Traitor's Legacy: The Claughter Chapter 7

Chapter 7: New Allies

            “Alright, now that we’re away from those very welcoming cultists, perhaps you and I need to talk about why a bag of bolts like you are trying to help our sorry butts.”

            Reed said as he shoved the Synthetic with his finger. Jaden crossed her arms and asked, “Reed, is this really necessary?” Reed nodded and replied, “Why yes it is. I want to know if Mr. Metal here is not some double agent or something.” “A double agent is an individual working as a spy for one organization while actually siding with the opposition. You, human, are just one man, no organization. My data core questions your wisdom and paranoia of my kind.” the robot retorted.

            “Are you implying that I am stupid?” Reed said as he stood up. The robot answered, “Stupidity cannot be calculated or judged easily but it has its limit human. A slight shock in my data core, however, seems to imply that you have broken that limit.” “Jaden, do we really need this I-know-everything piece of junk with us?” Reed queried. The robot, seemingly offended, flinched slightly and retorted, “I wouldn’t be standing here if I am what you call “a piece of junk”.” Jaden let out a deep sigh of seeming contempt and replied, “Reed, he gave this ship to us. Besides, considering our situation, we could use his help.”

            Reed turned to the robot and glared at it for a few seconds. His initial hostility and tensed movements slowly vanished and he gave the answer Jaden wanted to hear, “Alright. I guess you’re right.” Jaden showed a beaming smile, showing her approval, and whispered thanks to Reed. She then turned to the robot and asked, “If you have been looking for me, you should be staying with us for a while. I believe it right for us to know what to call you.” The robot nodded and replied, “I am VX-95, but my master gave me a codename which I believe is easier for humans to address. If you wish, you may call me Vader.”

            “Codename? You’re on a mission or something?” Reed asked. Vader turned its inhuman head to Reed and answered, “Yes but the details of my mission are confidential. Only when necessary will I tell you two of my mission.” As Vader turned back to Jaden, he looked down to see her stretching a hand out at him.

“Nice to meet you Vader. You know my name so there is no need for me to introduce myself.” Jaden told him. However, instead of accepting the shake of hands, Vader continued staring at her hand while barely moving. “Why aren’t you accepting it?” she asked. “My apologies Jaden but I am unfamiliar with human gestures.” Vader replied. Reed smirked and commented, “So much for calling me stupid eh? He doesn’t even know how to shake hands.” Jaden pulled back her hand and told Vader, “I don’t know how to explain it exactly but you’ll learn it soon enough.”

“Great. Now that we know our metal little buddy’s name, perhaps we should discuss on where each of us are going from here.” Reed said as he returned back to the cockpit seat. “If you two are curious though, I intend on starting a new life on another planet other than Dissidia or Qurrentine. The people on those two planets are barely hospitable, trust me I know.”

“My mission stays human. I am staying by Jaden’s side and…” “Yeah yeah yeah we know. No need to repeat your epic mission.” Reed interrupted Vader. He turned to Jaden and asked, “What about you Jaden? You seem pretty anxious to get out of Qurrentine.” Jaden frowned for a while before answering, “I honestly don’t know where to head to, but I intend on hunting down Iblisan’s lieutenant, Dark Viper.”

Reed stood up from his seat, shocked to learn of Jaden’s intentions. He asked, “What? Are you serious? Do you even know how powerful that bastard is? Not to mention his loyal soldiers.” “He murdered my father years ago and recently, he killed my family and friends in one fell swoop. I am not letting the same fate fall on other innocent people, even if it means I die trying.” Jaden replied.

“Jaden, I commend your motives but don’t be foolish. He destroyed entire armies singlehandedly. How could you have any chance against him?” Reed retorted. Jaden, maintaining her composure, replied, “It is a chance I am willing to take. Foolish or no, I am going to try. Iblisan’s lieutenant must fall.”

Reed slapped his forehead and sighed with seeming disappointment. He was beginning to get used to the serious, and probably blind, woman who assisted him in getting out of Qurrentine and he could not help but worry for her well-being, considering how young she appears. After all, she aided him while others were trying to kill or capture him. He should probably repay her. Thinking that Jaden have no chance against Dark Viper, even with Vader’s help, he decided to get involved somehow.

“I can’t believe I am doing this.” he whispered to himself.

“If you’re going to hunt for Viper, you can count me in.” Reed told Jaden. Her brow rose with awe and she asked, “What? Why? This is my problem, not yours. I don’t want to get you involved.” “Listen, I’ve met many young women in my time and somehow, they always ends up dying or suffering a bad fate. To think that I am letting yet another one die because of my selfishness is quite haunting. I don’t care if you like it or not. I am staying with you.” Reed answered.

