Chapter 15: A Great Accomplishment
Firing his ranged weapons at Jaden, Maniark tried to take down the Energy Bladesman swiftly but even with a large number of projectiles flying at her, Jaden managed to dodge and deflect all of it unscathed. Vader, Reed and Jaina continued their usual rounds of fire on Maniark, which did little to damage him. Swinging his multiple melee weapons around upon ending his shooting, Maniark forced Jaden into defensive actions, effectively preventing her from attacking. Knowing humans, he knew that Jaden would eventually tire out.
Understanding Kle’to Maniark’s plan well enough, Vader began to take a different course of action. Charging his left hand with an unknown type of energy, he surged his rifle with a massive amount of power, causing it to glow brilliantly white while electrical sparks occasionally flew out. This awed Reed, who never saw something like that before, while Jaina simply stared at Vader.
Vader then took aim, taking his time to get a clear shot. With a pull of the trigger, a massive, superheated slug flew out of his rifle while the large recoil sent Vader stumbling backwards. The slug hit Maniark’s back, exploding loudly with a force strong enough to push him to the ground. Jaden dodged away, barely saving herself from being crushed by the massive demon. With his huge mass, Maniark took a while to recover and Jaden capitalized, shocking him several times with Dark Lightning.
“What the hell was that?” Reed asked.
“Upgrade.” Vader replied.
“Oh? Now I’ve seen everything.”
When Maniark was standing at full height, he swung a rifle-sword hybrid from one of his extra arms at Jaden. She evaded it on time and proceeded to slash the exposed arm, creating a small wound which prompted him to pull it back.
“Ow! That stings!”
“Want some more? I can give you.”
“Now you’ve left me with no choice!”
In a single flash of light, Maniark dismissed all of his weapons to an unknown place. With all of his hands clasped together, a black, electrical energy surge began to form within. Opening his hands slowly, a spherical energy ball was revealed and Jaden and her party watched, unsure on how to react. The energy sphere expanded gradually, eventually reaching a size comparable with him.
“Now, you shall face…The Greatest Attack...Ever!”
Suddenly, a loud alarmed sounded, briefly distracting Maniark. Capitalizing, Jaden slashed him but barely damaged him. Angered by the attack, he unleashed the spell. A large beam of black energy surged from the sphere, incinerating the wall in its path. Jaden was caught in the beam and seemingly incinerated along with anything else in its path. Reed gasped and shouted out her name while Jaina assumed the worse. As he channeled the spell, he cackled maniacally and the sight sickens Jaina within.
Driven by her anger at the thief who caused so much trouble to her people and incinerated a helpful visitor, Jaina dashed at Maniark while pelting him with bullets. Maniark was barely harmed by the bullets but he occasionally looked back, trying to resist being distracted. Once at close range, she began throwing in melee hits at Maniark with her rifle, which stumbled him enough to force him to cease channeling the spell. He turned to Jaina, grabbed her by neck and lifted her up. She struggled while being suffocated by his grasp. Maniark stared at her and taunted, “Foolish human. You think you are that tough?”
Clenching and pulling back one of his fist, he was prepared to punch her.
“Your helmet won’t save you from this. Bacon punch!”
With a swift jab, Maniark punched her in her helmet, sending her flying and landing next to Reed. The punch seemingly rendered her unconscious, though Reed found it hard to tell because of her helmet.
Maniark giggled for a while but then realized that the alarm was still sounding.
“Stupid Anti-Magic defense system. Nothing can stop the Maniark!”
He then turned his attention to grabbing the weapon he had craved, the Sword of Mercy. However, instead of seeing a corpse, he saw Jaden, crouched with her katana held forward. She was still breathing, still alive and virtually unscathed, though smokes still emitted from her body. Shocked to see that she survived his most powerful attack, he grabbed her head and lifted her up in the air. Her weakened hands dropped her katana and her body was barely moving. He briefly stared at Jaden, who was limp, before tossing her to a shelf filled with other alien katana. Upon impact, the shelf collapsed, littering the floor with the alien katana. The Sword of Mercy was caught in the mess and this displeased him. Maniark shrieked and exclaimed, “Like finding a needle in a haystack! Which sword is the Sword of Mercy?”
With the alarm still sounding and the security robots still coming, along with the shots made by Reed and Vader, Maniark’s heart pounded swiftly, pressurized by his situation. Willing to take any chances, so long as he won’t have to return to the cache, he snatched a katana at random and vanished into a portal he summoned. The portal closes, the alarm ceased and Kle’to Maniark was no longer seen.
Pushing a fallen shelf off her, Jaden slowly recovered with aches all over body. Vader rushed in to give her a hand while Reed shook Jaina’s limp body, seeing if she was alright. When Jaden was back on her feet, she spotted her katana, or Sword of Mercy, lying amongst other alien katana.
“He didn’t take my sword? He couldn’t tell the difference between a normal katana and an alien katana? Ha! And I thought Reed was an idiot.”
Jaden picked up her katana and sheathed it before realizing that Jaina was down. Limping her way to Jaina’s fallen body, she knelt down and tried to remove her cracked helmet.
