A Ravenger ship explodes upon impact of a shot from Markus’s cannon, hitting it in the center before the fragments crashed down on a ravenger lookout tower.

“That should thin out their numbers!” He said as he brought out his chain gun, opening fire on the ravagers upon the ridge.

“Yeah, not by much!” Dale yelled, snapping his wand at a nearby reg, throwing a proton at it. More came in to fill the gap, firing their weapons while a group of halberdiers and swordsmen ran past them followed by the small warframes Markus referred to as stubs. Upfront, Yuki, Cliff, and Mirage, Cerberus, fought off the close-ranged enemy while Markus provided covering fire on the ranged enemies in the distance. With his chain gun, score or ravengers and ranged stubs fell, yet still they did not break. Dale cowered behind him, snapping his wand out from the metal hulk, firing small particles of light at the enemy.

In the melee, Yuki had moved ahead of both Cliff and Mirage taking the full brunt of the ravenger onslaught. Despite the ravengers strange and often unpredictable movements, Yuki’s prowess with a blade proved peerless to the strange creatures, parrying, sidestepping, and slashing his way through the waves of enemies. Both Cliff and Mirage took on what made it past Yuki. As both relied on their martial arts over weapons, each had to deliver strikes to the weapon-wielding regs before they could cut them. Mirage being the more flexible one, took on most of the enemy with her mixes of punches and kicks while Cliff grappled and punched his way through those that made it past.

Amidst the chaos, Cerberus pounded from ravenger to ravenger, scratching their helmets, leaving them vulnerable to a blade, punch, kick, proton, or energy shot from one of the others.

“How you doing?” Cliff asked amidst the chaos after slugging a reg to the ground before punching its face hard enough to dent the helmet.

“Can’t believe I’m gonna say this,” Yuki grunted after parrying and counter-attacking a halberdier reg, delivering a killing blow across its body. “I kinda miss cutting through bandits back home!” He huffed before delivering an overhead strike on a stub. “They at least back off and run away by now!”

Following the downed dropship, few airborne threats opposed the party. However, ravengers still emerged from holes built into the rock, putting more pressure on the party. Accompanying them were small floating drones. That fired small lasers at the party. Markus’s chain-gun made short work of most of them. The biggest threat though came from the large bipedal machines that emerged from gaps in the garbage piles that surrounded them.

“Warden!” Markus called out when he saw him. “Please allow me!”

“All yours man!” Dale yelled as he dived for cover as the warden began firing on the group. Yuki, Cliff, and Mirage all did the same, narrowly avoiding the heavy fire from the warden. Markus skidded across the ground, bringing out his cannon and firing at the machine, destroying it after three shots.

After its destruction, the influx of ravengers began to diminish with several of the ravenger gunners beginning to sink back into the holes and trash piles.

“There is a gap in their line. This way!” Markus called out, skating forwards on his feet, firing his chain-gun non-stop at the incoming ravengers.

Yuki followed, vaulting over cover, stomping on a skar before running on after the cyborg, striking down any melee reg that came his way. The others followed close by, with Mirage delivering a roundhouse kick to a skar followed by Cerberus pouncing on it.

Continuing down the slope, they then finally gained a respite at a round platform built over the cliff’s edge. Large pylons of ravenger design hung across the edge. Directly below them was a large expansion bridge that stretched across the chasm. Unlike the platform and the pylons, this one was of the alien metal that could be seen across the edge, gleaming silver with lights pulsing through it. Built upon it was the ravenger’s architecture of welded plates and wires, making it look like a crude bridge.

“There’s Hanging Edge.” Markus pointed out to a large complex off in the distance where the cliffs come close to meeting one another.

Cliff whistled as he stood off the edge of the platform looking towards the large mess of metal in the distance. “Now that’s straight out of a movie. Wouldn’t you say, Dale? Dale?”

“Here he comes,” Yuki said, moving to one side as Dale charged through, getting on his hands and knees while gasping for air.

“I don’t think… I’ve run this much… since high school…” He wheezed. Cerberus walked alongside him, licking the side of his face. “Ahh!” Dale shot up, slapping his face before looking down at Cerberus as the small flaming dog panted. “Warn me next time. I’m still in danger mode here.”

