Across the threshold: and into the fire 05

"Voidmond," Omnidec asked, staring the fake garuda down "is that kid G-Zero?" Reluctantly Voidmond answered, "Yes, but he's not the monster you that you suspected him to be." Looking back and forth from Wira to Voidmond, Twin Drake asked, "That- that's G-Zero!? The terror of our race!?" "Look, he's not a monster." Voidmond argued, "Right now he's just as old as Flip, he just doesn't know better!" "Oh really?" Omnidec pondered, "Then why does he have a Jewel for a babysitter?" "Look, just let me talk with the guy so we can all get out of here alive, alright?" "Yeeahhhhh," Omnidec said clearly not convinced, "but what if he comes back and drops another ship on us?" "IS YOUR POSATRONIC BRAIN FRIED!?" Voidmond exclaimed, "FOR GOD'S SAKE HE'S STILL A KID!" "That kid's the reason why I'm a knight in the first place." Omnidec snapped back "Heck! He's the reason why we're all here in the first place!" Hearing this, Voidmond immediately fell silent. "Looks like I made my point." Omnidec said, as he began to walk away, "Look, you do what you want but if that kid tried to kill us again, he's a going down! Come on guys!" As Omnidec, Twin Drake and Rick ran to aide the trio below, Voidmond stood for a moment before shaking his head and said, to himself, "Hold yourself together Void, just talk to him and hand him an envelope." Soon he began to walk towards the two Jewels creating a envelope from a burst of blue light, "For the this world's future."

Dodging the massive sword swings, Flaron moved around Kaitres as Tameron and Kaiser tried to corral the confused creature, only managing to just annoy the creature. Kuriuno, seeing the distracted figures, readied another arrow when a bolt smashed in the ground in front of her. "Don't move!" Katie exclaimed as she moved towards the deer woman, "You're not getting that thing!" Kaitres, hearing the sound, turned to her sister, allowing Flaron to get away as Matt ran to her side. "You alright?" he asked, much to Flaron's confusion. "Yeah," the homunculus answered clearly confused, "I'm fine? What's going on?" "I think there's a truce going on," Matt answered "at least until we get that thing taken care of." "Truce?" Flaron said, "Alright, then can you take care of that fire lady." "You got it!" Matt answered before he ran towards Kaitres. "Wait!" Flaron called out causing the ursan to stop, "She can asorb fire through her sword." "Got it!" Matt responded as he gave a thumbs up, "Good luck!" As Matt ran to confront Kaitres, Flaron turned to her comrades and pulled out the requiem chip she uses to make quick escapes. "Alright, if fire can't harm it," She pondered, "then poison can subdue it."

"Hey, Flip," Bulker called peeking in the door way of the pod room, "you in here buddy?" "Go away!" Flip called out, "Leave me alone." "He's in there." Bulker said to Chromedraco. "Clearly" Chromdraco said brushing past the Numian, "Flip it's me, Chromy. Is something wrong?" "NO!" Flip called out, "I DON'T WANT TO SEE THE BAD PEOPLE!" "Bad people?" Chromdraco asked, "What happened?"After a few minutes, Flip answered, "Tameron said that the Red Dragon people had done some bad things like killing people and attacking refugees!" "Attacking ref..." Chromdraco asked before he said, "Hold on! When did he tell you this?" "When those armored guys came through the big hole in the ship!" "Those little-!" Chromdraco muttered before Bulker "Well to be fair, the Red Dragon army did not have the best of history in relation to this planet. Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of the Red Dragon army myself." Quickly Chromdraco gave him a look that told him to shut up. "What!?" Bulker exclaimed, "You think that I would join them willingly? You guys aren't the only ones who were roped in against your will. The High commanders are nothing more than group of insane lunatics who just want to reignite some old war so I think the kid's justified!" Suddenly, the pod containing Tavo beeped causing Bulker to run to the pod. "Oh man I forgot!" Bulker muttered "Tavo's recovered!" Emerging from behind a pod, Flip watched Bulker typed on the keypad with a serious look on his face. Seeing the homunculus, Chromdraco ran to his side before noticing the pod that Flip was hiding behind. "You were with Tarrot?" Chromdraco asked causing the young homunculus to turn to him. "Yeah." Flipp answered with a nod. "He's going to be alright," Chromdraco assured, "he's just tired." "I know," Flip responded, "but this is the only place I can go." Hearing this, Bulker said, "You're attached to him are you?" "Yeah, he's my big bro." Flipp answered before asking, "Why do do you want to know." Looking back to the pannel, Bulker answered, " My friend Rick is like a twin brother to me. Ever since we were kids, we always stick together through thick and thin." Sduddenly his face change from reminiscence to realization. "Speaking of which," he said, "Where is he anyway?"  

