Chapter 7: Chapter Chapter Six

“Have you prepared for the first match?” Steiner casually sipped tea behind her desk.

“Yeah, Stein, we’re all set,” Wolf pumped his arm in excitement.

“Did I not tell you to speak to me more formally?”

“Incredibly sorry, oh Magnificent Steiner,” Wolf jested.

“Magnificent Steiner…It has been quite some time since anyone has called me that…”

“Why are we here anyway, shouldn’t we be like, discussing strategy or something?” Wolf inquired.

“That is exactly why you are here. You are my representative crash, you will meet with me before every match and we will discuss your opponents and how you will destroy them,” Steiner placed her teacup on the desk and stood, walking around to lean on the front of her desk. “After all, it is my logo that will be displayed on your mugen.”

“And Big Juice Energy…and Sabby’s workshop. Not to mention any affiliate companies,” Wolfgang remarked. “Starting to look like we’re just one big advertisement for the world’s stage.”

“Do you have a problem with that?” Sabine asked.

“Nah.”

“Good.”

“As this is the preliminary match, your opponents will most likely be uncoordinated and weak. Their mugen are stock models, no recon present. I would advise against a frontal assault, as you will be fighting outnumbered. Use their lack of recon to your advantage and pick them off until you can overwhelm them with force.”

“So it’s all on me, huh?” Wolfgang’s voice was filled with joy. “I’m going to be the center of attention!”

“Nina, Nyx, any questions?” Sabine looked over at the silent duo. Nyx raised his hand.

“When do I get paid?”

“The end of the match.”

“Do we need to win?”

“No, but you will receive a bonus if we do,” Steiner smiled gently.

“Understood, I’m going to prepare,” Nyx flexed and tapped his hole-ridden arm as he left the office.

“Why wasn’t Nyx in any of our training sessions?” Nina asked meekly.

Wolfgang responded in a gruff imitation of Nyx’s voice. “I’ve got a lifetime of experience, no one can match my skill, I’m the best damned pilot in all of Asnea, oh and also, I work alone.”

Nina giggled as the group rose to leave.

“Do not disappoint me,” Steiner said sternly.

“It feels different,” Wolf said solemnly. The eight mugen were arranged in groups of four about a thousand meters apart from each other.

“Tense?” Nina asked.

“Yeah…”

“You nervous?” Sabine asked. Her eyes were closed and she was performing breathing exercises in the light glow of the cockpit.

“Nah, of course not.”

“Good. Can’t have you freezing up in the middle of a fight,” Sabine smirked.

“I can see you, you know,” Wolfgang laughed.

“Nina, are you good?”

“Yes.”

“Nyx?”

“Hmm,” Nyx rubbed his stubble. His mugen was quadrupedal, like Nina’s, but the legs were much longer, like a spider. It also had two arms and a sheathe that held four containers of thick blood. It was holding a massive rifle. “This is a simulation, yes? What sort of terrain are we fighting in?”

“It’s randomly selected for each match. We won’t know until it starts.”

“Yo, what sort of mugen is that, anyway?”

“Ugh,” Nyx groaned. “I suppose its technical classification would be recon.”

“I thought recon units couldn’t fight?”

“This one is special. Do you have any more questions?” Nyx responded angrily.

“What do you need that blood for? You buy it? Too good to prick yourself?”

“Why would I pay for something I can produce myself. Look, the match is starting, perhaps you’ll find out what they’re for.”

The lights in the stadium dimmed as Steiner stood high above the arena on an elegant balcony and a spotlight illuminated her crystalline dress. “I do not enjoy drawn out ceremonies. The match will begin shortly.”

The spotlight faded and Steiner retreated back to her office before the arena began to fizzle and the terrain materialized. It was the city streets they had practiced in.

“What are the odds…” Sabine laughed.

“It’s going to be an easy match,” Wolf shouted in excitement as he began to move forward. “Where are they at, Ni?”

“They haven’t moved yet…”

“Easy prey,” Nyx quietly noted as he began to scale one of the buildings. Wolf weaved around the buildings as he made his way to their location.

“Wolf, slow down. We don’t want a head on fight,” Sabine commanded as she began to make her way to their position.

“What, are we just supposed to wait for them to do something? That’s boring, Sabby!”

“Maybe they’re just getting a feel for their surroundings.”

“I’m in position. I’ve got a visual on the targets,” Nyx’s voice was calm as his mugen lifted one of the massive blood containers and slotted it into the butt of his rifle. “Proceeding to eliminate target.”

“Hold on, eliminate?”

“Yes.”

“We can’t kill anyone or we’ll be disqualified.”

