Hopefully, a ranged attack

Four and a half hours until rescue ship arrival

"Where do you want to start?" Cerviel asked.

"The class eight is near the Kaif dome, so let's start at Muthafa." The ground zipped past us as Cerviel boosted toward the dome.

"Yes, pilot Vega."

Muthafa and the demons attacking it came into view as we came around the Cheis dome. Most of the demons were clawing at the glass panels. A few attacked with their fireballs.

"Start with the right one," I said. Cerviel acknowledged the command by creating a triangle in the visor around the indicated demon. I learned slightly to the right as Cerviel adjusted her trajectory while I tightened my grip around her sword. Attacking during a boost increased the risk of damaging the sword or having it knocked from Cerviel's grip.

I had little choice. I needed to be fast.

"Engaging in three seconds," Cerviel said.

I entrusted the timing to Cerviel. Her systems were infinitely more accurate than my gray matter. I only acted once I felt the tug of the haptic suit, upon which I swung my arm as fast as possible. My hand protested as the sword pressed against Cerviel's. Neither of us let go. My shoulder vibrated at the impact of the strike, but I didn't see the result. Cerviel never stopped as she boosted past the demon.

The counter decreased by one.

"Warning - booster temperature rising," Cerviel said.

"Can we do another one?"

"'One demon is within range."

"Go for it."

My body swayed as Cerviel adjusted her trajectory. The demon flung a fireball in our direction when it saw us coming. Cerviel dodged it with a touch of her counter boosters. We struck before it could finish its second attack.

"Warning - boosters are close to overheating."

"Set us down." The haptic suit eased its pressure when Cerviel killed her boosters. "How long do you need?"

"One minute."

"I don't think we have that much time."

Three demons noted our presence. Two charged toward us while the third formed a fireball. The radar reported there were more demons around us but they were hidden by the curve of the dome. Hopefully, that meant they wouldn't notice me as well.

The charging demons rapidly closed on us. I considered running away. It would give Cerviel the extra time to charge her boosters but would put us at risk of ranged attacks. It would also risk revealing my presence to the other demons. So I stayed my ground.

Seventy-five percent. I read the heat indicator after Cerviel dodged a fireball.

One of the charging demons bent its legs and leaped forward. It would have landed on top of us had Cerviel not stepped backward. It gave me an unexpected opportunity. There was always a moment after a jump when your body recovered. A step forward allowed Cerviel to ram her knee against the demon's head. Its head snapped back as the demon fell over, and a strike split its head in two.

The counter decreased by one.

"Warning--" Red lights flashed through the cockpit when the second demon crashed into Cerviel's side. I tried to retaliate, but two demonic arms pinned her sword against her body.

Her left arm was free to retaliate. "Cerviel, activate left gauntlet--" I cried out as a fireball struck Cerviel's head. Red letters over the visor reported a nearby heat hazard as flame and smoke obscured our vision. Pain flashed throughout my chest as the nearby demon clawed at Cerviel's chest.

"Cerviel, booster!"

"I cannot support this amount of weight." Metal sheared as more red scratches formed over Cerviel's projection.

"Dammit!" The ranged demon readied its third strike past the parting smoke. "Let... go!" I slammed the gauntlet blade into the nearby demon's shoulder. Its arm dropped as it screeched in pain. Finally free from its grasp, I pushed Cerviel's gauntlet blade sideways through its head.

"Booster! Now!"

Cerviel stumbled once as she escaped the dying demon's grasp. The sudden burst of speed was enough to save us from the next fireball, and her sword removed both the demon's legs when she boosted past. While not dead, I doubted the demon would bother us again.

"Cerviel, damage report," I asked as Cerviel stopped her booster.

"Severe damage in the chest area. Armor integrity holding at twenty-five percent. We won’t survive a similar attack."

"That's what I thought. Target the closest--"

A crash drew my attention to the left. My heart skipped a beat when I realized there was only one thing that it could be.

"Vega!" Bootes spoke through the earpiece. "The Kaif dome has fallen."

"Shit! Cerviel, take us back to Patlix. The demons will start splitting off."

"Yes, pilot Vega."

