Chapter 22:

The Devil, The Witch, and The Assault on Megadon (Part 1)

The Devil, The Witch, and The Wicked World of Delirith

Somewhere in the wicked world of Delirith, somewhere in Mount Mortis Range, a fortress-like city- no, a fortress-like capital stood in ruins. Buildings burned down to ashes, iron forged walls torn down to meaningless scraps, and thousands upon thousands of lives scattered here and there- dead from bullets, bludgeon and blades.

Somewhere in the capital lay its emperor. An emperor once stood mightily with his ironclad cybernetic body, and burning eyes that gaze right through one’s soul. An emperor once fearsome whose name alone shudders one’s spine upon hearing it. An emperor once powerful, his clan spread across the continents, laying waste against anything and anyone dare oppose it.

An emperor who once had the world in his grasp, now lie shattered on the floor, helpless and weak.

A boy robed in leather black approached the emperor and stomped his iron right foot on the emperor’s chest. Pointing a shotgun directly at the emperor’s face, the boy now had the emperor’s life within his grasp.

“Heh, so that’s how it is, eh kid…” the emperor spoke softly. “Everything I had built; every man, woman, and children that swore loyalty to me and chose to sacrifice their ass off for the greater good of my dream. Every clan and major gangs unified under my flag so no wars will be waged amongst them any longer. Every weapon, tech, and vehicles, built better than all of your scrap-powered arms with the powers of the great Delirnium, a stepping stone for our future’s advancement-”

“Decades after decades worth of blood, sweat, and a piss lot of tears! All those are coming to an end thanks to you kid, just because I killed your mama…”

The boy's hand shook. Despite his greatest enemy literally beneath his feet, literally on life's edge with his face merely inches away from his gun- the boy was hesitant to shoot the skull-headed emperor below him. He could feel his grip on his gun slipping away…

"Come on kid. You only have to pull that trigger and all of this will be over. But before that, I must ask-"

"Was it, worth it?"

****

~One week ago~

"ORDER! ORDER! I SAID ORDER!!" a fit elderly man was seen smacking a huge round table in the middle of a crowd-filled room with a wooden mallet.

[ CHIEF ODA ]
Chief of Mount Mortis Rebellion

"GODDAMMIT PEOPLE!! WE ARE ABOUT TO PULL OFF THE BIGGEST UNIFIED ASSAULT AT THE SHITTING SKULL CLAN YET WE CAN'T EVEN MAINTAIN ORDER IN OUR GODFORSAKEN MEETING!!!"

Despite his loud angry plea, Chief Oda's voice sank quickly inside the chaos of the meeting which was held in a shady shed-like building somewhere in the rebel group's secret hideout.

A meeting was held inside the shed- a meeting to plan an all out assault against the Skull Clan's capital, located somewhere in Mount Mortis previously ruled by the rebels formerly known simply as the Mount Mortis Clan back then.

Participating in the assault were three other clans from two other places- both defended their clan and defeated the skullies that came to usurp their rule. Attending the meeting specifically were those clans' leaders, with a few other of their highest ranking followers standing behind them as extra ear and support.

"OH YOU'LL GET YA ORDER CHIEF! IF YA CAN TELL THIS BEARDED-F*** TO SHUT UP AND LET ME DO THE CALLS!!"

[ SANDKING ANUBRAX ]
Leader of the Sand Gang Clan,
Defeated Oculus-Khan's legion

Anubrax pointed angrily to the white-bearded navy-uniform wearing old but fit man sitting right next to him. The old man smoked a pipe throughout the meeting, and let out a puff before stating his counterargument against the Sandking.

"WELL YOU F***WIT! HOW CAN I LET YOU TALK WHEN ALL YOUR 'CALLS' WAS RAMMING AS MUCH TANKS AND TRUCKS INTO THE FRONT F****NG GATE OF THAT GODDAMN PLACE!!"

[ ADMIRAL R. UTHLESS ]
Admiral of the Diamondback Navy Clan,
Defeated Crania-khan's Fleet

"AND MORE IMPORTANTLY! WHY THE FREAKING FRACK DID IS THIS DIRTY WHORE PIRATE DOING IN THIS ROOM!!" Uthless pointed to the lady sitting on his left.

