Chapter 20:

"Welcome to Concursus, Caius"

Convergence of the Three Empires


Caius found himself hanged. His parachute snagged on a tree line and was stuck there for the foreseeable future. He looked below, down to the grassy jungles filled with the unknown, quite a drop. He carefully took off his straps and gauged out how he would fall. It was terrible but the best he could hope for is at least a working leg. Finally, he pulled off his strap and he fell.

It was a steep drop, half a second long, keeping himself bent, he rolled down to the ground as he hit it. He writhed and moaned in pain as he crawled towards the tree and rested his back upon it. He slowly came to his surroundings as he laid on the flat ground. Treacherous, that’s the only thing coming to his head right now, he tapped to his side, checking his pockets where he found his service pistol.

It was small, but powerful nonetheless. Air powered too so he doesn’t have to worry much about ammunition, just the noise that it would make. He sighed and stared at his surroundings, greenery surrounded him all around. But even then he had to make a move on, he looked above him, everything absolutely covered by the leaves of the towering trees.

He struggled to stand up, panting and heaving as he made his way forward. In the distance he saw a clearing, he figured it was an abandoned camp, perhaps, he thought, that it would be a nice place to find smoke. Smoke indicates battle, battle indicates life. The best he could hope for is a map.

He limped towards the clearing, his mind a mess of ideas and thoughts that coursed through him. This was the first time he felt to be in a crisis, his body shook all over, even though he felt fine other than the limp on his legs, he felt like he’s in death’s door.

He stepped into the camp, and to his delight there was no one there. But the joy faded as quickly as the wind that brushed past him, beneath the ashes of the burnt are the corpses of those that once fought. There was no blood on the ground, all evaporated by the raging flames that once engulfed them. Caius couldn’t tell whether or not the corpses are of his own comrades or of the enemies. He figured it doesn’t matter. He blessed their souls and walked towards the only standing tent in the former camp.

Inside the tent was the smoldering corpse of two people that held one another. Embers fall from what once was their skin. Caius sighed and looked around, but there was nothing more of note. As he stepped outside and looked at the sky, he noticed the blazing smoke and gunfire being fired off in the distance.

He stepped towards it, but as he looked back into the camp. Caius realized that these people, no matter who they were, had lives to live. Even through their rampant fanaticism, through their greed. They still lived lives of note, and now, it ended here. He stared in contemplation, a lot coursed through his mind in this very moment, from the thoughts about these people. To the thoughts about his own life, he took off his flight helmet and dropped it on the grounds of the camp. Perhaps he would’ve been one of these people, and in a sense, he is. He died on that tree.

*

Jupiter had been in a gunfight for 30 minutes, wounded and bleeding all over. Bullets whizzed past her, inching slowly past her cover of foliage and trees, she bit her tongue. She looked around and noticed two trees in front of her on the verge of falling. She handled her pistol, aimed at the trunks of these trees and fired. Bits and pieces were shot off and disintegrated off the air, slowly, they fell.

As the trees fell it kicked up dozens of dust, for a brief moment it distracted her enemies, in a moment, she ran. She ran as fast as she could as far away as she could. It didn’t matter, she would figure out a way when the day is out. For now her entire goal is to survive. And as the bleeding on her leg worsened, it may be a daunting task.

She ran until she was far enough that reaching her would just be bothersome. Then, she sat down and lay beside a tree. She panted, there was no other thought in her head other than survival, no time for theatrics, for philosophy, only the raging feeling of survival as she held her gun tightly.

A rustle of leaves.

She pointed her gun at the noise, certain that the moment it shows itself to her it would have air holes all over its body. And at that point, she would have had to use the remaining energy of hers to run away further. But as it stands now, the only thing deciding between staying and sprinting, is what comes out of those piles of leaves.

Dead leaves slowly fall, five centimeters a second, towards the ground. Dead, dread silence where the only sound came from nature. But even then nature seems silent, as if it is also holding its breath

Twin rifles peeked out of the leaves, she shot twice. The supersonic bullets rang out into the forest, a momentary distraction as she mustered up the remaining energy she had to get up and run away. She missed twice, and as a result she had two people tailing her. They fired while running, failing to hit her, but a threat regardless.

Bits of timber shot off by the rifles fly through her eyes, for a moment it blinded her and she fell to the ground. Her wounds make her writhe in pain, and as she dragged herself away from her enemies, she realized just now how utterly powerless she is.

She held her gun out, maybe not to aim, maybe more to intimidate the two people. A vague hope that they’d leave her alone. Though as they drew closer to her, she remembered the feeling of being like the child she was sixteen years ago. Hopeless, powerless, weak. Her hands shook, and they aimed at her.

Bursts of wind crack out from the distance like a thunderbolt boom, it hits the tree at which Angelica sat. It was a momentary distraction but it was enough for her to get the first shot. She fired at the one on the right, the sonic blast tore through the right side of his head, from behind it seemed like she bursted him with a pink mist.

The other one shot at Angelica, the bullet hit her arm and destroyed her pistol. Another shot rang out, this time, the wind burst hit the back of the man that dearmed Angelica as he fell to the ground. Caius stood far back, in his hand was the service pistol. He hoped the man only passed out as he rushed to Angelica.

“Caius!?” Angelica sat there shocked, on one hand she felt annoyed that he’s there. On the other she felt relieved, deep inside she knew Caius could be one of the best people that could meet her in the middle of nowhere.

Caius analyzed her, her wounds, and her status. He sighed and looked to the corpse beside him, “I guess I can bandage you up, but for late term healing. I have to take you back home.” He crawled towards the other guy, slowly, he ripped off pieces of the dead man’s clothing.

Angelica noticed movement, “Shit. CAIUS!” The other man stood up and grappled Caius from behind, in his hand, he held a knife. Slowly, he inched it towards Caius’ throat. Caius struggled, pushing the arm and the man away. Angelica could only watch, she was too fatigued and injured to be able to do anything.

Caius breathed, he pulled his head back and it hit the man’s face as he recoiled back. This gave Caius the opportunity to wrestle the knife away. They both struggled, kicking each other’s shins for what little advantage they could have. But as Caius shook with what little energy is left in his adrenaline, he yelled. He yelled.

Caius yelled at the man as he slowly, but surely, pushed it towards his neck. Slowly, but surely. Slowly, but surely. It dug into the man’s flesh, and as he dug deeper, Caius knew that he had won. But as the dust settled, Caius could see the dying man’s eyes, he breathed his final breath through his visor. It fogged up what little face Caius could see as the both of them fell to the ground. One died physically, the other, “Spiritually.” He muttered and sat there, dumbfounded. In the middle of two corpses of his own doing, this would not leave him till the end of time.

Cora
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HISAKI-KISARAGI
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