Chapter 27
"Pilot, can you hear me?" Wessex asked with his voice coming over the radio.
"Loud and clear. I was able to take one down but the other two are alive and well." I responded as I was dodging on coming shots.
"If I'm looking at this right, you've got about ten minutes until the storm passes. If you can just last that long I can deploy and give you a hand."
"Easier said than do-" I said getting interrupted by one of them rushing at me.
A Gargoyle came through the storm swinging a large two handed sword at me. Where I was just barely able to dodge the blade and back up from him.
Though this guy wasn't going to let up off of me and give me a chance to breathe. Instead he kept pressuring the advance on me forcing me to glide backwards away from him.
However, his partner just kept complicating things for me by laying me down with suppressing fire. Not leaving me much room to maneuver and dodge attacks without risking being hit by something. Forcing me to choose between being hit by the sword or a laser bullet.
"Anyway you could get here faster?" I asked over the radio to Wessex.
"No can do Pilot. I'd be a sitting gloombust up there in that storm."
"I really need to learn what these words mean."
I was struggling to avoid everything coming at my way. Having no choice but to accept that I'm going to be hit a couple of times I moved forward. Causing the sword wielding Gargoyle to flinch leaving me an opening.
I got up really close to him and grabbed his Gargoyle by the head and dragged him over to his friend's line of fire. Giving myself a nice big shield to use. I kept rushing at the one who was shooting at me with his friend as my shield. Once I was close enough to see him I spun around smacking the Gargoyle I was using as a shield into his friend with my tail.
As the two of them slowly got back up on their feet my vision was clearing up. And as the sand storm finally passed through I could hear the movements of something large and mechanical.
"Did you call for back up?" Wessex asked as he emerged onto the surface.
"Oh you didn't forget about me." The Gargoyle howled with me the only one who could hear it.
"Got a preference on which one you want to take?" I asked.
"After having fought you I prefer to stay in ranged combat. Hold on, is that thing not equipped with any weapons?"
"I wouldn't know if it was or wasn't. So I'll take the guy with the sword and beat him before you beat yours." I said with a smirk pushing through on my face.
"Oh it's on."
I could feel that sharp pain that usual surges in my head coarse through my entire body as I rushed the Gargoyle. I could feel myself become looser and more relaxed as I moved. More confident in my movements and clear minded. As if something that I once saw as a battle has turned into a fun game. And I was enjoying every second of it.
I completely outpaced the sword wielder, chipping away at his thick armor as I tried to aim for the weak points in between the plating. However, he was just fast enough to where he could protect them.
My fast attacks and constant pressure forced him on the defense. Making him unable to even find an opening to counter with his sword. Turning what used to be his advantage in having a weapon into his fatal weakness. As I kept puncturing and shredding his armor.
Once enough of the plating was off and he was more vulnerable I was able to break his right shoulder joint. Causing him to drop his sword and falter backwards unable to attack me back.
While he was in that weakened state the pain that surged through my body got stronger.
I didn't want to back off anymore. Even though I knew that he was done and could no longer fight I went at him again. Cutting off and crush limbs and parts. Making me feel like a lion playing with his food that was already as good as dead. Only finishing him off by picking up the section of the body where the pilot was and crushing it in my hand.
I watched the blood pour my from Gargoyle's hand as the pain finally subsided. Coming back to my senses I grew sick to my stomach.
"That thing really is fast." Said Wessex snapping me back to reality.
"Y-yeah.. Lets head back." I said glancing one last time at the hand.
Wessex took me to where he stores his Gargoyle so I can park it there instead of just putting it back in the middle of the city.
Once I was out of the machine and stood in front of it my eyes once again glided towards the hand covered in blood. It was as if I was etching the image into my head.
"Don't worry about that, we can get your beast all washed up and clean for ya." Wessex said hitting my back.
"..Don't." I said still looking at it.
He took a deep breath, glancing at me and at what I was staring at. Before moving to stand in the way of my line of sight.
"I still don't like you. Not because of the kind of person you are because you've proven that you're a good guy. I don't like you because you pilot that thing." He said pointing at my Gargoyle. "You don't know a damn thing about it yet still pilot it. That thing changes and corrupts every pilot that sits in that pilot den." Wessex added, walking away from me.
I continued to look at the blood a little longer before turning to face Wessex. Though when I faced him about to say something I couldn't. As if the words that circled my heart refused to come out. Leaving me speechless as Wessex waited for me to say something.
I gave up and silently followed Wessex out of this garage and into the city. Stepping out into a mob of people surrounding the entrance applauding us.
"W-what is all this?" I asked Wessex.
"What do you mean? They're celebrating the man that saved their lives and homes." Wessex responded with a smile on his face.
I was still stunned to see everyone come out and celebrate… It all felt way too weird and foreign for me to believe my own eyes.
"I don't deserve it." I quietly said to myself.
"Alright alright! Enough of this hubbub, we should be getting back to work now." Mike shouted pushing through the crowd.
"Mike, it's a time of celebration." Wessex said putting his arm around him.
"And?"
"Day drinking my friend."
"I'm convinced. Everyone to the bar!" He shouted immediately marching towards it.
We overfilled the bar to the point where we were spilling out into the streets. Making it so there is no escaping the smell of alcohol no matter where you go. Some people even brought over instruments to play music as they celebrated away.
Because of the amount of people that were in there it made it really easy to slip away from everyone.
I walked the empty streets with an empty head. Or maybe every thought in my head was moving so fast that it felt like it was empty. Regardless of which it was I ended up finding myself in parts of the city that I didn't even realize how I got there. Until I found myself on a rock ledge looking out over the entire city, sitting down and just watching everything from above.
"Michael would have loved these people.. Hopefully Shaku and the others are taking good care of you." I said to myself.