[ CAPTAIN HOURAI ]
Captain of the Sparrowhawk Pirates,
Also Defeated Crania-khan's Fleet

"Come on now old man, no need to be so hostile~ I know you're envious just cuz I killed the Seared Admiral personally. Granted, I did have a little help~" Hourai turned around and winked at one of Admiral Uthless's officers. Paul A. Jones simply avoided eye contact with the pirate, fearing it would anger his already angry boss more.

“ENOUGH! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE COMPLAINTS OR OBJECTIONS! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!!” Chief Oda shouted, hammering the table once more.

Taking a deep breath, the rebel chief continued, “I called all of you folks here because very few had successfully defended their place against a Skull Clan conquest. I’m not saying just the three of ya, cuz there’s probably more out there, but all three of ya are the closest- and perhaps the strongest both logistics and manpower-wise against the Skull Clan here.”

“I know the history some of you had with each other here, and I know how some of your mindset won’t align with each other, but that doesn’t matter for right now, we all share a common enemy- a common goal! To see the Skull Clan burn once and for all!”

Chief Oda’s zealous speech quieted the crowd for a moment. What he said was true about them having a common enemy and goal and all, hence their agreement to form this union. However, it’s also a simple fact that all three clan leaders didn’t like being bossed around by the others, nor could they reach an agreement should they ‘plan’ things together.

“Hence why I brought a strategist from outside,” Oda added. “He is not affiliated to any clans and his experience in strategizing warfare are, quite credible, I hope.” Oda whispered the last two words together.

“AH, SO NOW WE’LL BE BOSSED BY SOME RANDOM OUTSIDER NOW!? YOU'RE TESTING MY PATIENCE CHIEF!! YOU EXPECT ME AND MY SAND-BOIS TO LISTEN TO SOME GOODY TWO SHOES WE MIGHT NEVER HEARD OF, HUH!?”

“HAH! DON’T BOTHER WITH THIS STONE AGE ARSEHOLE, CHIEF! I’M WITH YA IN THIS ONE! USING A NEUTRAL GROUND TO LEAD US TO PREVENT ANY CLAN BIAS SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA-” Admiral Uthless puffed out a cloud of smoke from his pipe- “BUT WHO IS THIS ‘OUTSIDER’ YOU BROUGHT IN? HOW TRUSTWORTHY IS HE? HOW SKILLED IS HE? DO WE NEED TO PAY HIM BY THE END OF DAY???”

“No, he is not accepting any payment for he shares the same goal with us; to crush the skullies’ reign once and for all,” Oda replied. “As for skill, uh… he is a good businessman…”

“A businessman as our tactician!? Bah f*** it!!-” Captain Hourai took out a bottle of rum she kept in her jacket and gulped it all down before slamming it onto the table- “To hell with plans, tactics and whateva bull all of ya got in mind! What’s important is that by the end of the day, we get to chop that jackshit skully emperor’s head off!!”

“THAT’S WHY WE’RE PLANNING HERE YA IDIOT! AND DON’T YA THINK TO STEAL THAT KILL FROM ME!! I’VE GOT A SCORE TO SETTLE WITH HIM AS I GONNA RIP HIS SPINE ONE-BY-ONE…”

“NO!!!” a voice shouted out of nowhere.

Everyone in the room was surprised and turned their heads to the source of the voice. Standing behind Chief Oda stood a blonde-haired little boy and a fully helmed copper-cladded young girl.

“YOU CAN KILL ANY SKULLY YOU WANT ANUBRAX, BUT THE EMPEROR’S MINE!!!”

[ MAKO THE LITTLE WITCH ]
Claims His Kill!

“Ours, Mako. Don’t you dare disregard my own freaking tragic backstory!”

[ FYRA THE ONE-HORNED DEVIL ]
Also Claims The Same Kill!

“Yeah. Yakh’juj-khan’s OUR freaking target!!”

“How the hell did you both get in- bah screw it!” Oda shook his head in defeat. “I assume you both want to be part of this plan, despite being kids and all-”

“Eyy! Let them in, chief! I’ve sailed with them. They're a good addition to the team,” Hourai commented, a smile formed on her face happy to see some familiar faces again.