“Well…um…thank you Reed. I must say, I don’t expect you to be willing to help me out.” Jaden said. Despite her unwillingness to let others get involved in her matter, Jaden felt that Reed’s help could be valuable, considering how he managed to defeat a large number of Iblisan’s cultists alone. The sense of appreciation surged through her body and she could not help but show a smile contagious enough to make Reed return the smile. However, Reed was not certain that the three of them could kill the powerful Energy Bladesman.

“You’re welcome Jaden but trust me, even with Vader or me on your side, it won’t be enough. We need a lot of help.”

“The human is implying that an army is to be formed to defeat this Dark Viper.”

“Yes. Vader’s right. We need an army. And please, start calling me Reed. I am sure people are smart enough to know that I am a human.”

“An army? Are you two serious? How are we even supposed to form an army?”

“Trust me Jaden, nearly the entire universe has a problem with Iblisan and Dark Viper; especially the Mannihilators.”

“Mannihilators? Who are they?”

“Mannihilators: A group of humans who break off from the Salvagers due to conflicting opinions over the usage of Iblisan’s gift, Magical Energies. These humans feel that humans are not supposed to embrace his gift as it feels like a betrayal to the legendary human warrior, Ariel Silver.”

“Ariel? The Heartless Champion of the Light? She’s one of main my inspirations for becoming an Energy Bladesman. That’s…so ironic.”

“Indeed. Despite the conflicting opinions however, most Salvagers, Mannihilators and Qurrentines worship Ariel. In addition, The Mannihilators are also well-known for discovering Omega Energies and the formation of the Ohmni Knights.”

“Um…yeah…they are everything that Vader said. Iblisan and Dark Viper have been trying to eliminate the Mannihilators since their Ohmni Knights are a huge threat to them. We could try to get their help, but they are known to be hostile to Salvagers and Qurrentines.”

“We don’t have much of a choice. Let us go to their planet for help.”

“Very well Jaden. I just hope I don’t regret this and that this rebellion we are forming won’t be a waste of time. Before we set off however, I want to get some rest.”

“Yeah. Me too. I’ll be in one of the cabins if you wish to find me.”

“I’ll always be here. This cockpit feels rather comfortable.”

“Reed could go and find a place to rest. I am capable of…”

“Oh no. You may be our friend now, but I am not ready to trust your metal ass with piloting this ship.”

“Very well then. I shall be at the briefing room if you need me.”

Jaden smiled despite the seeming hostility that Reed was showing to Vader. She was glad to see that happiness and fun can still exist even within the darkness of a Fallen Angel’s tyranny. She turned and left the cockpit, entering the briefing room which connects to the rest of the rooms. Reading through the signs, she found the cabin rooms and decided to take one for herself.

Unlike the comfortable home that she was used to, the cabin was enclosed and dark. Even with a pair of windows and the stars outside, it did little to illuminate the room. A foldable bed was connected to the wall along with a shelf and a hanger on the opposite side. Looking at the room reminded her of her brothers, whom she sometimes shared her bed with when theirs were being cleaned up. She missed their company, but she steeled her mind as she knew that they are gone. The room was at least a welcoming sight after a tiring journey off the planet.

Before she sleeps, she went to the centre of the room and sat down. The silence made it the perfect place for her to consult with her Magical Energies should she need to. With her eyes closed and her breathes slowed, she reentered her mind, hoping to learn more from her friendly Magical Energies.

Reed spins his seat around, hoping to occupy his time. He reflected on his reasons to assist Jaden and wondered if he will ever live to regret it. Still, her slender body, choice of clothing and silky black hair was enough to convince him that he should not let her die. He swore that she was the prettiest woman he had ever seen, although her blindfold ruined it all and he was still questioning whether or not she was truly blind. He remembered seeing her took off her blindfold and the brilliant blue glow that was released from her eyes blinded some of the cultists they fought. He thought that the glow was probably the actual reason why she wore the blindfold, though that will only mean that she was suffering from Magical Overflow. He decided not to dwell on the thought too much, only to recall that he’s all alone.

With Vader and Jaden out of the room, he could not help but feel abandoned and the boredom that comes with it makes him anxious to speak to either of them, even Vader. He stood up and trudged to the briefing room to see if Vader was there but strangely, he was not. “Lying metallic bastard. Still, how could a robot lie?” he asked himself. He then went to the cabin rooms to find Jaden.

He searched through each room and found Jaden sitting very silently in one of the rooms and facing away from him. She was breathing very slowly and her seeming obliviousness to Reed’s loud footsteps made him wonder what was going through her mind. He went inside and called her twice, though without any replies. As he looked around, he saw her blindfold on the floor next to her. Strangely, no light was seen erupting from her eyes to the wall in front of her. Feeling rather curious, he walked to her front to see her eyes but to his disappointment, her eyes were closed. It then struck him that she was meditating, an action typical with Energy users to calm themselves and to prevent Magical Overflow.

