Short Story

[Wolfsong]

Uh oh....

Lol glad to see you're finally writing in here again. Awesome!

[ClaecElric4God]

On arriving at the front door, I took a long, shaky breath, trying to compose myself.
This is it, I thought. And I tentatively knocked on the door.
A deep, gravelly voice reached me through the door, chilling me to the bone. “Enter.”
I forced myself not to hyperventilate, and slowly opened the door, feeling faint.
Inside, the house was one large room. No décor, no furniture, it was completely empty. Painted a dull gray, it looked exactly like a concrete box. Directly in the center of the cavernous space sat a single swivel chair, and in the chair sat a single, non-swivel person. He looked just like President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and wore a sharp, formal suit. A greyhound lay at his feet, dozing off; and in his lap crouched a gray cat, which he stroked absently.
I gulped and ventured inside the room, shutting the door behind me. I nodded slightly and forced my voice to stay even as I greeted him.
“Xeno.”
Xeno waved a hand, and a metal fold-up chair appeared in front of me. I felt much more comfortable standing, but I knew better than to argue, so I obediently sat in the chair. I was trying to figure out how to start the conversation when he spoke, in that same even tone.
“So, you're planning a rebellion.” He rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, criss-crossing his fingers. “Do you really think that will work? What do you hope to accomplish?”
At first I was stunned to find that he knew about my rebellion. But of course he would know. After all, it didn't seem like much escaped his attention. I realized that he was testing me, and my answer would decide whether he gave me the information I wanted. He wasn't going to give it out to just anyone. I had to prove that I deserved it, that he could trust me with it.
I stood boldly, putting my doubts and fears behind me. This wasn't the time or place to second guess myself. This was where I would prove to myself, as much as anyone, whether I could really do this or not.
“Sir, I don't know where you stand on this. You may hate me for what I'm about to say, but I can't sit back and let things continue the way they have. The Sour Cream Reich is cruel, unforgiving, and unfair. I have my own doubts about the integrity of sour cream in general, but that is a subject for another day. What I do know is, whether one likes sour cream or not, personal preference is no excuse for the way the Nauzis are doing things. Everyone should have the right to either eat sour cream with everything they consume, or look at it in horror and throw it in the garbage can.
What do I hope to accomplish? I want to make the Nauzis sorry for what they've done. I want them to know that there are people who aren't content to live this way. I'm going to do everything in my power to foil their plans, and give the people a vision, a reason to fight. If I fail, so be it. But I believe that together, my comrades and I can make a difference and end this oppression. Whether it will work remains to be seen. I will do my utmost to see this through and make sure that my dream is fulfilled. This is why I've come here. Because I believe you sympathize with my cause, and I know that you can help me.”
I looked apprehensively at Xeno as I slowly sat back in my chair. The moment of truth – would he help me, or was he going to kill me on the spot?
Xeno remained silent for a long while, apparently deep in thought. I was about to doze off when he waved a hand again, causing a coffee table to materialize between us. On the table sat a large folder.
“This folder contains everything you will need to familiarize yourself with the facility and formulate a satisfactory plan. A map of the factory, complete with the contents of each room, functions of the various pieces of equipment, and all the inner workings.
You'll also need to know about the defenses. The Nauzis boast the strongest and most diverse military in the world, from Transformers to LFO's. And of course, they're going to have top-notch units defending their most vital factory. You will find a list of all the units garrisoned there, facts such as strengths and weaknesses of each, and information including patrols, changes of the watch, and attack patterns.”
My brain hurt trying to take all this in and thinking about what I was going to do with it. Suddenly, my task seemed so much more daunting. But I saw Xeno watching me intently, and knew he was waiting for me to cave in and call it quits. Finding new determination, I took the folder and stood.
“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” I said sincerely. “I will not fail.”
His mouth twitched in a faint, potentially mocking smile. “We shall see, foolish child.”
And with that, he slowly faded away, along with the house and it's meager contents, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the woods. I blinked, slightly stunned. Ookayyy....
I shook my head, trying to gather my thoughts as I looked down at the folder in my hand. So, I'd survived, and with all the information I'd come for, to boot. Looking back, Xeno wasn't half bad. He seemed like the type you could have an intelligent conversation with. I found myself hoping we'd meet again in the future. For whatever reason, I could picture him making a good steak, too.