Mirage gave Dale a hand, pulling him to his feet. Dale took his glasses off before wiping some sweat from his brow.“So… this the place that guy said he’d meet us?” He asked, putting his glasses back on.

“Please wait a moment.” Markus brought out a hologram. “Bec. We are at the base of Hanging Edge. Have your group made it through?”

Static followed.

“Interference again...” Markus grumbled. “I’ll have to boost the signal. Please remain vigilant. There’s no telling when the ravengers will attack again.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to go to someplace safe before we try that?” Dale asked, his hands slumped.

“In this place, I doubt anywhere is truly safe,” Mirage said. She had been quiet for the most part so when she spoke it surprised both Cliff and Dale.

“It’s kinda pretty though,” Cliff said looking up at the sky, seeing the strange stars and the land visible. “Hey Yuki, you ever see something like that back at home.

“Can’t say I have,” Yuki said looking up as well.

“Just realized but… this world is one big Dyson sphere.” Dale committed.

“Dyson sphere?”

“It’s a hypothetical machine. It’s a megastructure that surrounds a sun and harnesses it for energy. It mostly exists in sci-fi stuff and video games.”

“Yeah, I think I know the one you mean,” Mirage said folding her arms below her chest.

“Bec? Can you hear me?” While the group looked in awe at the sky above them, Markus was still struggling to get through to his friend. The static only grew louder with each attempt until finally, something came through. “Bec?”

“Markus?” Bec’s voice finally came through along with a myriad of other noises. “Hey buddy. Uh, now's really not a good time.”

More noise followed which became apparent it was gunfire and explosions.

“Ho boy. That doesn’t sound good.” Cliff sighed realizing the writing was on the wall.

“Bec. We’ve arrived at the base of Hanging Edge. Where are you? We may be able to provide assistance.”

“Ah crap,” Dale slumped down readying his wand. “Can’t we just get a few moments of peace?”

“Uh hahahaha, appreciate it but uh,” Bec’s dry laughter came through. “We’re on the opposite side of the cliff.”

“The opposite-WHAT?!” Markus’s jaw dropped. “What happened?! How did you get over there?!”

“Let’s just say we kinda pissed off the locals- hold on. Kid don’t fire that in here! I’m still way too young to die a second time!” There was a pause in his voice before a simple “Oh shit.” came through. Gunfire followed along with some more shouting.

“Bec?!”

“I’ll call you back.”

“BEC!” The call was then cut off.

“I hate it when I’m right,” Cliff sighed. “By the opposite side, he means over there?” He pointed to the opposite cliff.

“Oh this is a nightmare….” Dale said walking back and forth.

“What do we do now?” Mirage asked.

Cerberus then began to bark and grow at something in the distance. Yuki, as though sensing what it was, raised his katana standing at the ready.

“We got company.”

Crouching on a pole jutting from the trash heap to the left of the group was a krell, one different from the one they had encountered at the summit. Unlike that one, this had a helm that had a gorilla’s skull fastened to it. The typical armor it had seemed far lighter, lacking the thick plates the previous one had, along with several other machines and bone and metal trinkets. Its top right hand was prosthetic, its four-fingered hand thinner and more pointed than the regular regs they had encountered thus far.

“Oh perfect,” Cliff raised his fists. Everyone else prepared for battle. The krell let out a muffled, cackled laughter amplified by the internal speakers of his helm. It slowly raised its top right hand swinging it forward.

A rumbling could be heard from the route the group had taken. Mirage, who was closer to the path was the first to notice the sounds. From the path, five large buzzsaws came into view grinding through the ground to the group. Mirage sidestepped one, passing her by a mire inch. Dale was yanked out of the way by Cliff as the blades passed the group by, coming to a sudden halt. Now in full view, they resembled strange beetle’s with a large ring jutting from its back with razor-sharp blades.

“Cutters,” Markus said, bringing his chain gun to bear while everyone stood at the ready.

Yuki glanced behind them and saw the krell had vanished. In his place, several regs stood along the beam. Unlike the ones they had fought previously, these were also different in their style of armor, with bones and machine parts fashioning each plate of the crude metal armor.

“Behind us too!” Yuki said, clicking his tongue.

“Oh come on!” Dale winded aiming his wand.

“Yuki! Dale! You guys cover our rear!” Cliff said standing at the ready with Mirage and Markus.