“THEY’VE RODE WITH ME TOO, AND YES, THEY’RE GOOD. LET THEM IN CHIEF!” Anubrax agreed as well. “MY ONLY PROBLEM IS, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU COULD SNATCH AWAY MY KILL JUST LIKE THAT!?”

“I should be asking the same thing!” Mako approached the table and climbed on top of it just to be equal in height with the towering Sandking. “What score do you have with the emperor, huh!? If it’s about your mother, God rest her soul, last I checked Oculus’s already crumbled and crushed to hell back then! You don’t have to avenge anyone personally anymore!!”

“IF NOT FOR OUR PAST I’D CRUSH YA SKULL FOR MERELY MENTIONING MY MOTHER, God rest her soul, LITTLE WITCH!-” Anubrax got up from his seat menacingly- “AND YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT PERSONAL VENGEANCE KID! YOU THINK IT ENDS AFTER THAT BASTARD GENERAL DIES!? WHO DO YOU THINK GAVE HIM THE ORDERS!! WHO SENT HIM AFTER OUR ASS THAT DAY THAT LED TO MA’S DEATH!!!”

Mako grew silent, not knowing how to rebut the Sandking’s argument.

“TELL ME, WITCH!! WHO!!!!”

“ALRIGHT GET BACK TO YOUR F***ING SEATS YOU TWO!” Oda pushed the Sandking back who seemingly leaned closer to Mako, while pulling the witch down back on the floor. “Our invited strategist is FINALLY arriving any second now! Who gets to kill who? Y’all can ask him that later on, but until then, y’all better behave and act like adults else our meeting here will be a waste of time!”

Right after the chief finished his words, a creaking sound was heard as the shed’s door was opened by a guard there, welcoming the invited “strategist”. Sounds of footsteps echoed the room as the strategist approached the table closer, followed by a couple dozen more.

Turning their attention to the strategist, all three clan leaders, our duo protagonists, and pretty much everyone that aren’t part of the Mount Mortis Rebellion were more than surprised to see the person’s identity.

“Oh my, Mako and Fyra! I didn’t expect to see you two here-”

[ SIR COPPERHEAD ]
STRATEGIST, Historian, Archeologist, Collector, Innkeeper, Entrepreneur, Burger-flipper, Hatmaker, Tailor, Armorer, Optician, Gunsmith, Shoemaker, Doctor, Prosthetist, Scholar, Gentleman.

“Then again, by how things have been going, I should be expecting you two whenever a major event is about to occur. Oh well~”

“Sir COPPER!?” Mako shouted accidentally, too surprised by his presence.

“Yes Mako. I am Sir Copperhead! And my introductory greeting goes for all of you fine ladies and gentlemen.” The steampunk gentleman took off his head and bowed to everyone on the table.

Nevertheless, they all remained speechless. Sure, Chief Oda was right about their strategist not affiliated to any major clan, but HIM out of all people? Have they even seen him partake in major combat (or heard of him at all for Hourai’s case)? How can they know if he’s qualified to lead them in the first place?

“I understand if any of you are doubting my abilities to lead all you good folks in battle, and rightfully so too! It’s been some time since I last partake in actual warfare,” Copperhead explained. “Which is why I brought in another leader and faction to our union! One who, quite recently, usurped their own dictatoring tyrant-”

Copperhead took one step aside, revealing the man that will help him plan their major assault. Mako immediately recognised the man, as well as a few others behind, for how could he forget the very familiar sight of his former boar-headed boss-

“Wow, can’t believe a chump like me ‘ll end up standing in the same room with you legendary folks-”

[ BORATHEUS ]
That Boar-headed Supervisor from Chapter 13!

“Oh hey look! You’re here too, Just Mako!” An eye-patched scruffy looking man appeared behind Boratheus-

[ MEHMET ALAI ]
Also from Chapter 13!

More and more men appeared inside the room, all of which the little witch more or less remembered seeing back when he was trapped inside the portalet factory. As happy as he was, Mako was still confused by their presence in the room, and so did everybody else.

