks, while tightly holding onto his friend in an attempt to keep him conscious. “There was no reason to do that for me…”

  “As much as I hate to admit it, the bastard is right about you. You do represent hope...Hope for a lot of us, including me…Now unless you want anyone else you care about to end up like me...Then you take my sword...my Fehrenblade...to defend Hasania from him…Do it, Keenth...Do it…”

  “Apparently that blast wasn’t enough. Fine, I’ll use my blade properly to—”

  Fallon is interrupted by Keenth’s Auraen erupting throughout the Academy Ruins.

  With his eyes filled with determination, Keenth arms himself with the sword of his fallen ally to conclude the battle once and for all.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “His strength...My sensors can barely process how much his power is increasing,” Fallon thinks to himself. “Is this what Keyes was so cautious about?”

  “Fallon, this is not the time for you to be distracted,” Keenth informs him, as his Auraen continues to flare throughout the Academy Ruins. “I’ll make you pay for what you did to Paul, even if it’s the last thing I do!”