“Huh?!” Dale looked shocked. “Me too…?”

“You heard him four-eyes!” Yuki grabbed Dale by his collar and dragged him to the rear. Cerberus joined them barking and howling at the new enemies.

“Ha, you with us mutt?”

“Give me a break here!” Dale yelled.

On cue, the regs drew their weapons, electric sabers in each hand before leaping off the pole, one after the other. They landed on the ground, cackling and shrieking at the enemy before charging.

“Alright bugs,” Yuki twirled his katana in one hand, standing between Cerberus and Dale with a savage grin. “I’m taking one of those limbs home with me!”

****

Markus immediately opened fire on the cutters before they moved, destroying one of them with concentrated fire before the other four charged at Cliff and Mirage.

“Shit!” Cliff swore after a close shave. Mirage had dodged hers before performing a handstand, kicking at the ring’s side, knocking it off course. Markus reached out and grabbed the ring with his free hand. The spinning blades tore into his metal hand. Despite that, Markus crushed the ring with a strong grip and threw the warframe to the ground before stomping on it.

“They’re coming back around!” Cliff yelled as the remaining three scrapped across the ground, charging towards them.

“Please stand back,” Markus moved forward and unleashed a torrent of gunfire at the cutters, destroying one, knocking the other off course while the third continued barrelling towards him. Markus threw up a barrier. The cutter struck it and bounced off, losing some of its momentum turning on its side. Putting his fists together, Cliff hammered the warframe to the ground, shattering it into pieces.

“One more!” Mirage called out, watching the last cutter fly into the air.

“Not quite… stay alert!” Markus called out. From the path, a swarm of cutters came into view, followed by halberd welding regs herding them like cattle.

****

With a parry, Yuki sliced a reg in half, his katana cutting through the metal plates in one swing, spilling the creature's bright turquoise blood. Kicking the creature away, Yuki deflected another blow, slicing the torso of an incoming ravenger before turning on his first attacker, running it through. The ravenger dropped its weapons and grabbed a hold of Yuki. Another leaped above him, brandishing its electric coated weapons.

Shit!

Yuki ducked and pulled the ravenger along with him, narrowly avoiding being beheaded by the attacker. Wrenching his blade free, he slashed at the attacking ravenger, cutting off both its right arms before kicking it off, forced into combat with yet another ravenger.

Behind him, Dale had conjured his shell which saved him three times when the ravengers bypassed Yuki and came after him.

“S-Stay back!” He yelled, firing proton after proton at the attackers. While his aim wasn’t great, the blast of light was powerful enough to shatter the armor of the ravengers armor. One-shot struck a ravenger in its helm, shattering a part of it showing off what lay underneath. Cerberus then pounced on the wounded ravenger, clawing his way to its head before biting at the exposed part of its face, tearing off its pincers before dropping down.

Bodies began to pile on the ground, particularly surrounding Yuki, his blade covered in the turquoise blood of the enemy. Yet more emerged from the path leading to Hanging Edge and every crook and cranny in the rock and trash surrounding them.

“There’s no end to them,” Yuki clicked his tongue in frustration, parrying and decapitating a ravenger before backing away.

“Yuki!” Cliff called behind him. Dale was the first to turn as a cutter smashed into him. Sparks erupted from his shell as it hit before bouncing back.

On the opposite end, more cutters and ravengers were boxing them in. Markus was firing his chain gun non-stop while Mirage and Cliff fought back the attackers.

“We’ll be overrun if this keeps up!” Mirage said after delivering a high kick to an attacking ravenger.

Yuki backed further to the edge of the platform. The long bridge caught his eye. “Down there!”

“There?!” Dale ran to the edge. “They’ll just chase us!”

“Yeah-” Yuki grunted as he parried a ravenger before knocking it to the ground, impaling it through its back. “But they’ll all be coming from one direction.”

Markus glanced over to the bridge. “I’ll cover the retreat!” He bellowed as he backed towards it.

“Not alone,” Yuki said following on.

Mirage and Cerberus were the first to jump over the edge, landing on the strange metal platform below.

“A-Are we seriously doing this…?” Dale whimpered. Cliff grabbed him and thrust him over his shoulder. ‘Wh-hey!”