“Ahem! Anyways, all of you might be wondering about our sudden guests, and I want to apologize first to Chief Oda for not notifying earlier about their joining. Part of the reason I’m late to this meeting was to round up these good folks into our cause,” Copperhead explained elaborately. Chief Oda simply nodded, giving Boratheus and his men the greenlight to join their union.

“Nevertheless, these folks had experienced recently in usurping a tyrant, and all of it was masterminded by Mister Boratheus here.” Copperhead introduced the boar-headed man to everyone there. “Though the Skull Clan and its fearsome emperor are leagues above said tyrant, it goes without saying that Mister Boratheus’ experience in ‘guerilla-like’ tactics will prove useful and a welcomed addition to our cause!”

“Thanks Sir Copper. And yes, everything he said was true, and I do have some dirty tricks in mind to deal with these skull-heads,” Boratheus assured as he took over the speech. “But for that to work, for ANY of our plans to work, we need all of your cooperation. EVERYONE must play their part! EVERYONE must commit to the orders they are told! That’s how my men and I threw Ramsbottom’s big bottom off his silk throne, and now, we’re gonna throw Yakh’juj-khan’s iron-boned ass TOGETHER!!”

“WHO’S WITH ME!?” Boratheus ended his zealous speech with a question.

The leaders looked at each other for awhile-

“FOR ENDING THOSE DAMN SKULLIES SAKE, I’M IN!!”

“SAME GOES FOR ME. I’M IN!”

“Hey, I’ve been ‘in’ since the beginning.”

“For Mount Mortis...” Chief Oda spoke, “And the rest of Delirith-”

“-I’m in.”

****

Somewhere in a huge hidden valley of Mount Mortis Range stood a vast fortress city surrounded by black iron walls, covering nearly the entirety of the valley and hidden safely inside range after range of mountainous hills. This was the city of Megadon, the capital and home base of the Skull Clan.

Megadon as a capital city housed tens of thousands of populace, with more than half serving as a soldier under the Skull Clan banner. It was a self-sustainable city, having no reliance on outsiders to supply themselves with food, fuel, and other living commodities. It also served as the main manufacturer for all the skullies weaponry; tanks, guns, armours and all, and most of the Skull Clan army division originated in this city before branching out its influence outside.

Most important perhaps was that the city of Megadon was where the Skull Clan emperor, Yakh’juj-khan resides. Megadon was where all the calls and decisions by the emperor were made, for the Skull Clan had a very monarchical hierarchy where the emperor ruled over all- while his brothers, Crania-khan and Oculus-khan held equal secondary power.

Just like his brothers, the emperor almost always joined one of his army during one of their conquests in the early days of the clan. But as the course of time passed, the emperor simply made calls from the comfort of his palace while his brothers remained leading campaigns after campaigns of military expansion. His two brothers paid the price though, for only Yakh’juj was left in the Skull Clan khanate.

Yet, these did not stop the warmongering emperor from sending more of his men to expand his clan’s influence.

Somewhere in the palace square inside Megadon, a convoy of tanks, bikes, technicals, and war-rigs of thousands strong gathered in formation. The drivers and passengers waited for a special someone to show up on the palace’s veranda, and that special someone was of course, the emperor himself.

[ YAKH’JUJ-KHAN ]
Emperor of The Skull Clan!

A seven foot, cyborg skeleton emerged from the curtains behind the veranda. His eyes blazed with purplish flame while his iron halo shone from the reflection of sunlight. They all cheered and hollered by the sight of their emperor, who gazed at them quietly with a stoic expression on his iron skull face.

“My dear skullies,” Yakh’juj spoke softly on a mic, yet his ‘soft’ voice was deeper than an abyss and had a slight robotic static to it- “today is a good day for war! For conquest! For the expansion of our clan and the dream of our empire!!”

The army cheered below, honking their vehicles while shooting out flames from its upward exhaust pipes.

“We have lost two khans for the past month of our conquest, yet this will NOT slow us down! NONE will slow us down! Show those weaklings outside the might of our blades! The WRATH of our guns! And most of all, the POWER of our DELIRIOUS DELIRNIUM!!”

