Chapter 8: Chapter Chapter Seven

“Kind of funny you hired a hitman for our crash, don’tcha think?” Wolf smirked as the pair walked into Steiner Industries.

“Nyx isn’t a hitman, he just…” Sabine stopped to think for a moment. “Isn’t picky about what he kills.”

“I think he’s a hitman who moonlights as a monster hunter,” Wolf laughed.

“It doesn’t matter,” Sabine replied. “Just focus on the match.”

“You put that thing in my mugen, right?”

“Yes, the plasma blade is installed,” Sabine sighed. “I don’t recommend you use it, though. It’s much smaller than the one I had, but it’s still going to take a lot out of you.”

“Whatever, I can handle it,” Wolf flexed his arm. “You got a name for it yet?”

“Plasma blade isn’t good enough?”

“Nah, nah,” Wolf laughed. “It’s gotta have something catchy like burny cutty thing!”

“I’m not naming it that,” Sabine chuckled as they entered the teleporter. In the blink of an eye they were in Steiner’s office where the rest of their crash was waiting.

“We’re not late, are we?” Wolf asked.

“No, they’re just early,” Sabine replied.

“Have you prepared adequately?” Steiner was sitting at her desk, sipping tea.

“I’m a prodigy,” Wolf smirked. “What have I got to prepare for?”

“You will not be facing the same chaff from before,” Steiner sternly stated. “Not a lot of people are willing to put their life on the line, and of the ones that are, the weak no longer remain.”

“All right, all right, just give us the pep talk and let’s get to it.”

“This is not…” Steiner sighed. “We are strategizing. You will not win if you do not have a plan.”

“I assume they have a little more than just stock models this time,” Sabine remarked as she sat down.

“Sekitangara, Kusuburi, Moyasu, and Yakedo. Those are the models you will be facing,” Steiner listed.

“Those are some pretty long names…I thought there were only a few models? Recon, Stock, y’know, stuff like that,” Wolf scratched his head in confusion and leaned against the wall.

“Mugen have two different classifications, the recon is the role it fits, whereas the model is usually picked based on the modifications installed. Usually the names will share a theme between models. For example, while Nyx and I both use recon units, Nyx obviously has different modifications,” Nina explained.

“Perfect,” Steiner complimented. “Congratulations, Wolf. You are now at the bottom of the list of who I hope survives the tournament.”

“Is that…a compliment?” Wolf’s voice wavered in hesitation.

“It is simply the truth. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“What’s the theme for this fight, then?” Wolf inquired.

“Fire,” Nina replied instantly. “All of their names relate to burning.”

“No problem, our Mugen are all heat resistant.”

“Hot enough to withstand dragon’s fire?” Steiner smirked slightly.

“If they existed, sure,” Sabine replied.

“Interesting. The plan is simple. Nyx will eliminate one opponent as soon as the match starts. Hopefully there will be panic, Wolf will flank, Sabine assaults the front.”

“That’s it, Nyx only has to deal with one?”

“I’m only getting paid for one shot,” Nyx began to leave the room. “I’ll be in my Mugen when you’re ready.”

“That’s all the info you need?”

“It’s unlikely their weaponry will reach me. I don’t need any more information.”

“I need to make some adjustments to my shielding…” Nina stated as she left as well.

“I suppose the planning phase is over,” Steiner sighed as she finished her tea. “Try not to die.”

“What environment do you think we’ll get this time?”

“I’m hoping for something near the ocean,” Sabine replied. “I’ve seen it in movies, but it would be nice to see it in person, even if it’s just an illusion.”

“I want something fantastical! Something that couldn’t possibly exist on Earth.”

“An open field would be nice,” Nyx added in.

“That sure sounds relaxing. Never thought of you as that kind of person,” Wolf stated.

“It would make killing them easier.”

“Oh,” Wolf responded as simulation began to fizzle into existence. It was dark, the only light coming from rivers of lava. They were at the bottom of an active volcano.

“How fitting,” Wolf stated. “Is this Steiner’s idea of a joke?”

“They’re randomly selected, as far as I know,” Sabine answered. “Nina, do you have their location?”

“They’re spreading out. It looks like they plan to encircle us.”

“Wait until I fire, then go in,” Nyx stated.

“Wolf, try to sneak around behind them. Remember, you win a one on one fight.”

“And you?”

“I’m going to charge straight into them, of course!” Sabine shouted as she stormed straight ahead, leaping over the stream of molten rock. Wolf sprinted wide to the east, while Nyx climbed up the volcano. Once he was in position, he grabbed one of the containers of blood and slotted it into his rifle.

“Wolf, you’ve got one in front of you. Sabine, two for you. I’m going to take out the straggler to the west.”

Nyx’s rifle began to glow and vibrate fiercely. After a few seconds, it stopped altogether, then fired a massive beam of energy that illuminated the entire simulation. It pierced through the opponent’s mugen, leaving a massive hole where the cockpit should have been. The thunderclap created caused the stone to shake and the lava to ripple.

“Target nixed.”

“I can’t believe he still says that, Sabby!” Wolf chortled.

“Focus, Wolf.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it,” Wolf replied as he spotted his opponent. “Time to use my signature move!”