“Try not to scheme. You might bite your tongue off.” Cliff said before leaping down.

Yuki and Markus were the only ones left, fighting off the swarm.

“Ready,” Yuki said to Markus before both of them turned and leaped off the platform. Both landed on the bridge. The others were just ahead having run out of the way.

“Okay…” Dale caught his breath. “Are they following us?”

Yuki and Markus caught up with them before the latter looked up. The krell they had seen was there. Looking to its left and right, the ravengers that surrounded him all backed away. Looking down on the group, the krell reached down and drew all four electric sabers. It then leaped off the platform, landing on the bridge in front of the group.

The krell looked forward, standing up to its full height (a full foot taller than Markus) then cried to the heavens.

“Doesn’t look like he’s gonna let us walk away without a fight,” Yuki stepped ahead of Markus, twirling his katana before taking a sword stance, grasping his katana by the hilt holding it out in front of him.

With a hiss, the ravenger lowered its body. Then, in a split second, it crossed the distance. Yuki reacted, raising his sword as the four electric sabers collided into his own, the surprising strength displayed forcing him back several feet, grinding his blade through the ground.

Markus immediately opened fire on the krell, showering it with energy rounds from his chain gun. In a blur, the krell deflected the shots with its sabers as it closed the distance. Markus had only just put his guard up as a blade cut into the metal plates in his left arm as another pierced his gut.

“Markus!” Cliff called out. The cyborg showed no signs of pain as he skidded back from the krell who in turn retreated backward. With his chain gun spooled, Markus let loose another hale of gunfire only for the krell to deflect and swerve its body leaving after images.

“Shit, this guy's fast!” Dale said, firing off a proton which passed overhead of the krell as it vanished. Yuki passed by the group, swinging his katana sideways as the krell reappeared. The blades clashed against the bottom two sabers in a brilliant spark of electricity.

Crap!

The top two blades then fell towards Yuki to decapitate him. Mirage got their first, pushing Yuki’s head down as she sprung off him, narrowly avoiding the two blades before kicking the krell in the helmet.

Yuki skidded back, passing by Cliff as he pulled back a fist and slammed it into the krell’s chest, sending him flying back. It skidded across the ground, embedding its weapons in the ground before stopping. It looked up, letting out a strained chuckling before it stood back up lashing out its swords once more.

From the ridge, cutters began to descend, aiming towards the party.

“Tch and I thought he wanted a fair fight,” Yuki grunted, taking a step forward towards the krell. Two cutters flanked him before rushing towards Yuki, holding his blade out in front of him.

Reijingu mizu Stance 1-alter: Tsu no Sāji!

With two clean strikes, both cutters zoomed past him before splitting into two even pieces falling into the abyss below.

“They’re all around us!” Dale yelled as he erected a bubble barrier around the ground. The cutters smashed into it like a wave, scraping into the ethereal wall of energy. Reg’s began to descend from the cliffside, piling in behind the krell, the front two armed with rocket launchers. “Crap…”

When they fired, the barrier immediately gave way, obscuring the group in smoke from the rounds. From the center, Markus opened fire with his cannon. The krell sidestepped, allowing the shot to catch one of the regs before exploding, knocking off a handful of the creatures off by the backlash. Undaunted, the regs charged to the smoke with blades in their hands.

From the smoke, Yuki lunged forward, cutting through two regs before leaping up, using another as a springboard. Raising his blade overhead, Yuki descended on the krell like a bird of prey. Taken off guard, the krell brought up only its top two swords as Yuki made contact, the point of his blade cutting into the top of the skull helm. He leaped back, landing on a reg plunging his blade through its body as he landed.

“Yuki!” Cliff called out, narrowly dodging a reg before punching it in the gut sending it falling into the abyss. “We’re too exposed here! We need to fall back!”

For once, Yuki did not argue. Unlike Max who would charge headlong into danger, the swordsman was more cautious about his surroundings, something drilled into him by his sensei. His fight with Gai was a painful reminder of that lesson. Freeing his blade, Yuki sliced through another reg before rejoining the group as they ran in the opposite direction.

****

Vic’to stood dazed. No one, not even Shanks himself was able to cut him. Yet that one hune managed to not only catch him off guard but managed to cut deep into the borgo bone of his helm.