The crowd hollered once more.

“KILL OFF THEIR KINGS! BURN OFF THEIR FLAGS! ENSLAVE THEIR PEOPLE INTO OUR CAUSE!! NONE SHALL RULE ALL OF DELIRITH BUT US, THE CLAN OF THE SKULL!!”

With one hysterical cheer and maniacal rounds fired to the air, the skullies rode off and away from the city. The main gate was opened as an army of thousands rushed out for their military conquest to who-knows-where. Once their campaign is over, the Skull Clan will obtain new land, new territory, and an expanded sovereignty against the people they had defeated.

As such was their conquest, in which they had been committing for decades long since the clan’s establishment.

Spying on the exiting convoy somewhere on the mountain range surrounding the city was Sir Copperhead, and standing on his sides were Sandking Anubrax on his left, Chief Oda on his right, and a combination of the two leader’s men behind them three.

“PLENTY OF THEM SKULLIES HAD LEFT THE CITY! SEEMS LIKE THE PERFECT TIME TO STRIKE!” Anubrax remarked.

“Patience, Sandking. Don’t let that convoy fool you, for we’re still expecting around 20 to 50000 units strong guarding that capital,” Copperhead replied. “And perhaps even more, if we include their maritime army up north, but that’s where our ship-sailing friends come in.”

Just like the gentleman said, the coast of Mount Mortis several miles up north was littered with the Skull Clan’s maritime army. Should anything occur in the capital, the skullies will surely have thousands of backups from the north. Hence came the Diamondback Navy and The Sparrowhawk Pirate’s part.

“Hey Joe, you seeing that?” a skully stationed on one of the northern coast’s lighthouses notified his friend, ‘Joe’.

“Is that- an enemy?” Joe commented after observing the object noticed by his friend with a binocular.

Either the ‘object’ was too far away or their binocular was too weak will be a mystery we’ll keep in our graves, but nevertheless, the two skullies weren’t taking any chances and were about to notify the rest of the naval army-

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

They ended up not needing to do so as the lighthouse was immediately annihilated by cannon fire from the ‘enemy’. Sirens blared across the dockside as thousands of skullies boarded their ships and prepared for battle.

Charging head first into war’s gnaw was the Sparrowhawk pirates, led by none other than their ashen-haired lady, the mischievous Captain Hourai. Following behind her ship was a flotilla of Diamondback galleons, led by a newly promoted commander; Commodore Paul A. Jones.

Both sides engaged in maritime warfare merely a few miles from the shore, with a larger fleet of Diamondbacks awaiting further behind led by the ruthless, Admiral Uthless.

Back to the capital of Megadon, despite its dystopian appearance, the livelihood (ignoring the military stuff, POWs and all) inside the city could be considered utopian by Delirith’s standard. The city’s infrastructure was complete with its proper construction plan, housing residentials, road connections and sewage system. The last being the most important for this current situation as right now, a group led by Boratheus was currently sneaking inside through it beneath countless of skullies’ feet.

The group of 50 or so rebels consisted completely of Boratheus’s men; the same men that had partaken in the Portalet Revolution (aka the entirety of Chapter 13) as well as our protagonists; Mako and Fyra.

Their plan was to set up a network of bombs planted right below certain important infrastructures; mainly the army barracks, weapons depot, and if possible, the emperor’s palace itself. They managed to snuck into the sewage through a mining tunnel long abandoned since the original Mount Mortis’s clan usurpation.

The mining tunnel wasn’t connected directly thus the group had to dig their own in order to access the sewage. Strangely enough, the connection between the two wasn’t made aware from the Mount Mortis rebels, but from Sir Copperhead who for some reason had blueprints for both Megadon’s sewage network and the old mining tunnel. Nobody bothered to ask where he got it from.

“So, what y’all been up to these days?” Mako asked Mehmet as they planted the bombs on the walls of the sewage.

“Hmm.. Nothing much I guess. Some of us, and by that I mean Boratheus, ‘poop’-visor, me and all, returned to the factory and took control over it. The rest just wandered away with family and friends, perhaps forming their own clan, perhaps becoming a bandit, who knows?” Mehmet gave the witch a long answer.