Nyx paused for a moment. “I don’t do non-lethal.”

“Just…sit this one out, I guess,” Sabine sighed.

“I’m still getting paid, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Understood,” Nyx unloaded the blood cartridge and returned it to its resting place. “Standing down.”

“So…two of us against four of them, yeah?” Wolf smiled fiercely. “That sounds more like it!”

“Wolf, we need to approach this carefully. Let me think for a second.”

“What about a diversion?” Nina suggested. “We could make them think that they caught Wolf alone, then ambush them.”

“Don’t quite like being bait, but if it’ll get us into the action, I’m all for it!”

“It’ll have to work,” Sabine hesitantly responded. “I’ll wait behind this building, Wolf. Try to draw them towards me.”

“Got it!” Wolf replied as he dashed towards the position of the enemy mugen. As soon as they were within sight, he skidded to a stop, then immediately turned around and sprinted the other way. They fired a volley of missiles, which connected with the building he ran behind, then began to chase after him as a group.

“They’re sticking closely together,” Nina informed Sabine. “You might be able to take out more than one with some explosives.”

“That’s one idea,” Sabine smirked. “But I’ve got something I’ve been wanting to try out.”

Wolf rounded the corner of the building Sabine was hiding behind, then leapt at the building across from it. He sprung off of the building towards his opponents, using his hand cannons to propel himself through the air. Once he was above them, he extended his arm blades and swung them downward, slicing off the arms of one of the mugen. Sabine stepped out from behind the wall and sent Bastien’s fist flying forward with an added boost from her arm thrusters. It connected square in the chest of one of the other mugen, sending it tumbling backwards. Bastien’s fist opened up from the center and receded back onto his arm, with the fingers extending outward like the petals of a flower. A large beam of crimson plasma ebbed out of the hole in his arm, leaving scorch marks on the ground wherever it touched.

“Whoa! Sabby, why can’t I have one of those?! What is it, some kind of whip?”

“It’s a prototype…I just need to calibrate it a little bit…” Sabine said through clenched teeth as she fiddled with some dials. The beam of plasma lifted off the ground and became a solid beam. She charged at the third mugen, adeptly dismembering all of its limbs. The beam flickered and faded immediately afterwards as she fell to her knees.

“Sabby!” Wolf cried out as he rushed to her side.

“Too much blood…” Sabine spoke softly. Her skin was pale and clammy.

“Heh, amateur…” Nyx chuckled to himself as he watched from his perch.

“Two against one, no problem,” Wolf flexed his arm and put his feet up. “Time to let a superstar show you how it’s done, eh Sab?”

“Just don’t…overdo it…”

“Look who’s talking,” Wolfgang laughed as he charged at the mugen that Sabine had launched. It was just picking itself up when Wolfgang arrived.

The mugen stood motionless. Wolfgang lunged; arm blades extended. A cloud of smoke exploded from the back of the hostile mugen, obscuring everything around it. Wolfgang retreated, peering into the smoke.

“Nina, can you see him?”

“The smoke must have some sort of thermal shielding,” Nina explained. “I can’t make anything out.”

“What about the other one?”

“It’s…It’s gone as well!”

“That smoke can’t last forever, ri-“ Wolf was cut off as his mugen was tackled to the ground. His opponent had wrapped its arms around him, restraining all of his movement. Sabine had been subdued at the same time as well.

Wolf’s monitors lit up as a transmission came through from the other mugen. “For the glory of Riltzgard, I will eradicate Asnea’s strongest warriors!”

“The fuck?”

“Wolf, their mugen are equipped with a self destruct feature! That was their plan all along!” Nina cried out, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Sabine, what do we do!?” Wolf cried out. There was no response. “Sabine? Sabine?!”

“We…” Sabine finally sent her transmission. She was laughing uncontrollably. “We…won…”

The hostile mugen began to glow. When it seemed they could glow no brighter, they suddenly stopped, then released their grips on Bastien and Uragiru. Teslaguards approached the two hostile mugen, ripping open the cockpits.

“You are in possession of black-market modifications. You are hereby disqualified from the 2833 Asnean Cup. You are also being charged with attempted murder. Your punishment is death.”

“Hold on, I know my rights, I get to choose betw-“ the weaselly man was cut off by the Teslaguard.

“The choice has been made for you.” The teslaguard placed its hand upon the man’s forehead. He cried out in pain for a moment as lightning coursed through the teslaguard’s hand, frying his brain and causing his head to explode like a potato in a microwave. “Thank you for your cooperation, please enjoy the rest of your day.”

“Was I just the target of an assassination attempt?!” Wolf shouted at Steiner. “That’s pretty vintage!”