[Wolfsong]

The Nauzis boast the strongest and most diverse military in the world, from Transformers to LFO's. And of course, they're going to have top-notch units defending their most vital factory.

You forgot Legos.

[ClaecElric4God]

The Nauzis boast the strongest and most diverse military in the world, from Transformers to LFO's. And of course, they're going to have top-notch units defending their most vital factory.

You forgot Legos.

It's LEGO, Wolf. Get it right. (jk)

[Wolfsong]

The Nauzis boast the strongest and most diverse military in the world, from Transformers to LFO's. And of course, they're going to have top-notch units defending their most vital factory.

You forgot Legos.

It's LEGO, Wolf. Get it right. (jk)

No, no, legos. That's the ignorant layman's way.
Looking forward to the next part!

[ClaecElric4God]

I straightened up in my chair, arching my neck and shoulders to try to relieve the soreness. I'd spent the last few hours poring over these stupid documents. The garbage can by my desk was heaping with crumpled up pieces of paper. But most of them were doodles I'd drawn while I was too bored to work on my strategy. I had a rough idea what I was going to do, but at this point I'd just decided to wing it. Playing it by ear always seemed to work in the movies, so why not for me?
Just then, Cheetah walked into the room. “So, do you have a plan yet?”
“Would you believe me if I said yes?”
“No.”
“Aw,” I said despondently, then perked up and smiled foolishly at her. “Then, no, I absolutely don't. Do you know if everyone's ready?”
“How should I know? I only talk to people who give me cookies.”
I sighed. Cheetah could be so difficult sometimes. How she managed in this world of logic was quite beyond me.
I gathered up all the papers I'd been studying. I'd memorized everything in them, and at this point all I needed was to somehow come up with a brilliant strategy to keep us all alive and succeed.