And his eyes; no fear or hesitation. They were eyes like his, a true beast of war.

Vic’to couldn’t help but chuckle as his clan passed him by, chasing after the trespassers across the pylon. Up ahead, was the remains of the old drydock that the previous clans held before the Yiski destroyed them, a more open space yet one that was easy to trap the trespassers. It was the perfect place to kill them.

“Get me a skiff.” He said into his helmet's comm.

****

“Duck!” Dale called out before firing off a proton, shattering a cutter as it zoomed towards them. Markus continued to fire at the ravengers chasing them across the bridge while the cutters swarmed them like birds of prey.

“Persistent bastards, I’ll give them that!” Yuki grunted as they reached the end of the bridge only to find it was a complete dead end.

“Oh come on!” Cliff groaned. “Who builds a bridge that goes nowhere?!”

“It is actually a part of Sora itself with ravenger constructs built on top of it.” Markus corrected as he joined the group, withdrawing his chain gun. The barrels spewed smoke from the continued use.

“So what do we do?!” Dale said panicking.

“Down there!” Mirage pointed to a platform a few feet below them, connected to other structures.

“Good enough,” Cliff jumped first. Followed by Mirage, Cerberus, Dale then finally Markus, and Yuki before the regs caught up to them.

Dale (who didn’t stick the landing well) turned and laughed at the regs above them. “Haha! So long dudes!” He yelled as the group retreated, running down a flight of stairs to an old platform.

“So what’s the plan now?” Cliff asked Markus.

“One moment,” Markus stopped and brought out his holo map. “There’s a cave system close by. We should find shelter there.”

“Wouldn’t that take into even more danger?” Dale asked.

“Don’t think it’ll matter at this point,” Cliff said. “Least we’ll be able to reunite with Nel and the others,”

Yuki stopped and looked up to the sky. “Before that,”

Up in the sky, a single skiff flew across the expanse flanked by a swarm of cutters. Once it was closer it curved hard to the right before crashing through the ground blocking the group's only way forwards. There was only a single passenger, the krell.

“Doesn’t look like he’s gonna let us go this time,” Yuki said walking past his companions as they readied for battle. “Come on! Let’s take this bastard down!”

The krell jumped off the skiff, all four blades drawn. Across its body, blue lights shimmered along the tubes and wires visible on its armor. With a hiss, electricity erupted from it, coating it in a light blue hue.

Markus's eyes widened. “Get behind me!” He yelled before running in front of the others, throwing out both its hands, forming a barrier moments before the krell vanished. He then reappeared directly in front of them. With four blue arcs emanating from its sword arcs, the barrier was instantly shattered, all four blades flying from its hands. Markus brought out his chain gun but the ravenger landed on him, grasping his face with its free bottom left hand. As it landed on the ground it spun Markus around, exhibiting strength that seemed counterintuitive to its sticky body. Then it threw him.

“Oh shit!” Dale yelled as Markus crashed into both him and Mirage.

“Guys!” Cliff yelled before getting kicked in the gut by the krell, throwing him backward. The krell caught all four blades before they fell back to the ground, then slashed upwards at Yuki who only just managed to block, pushing him back across the ground before losing his footing.

****

“Are you two alright?” Markus asked. Before falling, he grabbed both Mirage and Dale before skidding across the ground. Large scars rang across his body.

“Yeah… somehow,” Dale said cracking his neck.

“Thanks. We owe you one.” Mirage said, stretching her arms.

Markus got up, morphed his left arm into his cannon before aiming the krell.

“Look out!” Mirage suddenly shouted as a reg descended on them with its blades stretched out wide. Mirage kicked the ravenger before it reached the ground, throwing them back into one of its comrades. From the bridge, the regs were descending once more.

“Oh come on!” Dale groaned, taking out his wand.

“Markus! Let’s cover the rear!” Mirage said, taking a combat stance. “Cliff and Yuki can deal with that guy.”

“Very well.” Markus took position by the two hunters holding out his cannon.

****

Cerberus barked at Cliff as he rolled to his stomach coughing and spluttering. “S-shit, that thing's way stronger than it looks….”

Yuki was right beside him, his blade embedded in the ground with a large rent in the metal floor. “Guess that stuff on the bridge was just a warm-up.”