Just as he was about to walk away, Jaden’s eyes slowly opened, halting him in his tracks. He expected to see her glowing eyes again but as he remembered his previous encounters with other Energy Bladesman, he crouched in front of her, waiting in anticipation to see her real eyes without its glow since her emotions would be very calm in the meditation trance. When her eyes were revealed, Reed’s heart almost skipped a beat at the sight of her eyes.

Her iris was of a brilliant sky blue color, with a black outline and a black pupil in the centre. It was relatively large and it shined with the dim lightings from a star outside the window. Surrounding the iris was a pale white sclera and the dark makeup around her eyes, which was usually covered by her glow or her blindfold, only intensified her beauty. Reed’s body was barely moving and his mouth remained opened at such a gorgeous and rare sight. He tried, but failed to speak. He had no idea that a beautiful pair of eyes was hidden behind the blindfold and the glows.

Jaden blinked her eyes several times as she regained control over her physical body. As her sight began to recover, her glow returned and the intensifying light caused a blurry figure in front of her to recoil. Metallic thuds were heard along with groans which sounded similar to Reed’s voice. “Reed? Is that you?” she asked. Though she had no answer, her sight was back to normal and she could see Reed, lying on the floor while he rubbed his eyes.

Jaden snatched her blindfold and wore it, covering her eye glow. She stood up and reached out for Reed to help him up. “Are you alright? Did my glow hurt your eyes?” she asked as Reed struggled to stand up. He replied, “I’m…I’m fine.” “What are you doing in my room? I was meditating.” she asked. Reed answered, “I…was just seeing if you are…making yourselves at home. I guess I was in the wrong position at the wrong time.” “Yes you are. You almost lost your sight to my glow. Sorry about that though. I have no control over it.” she said.

“Don’t worry about it. I…um…am going back to the cockpit. I’ll be there if you…need me.” Reed said as he walked out of her room, albeit like a drunk. Jaden watched as he walked off and began to wonder, “Is it just me or is he stuttering over his words a lot? Must be my eye glow blinding him but still…what was he doing crouching in front of me and staring at me as I meditate? Strange man.”

“Wow. I have never seen any eyes like Jaden’s. It really sucks that it was glowing constantly, well unless she was meditating. Now I can’t help but think of her eyes. Not to mention that sexy body of hers. Suddenly, I feel very lucky.”

“Reed, why are you speaking to yourself? Is this normal human behavior?”

“Mind your own business Vader.”

“Very well.”

“Speaking of business, where were you? I thought you said you would be here in the briefing room.”

“Mind you own business Reed.”

“Hey!”

Traitor's Legacy: The Claughter Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A Break Out of Qurrentine

            Jaden opened her eyes and found herself inside a black realm with virtually nothing in sight. The ground that she was sitting on vanished; replaced by a black floor which blends with the surroundings. Strangely, the darkness resembled the alley where she meditated, especially since she could still feel the wind which was blowing pass her physical body. Not willing to waste too much time, she stood up and began to call out her two Magical Energies.

            “Light! Dark! You two still here?”

            Seconds later, two separate beams of light, blue and red, burst from the black ground a few feet in front of Jaden. Despite appearing fiery, Jaden barely felt any amount of heat even though she was rather close to it. The beams eventually faded and a familiar pair of men, one who was blue while the other was red, stood where the beam was. “You called human?” the blue man asked. “What brings you back here?”

            “I merely want a question answered. Did I use my Energies recently?” Jaden asked. Suddenly, a huge screen, showing what appears to be a holographic image, appeared next to Jaden, startling her with its noise. It showed a part of Jaden’s fight with Dark Viper in which she unleashed a few unknown spells on him before he was knocked unconscious. It then struck her that that screen was her memories, since she was in her own mind after all. “Hmm yes I do remember you fighting that powerful human.” the red man commented as he and the blue man watched.

            The screen vanished and the duo turned their attention back to Jaden. “We happened to be responsible for that.” the blue man added. Jaden, somewhat surprised to hear their words, asked, “But why? Wasn’t I supposed to learn how to cast spells, instead of my powers casting on their own?”

“We learn through your memories that your Master was slain in battle. You saw that screen? That’s how we knew.” the red man explained. The blue man then said, “By right, your Master was supposed to teach you how to cast spells using our Energies.” “But since she was slain, we went out of our ways to assist you.”

“Assist me?” Jaden asked with awe. “Well, we did swear allegiance to you. Why are you surprised?” the blue man asked. “I don’t want to sound so distrustful but, my Master told me that Magical Energies should be forced into usage. She then added that Magical Energies will never assist us willingly. But, why you two?” “To be honest, we don’t really know why?” the red man answered. “We have this…compulsion to help you out even though Iblisan’s voices told us not to.” the blue man added.