“Wait, you guys returned to the factory?”

“Well, gotta supply the badlands with toilets somehow. It’s all good though cuz with us ruling it, everyone had better pay, better working hours, better welfare, and most importantly, better food for lunch break!”

“Huh. Good for y’all I guess,” Mako remarked.

With the last of the bombs placed and all target sites secured, the group headed back to the mining tunnel they came from. They will detonate the bombs once they get there, and the rest of the rebels will charge right into the fortress city. Such was their plan.

“Wait- Everyone, stop,” Boratheus ordered out of nowhere. The group stopped and looked at their leader in confusion. Apparently, the boar-headed leader sensed something strange in the air- something big and ferocious, currently charging at them in this very moment-

“THREE O’CLOCK! GUN ‘EM NOW!!” Boratheus shouted, turning to his right and immediately open fired. The rest of the group did so as well, firing rains of bullets to the right side tunnel with their plethora of guns.

The tunnel was dark revealing nothing at first, but as soon as the first few bullets flew right through it, its light revealed dozens after dozens of gigantic human-sized cyborg rats charging straight at the group with their rabid jaws out.

Boratheous and his group formed a firing squad shooting down the hordes of robotic rats, and soon, trouble came as most of them had to reload their guns while the rats kept on coming.

“BACK OFF! NOW!!

The group retreated back, straying away from their original path as some of them covered fire at the hordes of charging rats. It wasn’t long until one of the rats caught up and successfully mauled one of them to death.

The bodycount began to increase as the situation grew more dire. The group kept on firing their guns as best as they could. The fact that they couldn’t throw a grenade without risking blowing everything and everyone up from the built in gas in the sewers only made it worse.

“GAH!”

“FYRA!!”

A rat managed to leap onto Fyra, scratching and attempting to bite the girl’s vitals who kept on dodging and throwing punches wildly preventing from letting that happen. The devil couldn’t use her arson weaponry against the rat for the same excuse they had on why they couldn’t throw grenades. Luckily for her, Boratheus came just in time and whacked the rat away with a sledgehammer he carried with him.

The rat flung less than a foot back, dead and lying on its back. It was then Fyra noticed something on the dead rat’s underbelly. It was a metal plate, with the Skull Clan’s symbol carved on it. While this was happening, the group managed to take down the last of the charging rats and breathed a sigh of relief.

*Ring!* *Ring!*

Boratheus picked up the ringing telephone on an old-school looking radio transceiver carried on one of his man’s back.

“Boss! Are you okay!? What happened down there!?” a voice spoke from the phone, coming from the group waiting for them in the mining tunnel.

“We got ambushed by some big ol’ rats, that's all. Lost some men though. Dave, Lou, Louis, and Hugh,” Boratheus replied.

“Well, you shouldn’t be celebrating yet boss. Our radar detected four- no, FIVE groups heading towards your location!”

“Heading WHAT NOW? HOW THE HELL DID THEY KNOW WE’RE HERE!?”

“We don’t know either boss. But right now, they have you surrounded in all directions! You can’t go back to us without revealing our secret entrance, or worse yet, they might find out about the bombs!”

“Alright, fine! Keep your eyes on the radar and mouth on the mic! We need to work together on this one!”

“Yes boss!”

Boratheus handed the telephone back to the radioman and gestured to him to not hang up and keep it on at all times. He signaled everyone to gather up as he announced to them his new plan.

“Listen up! We’ve been found out and now, a bunch of guards are coming after our butts! That’s the least of our problems though cuz if they find out about the bombs, then our entire plan will be foiled!”

“So here’s the plan; I want Radiohead to keep on communicating with the tunnel group. They’re going to be our eyes in the sky for our mission now is to eliminate these skullies coming after us. Hit, run, ciao! Hit, run, ciao! We run and gun ‘em fast before these suckers find out about our bombs, y’all got that!?”

“AYE SIR!”

“Alright! Move out boys!”

The group moved together through the tunnels based on their radar operator’s guide, monitoring their movement and the enemy’s through a radar navigator.

“On your left!”

“Shoot ‘em down boys!!”