A metallic chuckle came from the krell as it strolled forwards. The blue arua around it had dissipated. At its flanks were two cutters which speed towards the two. Yuki stood back up and sliced one in half while Cliff dodged and punched the second in the side.

Cerberus took a few steps forwards, barking at the krell.

“Looks like the mutt wants some payback,” Yuki said grinning.

Cliff flexed his fingers. “Been a while since we teamed up, huh.”

“Rather fight this thing on my own.”

“Not a chance in hell,”

Both men laughed before taking their stances.

Vic’to the Slasher

Despite Nel’s distrust of the ravenger, she nonetheless allowed Th’lak to lead them through the hovels of the underground caverns. Yet even in the dark tunnels she not once let the ravenger out of her sight.

“Why don’t you trust him?” Sasha eventually asked once they were in an open area.

“Comes with the job,” She responded. “Hey. How much further?”

“Not far.” Th’lak clicked. “Close.”

“Finally,” Rodger groaned, adjusting his helmet. “Not use ta all this sloping around in this place.”

“Myow?” Meracle suddenly stopped, her ears twitching.

“What is it?” Nel asked.

“I donno…” Meracle ducked into a nearby hole that took her to a small passive overlooking a large chasm. “Whoa… That’s really creepy.”

The others caught up to her. Below them was a large chasm filled with machines. Encased in each of them was a large organic mass. Various wires and electrodes were prodded into the flesh. At its base, various reg’s and skars operated the various consoles below.

“Uhh, that stinks,” Sasha said, holding her nose. There was indeed a sickening aroma from the machines, giving off a rotten egg smell. “What is that?”

“Birthing units,” Th’lak asked.

“B-Birthing?” Rodger looked at him. “Like... this is you’re from?”

As though on cue, a light flashed at one of the machines. The mass in the center began to convulse. Sparks erupted from several of the electrodes prodded into it. From a small hole at the base, a green ooze erupted, spilling into a greet. Something else came out, a small creature slumped on metal, crying out. Two claws then came towards it, clamping at its two arms before dragging it away.

“Urgh? What’s that?” Rodger said revolted by what he saw.

“A birth,” Th’lak said with a click. As he said that, another light flashed. Another creature was spat out from the machine.

“So this thing’s like… your mommy?” Meracle asked.

Th’lak shook his head. “Not like your kind. Genetic material from reg and skar store within birthing units. When fertilized, the embryo grows within. Ten days. Infant born.”

“You conceive children in only ten days?” Nel asked as another birth happened.

“A hundred little ones. Daily. Clans grow, yet attrition. Wittles the infants. Survive, they grow like me. Yet, very few live long enough to become krell.”

Sasha watched another birth, this time of a four-armed infant. Like the others, large cranes reached down to it. It put up a fight, throwing off one of the cranes before being picked up and dragged off wailing.

“What are they doing to them?” Sasha asked.

“Taking infant for processing,” Th’lak explained. “Enhance body. Infuse with machines. Will not survive without.”

Hanging his head, Th’lak raised his bottom left arm, slowly clenching his hand. Then he reached to his bottom left arm and pulled away some of the plates. Below it was a gray, hairy skin with wires and metal parts embedded within the skin.

“That's… kinda creepy,” Rodger said.

“So… your body’s part machine?” Sasha asked.

“Our bodies, weak.” Th’lak closed the breach in his suite. “Our homeworld was dry and arid. The great calamity destroyed our homeworld, made uninhabitable. Crippled us. Fled to Sora, yet scared. Broken. Our bodies deteriorated. Birthing mothers unable to bear eggs. Brink of extinction.

“Sora saved our race. Our bodies fused with the machines. Allowed us to survive. Without machines, extinction.”

A heavy atmosphere descended on the group with not even the sounds of another birth breaking the mood.

“Wow… I had no idea.” Sasha said.

“Few do.” Th’lak nodded his head. “To other races, monsters we are. Not a care. Survivors we are.” He then turned on his heel, walking towards a nearby tunnel.

“Hey,” Nel kept her eyes on the birthing units. “You said you want to cripple this clan, right? Why not target these-?”

“No!” Th’lak said immediately, banging his staff on the ground. “Will not become like Yiski. Like Altosk.”