“See, we Magical Energies are a product created by the Angel of Harmony Iblisan Alkaidus. Whatever he wants us to do, we oblige for he is our god. If he wants us to overcome the will of the humans who possess us, we will do it at the opportunistic moment. His voice is like a hypnotic signal, ordering us around, but we came to realize that we can do whatever we want despite his voices. We…just can’t go and overcome your will even though we had many opportunities to do it during your fight with that other human. Instead, we felt the need to help you out, though we don’t really know why. It makes me wonder how things will be different if we killed you on your Proving.” the blue man explained.

Jaden listened as the blue man explained, somewhat amazed at how his explanation of Magical Energies has a slight difference from Kiyara’s. However, what truly astounded her was him referring to Iblisan, the Fallen Angel who enslaved the Salvagers, as the “Angel of Harmony”. The last she heard, he was the Angel of Temptations.

“Does that mean that we have freewill?” the red man asked his counterpart. The blue man shrugged and replied, “I really don’t know. All I know is that our will is cut off from Iblisan’s voices. Though we hear him, our actions are our own, not his. I’m sorry human but we can’t explain ourselves.”

“Well, I guess I should thank you two for the assistance. But, now that my Master is dead, I can’t learn how to cast spells. I intend on leaving Qurrentine and I have no idea what dangers lurk on other planets.” Jaden said. “We’ll teach you.” the blue man told her. “You would?” Jaden asked with surprise and slight joy. “Yes and once again, I don’t know why I even considered teaching you despite Iblisan’s voices. I guess Dark Energy here was right.”

“We do have freewill.”

*     *     *

            The ship dock workers fled from their workplace, chased out of it by the Cult of Iblisan. Members of the cult, armed with rifles, patrolled the area with Iblisan’s dreaded insignias on their leather uniforms. Fearful citizens watched as they pondered on why Iblisan’s followers were guarding the docks even though Dark Viper had already left with his ship. In fact, his ship did not dock there; rather it landed on the outskirts.

            Jaden observed the patrols while hidden behind a nearby building. Through the teachings that her Energies gave her, she listened to their thoughts, hoping to hear their intentions. She went from one mind after another and eventually heard from a disgruntled guard’s mind his orders, “That lazy Angel can sometimes really piss me off. Guard the docks and kill the Energy Bladesman he said. Do I look like some assassin to him? If I never made the vow to follow all his orders, I would have shot him by now.”

            “Iblisan himself wants me dead? Humph, must be Viper’s doing. I guess I intimidated Viper enough for him to see me as a huge threat.” Jaden spoke to herself.

            “What could you have done to tick Dark Viper off?”

            Jaden jumped with shock upon hearing that voice so close to her ear. She gripped her chest as she felt her heart beating swiftly. She turned to see a young man smiling at her with both his hands at his back. “Whoa, sorry to startle you my lady.” he apologized. “I wouldn’t have been startled if you didn’t sneak up on me like that. Who are you and what do you want?” Jaden asked while struggling to speak through her heavy breathes.

            “My, what a cute Qurrentine accent you have there. Too bad you’re blind.”

            “I’m not blind!”

            “Then what’s with the blindfold, and the way you’re holding that sword? It is almost like you’re treating it like a walking stick.”

            “I am an expert in the Reverse Grip fighting style and my blindfold, it’s…it’s…you know what, I don’t have the time to explain! I need to get out of this planet and the last thing I need is to be annoyed by some stranger.”

            “Ah so you’re planning to get out of here too? You know, I happen to not like living here so, perhaps we could work something out? You and me could work together to get past those guards.”

            “And how are we supposed to do that? You sneak up on every guard and scare them to death?”

            “No, not really. I happen to be good at shooting so if you could provide me a rifle, I could fight alongside you. And, I know how to fly a ship. So, what do you say? We work together?” The stranger let out his hand, offering to shake his hand with hers.

            Jaden sighed as she thought about his proposition. The foreign stranger was clearly not as serious as he should be considering their current situation. His convenient appearance also made her suspicious of him. Still, she realized that she could not escape alone, especially since she did not know how to fly a ship. Thinking that she had no choice, she gripped his hand and said, “Well I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

            “I am so glad to see that this war is bringing people together.” the stranger said with obvious sarcasm. “I’m Reed Robinson. Just call me Reed if you want. I am Salvager-born and glad to meet a Qurrentine woman, even a blind one.” “I’m not blind!” Jaden bellowed. “Alright alright I get it. I’m sorry. Do you have a name?” Jaden sighed and replied, “Jaden Highland. Qurrentine Energy Bladesman.” “Ah an Energy Bladesman. You’re much powerful than you look I guess. So, Jaden, I’m sure fetching a rifle from a nearby guard isn’t too tough for you.”