"So guys?" Rick asked as he Omnidec and Twin Drake ran to their comrades, "What is that thing?" "Personally," Omnidec answered, "I really don't care at this point." Meanwhile Flaron, Tameron and Kasier move around the creature, trying to not get mauled, as the black carapace creature began to get agitated. Immediatley the three hid behind the "Kaiser," Flaron asked turning to the ceasarian,"back when that deer lady tired to kill me, a wall of sand stopped her right? Was that you?" "I don't know what happened back there but, " Kaiser answered after pulling the chip to the two homnculi, "but I'm a ceasarian, not one of you guys." "Look! just give me the chip, I have an idea" Flaron stated as the creature began to smash into rocks, "Tameron, what do you have?" "Aside from 'that' chip, all I were the tentacle chip from Flip and that weird chip from Omnidec." Tameron answered, "What do you have in mind?"

Rushing out from behind the rocks Tameron and Kaiser ran along the sides of the creature while Flaron got up from behind the rocks and held out her staff. The creature roared at the homunculus when suddenly the ground below exploded, sending it falling back. As it struggelded to get back up, sand tentacles sprouted from the ground and wrapped around it's limbs and pulled it on it's back, leaving it's red belly exposed. Pressing the button on his shield, Tameron held it out as the face opened up and a silo of missiles materialized within as Kaiser pressed the pump on his X-Injector twice causing a metalic voice to rang out "X-INJECT KILL!" as his D gun began to glow blue. Soon the two opened fire on the squirming form creating a massive explosion as the creature roared in pain trying to break the it's sand bindings. 

The Battle maidens, after being sent back by the agents, looked at their attackers in surprise. "What is the meaning of this!?" Kuriuno demanded, "We have done nothing against your country!" "You were going let a monster into the town!" Katie answered, "You can't expect us to " "Oh come on, this is war baby!" Kaitres exclaimed holding her arms out, "What Elysium says goes!" "Elysium?" Katie asked, lowering her G-Saber, "what are you talking about?" 

"It's the central core of our continent," Raidos explained pouring electric enrgy from her spear into Blueacon's frozen body, "it was supposed to regulate our infrastructure and chart the best course of action for our city. In our home's history, all previous leaders have been chosen by Elysium to serve as the leader or Prima as we call them along with being the mediator of Elysium's will. When my family came into power, it was already installed by the previous ruling dynasty but we reprogrammed it to serve the our country's best interest." "Previous dynasties?" Chase asked "how did you come to power?" "My grandfather was a backer in the Red Dragon army for decades and Olympos was given as reward, probably to make sure that the former inhabitants of the land could not reclaim it after the 5 years war. In order to save money repurposed we old factories to create an army of machines made for the purpose of defending that land but my sister Kuri had other ideas." 

"Apparently their political and financial power over the area had been waning over the past decade under the leadership of the father of the battle maidens," Eithine explained to Verdtrus, "and according to spies from within, this war is nothing more than a means for expanding the family's power and boosting their people's morale." "I see..." Verdtus lamented with a sigh, "how unsurprising. Anything else?" "Their population had been growing the last few decades," Eithine answered, "but it's not enough to justify attacking an entire continent. Honestly they should have started trade talks like they were doing before the former leader died." "And who's that?" 

