File 10.11 - Tears of Sacrifice

“Pol?!” Callein turned the Peng around, getting that new Green Devil in his sights. Raged consumed his body as he stopped caring about anything the machine did to him. He entered into a tranquil storm of fury narrowly dodging beam fire from the enemy’s allies trying to protect the downed machine.

Relief lasted only moments for Shizuka as she saw Ed in danger again. Even with Ansgar providing protection for him the terrorist wanted him dead. She could almost feel the deep endless anger coming out of the machine as it wanted Edgar’s blood. Her fingers pressed and scratched against the monitor not able to do anything.

“DIE, you monster!”

“Edgar!” yelled Ansgar, trying to get his shield around Ed in time, but out of his flank appeared the previously missing Ormt. It rammed into the Njord, throwing it off.

“Elle?!”

“Don’t stop, doing it Cal!”

A hatch under the forearm of the Njord opened with a throwing knife sliding into his off hand. “Get off me!” The knife sank into the machine chest throwing up sparks and coughing up minor explosions.

Driven forward with his opening, Cal ignored Elle dropping his entire remaining ordinance on the Green Devil as well as repeatedly firing his rifle until the charge ran out. Explosions and craters ripped everywhere around the machine with the accuracy thrown out in his rage. Smoke and flames erupted from the enemy machine as he flew through.

It was seconds before he heard through the comm. Schir shouting. “Elle!? Elle!” He turned around the Peng flying over as her Jiao dropped to the side unmoving. He dropped the Peng down to land next to her.

Coughing up a massive amount of blood, she stared weakly out the carved opening in her cockpit. She could see Cal’s machine faintly as her sight started to fade. “Cal…es…cape…”

“Elle!” His camera zoomed in on the chest, seeing interior of the cockpit. A massive three meter knife embedded in her machine and completely cut through her mid section and pinned to her seat. Blood painted everywhere. “Elle!? Elle!” She was already dead.

Cal turned towards the Blue Devil that killed her planning on a second kill, but it saw him coming. Casting aside the massive shield at him, he jumped into the air to dodge the chunk of metal. However, a shadow appeared over the shield as he planned to counterattack. “What?!” Slicing through the right arm of the Peng, the force was enough to throw Cal’s Peng through the air and crash into the dirt.

The Njord’s massive sword shined under the sky calling out to the enemies. It charged forward at the down machine to put an end to it. “This ends here!”

“Edgar! Edgar?!” Shizuka fell back into her seat. Staring at the images her mind hit the breaking point. She grabbed a hold of the control sticks and slammed the buttons. “Activate you piece of shit!” It remained silent. “Edgar is dead! I need to…damnit! Activate!”

Tears built up in her eyes staring at the battle and being unable to do anything to stop the horror. She kept slamming the sticks around trying to get it to work. Then out of the smoke, she saw the Od move. “He’s alive! Edgar!” It was badly damaged, but tried to stand up, refusing to leave the fight.

Staggering slowly out of the fire, the Od’s right eye glowed bright green next to the destroyed left. It matched the bloodshot left eye of Ed staring maddeningly out the lone monitor at the machine. He struggled to get the right arm to move and lift the rifle. Worse, his target kept moving around keeping out of range of Ansgar swings. “Stop movin’…”

The Njord managed to get a piece of the Kormt slicing off the legs, but the effort also meant it accepted several beams through the shoulder damaging the right arm. While it flew up away from the charge, enough time passed for the Od to get an opening shot. It went through the shoulder missing the cockpit, but damaging the thrust.

Cal’s Peng spun around in the air with the balancer lost. Warning sirens rang around from all sides and red painted his skin. Cracks in the monitors appeared showing the damage. He only managed to turn it into the roof and smash through several floors before stopping.

Pushing the hatch open with his feet, Cal climbed out of the wreckage of his Peng with blood dripping down his cheek from metal shrapnel caused by the crash and systems blowing. He slowly marched up the leg of the Peng towards the roof. Putting the headset on, he switched the line on. “Rinn, get prepped.”

“Sir?”

Callein stepped out on the roof staring out through the smoke filled battlegrounds. ‘They’re all true monsters…’ He stared at the green one that he thought he destroyed, but still managed to move. Then he looked back in the direction of Schir. “You heard me, Rinn. Your orders stand.”

“But I can still come and pick you up!”

“It’s already too late for that. Someone’s got to stay and hold the line. Schir, you get to the ship.”

“Captain? I can still fight! My Jiaolong—“ Suddenly, her parked Jiao activated remotely, booting up with the hatch closing without her. She turned away from the monitors to run towards the Skin. A moment later it stood up and jumped away from the building. “Captain! Why?!”

Cal walked out to the edge of the roof watching the Jiao speed through the streets with the thrusters allowing it to hover. “Someone’s got to survive to train for the future.” The Jiao jumped into the air at the intersection before Cal’s building. Just before it broke the surface, he leapt out into the street landing on the raised cockpit chair. It accepted him inside and landed his Skin out of the city standing down against the three monsters. “Show them, Schir. Show them how you slay a Devil!”