            The outskirts of the docks were seemingly clear of life. Its silence resembled graveyards and the whistling of the wind sent chills up a lonely patrol who was unlucky enough to be ordered to guard that area. He walked down the street and further away from his superiors, looking out for the Energy Bladesman they were ordered to kill. He walked past a dark alley and still found no one. Suddenly, he felt a stinging pain coming from behind him before it came from his stomach. He looked down to see the bloody sharp end of a blue glowing katana pierced through his abdomen.

            Jaden pulled back her sword off him and the patrol fell to the ground, dead. She looted his rifle and Reed, overjoyed to finally have a weapon, ran to her side from the alley and took the rifle from Jaden. “Finally I have a weapon. For months I have been hiding. Now it is time to take the fight to them.” “You have been hiding from Iblisan’s men? What for?” Jaden asked. Reed appeared surprised for a moment and stuttered on his words before becoming calm and explained, “I happened to be a wanted man, for the smallest and the righteous of all crimes. Don’t worry. I won’t murder you. I don’t murder nice young ladies. Now let us get out of this planet.”

            As Reed marched to the docks, Jaden’s suspicion of him grew. She knew he was hiding something but considering their situation, she refused to read his mind of it. She followed him and hoped that they could get out of the planet alive.

            As they walked towards the docks, Reed saw a pair of guards, conversing with each other while guarding one of the entrances to the docks. Jaden, lighting her sword with a blue glow, was about to charge at them before Reed stopped. “Wait, let me have some fun with these guys.” he told her. He walked towards the guards while Jaden reluctantly followed.

            “Halt! Who goes there?” the guard asked upon hearing Reed’s footsteps. “Hi there fellows. Bright day isn’t it? I’ve been wondering if you two have the map to a place called heaven.” Jaden nudged Reed and asked, “Reed, what the hell are you doing?” “It’s the Energy Bladesman! Open fire!” Before the guards could shoot however, Reed blasted holes into their heads. He looked down, smiled and taunted, “Well never mind. You can thank me for sending you there later.”

            Jaden sighed at the seeming lack of maturity in the young man. Suddenly, she saw guards running out of a corner from a distant building. They fired at her and Reed, prompting them to take cover behind a metal support. “These must be the welcoming committee. Perhaps we should give back the welcome.” Reed said before leaning out and firing at them, killing two of the guards. They then focused fire on Reed, forcing him back into cover and Jaden take advantage of the opportunity. She jumped out of her cover, light her sword with a blue glow, and sprinted at the group.

            Several guards saw her and shot at her. However, thanks to a spell she learned, her movements were as fast as the wind and her reaction was swift enough to deflect some of the bullets away. Using her Energies, she jumped high up in the air, landing right in the middle of the group. Swinging her Energy-infused blade about, she cut through their bodies and even some of the guard’s armor. Eventually, she fell most of the guards with her physical body intact.

            “Wow, you must’ve been training to fight for years. You’re pretty good.” Reed said as he ran to Jaden’s side. “Thanks, though I’m still an amateur in using spells as you can see.” “As long as you know how to fight, everything will be fine I suppose. Come; let us find a ship before more of the patrols arrive.”

            Reed and Jaden entered the docks and saw a long line of parked ships, most of which were military transport ships. They eventually discovered why the docks has so many military transport ships as a large battalion of cultist soldiers were also inside, falling in line. Upon seeing the duo, they raised their rifles and aimed at them. With all their rifles pointed at the duo, Jaden knew that her chances of survival are low if she tried to fight back. Silently, she cursed, “Damn it.” “Well, one hell of a welcoming committee this is.” Reed said with seeming bravery. “Hey stop talking! Drop your weapons and put your hands behind your head.” one of the soldiers ordered. Having no choice, the duo complied.

            As two of the soldiers moved in to bind them, Jaden saw a ship docking on one of the empty docking slot. Though it was another military transport ship, it was rather distinct in that it was crimson in color. The docking ship caught some of the soldier’s attention and for reasons unknown to her; they seemed rather suspicious of the ship’s arrival. One of the soldiers was ordered to check if the ship was truly one of the cults.

As a soldier was binding Jaden’s wrists, the ship finally docked and gunfire was heard. Every soldier turned to the gunfire and Jaden, using the distraction, pushed away her binds, grabbed her sword, enlightened it with a red glow, and slashed the soldier behind her. She then killed the soldier binding Reed and he quickly picked up his rifle. Their death screams caused the soldiers to turn their attention back at them and the duo quickly ran behind nearby crates while the soldiers opened fire on them.