"...our dear father, Uranus Prima!" Kuriuno exclaimed after explaining what was best described as a idiot's guide to South Atlantia's past several decades. "Errr thank you?" Katie answered, "You didn't have to recap your entire history." "We're just showing you mongrels what you're dealing with!" Kaitres proclaimed proudly, hand to hip, "Since you're too stupid to understand something so grand as our mission." "Doesn't explain the names though." Matt muttered before Katie came up saying, "Look, I'm sorry but we can't let you drop that monster in that town. Innocent people will get killed." "That's the point!" Kaitres answered, "To punished those mongrels we killed " "If I'm not mistaken, you came from Forma didn't you?" Kuriuno asked, "Wouldn't you being here accosting us count as an act of war?" After some thought, Katie asked, "If we leave you alone, would you take that thing and leave this town alone?" Unfortunately, Kuriuno shook her head answering, "I'm afraid not. Our mission here is to righteously punish all those who get in the way of our country's goals!" 

"Very well," Terminus said, taking an envelope from Voidmond, "I will bring this to Maraca immediately. Come on Wira" As the massive reptilian began to walk away, Wira looked back to Voidmond and asked "Are you my father?" "Wira!" Terminus called out causing Wira to run after the massive reptilian. Watching the child leave, Voidmond felt a pang as his crimson eyes darted from the knights on the field to the agents with the Battle maidens. "You guys won't die a second time." He muttered, as he raised his fist as it began to glow gold, "I swear it! KARDNA!" As the two Battle Maidens raised their weapons and began to walk forward, Matt and Katie quickly raised their's as well but suddenly a nearly blinding light flared between the two groups, causing them to cover their eyes "What the!?" Katie exclaimed as Voidmond materialized out of the light before the two agents, facing the maidens before them, "Voidmond!" "Sorry about earlier, what I did was under orders ," Voidmond apologized, "but I am still on your side! I wish to join you for this fight." Looking to Matt, who shrugged, Katie turned back and said, "Oookay?" 

After unloading a literal payload, Kaiser and Tameron ceased firing and stood as the smoke rose from the creatue as it moaned in pain. Releasing the sand bindings Flaron dropped down to the ground and turned to Tameron saying "Alright, I think we done enough." "I say we didn't." Kaiser handing on his hips, "It's still alive." "It's burnt beyond all relief!" Tameron pointed out, "I don't think it's going to get back up any time soon. What do you supposed we do?" "Nuke it?" Kaiser suggested, lowering to the ground, "Radiation can kill anything." "Wow you really are heartless are you?" Tameron said, looking remorsefully at the creature. "That plan was your girlfriend's, not mine!" Kaiser retorted with chuckle as she got up, "I'd say that she's the heartless one." Hearing this, Flaron exclaimed, "Don't compare me with you!" "Hey it's true!" Kaiser said getting up, hands raised, "I'm just saying." while the three were talking, the seeming smoking husk of the creature began to jerk around as it's stomach began to split down the middle. Hearing the cracking, Flaron noticed the crack and exclaimed, "Guys! something's happening!" As the three readied for round two, the creature from the stomach crack out exploded in a mass of green light. 

Recognizing Voidmond, Kaitres exclaimed, "Wait a minute! I know you! Were you with that monkey!?" Turning to the deer woman Voidmond asked, "You are Raidos' sisters I presume? Yes, I am Voidmond of the Requiem Knights." "Voidmond..." Kuriuno muttered, "that names sounds familiar." "I- get around." Voidmond answered causing Matt to mutter, "Wait isn't he about a week old?" "Hmm, regardless of semantics, I must ask you that you pull your agents back," Kuriuno exclaimed, "otherwise,  I will declare the requiem knights the enemy of Olympos!" Suddenly a pillar of green light emerged from where the knights were fighting the creature earlier catching the attemntion of the five combatants. "What was that!?" Katie exclaimed as Kaitres began to laugh. Smiling, Kuriuno answered, hands outstreched, "It's here! The sword of Elysium is here! Cerberus!" Rising from the carcass of it's previous shell, the now massive three headed creature let out a roar as it's three heads looked around the battlefield, one of them spotting the Battle Maidens. As it began to move towards the group, "Elysium!" Kaitres exclaimed as sh held out her weapon, "Give us the power to smite these fools!" Suddenly the skies darkened as a bolts of energy enveloped the warrior in it's light. 

TO BE CONTINUED...