“You said they did that to your clan. An eye for an eye,”

Th’lak scuttled closer to Nel, throwing out his staff. The tip cackled with electric sparks. Nel didn’t flinch, despite the unease of her companions.

“Fleet. Not younglings.” Th’lak said. Despite his monitor voice, there was a threatening tone to it. “Attack birthing units. Th’lak will kill you.”

The two stood at a deadlock, neither one flinching. In the end, Nel sighed. “It was just a suggestion.” She said dismissively, gently brushing Th’lak’s staff aside. The ravenger said nothing else, turning his back and scurrying back through the tunnel.

“I-I don’t like that plan either,” Sasha told Nel before following.

“A real man never resorts to such cheap and underhanded methods!” Rodger declared before turning his back on the assassin.

Meracle simply shook her head before departing.

Why do I feel like the bad guy here? With a sigh, Nel followed and rejoined the others in the same tunnel they were before. Th’lak was ahead with his ghost out.

“Hey.” Nel spoke up again, not fazed by the standoff previously. There was something she’d been meaning to ask the ravenger for a while. “That thing I fought. The krell. You called her Sa-sa-”

“Sahaza the eye.” Th’lak corrected her. “Ruler of Hanging Edge. Shanks confidant. Killing her, a blow to his power.”

“Right,” Nel folded her arms below her chest. “Are their others like that thing?”

“Just one,” The ghost vanished. “The vanguard. Shanks’s deadliest skirmishers. Favor blades over guns. The leader, Shanks lieutenant. Dangerous. Butcher of many of Char. Damaged one of our birthing units. A monster.” Th’lak turned to the assassin. “Vic’to the slasher.”

****

Yuki’s blade clashed against the krell, sparks of energy erupting from the blade's contact. After forcing the weapons off him, Yuki backed away, parrying two strong blows from the krell before ducking underneath.

“Big guy!”

“Got it!” Cliff passed by, punching the krell in the torso forcing it backward. The krell staggered back only by a fraction before swinging at Cliff. With no blade, shield and only mana enhancing which he doubted would do much against what coerced through these weapons, Cliff did his best to dodged only getting a nick on his left side. As he predicted, his enhancing only stopped it from becoming a deeper cut, yet still burnt at his flesh. The krell raised its weapons to slash at Cliff but was bitten in the leg by Cerberus. His little jaws only just pierced through the metal that surrounded its limbs but did sway the krell long enough for Cliff to retreat.

“Thanks, mutt!” Yuki charged in again, swinging his blade overhead. The krell blocked with one of its blades, pivoting around throwing the familiar off it before exchanging blows with Yuki. After the fifth stroke, the ravenger raised all four of its arms intending to slice Yuki apart. Yuki however reacted first, slashing at the krells chest staggering it. The follow-up was blocked by one of its electric sabers and was pushed back.

“Shit!” Yuki was forced to dodge as the krell pounced on him like a beast, embedding its sabers into the ground. Drawing its blades up, its body was once again coated in the blue hue.

“He’s powering up again!” Cliff yelled as Cerberus barked at him. Cutters then swarmed the krell. The energy that was coating it began transferring to the warframes. Arcs of light began streaming from the cutters.

“That doesn’t look good,” Yuki said as both men put their guard up.

With a single sweep of one of its sabers, the cutters zoomed towards the men at blistering speeds. Both only just avoided being sliced apart as the warframes smashed, scared, and melted into the ground. Cliff looked up and saw the still charged krell pouncing on him. He rolled out of the way as it struck the ground, which dispersed a splash of energy that knocked him to the ground. The krell raised its blades once more, vanished, and reappeared by Yuki who had his blade held at the ready. The blades met, followed by a release of energy from the krell. Yuki’s guard broke completely, sending him flying across the ground stopping short of the edge.

“D-Damn it…” He growled. His shirt had been burnt at the front, with burns to his chest.

Cliff was slowly getting back to his feet, winded and smoldering from the recent attack.

The krell now stood between the two men, the blue hue subsiding. Smoke rose from it as it powered down whatever machines within its suite used to charge up.

“You seriously are something…” Yuki grinned, slowly raising its blade to the krell. “Hey bug… got a name?”

The krell looked at Yuki before reaching to its suit, pulling out a device, and plugging it into the bottom of its helmet.