Suddenly, Jaden heard some of the soldiers shouting in seeming pain and the gunfire directed at them lessened, almost as if someone was killing them and some of the soldiers were shooting at that someone. As more soldiers were killed, the battalion was forced to direct all fire on their assailant and the duo took advantage of it. Reed threw an active grenade he looted at the battalion. The group dispersed but the explosion killed a large number of the soldiers while injuring a few others. Reed then opened fire on the surviving soldiers while Jaden ran in and killed several patrols reinforcing the battalion.

As she was fighting, she heard a soldier shouting in pain behind her and saw that the soldier, who was trying to ambush her with his rifle, was shot by someone. She assumed it was Reed but he happened to be busy shooting at other soldiers. As she looked around, she saw her savior near the crimson transport ship and was amazed to see that it was not a human, or anything she had seen before. She was astounded enough to ignore her surroundings, which was a battlefield.

A humanoid figure, crouched and armed with a distinct rifle, stared at Jaden and was not trying to shoot her at all. Eventually, the figure stood up with both its arm on its side, allowing her to see figure’s full features. The figure was clad in metal, resembling most machines Jaden had seen in her life. It had four metallic figures and a rather large build. Large wires were seen all over its body and under its metallic skin. Its feet only had two long toes and were also metal. Its head, which is not circular like humans, was long and cocoon-like in terms of shape. It was bent forward, almost as if it was the being’s neck, and its face was at the tip of the cocoon shape. Its face had nothing but a pair of flashlights as seeming eyes. Many of its other features cannot be described further for her. No skins, hair or flesh was seen and clearly, this thing is not a living thing.

“Jaden Highland. I have arrived. You are safe for now.” the figure spoke with a masculine, monotonous and distorted voice. “You know my name?” Jaden asked. The figure nodded and replied, “I know a lot about you Jaden.” The gunfire eventually ceased as Reed killed the last soldier. He ran to Jaden’s side and said, “Jaden, where the hell were you? I had to fight most of the soldiers.” She replied, “Sorry but, that thing over there caught my attention.”

As Reed turned to look at the thing, he almost recoiled with surprised. His expression change to seeming fear and he told Jaden, “Oh crap. Out of all that we had to fight, why must it be a VX Synthetic?” “A VX…what?” Jaden asked. “A VX Synthetic. You’re Qurrentine and you don’t know of these robots? They are every Qurrentine’s favorite enemy. I’m guessing you never heard of their story.” Reed retorted. “I come here to get Jaden Highland and her allies off this planet.” the robot said. Reed, not willing to believe him, joked, “Yeah and my pants are on fire.” “Your pants are not on fire and I don’t lie.” the robot replied.

“Reed, I think he really wants to help us.” Jaden told him. “Yeah? What makes you believe him so quickly?” Reed asked. “He saved me from one of the soldiers. In fact, his arrival saved us both. I think he really means it.” Jaden answered. He began to see Jaden’s point but still felt suspicious over the robot’s convenient appearance. He told the VX Synthetic, “Hey, thanks for the help but I think I would rather fly out of here on one of these other ships.” “Human’s wish cannot be complied. Other human ships are rigged to self-destruct in a few minutes.” the robot replied. “What? There is no self-destruct button on…wait. Did you code them to self-destruct?” Reed asked.

“Yes.”

“But why?”

“Cult of Iblisan soldiers will pursuit. Without their ships, soldiers will be trapped here.”

“Great. Just what we need: Only one ship out of this shit hole.” Reed exclaimed. “Jaden Highland, I am not your enemy. Come with me if you wish to leave this planet.” the robot requested. Jaden nodded and told Reed, “Come on Reed, we don’t really have much of a choice.” However, he shook his head and replied, “I don’t trust robots and…” Reed was interrupted when gunfire was heard and a bullet flew past his head. More patrols had return and Reed quickly changed his mind. He and Jaden ran into the robot’s crimson ship while the robot covered them. It then retreated into its ship and locked the door behind it.

Reed rushed to the cockpit and began to swiftly press a large number of buttons. The ship began to power up and he gripped the joystick before pulling it backwards to reverse the ship. As the ship was far enough away from the docking slot, he turned the ship to the right to face it at open space. Suddenly, several soldiers shot at the ship, though its armor prevented any bullets from penetrating. However, any holes in the ship will prevent space travelling from being safe, thus Reed turned the ship’s engine to full-throttle and it accelerated forward. The force caused Jaden and the VX Synthetic to fall to the floor while Reed continued to maintain control of the ship.

Realizing that Reed was going to fly up into space, Jaden stood up and ran for the other cockpit seat to put on the seatbelt. The VX Synthetic simply held on to a nearby wall. Reed pulled the joystick and the ship went up through the skies and into space. Now that they are no longer in danger, Reed turned off the engines to have a nice, long sigh of relief.