“Not you specifically,” Steiner began to explain. “The warriors of Asnea were the target. It seems other continents believe they can use this tournament as an opportunity to eliminate our best pilots. That means the rules have changed.”

“What do you mean…” Sabine asked weakly. She was lying on a cushioned panel that had folded out of the wall of Steiner’s office.

“It means each match is to the death,” Steiner’s eyes were filled with fire. “Anyone who is not willing to die for their country will be allowed to withdraw. It also means that you will not run into any more half-baked crash like that first match.”

“Perhaps I still have a place among you after all,” Nyx butted in.

“I need to think about this, Stein…” Sabine spoke softly. “I’ve never killed someone before…”

“You do not have a choice. If you do not participate, you will no longer have a place in my company.”

“I…” Sabine began to speak, then gave up.

“That’s not fair, Steiner!” Wolf cried out. “You expect her to die for you?!”

“No, she is not allowed to die,” Steiner sternly replied. “I expect her to win. I expect her to crush anyone who opposes her.”

“Tha-“

“If Asnea were to cancel or withdraw their crash from the tournament, it would show weakness and fear. That is not something we can afford to do. There is nothing more to talk about. You may leave.”

“What a fuckin’ bitch!” Wolf yelled as he consumed his nutritional supplement.

“Are you afraid, Wolf?” Nina asked. She was eating a hearty salad.

“Nah, I’m not going to die.”

“How can you be so confident?”

“Augments, baby!” Wolf pounded his chest as he spoke. “I’d say the only way someone’s putting me in the dirt is if they rip out all my parts.”

“I’m afraid of losing you,” Nina’s voice quivered as small droplets of water formed at the edges of her eyes.

“Ni…” Wolf approached Nina and grabbed her chin, lifting her head to meet his gaze. He placed his lips gently against hers as the tears streamed down her face. “You can drop out if you want. I won’t judge.”

“That wouldn’t solve anything…” Nina shook her head. “I’ll do my best to make sure we all survive.”

“So what, you’re a sanctioned killer now?!” Sebille screamed.

“I don’t have a choice!”

“You always have a choice, Kiki! I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation!”

“I’ll lose everything if I leave!” Sabine shouted and slammed her fist against the wall.

“You don’t have to kill anyone. Just incapacitate them like always!”

“That’s not an option! Have you even been listening?!”

“Kiki…I don’t want to date a murderer,” Sebille’s voice had become calm. “If you kill anyone, I won’t be here any more.”

“Don’t do this, Seb.”

“The choice is yours, Kiki,” Sebille responded as she began to leave Sabine’s abode. “Me or Steiner.”

“Fuckin’ hells,” Wolf cried out as he slammed back his drink. He was sitting with Sabine and the rest of his crash. “We really going to do this?”

“You can leave, but I’m not in a position to go against Steiner,” Sabine sighed. “I’ll lose everything…”

“This is just another contract to me,” Nyx remarked as he sipped blue fluid out of a shot glass. “As long as I’m getting paid, I’ll fight with you.”

“Is that your real name?” Wolf asked.

“What?”

“Nyx. That doesn’t sound like your real name.”

“Ten thousand creds.”

“That’s not your name either,” Wolf laughed.

“Ten thousand creds for me to answer that question.”

“What? Why?” Wolf was confused. “I’m just trying to get to know you, bruv.”

“I’ll give you this piece of advice for free,” Nyx smirked slightly. “Don’t get too close to your companions. It makes it a little easier when they die.”

“Hmm…” Wolf closed his eyes for a moment. “There, I sent you the creds.”

“No.”

“What is it then?”

“Ten thousand creds and I’ll answer that.”

“Wolf, you’re not actually going to pay him again?!” Sabine grabbed Wolf’s collar from across the table as she yelled at him. “He’s going to take all of your money!”

Wolf rubbed the stubble on his chin before responding. “Maybe he’s got a really cool name though…”

“I sent you the creds…” Nina spoke meekly.

“Nina! What are you doing?!”

“I can’t let him take all of Wolf’s money…”

“Don’t give him yours either!”

“My name is Vikas.”

“Huh…” Wolf commented and stared off into space. “Why do-“

“Don’t fucking do it!” Sabine shouted.

Nina covered her mouth as she began to giggle. Wolf started his question over. “Why do you go by Nyx?”

“Are you trying to piss me off, Wolf?!”

“Ten thousand creds.”

“You’re not paying him,” Sabine commanded.

“No, of course not,” Wolf smiled.

“Neither are you, Nina,” Sabine crossed her arms and looked at the others at the table. They were all looking at her. “Oh no. No fucking way!”