Wolf jumped and propelled himself forward with his hand cannons, causing him to spiral through the air. When he extended his arm blades, the opposing mugen hit him with a blast of molten slag, knocking him out of the air.

“Fuck, that burns!”

“Wolf, are you okay? Do you need assistance?”

“Sabine, you’ve got one mugen on either side of you!” Nina shouted.

“Looks like it doesn’t matter,” Wolf winced with a smile on his face. “At least I get to try out my new toy.”

“Don’t overdo it, Wolf!” Sabine commanded as she prepared to face off against her two opponents.

Wolf climbed to his feet and slammed a few keys on his keyboards for dramatic effect. The fingers of Uragiru’s right hand folded back and spread out along his wrist like flower petals. A thin beam of purple plasma blasted out of the hole in his wrist.

“Fuckin’ vintage, Sabby. You made it purple like I asked!”

“You’re going to be out cold in about a minute,” Sabine sighed. “I guess I can’t expect any help with these guys.”

“I took out two last time, it’s only fair,” Wolf laughed as he charged at his opponent. “How sick would it be if I had two though?”

“Just powering it on would suck you dry, so…”

“External blood supplies are a way around that,” Nyx interjected.

“I’m not using a fucking bloodbag!” Wolf replied angrily.

“Stockpile your own blood.”

Wolf gritted his teeth as his opponent blasted fire at him. He blocked the stream with Uragiru’s left hand, causing him to reel back in pain.

“Fuck!”

“Wolf! Pull back if you need to!” Nina cried out.

“I’m fine,” Wolf hid behind a rock as he looked at his hand. Even though it was an augmentation, it felt like his flesh had been seared. “All this pain is just an illusion!”

Wolf leapt and used his hand cannon to propel himself over the rock towards his opponent. The same thing happened, with the enemy mugen firing a blast of molten slag. This time Wolf sliced through it with his plasma beam and continued spinning towards the mugen. He was stopped abruptly with a swift punch to the cockpit that sent him tumbling to the ground again. The plasma sputtered to a stop as Wolf gagged and gasped for air. The opposing mugen towered over his motionless mech. It put its foot down and began to apply pressure to the already dented cockpit, causing it to buckle. The monitors in front of him were starting to crack and crumble, causing bits of glass and sparks to rain down on him and warning lights began to flash and alarms blared in his ears.

“I can’t see, Sabby!” Wolf cried out with tears in his eyes. He felt dizzy from blood loss. He was doing everything in his power to hold back the mugen’s leg. “What do I do?!”

“I’ve sent a drone, Wolf! Hold on!” Nina shouted.

“I can’t die like this…” Wolf whispered to himself among the flashing lights. “I’m a…I’m a fuckin’ prodigy…”

Uragiru blasted the opposing mugen’s foot with his hand cannon, then reached up and thrust the stump of his right hand into the cockpit. The mugen extended its arms at Uragiru and began to blast a stream of flames onto the cockpit. Fire spilled through the cracks in the hull. Wolf felt like his skin was peeling off as he tapped on the only remaining keyboard.

“Nina…”

“Wolf!”

“You better be there when I wake up…” Wolf softly stated as he looked down at the syringe in his shoulder. There were little beads of blood mingling in the tube as his mugen had began to shut down. Crimson fluid began to rapidly surge through the tube as the purple plasma penetrated the hostile mugen’s hull, if only for a split second before sputtering out. Both mugen collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

“Wolf! Wolf!” Nina had begun to cry.

“He’ll be fine,” Sabine tried to console Nina, even though she herself was unsure of the outcome. The two mugen had closed the distance and were now on either side of her. “Now how am I supposed to deal with these idiots…”

The two mugen approached Bastien from the front and back. The one in front of Sabine began to glow red before bursting into flame, radiating intense heat.

“Okay…” Sabine stated. “So that one’s useless.”

“I could take one of them out easy, you know,” Nyx stated. “You’ll just have to pay extra.”

“I think I can handle it,” Sabine replied as she launched a volley of missiles at the second mugen. A blast of heat melted the missiles before they made contact, causing them to explode mid-air. “I see…”

Two orbs on the front of the hostile mech began to glow for a few moments before emitting a beam of energy at Sabine.

“That can’t be good for the pilot…” Sabine commented as she raised Bastien’s hands. They began to emit a vortex that absorbed the energy being projected at her. The beam began to flicker and wane after about thirty seconds. Bastien’s batteries were rumbling with power. Sabine smirked as she flipped a few switches. Massive jets of steam were expelled from Bastien’s rear as he dug his heels into the ground. Bastien’s hands began to glow red hot as they shot the stored energy back at the enemy. The beam tore through the mech’s cockpit, similar to Nyx’s attack.

“Interesting strategy…” Nyx chuckled. “I’d give it a try, but I prefer to stay out of the fight if possible…”

“One left…” Sabine took a deep breath as she turned around to face the final foe. Bastien’s hands were still smouldering and red hot. She approached the mech and grabbed its arms, then kicked it forward, tearing off its limbs. She placed one hand on the shoulder of the mech and the other in the air behind her. She thrust her free hand into the cockpit, tearing out the pilot, who was screaming and writhing in pain. She held him high above her in the air, like she had done so many times before. Sabine hesitated for a moment before making a fist. She sighed deeply as the blood trickled down Bastien’s arm.