“Finally out of that planet and into sweet old space.”

“Your men tried and failed Iblisan. I’m still alive and coming for Dark Viper.”

“Part one mission accomplished. Jaden Highland…is safe.”

Traitor's Legacy: The Claughter Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Unexpected

            Jaden opened her eyes, hoping the see the red sky that envelopes the planet. Darkness was all she saw and her body aches as she tried to lift her arms. Still, the lack of oxygen made her determined to push the large debris off her to save herself. With all the strength she could muster, she tossed it aside and struggled through the pain to sit up. Pains from cuts around her shoulders came, prompting her to groan softly.

            Jaden looked at her surroundings and saw nothing but the ruins of her former home. She watched around and eventually stopped when she saw Dementius’s fresh corpse right next to her. Extreme shock and fear struck her at the horrid sight and the memories of her nightmare, along with her Proving, flashed in her mind. She began looking around while panting in fear, trying to see if any of her other friends are alive. However, all she saw were more corpses and the horror caused her to hyperventilate.

            “Jaden…” a voice said coming from behind. Jaden turned around and saw the unpleasant sight of her mother, bloody and possessing multiple wounds around her. She crawled towards Jaden, trying to reach her daughter while leaving a blood trail behind. Worried, Jaden snatched her nearby sword, stood up and ran towards her.

            “Wait…stop! Stay back!” Glacier exclaimed. However, it went to deaf ears and Jaden continued running towards her mother. Suddenly, the ground in front of Jaden exploded, knocking her back while the sand flew up, concealing a dark figure within. Jaden, dropped to her back, shook her head and waited while the dust settled.

The figure was eventually revealed and Jaden could not help but remember the man to be the same person who attempted to kill her before. Jaden backtracked, fearful of the intimidating look on the man’s face. The whole time, she never knew of the man’s identity, until Glacier made the revelation.

“Jaden…get out of here! Dark Viper…he is…Dark Viper!”

Jaden gasped while her eyes widened. She muttered out his name as she attempted to stand up. Defying her mother’s words, she darted at Viper and attempted to slash him. Dark Viper raised his sword, parried the attack and made an Energy-infused kick to knock her away. Jaden crashed onto the ground and felt an excruciating amount of pain. She growled in pain while she made an attempt to stand up.

As she sat up, she saw Viper, his attention turned to her mother. With the blade pointed at Glacier, Viper raised his sword, taking his time to make the final thrust. Jaden’s heart almost skipped a beat as Viper’s katana rose but the pain she felt prevented her from standing up quickly. Before she could recover, a voice in her head halted her, sounding a lot like her mother’s voice.

“Jaden, get out of here. Stay safe…and I’m sorry. Goodbye.”

Jaden turned to Glacier and saw her, smiling at her despite the situation she was in. It then struck her that her mother used her locked Magical Energies to speak with her telepathically. Her bloodied head nodded while Jaden whispered, “No. Viper don’t.”

With full force, Viper brought his katana down and ended Glacier’s life with one thrust. Blood spurted out of the wound and Jaden’s heart almost froze at the sight. Memories of her mother began flashing in her mind, most of which were passionate and heartwarming. She recalled all the warmth that her mother had provided her despite her age and the love that she showed with her soft hugs. To see it all end with just one thrust of Viper’s sword was the breaking point in Jaden’s control over her emotions and with full rage; Jaden stood up and gave out a roar which echoed within the alleys.

Viper turned to Jaden, barely flinching at the sight of the angry Energy Bladesman. The blindfold that covered Jaden’s eyes began forming a tint of blue, coming from the intensifying glow behind it which was the perfect representation of the woman’s anger and amplified powers. Jaden thrusts a pointing finger at Viper and bellowed, “You’ll die for this Viper!”

“I dare you to try.” Viper replied with a scowl.

Jaden dashed at Viper, her katana held in Reverse Grip, with Viper holding his katana in a similar stance. She made multiple slashes, all of which were dodged by Viper. She performed a horizontal kick but Viper grabbed her ankle and made a straight kick to Jaden’s face, tossing her to the floor. Viper advanced towards her while she recovered. She made a single slice but Viper parried it and grabbed her neck with his free hand. While she began to suffocate, Jaden remembered how she countered his grasped previously. Before she could take off her blindfold however, Viper sent a wave of electrical Dark Energy surging through his hand to her neck, shocking her. Jaden screamed in pain while Viper maintained the spell. He eventually ceased the attack while Jaden’s body went limp. With sheer strength, he tossed her away, causing her to collide with a concrete building.