“Alright, is everyone here?” I looked around at all my comrades. I wasn't too sure of some of them, but they were still my allies, and I had to trust them not to do anything stupid. As that thought went through my head, my eyes rested a moment on Wolf, Odd, and syphon.
Wolf was probably my most loyal and amazing ally, but I didn't know if I could rely on her to keep her head in the game and not go evil-apple-thrower on me. I could just picture her laughing maniacally, throwing apples at everything in sight, while I'm trying to get her to listen to me. But I had faith in her, and I knew she had the self-restraint to stay calm and follow orders. Or at least I hoped so...
Odd was loyal enough, but there was always the chance that he would get cold feet and chicken out on me. Yeah, Odd incapacitated with fear wasn't fun to deal with. But I had to trust him to maintain his courage and do his best in spite of his fear.
Then there was syphon. I'd have been perfectly happy not bringing him at all. He made me more than a little nervous. I could sense evil radiating from him. True, at one point I'd cultivated that evil and trained him to harness it, but that was in the past, and now there was no guarantee he wouldn't use my teaching against me. But Jeremy had insisted on bringing him along. Apparently Jeremy thought just because he and syphon were related made everything okay. How blind he was.
“Odd, Dox knows about the plan, right?”
“You want him to go into TARDIS mode and teleport us all to the factory, right?”
I nodded. “Can he do it?”
Odd smirked at me. “This is Dox we're talking about. It'll be a piece of cake. Of course, he'll need my help to figure out how to get there. He's awful with directions.”
“Oh, and Mr. Time Lord,” I said sarcastically as he started to leave. “Make sure we get there in the present, okay? I don't want to arrive after the zombie apocalypse.”
“Sure thing.” And with that he closed the door to the tool shed we'd agreed to meet in. Outside I heard a conversation going on, and knew that Dox had arrived. I didn't know much about the whole TARDIS thing (not being an avid Dr. Who fan myself), but Odd had once told me that he and Odd needed complete solitude to create the atmosphere they needed for Dox to initiate TARDIS mode. He had a strong bond with Odd that made Odd the only one he could connect with while in TARDIS mode, which was also the reason no one else could be in the building.
“Alright, we're ready,” Odd's voice came through the door after a few moments. Upon entering the shed, we found what appeared to be...a Pile of Junk. I blinked, then looked around the building. Where was the famed police box that was like...the trademark of Dr. Who? Everyone else appeared to be as confused as me. Then a hand reached out of the pile, making me jump out of my skin.
“Come on already. You said you wanted to get there in the present, didn't you?” That was Odd, all right. “Well, the present is passing as we speak.”
I scrunched my eyebrows for a moment, contemplating that, but then just shrugged and waded into the pile of junk, followed by the rest of the crew.
Inside, the Pile of Junk was more like a room. Actually, it was an arcade. There were like...16 video game consoles and a few computers on. And on a table in the middle of the room was a deck of cards. Actually, it looked like someone was in the middle of a card game. Then I realized, all the consoles and computers had ongoing games. A lot of them looked like MMORPGs. And all of them had sticky notes on them that said, Do not touch on pain of death. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of my wrath. - The Black-Hearted Samurai/Ninja/Writer.
I can't really describe teleportation, except that it was pretty boring. Despite Odd's warning, we spent the trip playing an intense game of cards. Panda won, probably with her inherent ninja panda skills. We were half-way through our second game, with Wolf soundly beating the rest of us, when the Pile of Junk jerked to a stop, which was really weird, because until we stopped, I hadn't realized we were even moving. But the force of it jolted all of us in our seats, and we had to grab onto the table to keep from falling on the floor.
“We're here.” I said quietly. I shivered as a cold breeze blew through my very being. Canada. Again. I realized it must have been psychological, because Alberta wasn't really that cold midsummer. And apparently some of it wasn't barren wasteland. However, I refused to believe their colleges were more expensive. That was an absurd rumor.
I walked up to the door of the arcade and turned the doorknob, which promptly fell to pieces in my fingers, followed by the rest of door, till I was standing waste deep in a Pile of Junk again, staring at the Canadian tundra. And not too far in the distance, I saw it. A huge smokestack, with yellow-white smoke billowing out the top. The air was rank with the smell of sour cream, and I had to concentrate on not gagging. This was a hundred times worse than the Daisy Compound. This was Nightmarica. I took a deep breath, straightening my shoulders.
“All right, everybody. Let's go. We have a world to save.”
“If it can be saved,” Odd said pessimistically.
“Oh, come on. With our skills, we can't lose,” Wolf punched him on the shoulder.
“I know we can do this!” Kone added passionately.
“Yeah, we've got this!” BL chimed in.
“You guys have me, remember,” Panda said confidently.
“We're an unstoppable team!” Jeremy agreed.
“I don't know what you're worried about,” syphon added darkly. “I will annihilate everything.”
“Even if we do fail miserably, it's the thought that counts, right?” Cheetah said reassuringly, although it wasn't really that reassuring.
And with that, we advanced toward the factory.

[ClaecElric4God]