"I'm coming, Bootes." Cerviel's boosters sprung to life when I pressed the button inside my glove. Please, Lord, don't let the demons get there before I do.

Three demons were stomping toward Patlix by the time we came around Cheis. I sorely missed my missiles. They could've distracted the demons, maybe even killed two of them, while I settled my differences with the last one. Taking on three was possible but difficult. Even more so when I couldn't risk Cerviel getting more damage.

"Cerviel, aim for the one at the back. I think we can do another hit-and-run."

"Adjusting trajectory. Warning - booster is close to overheating." The head indicator showed seventy-one percent.

I hope this works. I tightened my grip around Cerviel's sword as we approached our targets. The demons had seen me and were bracing for our attack. Maybe they were hoping I'd slow down to engage them.

I wasn't planning on it.

The counter decreased by one as we flew past the first demon.

"Warning - booster overheat is imminent."

Eighty-nine percent. I glanced at the heat indicator. "There's still time. Turn us around and target the next one." My legs protested as Cerviel spun faster than I was used to. A blue triangle highlighted the demon as we raced toward it.

"Cerviel, twist left before we strike."

The counter decreased by one as she flew past.

"Last one," I said.

"Warning - booster heat has reached critical levels."

Ninety-six percent. I gritted my teeth. "You can do it. Spin us around, same as before."

"Yes, pilot Vega."

Cerviel's turn was even quicker than the previous one. I would've been flung across the cockpit if my feet weren't clipped into their sockets.

Ninety-eight percent.

I tightened both hands around Cerviel's sword. The demon watched us closely as we approached him. I found it odd that it wasn't attacking. Did it decide to engage us was futile?

Ninety-nine percent.

"Booster overheat imminent." Cerviel warned.

I readied Cerviel's sword for a strike. "Almost... there..."

My words trailed off when the demon leaped into the air. Cerviel figured out the demon's intention before I did. A jerk to her left saved us from the demon crashing on top of us.

"Booster overheated," Cerviel reported as she stumbled onto her feet. "Venting procedures--"

A blow sent us crashing against the ground with the demon on top of us. Metal sheared as a myriad of scratches appeared over Cerviel's projection.

"Get it off!" I yelled.

"I'm unable--'

"Fire the boosters!"

"Firing overheated boosters will damage--"

"Do it!" The sounds of shearing metal were replaced with pained screeching as the demon wiggled on top of us. A loud bang momentarily pressed us against the ground but blew the demon off Cerviel's back.

Now!

I pressed Cerviel's left arm against the ground before swinging with the right. The strike missed but brought the demon into my gaze. A second push from Cerviel's left hand moved us into a sitting position, which allowed me to finish the demon off with three strikes of Cerviel's sword.

"Finally..." I puffed once the counter decreased by one.

"Booster subsystem destroyed." Cerviel said.

"Yeah, I figured." Cerviel wobbly got to her feet. "How many demons are left?"

"I'm detecting twenty signatures."

"We killed more than I thought. I'm surprised we're still alive."

"Our ability to fight is compromised," Cerviel said. "My armor integrity and weapon systems are failing."

"Well, we thought this was a one-way trip." I took a deep breath to calm my thundering heart. "Let's do the best we can."

"Warning." Several lights blinked on the radar. "Five attackers are approaching."

"I see them."

Five demons approached us from the Kaif dome. Two were already forming red fireballs. One roared in triumph as it stomped the ground. "Let's end this," was probably the thought flashing through its mind. I could hardly blame it. I would think the same if I was in its position.

No missiles, no sniper, no boosters, and compromised armor. The only things Cerviel and I had at our disposal were a sword and two gauntlet blades. I widened my stance in response to the demon's challenge. Odds weren't on my side, but at least I would go down fighting.

The demon bent low as it started its charge before a light streak slammed into the ground next to it. A greenish-yellow explosion rising half as high as the broken dome behind it swallowed all five demons.

I barely had time to wonder what I saw before a voice entered my ear. It was one I hadn't heard before.

"This is GSDF Commander Fornax of the 35th Earthern Rescue Fleet. We're here to offer assistance."