Once again, Jaden tried to stand up. However, her anger was long gone, replaced with the excruciating pain she was suffering from. She lacked the strength to stand up, though Viper refused to capitalize. He stood next to Jaden and knelt down. He then bent down, supported by a hand, and waited. This stance, infamously known as the Viper's Hunt, preceded the end of most of Viper’s preys in the past and though she could not see him, she knew that Viper was doing just that since he was close and not attacking. Then, she heard the words that she expected to hear from all the stories she heard of him.

“I dare you…to stand up!” he taunted.

Hearing his voice almost revitalized her hatred for him. She used her remaining strength to stand up, with Viper watching her closely and standing up with her. Cautious over Viper’s next move, she brought her katana forward, hoping to block his next attack. However, in the speed of light, Viper warped to her side and kicked her, sending her to the ground again.

She brought her head up to see Viper, approaching her slowly. Looking at how pristine he appeared and how she barely managed to hit him, Jaden’s anger was slowly overwhelmed by her grief. Realizing how invincible this man is, she began to give up her hopeless struggle and started to throw apologies to her family and friends in her mind. Her final apologies were to her mother, whom she failed to save, and to her father, whom she failed to avenge. She recovered to both her knees and used the precious seconds to reflect on her life.

Viper threw a single slash at her but she quickly parried it, not willing to give up her life without a fight. His strength began to overwhelm her and in a fit of grief, she roared, angry at how unfair reality was to her. She bent her head and closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheek. Silently, she sobbed.

Suddenly, a blue light illuminated the ground. She assumed that the light came from her eyes, only to remember that her eyes were covered by her blindfold. She looked up and was blinded by a bright blue light emitting from her katana. Viper himself was blinded, weakening his hold over his katana. Trying to capitalize, Jaden shoved his katana away and kicked his chest. Viper backed off while rubbing his eyes, seemingly shocked by the blue light. Jaden turned to her sword and was amazed to see it glowing, similar to Kiyara and Viper’s, though his was red. She observed it, briefly distracted while Viper recovered.

Hearing Viper’s roar, Jaden turned around in time to block his attack. She struggled against his strength but before she could do anything, her hand began to glow and a beam of blue Energy erupted from it, knocking Viper away. After recovering, Viper simply glared at Jaden with awe and asked, “So much power. I thought she is just a student?” Jaden watched as her hand continued to glow blue. Suddenly, it struck her. Just as Kiyara once mentioned, peculiar events happens after her Proving, and that was one of it.

Viper began charging his left hand with Dark Energy, surging it while the dust around him were blown away. Jaden turned to her hand and was surprised to see it now surging with a similar Energy. Just as Viper released the Energy towards her, Jaden copied his gestures and sent her own Dark Energy towards him. The two electrical Energies collided and upon recalling the memories of her mother’s death, she amplified her powers through her anger. Her Dark Energies overwhelmed Viper’s and won the struggle, electrocuting him and sending him off the ground. He landed on his back and went completely limp.

Awed at such a sight, Jaden stared at her hand, which was no longer glowing. “How did I do that?” she asked herself. Instead of thinking hard on it, she turned her attention to Viper, who was unconscious not far from her. Stamping towards him with her sword in hand, she intend on ending his life like he did with her mother. Anger quickly overwhelmed her and her eyes began to glow brighter.

With the murderer’s life in her hands, Jaden raised her sword with the blade pointed at him. Her anger elevated along with her sword and she brought it down to the ground, her eyes closed, expecting to hear Viper’s scream. She also expected to hear the sound of her sword cutting flesh along with blood splattering all over her, but all she heard was a thud along with frantic footsteps.

She opened her eyes and saw her sword pierced into the ground, Viper’s body missing. She looked around for him but all that met her was the cold wind. As she pants in exhaustion, her anger was filtered out and she regained control over her emotions. She could barely believe that she survived an encounter with Viper, but expected that to be only the first. She then sat on the ground, the horrid memory of what Viper did still fresh in her mind. At the same time, she felt a sense of guilt in letting him escape.

Jaden pulled her sword off the ground and trudged to where her mother laid. She knelt down and laid Glacier’s bloody head on her hands. Jaden stared at her, much of her focus on the peculiar smile that Glacier left behind. Tears welled up in her eyes and she silently sobbed for all her losses.

“I will miss you mom. You’ve been through enough suffering in your life and you do not deserve this. I wish I could prepare a proper funeral for you, but I’m afraid I don’t know how. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. Don’t worry. I shall avenge you, Markus, Lucas, Dementius, Kiyara, everyone, like I promised for dad. If I fail, I am glad…to die trying.”

She brought her deceased mother close and hugged her. Greatly saddened by the situation, she was reluctant to let her go after losing her so suddenly, but as she puts her mind into reality; she realized that it is too dangerous for her to stay there alone. She gently laid her head onto the ground, picked up her katana and sprinted away from the area, hesitant but also anxious to leave behind her memories and destroyed former life.

“Viper…I am coming for you.”