43 Whirlwind of Might
Rage contorted the sloths' features, their mutated forms a testament to the world's decay. Yet, their defining trait – agonizing slowness – remained unchanged.
Zephyr, however, found himself locked in an unexpected dance with death. Despite their sluggishness, the sloths' reach proved a formidable challenge. Their long, mutated limbs, tipped with wickedly sharp claws, lashed out, forcing him to maintain a frustrating distance.
Frustration gnawed at him. Closing in for a killing blow meant risking a swipe that could leave him gravely wounded. A sigh escaped his lips as he muttered, "Not as easy as I thought."
A blur of motion. In the blink of an eye, Zephyr materialized behind a sloth. Twin knives flashed, severing the creature's limbs in a spray of gore. The remaining sloths reacted with a surge of primal rage. Their lumbering pace quickened, a hair's breadth faster than before but utterly inadequate against his agility.
He repeated the tactic, a deadly whirlwind, dispatching the mutated beasts with practiced efficiency. Their fury mounted, their eyes glowing a malevolent red, yet their physical limitations remained their downfall.
As the last sloth crumpled, a chilling realization settled upon him. The near-absence of mutated animals throughout their journey – it was unnatural. "There should be more," he murmured, a tremor of unease creeping into his voice.
His gaze darted towards the horizon. The Sentinels. Those monstrous predators wouldn't shy away from eliminating anything weaker, a brutal act of dominance. Could their presence explain the scarcity of other mutated animals? The unsettling silence began to speak volumes.
But that left a big question mark. Where were the Sentinels? If indeed they were the reason these rampaging and mutated animals were rarely seen and their numbers seem to be decreasing, then the Valleys of Torak and Plain of Zarath areas should be filled with those Sentinels.
In the twisted hierarchy of the Apex World, Sentinels were the bottom rung, the most abundant. Zephyr often compared them to 'endless cannon fodder' in the face of enormous threats.
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream shattered the quiet eerie. It erupted from the direction of the resting group. Zephyr's instincts kicked in – a surge of adrenaline as he whipped out his twin military knives, his gaze locking onto the unseen threat.
Pandemonium erupted within the camp. A collective gasp ripped through the air as the previously relaxed group lurched to their feet, muscles tensing in response to unseen danger.
A guttural growl, low and menacing, echoed in the stillness. Seven hulking shapes emerged from the shadows – monstrous beasts with powerful limbs and tails that tapered to wickedly sharp points, glinting like malevolent spears in the flickering firelight.
The primal terror gripped the group. Ice coursed through their veins, sending shivers down their spines. Panic seized them, a desperate scramble for safety as they scattered in all directions.
Just as the desperate scramble for survival reached a fever pitch, a mechanical whirring sliced through the air, growing louder with each passing moment. Two streaks of light, emerald blue and sharp, pierced the darkness, lancing towards two Sentinels.
Kaboom!
A thunderous boom erupted, and twin explosions stopped the five remaining Sentinels in their tracks. The fleeing crowd, caught between terror and morbid curiosity, stumbled to a halt. Their fear was momentarily eclipsed by the sheer shock of the spectacle.
From the inky depths, a mechanical armor emerged. Even though it was nighttime, its sleek white and orange form gleamed from the two small explosions, accented by the vibrant blue glow emanating from the energy core that powered its movements.
The Strato Exo-suit, a marvel of engineering, stood imposingly before them. The person in the majestic suit was Zephyr. In each hand, the figures gripped pistols, their white frames adorned with crackling orange lines, the tips buzzing with a corona of electric force.
"Impressive firepower, but cumbersome. Living up to the title of the most brilliant Exo-skeleton in the Basic category." Zephyr muttered within the confines of his Exo-suit helmet. He tilted his head and also secured the twin pistols from the Strato Exo-suit, now dubbed 'Equinox,' on his thighs.
Although powerful, the dual pistols could only fire once at a time and need to be recharged with the help of the Aether Energy Core from the Exo-skeleton. A weapon that could be considered to be outstanding.
While the concept held a certain allure – a seemingly limitless weapon – continuous use wasn't feasible because it drained the Exosuit's power faster. But again, it was the user's decision that determined it.
Zephyr wasn't the type for excessive energy expenditure. The Strato's true strength resides in its balanced capabilities. He wouldn't squander its limited resources on a flashy weapon, no matter how deadly it was.
A burst of blue flame erupted from the Exo-suit's thrusters, propelling Zephyr forward in a blur of motion. The Sentinels and the stunned crowd witnessed his arrival in a blink, his presence a whirlwind of mechanical might.
With inhuman strength, he seized the nearest creature's head in a steel grip. A single, brutal twist and a powerful heave sent the Sentinel hurtling through the air, a ragdoll cast aside. The earth trembled with the impact, a plume of dust erupting in the distance.
The remaining Sentinels launched themselves at the imposing figure, spurred into a frenzy. Their sharp claws gleamed in the darkness, and their slender tails were ready to thrust like a barrage of spears.
But their ferocity was in vain.
The Strato danced a deadly ballet, its movements fuzzy as it effortlessly evaded their attacks. The agility quite surpassed the previous Polaris Exosuit model, allowing Zephyr to weave through the onslaught.
Zephyr then launched a counterattack as easily as he dodged. He charged with his right shoulder and caused the formation of the four Sentinels to split apart. A swift blow followed its metallic fist, connecting with a Sentinel's head, sending it crashing to the ground. Before the dust settled, Zephyr was a whirlwind of motion, closing the distance on the remaining beasts.
Two Sentinels remain, their guttural roars echoing in the night. Zephyr unleashed a flurry of attacks, each blow radiating a shockwave from the sheer force delivered by the Strato.
Despite his relentless assault, a single takedown proved his limit. One Sentinel crumpled, but the three other Sentinels, recovering from an earlier blow, lunged back at him.
'Four is doable. But the hand-to-hand combat damage from the Strato Exosuit is really worse than the Polaris.' Zephyr realized it after experiencing it firsthand.
In his past life, financial constraints had kept him from piloting a Strato or a Paladin. By the time he could afford them, the 'Basic' classification held less weight – the Advanced Exosuits dominated the market.
"Well, it's not like I'm without an arsenal," Zephyr muttered within the helmet while both hands reached his back waist as the four Sentinels tried to dive and tear him apart with their spear tails and sharp claws.
A surge of blue flame erupted from the Strato's thrusters, propelling Zephyr to his right in a heartbeat. Emberhearts roared to life in his hands, twin blasts erupting at point-blank range. One Sentinel crumpled instantly, two gaping holes marking its demise.
The remaining three reacted with primal fury, their spear-like tails lashing out in a coordinated attempt to thrust the Exo-suit. But the Strato's strength lay in its unmatched agility. A burst of power from its legs propelled Zephyr skyward, the creatures' grasp falling harmlessly short.
He spun in the air, a whirlwind of metal and fury. The Emberhearts spat fire, twin rounds finding their mark – headshot, one after another, on the two Sentinels who'd leaped in a desperate bid to intercept him.
The lone Sentinel managed to get close and seized both of Strato's legs with their sharp claws, squeezing to crush the Exo-skeleton's legs. Followed by the tail with pressure like a spear trying to penetrate Strato's armor.
But Zephyr was ready to respond coolly by placing the two Emberhearts, which were not yet ready to be fired in a short time, onto his back waist and immediately using one of the Equinox pistols. With a single, decisive shot, the laser beam lanced out. And then, a blinding flash erupted within the Sentinel's gaping maw, causing an explosion in the air.