“Jaden, what are you doing?”
“This is the perfect time to test a new spell I learned. Now, how do you take out this helmet?”
“Allow me.”
Vader reached out for a button at the back of the helmet, releasing it and allowing for the helmet’s removal. Jaden rested Jaina’s head on her hand, removed the helmet and was briefly stunned by the revelation of Jaina’s appearance.
Jaina was pale skinned with a sharp nose, thin lips and a heart shaped head. Her eyes were closed; hence her eye color remains a mystery. However, her most notable trait was her hair. As white as the very snow that surrounded Machina Bunker, Jaina’s hair color appeared unnatural but surprisingly beautiful to both Reed and Jaden. Matching her hair color, her thin eyebrows were barely visible due to the lightings. Straight and silky, her hair flowed down her forehead and Jaden’s hand. Trails of blood flowed from her nose and from cuts on her forehead, most likely caused by the cracks on her helmet.
Trying to take her focus off Jaina’s appearance, Jaden charged her free hand with wind-like Energies, which was blue in color, indicating that she was casting a Light spell. The Energies glowed, intensifying as Jaden continued charging it. She then released the Energies on Jaina and it evenly spread itself around her body. Moments later, the blood trails all over Jaina vanished, almost as if it evaporated, leaving stains. The bleeding ceased and from what he was seeing, Reed assumed that Jaden learned a healing spell. Regardless, he knew well enough that healing spells cannot awaken a person from their unconscious state. Hence, he made a suggestion.
“Even if you heal her, she won’t awaken. I suggest we bring her to a medic or something, so that she could receive a proper treatment in case the spell doesn’t fully recover her body.”
“Speaking from experience aren’t you?”
“Well, in case you have amnesia, I was a Magic user. I know that healing spells cannot heal everything. There’s bound to be a few wounds, injuries and diseases it can’t heal and it certainly won’t awake someone from an unconscious state. Not to mention the fact that armor can block healing spells and Jaina’s wearing full body armor. Besides, a medic knows better and they usually can spot something which the healing spell was unable to heal.”
“Alright then. We better hurry though. We won’t know if Jaina will ever recover from this.”
* * *
“Security cameras showed that you, your friend, your VX Synthetic and Captain Loruit fought with the thief, whom you said was a shifter demon. I’m not sure how he managed to evade the Energy sensors for so long. It’s only until he began casting did the sensors managed to pick it up.”
“Captain Loruit was injured in the fight Mistress Sierra.”
“Yes I know Jaden. The medic came to me and told me of her injuries. She had a few burns and a few cuts. That spell of yours apparently missed a few of her wounds.”
“She was wearing full armor. Only her head was healed.”
“Yes, your friend here is right.”
“I do my best. And please, start calling me Reed.”
“We Mannihilators may be anti-Magic but we do learn of how spells work. Knowledge is power.”
“Well, is the Captain alright then?”
“Yes she is. I have to ask: Did you happen to take a good look at Jaina’s appearance?”
“We took off her helmet so of course we did.”
“I…see.”
“Is there something about her appearance that we should know?”
“You can say that her appearance have a particular…meaning. I do not wish to indulge you with the details so ask her yourself. Otherwise, thank you for helping us deal with the bounty.”
“The demon’s not dead though. He just vanished. He may return.”
“It won’t matter. The footage we got from your fight with the demon will ensure that we’re better prepared for it. After all, I’m getting the feeling that it won’t be coming back. We shall arrange for your payment…”
“Please, I’m only helping. There’s no need for a reward. Besides, I don’t have that much need for credits or currency.”
“I do!”
“Shut up Reed.”
“I need them more than Jaden!”
“I see. Hmm, I may have judged you too harshly young Magic user. You’ve proven yourself to be much more helpful than I may have thought. I always thought of you as a burden and Gavin’s mistake. I guess it is only right that we return the favor.”
“Return the favor?”
“I, Mistress Sierra, pledge my Snow Mannihilators…to your cause.”
“What? But…you said that you can’t help us because of trade problems.”
“With that thief gone, we have fewer problems and don’t worry. In time, the aliens will find a way to get past the blizzard. They always have a knack for solving problems such as this. They cannot best nature, but they have done the impossible, like bringing back the dinosaurs. Going through a blizzard should be a breeze. We owe you a debt so; you have us backing up your rebellion.”
Jaden felt a sense of joy within her. She wished to express it but the news came in such a shocking and unexpected way, she could only managed a smile. Reed noticed the smile, nudged her and said, “Way to go hotshot.” Eventually, Jaden ceased her smile, bowed down and said, “Thank you so much. This rebellion will change everyone’s lives. I promise you that.” Placing a hand on Jaden’s head, which was a Mannihilator sign of respect and approval, Sierra replied, “I believe you. You have my word, Jaden Highland.”
“Now would be the best time to let Gavin and my people know of our alliance. I’m sure they will agree, for some of us harbored hatred for Iblisan. In the meantime, take a rest. You’ve earned it.
