Saturday 28 May 2016

1.14 Slaughter Part 10

I feel like puking.

That would be due to the damage your body has taken. You have a concussion, warped bones, severe internal bleeding, multiple bursted organs and an emptied bladder.

That sounds very nasty.

It is. We’ll have to redo your physical body again once today’s events are over.

It would take another three months will it?

No. The first time is always the longest. I would estimate it will only take a few hours this time. Several hours if you die again.

That is a relief.

Guardian strides over to where a battered and bloody Defender is standing over a downed Graviburn. While her armour is severely damage and will need to scraped and replaced, Defender’s A- Class regeneration means that she has mostly recovered from her injuries.

Graviburn is not so lucky as Guardian notes the supervillainess is badly injured as she lies in the rumble.

“What do we do with her?” asks Defender as she stares at her prone opponent.

Guardian doesn’t verbally answer her teammate and instead decapitates Graviburn with Gord’Ang, much to Defender’s shock.

“How can you just do that?” demands Defender after a moment’s silence.

“Easily enough,” replies Guardian as she looks at the bloody blade of Gord’Ang.

“She was defenceless,” snarls Defender as she looks around, “You just murder her in cold blood! Did you kill the-oh my god, you did...you really did...”

“Letting them live would have been putting others at risk just to let myself feel a false sense of superior morality,” explains Guardian as she looks around for Friend.

Where is he?

He is no longer in this area. It would appear he fled once you showed up and started winning.

Can you find him?

Yes, just follow your HUD.

Send it to Defender as well.

As you wish.

“Wait, what are we doing?” asks Defender as Guardian takes off after Friend.

“Taking down Friend,” replies Guardian, “We’re not letting him get away.”

“Okay, but about the others?” inquires Defender as she races off after Guardian.

“They are fine,” replies Guardian, “You were the only one in need of assistance and that has yet to change.”

“So how if the fight going?” asks Defender.

“The Slaughter Seven have been driven to a halt with the exception of Aquiline and Friend, who are both on the run,” answers Guardian, “We should take to the air.”

“Okay,” says Defender as Guardian flies into the air, “Wait, my KEPs aren’t working.”

“I catch him from the air while you catch up on foot,” says Guardian.

“Are we even immune to his power?” asks Defender, “I don’t think he was affecting me earlier, but I can’t be certain. Not for sure.”

“I don’t know, but theoretically I should be,” replies Guardian over their comm link as she gets high up into the air, “At the very least he won’t be able to fully manipulate me due to Ceta.”

Thank you for your trust.

You have earned it many times over.

“Okay,” mutters Defender, but she still sounds unsure and upset.

Have I angered her somehow? We seemed to rather tense with one another.

I think that your willingness to kill has disturbed her.

Okay then. We can sort that out later.

Guardian looks down at where Friend is running through the deserted streets. Increasing her speed, Guardian angles downwards to the end of the street Friend is currently on. She lands on her feet and grips Gord’Ang in both hands as she and Friend stare each other.

Friend’s currently form is a pretty American teenager with curly brown hair and hazel eyes. Her body is curvy, but more along the lines of a Bellator than an Aphrodite, and is muscular and well-built.

As Guardian prepares to strike, she hesitates.

Why am I fighting my friend?

Naidraug!

Guardian relaxes and lowers Gord’Ang as Friend approaches her. As Friend asks her to drop Gord’Ang, Guardian hesitates.

The Slaughter Seven are still in the area. I can’t just drop my weapon let alone Gord’Ang.

Ycagel!

Something doesn’t feel quite right...

As Friend speaks to her, Guardian checks her armour as it goes haywire. While it isn’t failing completely due to Gears’ high level of skill in designing it, the systems are suffering random malfunctions, including blocking out any external sounds.

Cidro!

Ceta?

Guardian looks up as Friend does so and she spots Alexandria and Glowbug approaching from the air.

Are they coming to fight my friend?

Ordic!

Ceta, what are you saying...? Urggh, my mind is so foggy.

Legacy of Guardian, you are Ordic, the Guardian! This woman that stands before you is an evil one and a monster.

I...I understand.

As Friend walks pass her, Guardian tightens her grip on Gord’Ang again. With Friend’s back turned on her, Guardian charges at her.

She may be friend, but as the Guardian, I must still take her down for the evils she has committed.

Guardian snarls as she swings Gord’Ang at Friend as she passes her. Guardian skids to a halt and spins around, Gord’Ang ready to strike again. She charges forward at Friend as the supervillain blankly stares her missing arm.

A beam of golden light slams into Guardian, knocking her off her feet before she can hit Friend again.

1 comment:

  1. So yesterday's delayed update. Just a couple of things about this chapter and one about the delay. First of all, since the post was deleted, the delay was due to a new cat and the resulting bad night sleep. Something that has now been resolved.

    So onto the important stuff. Now, while Legacy and Ceta have no problems killing, Defender does and is shocked that her friend lacks such compulsions. Mainly due to the fact that Legacy is an alien supersoldier for all intents and purposes while Defender is, at the end of the day, still a teenage girl raised in a conventional, if abusive, Western household.

    As for Legacy being affected by Friend's power, she has no immunity at all. Not technically speaking. I suppose it depends on whether you count an nonhuman mind and alien definition of friend to be immunity. Regardless, the reason Legacy wasn't controlled by Friend is because she is mostly Deltaen and Deltaens consider friends differently to how humans consider them. As a result, Friend's powers had a different effect on Legacy and backedfired. That was because a Deltaen consider it their duty as a friend to stop their friend if they commit acts of evil. A true friend would stop their comrade from committing more acts of evil and dishonouring themselves further even if means killing them.

    Next time, Guardian fights Alexandria and Glowbug.

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