“Vic’to.” It said simply, its voice heavily distorted, before disconnecting the device. It chuckled again, twirling its four sabers before standing at the ready.

Yuki did the same, holding his blade to his side. At that moment, his eyes glanced over to Cliff. The hunter simply nodded, standing back. Cerberus was by his side, taking a step back.

The ravenger charged up again then charged. Yuki took several steps back, giving ground as he blocked and parried the strikes launched at him. Despite gaps in his guard, despite receiving several bad cuts, Yuki managed to hold his ground until an opening presented itself. Parrying a strike, Yuki slashed down on the ravenger, scoring a deep wound in its torso, cutting deep into its armor. Startled, the ravenger threw its blade towards Yuki’s neck, only for Yuki to react in time, parrying before delivering an overhead blow, digging into his opponent’s left shoulder.

Got him!

Yuki’s victory was short-lived as he was kicked in the gut by the ravenger.

“D-Damn it…” Yuki struggled to his feet. The krell was still standing. The wound on its left shoulder was fairly deep, reaching down into its torso with shimmering blue blood leaking from the gap. Yet despite that, the krell showed no signs of slowing down.

Instead, it simply laughed before throwing out one of its sabers. Cutters flew past it, charging directly at Yuki.

Gritting his teeth, Yuki stood at the ready, deflecting the threats as they approached him. The krell vanished and reappeared at Yuki’s right. The swordsman only just noticed, pivoting on his feet and dodging a downward strike from the krell. Recovering, Yuki swung his blade overhead but was blocked by the krell with both its right blades. The cutters were coming back to Yuki aiming at his back. To make matters worse, the two remaining blades from the krell were ready to disembowel him.

“Don’t like playing fair, do ya,” Yuki grinned.

Cerberus then pounced on its lower right arm, biting hard into its lower left hand until it dropped its weapon. Cliff then grabbed it before it hit the ground and stabbed it into the krell's back.

Yuki dropped to the ground as the cutters then slammed into the staggered krell, leaving behind long cuts across its body as well as slicing off its prosthetic arm. The krell dropped all its weapons as it moved back severely wounded.

Cliff was right in front of it, cracking his knuckles before punching the krell in its hamlet, breaking through the bone on the helmet.

“Alright! Finish it!”

“With pleasure,” Yuki waited for the krell to fall towards him, holding his katana at his side horizontally.

Stance 2: Supurasshu.

With a swift, clean blow, the ravenger’s head was sliced clean off its shoulders, flying overhead as the body collapsed to the ground. It landed, bouncing like a ball before falling over the edge.

Yuki wiped the blue blood off his sword with his arm but didn’t sheath his weapon.

“Whew… wonder if the other guys this tough,” Cliff said catching his breath.

Behind them, the ravengers that assailed the rearguard all stopped their attacks the moment the krell was killed. Some scuttered back, others hissed but none pushed the deadlock.

“Looks like that worked,” Mirage said as the rear backed away from the hoard.

“It’s too early to relax yet. Stay cautious.” Markus said, keeping his chain gun honed in on the enemy.

“Yeah, you see that!” Dale yelled pointing to the body of the krell. “Unless you wanna end up like your leader I suggest you scram you damn freaks!”

“.... I wouldn’tve done that,” Mirage gulped.

The ravengers looked among each other. Then, one raised its sword, crying out to the heavens. The entire hoard joined in, crying out, scratching her weapons together. Then, like a wave, the hoard advanced.

“Uh, you do know your leaders dead RIGHT?!”

“Everyone! We must retreat!” Markus yelled as he brought out his cannon and fired it at the hoard. A large plume of smoke engulfed the attacking ravengers.

“This way!” Markus then broke into a run.

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Dale charged after him followed by Mirage as several ravengers broke out of the smoke.

“We really can’t catch a break,” Cliff said as he, Yuki and Cliff fell in behind the ground. They reached the stairs, leaping over the obstructing skiff and raced down the stairwell, running to the cave opening just ahead. Markus let out a burst, killing several ravengers before they fled. When they reached the cave, Markus stopped and turned to the hoard still chasing them. Bringing out his cannon, he fired three shots at the mouth of the cave. The rocks above fell, crushing several ravengers while blocking the passage off from the bulk of their pursuers, screeching as they hammered at the obstruction.