* * *
Neither hungry nor tired, Jaden wandered the Machina Bunker, unable to think of anything to do before setting off to another planet. She wandered from the hallways to the hangar where the Crimson Spinner was kept. Inside, she saw Gavin, tending to the supplies still while Vader was having a seeming “pleasant” conversation with Reed. When Gavin noticed her, he ceased his work and approached her.
“Jaden, Sierra told me of what you did. I can’t believe you went out looking for the bounty without me. I heard that the bounty almost killed you.”
“Sorry. You seemed pretty busy so I didn’t want to disturb. Vader’s upgrades really helped.”
“Yes I noticed that he can superheat his rifle slugs, a common upgrade amongst the Snow Mannihilator robots. Regardless, you should’ve told me that you wanted to hunt down the bounty. Strength in numbers and coordination.”
“Alright, I will avoid making a mistake like that.”
“Well, at least you gained the Snow Mannihilator’s support and that is no small feat. Your rebellion’s going well it seems. I got to ask though: Who or what is the bounty?”
“A shaper demon, according to Vader.”
“Does it have a human master?”
“None that I am aware of. It is behaving independently. It is unlike the demons of Ariel’s time.”
“Hmm, all the demons Ariel encountered were thralls of Iblisan’s Warlocks. That would explain why it can survive the harsh cold. Demons are magical humanoids and they can do many things a mere human can’t.”
“Kle’to Maniark was his name. He was going after a sword called The Sword of Mercy. Apparently, he wants my katana.”
“Sword of Mercy? Your katana? If I remember, the Sword of Mercy was Dark Viper’s katana. Seems like he was chasing the wrong sword that whole time.”
“He failed too. He snatched one of the alien katana by accident.”
“Good. Nothing hurts more than to lose your weapon, especially to someone else. Still, an independent demon speaks much of his powers.”
“How are the supplies going by the way?”
“Pretty good. We have sufficient food, water and equipment. Oh, did Sierra tell you of our newest crew member?”
“Um, no. Who is it?”
“Go inside the Crimson Spinner and find her. She’s fixing the air conditioning, which has been malfunctioning recently.”
Nodding in agreement, Jaden walked past him and into the Crimson Spinner. Following several thumping sounds she heard when inside, she was lead to where the new crew member was. It turned out that she already fixed the air conditioning and moved on to repairing the ship’s faulty intrusion alarm. When Jaden accidentally tripped over a wrench, the noise startled the crew member but also revealed her identity amidst the darkness.
“Jaden? What are you doing here?”
“Jaina? Jaina Loruit?”
“Yup it’s me.”
Unlike the last time Jaden saw her face, her eyes were wide open and even amidst the darkness, she can see it well enough. Her iris were snow white, similar to her long hair. She was initially amazed at the eye color but decided not to ask about it.
“Why are you working in the dark?”
“Oh, I don’t really need the light. I can work in the dark and besides, it saves energy. I’m no amateur in fixing things.”
“So I see. You’re our new crew member?”
“Yup. Captain Loruit, at your service. Although, my rank won’t mean much now. Just call me Jaina.”
“Your recovery is pretty swift.”
“It is strange really. The medic told me that I was not as beaten up as it seemed. It is almost as if I was mostly healed before I was brought to the medic.”
“Oh, um, I did that. I healed you with my Magical Energies.”
“I see. Thanks anyway. I would probably still be unconscious if you never did that. Hmm, makes me wonder if we Mannihilators are right to abandon Magic. Still, cuts and burns around my body were not completely healed and still recovering.”
“Why would you want to join us?”
“Well, Mistress Sierra told me that you and your crew were leaving pretty soon. I spent my whole life growing up in here and while I love my home, I am always curious of the outside world. I suggested to Mistress Sierra that I should join you guys and she agreed, saying that I could represent the alliance between the Snow Mannihilators and the Liberator Alliance.”
“Liberator Alliance? Oh wait, don’t tell me. The name Gavin gave to our rebellion?”
“Probably so. Besides, I’ve been eyeing your ship for a while. It is pretty stable and capable for surviving for a few years but I hate to think that it will wreck in the middle of space. This damned thing is old! Where’d you get it?”
“It was Vader’s ship. We’ve been using it ever since we met.”
“That would explain why the ship’s all beaten up. Robots aren’t always good with machines, even the sentient ones.”
“Sentient? Vader’s sentient.”
“Oh you didn’t know?”
“Sorry. No.”
“Why didn’t he tell you? Hmm, I’ll tell you about it later when Vader probably can’t hear us. His receiver is pretty strong. Right now, I’m fixing up your ship’s alarm. Can’t be having thieves walking in when we’re not looking.”
“Heh, let me just say that I think you’ll be a valuable addition to the crew. No one in this ship has been good with machines, especially Reed. Your technical expertise would help.”
“It’s my pleasure. After all, we fought side by side against that crazy demon. I may not be good in a fight but I’ll keep the ship and our equipments in tiptop condition. Of course, I will fight if you wish me to. I’m not helpless.”
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