“Hey, Claec?” I turned to see Wolf looking at me questioningly. “Um, where are the cherries?”
I stopped mid-stride, staring blankly into space. The cherries...Oh, man.
“Yeah, wasn't that like our big plan?” Panda reminded me.
Agh! In all the excitement and anxiety, I'd completely forgotten about the cherries. I ran my fingers through my hair, groaning in frustration. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Odd and syphon facepalm simultaneously.
“This is just like you, Claec,” Odd said in exasperation. “Now what're we gonna do?”
“I don't want to go all the way back!” Cheetah whined.
I rested my chin in my hand, thinking hard. What indeed? I didn't want to go all the way back home, when I could taste my revenge. And I was sick of wasting time.
“Hey, I know,” Kone piped up. “You can go to Ace's. The CAA border isn't far from here.”
“Ace's?” I questioned. “You mean, Ace33Wing? The spinach camp? I don't want spinach, I need cherries.”
“Yeah, but he has an underground food system, so his refugees can eat stuff other than sour cream; so he has access to a lot of foods we don't. I mean, it's not like you can walk into a grocery store at home and buy a bulk package of cherries. You have to buy ten pounds of sour cream to every pound of anything else you buy.”
I scratched my head, pondering what Kone was saying. Maybe...
“You really think he could get me the amount of cherries I need on such short notice?”
“Definitely,” Kone said with confidence.
I thought for a moment longer, then nodded. “Okay, here's the plan. Wolf, Odd, syphon, Cheetah, and Jeremy; I want you guys to stay here and wait for us. Kone, BL, Panda, you guys are coming with me. The question is, how are we going to get there?”
“What about those,” BL interrupted my deep thought, pointing toward a small shed filled with...motorcycles? Yeah, they were really nice, fancy motorcycles. I went over to investigate, noticing a sign posted next to the doorway.
“Property of Crossfire National Military,” BL read.
“Weird...” I said, more than a little suspicious. Why were all these nice bikes sitting in a broken down shed in the middle of nowhere? They were basically begging someone to steal them. I shrugged. Their loss. We thoroughly checked the area for any guards or booby traps, then mounted the bikes and rode off into the sunset, or what would have been the sunset if it was in fact setting. But since it was early morning, we just rode off toward Ace's spinach refuge. I shuddered to think what I would find. Spinach was one of the most awful things on the planet. I can't even stand spinach in a salad, let alone by itself.
You'd better have what I need, Ace.
The ride was uneventful, except every time I passed a car, I was afraid they were gonna run me over. I mean, in a car vs. motorcycle head-on collision, the motorcyclist is always worse off. I wasn't sure how anyone in their right mind could drive one of those things, and I was determined never to get on one again after this.
True to Kone's word, it wasn't very far. In the not so far distance, I could see a legion of ninjas patrolling what I knew to be the border of CAA, the Canadian-American Alliance. I knew that Ace's refugee camp couldn't be far from there, since he was bound by some kind of oath to stay within it's borders.
Kone led us to a heavily populated urban town, the houses crammed against each other. We went down one of those deep, dark alleys where people get mugged in the movies, but apparently our bikes were intimidating enough that no one cared to bother us. I guess they did have their uses after all.
At the end of the alley sat...what I least expected from a place like this. It appeared to be some kind of makeshift thatch hut. It was scrunched in amongst all the other houses, but somehow gave a vibe like it was all alone in the middle of nowhere. Maybe because it was so unique and...weird. The roof was covered with spinach drying in the sun. Spinach hung in long strands from hooks all around the overhanging roof, so you couldn't walk around without it brushing against your head. It had a small porch thinly covered in spinach leaves that scrunched softly under our feet. Instead of a door was a pair of curtains shaped like giant spinach leaves, hanging delicately over the doorway. I gingerly pushed aside the curtain, ducking inside the small building. Inside didn't look much better than outside, although I was surprised to find that a second doorway connected a long hallway that stretched back for quite a ways. I assumed the sardine layout outside had prevented me from seeing that the building was so long. A few people wandered the halls, casually munching on spinach (though they didn't seem to be enjoying it too much), and I couldn't help but notice that they all looked super elite and wealthy.
The main attraction, however, was a young gentleman sitting off in the corner, casually flipping through a few books as if trying to figure out whether they were worth reading or not. Most of them apparently weren't, because he kept grunting and tossing them into an ever-growing heap behind him. With his free hand, he was periodically shoving stacks of spinach into his mouth. He had jet black hair, but something about his appearance was reminiscent of a water bear. Also of note, he was barricaded in by a set of chairs in a circle around him.
“Ace33Wing?” I inquired. He dropped the book he was reading in surprise, and quickly reached for the chair in front of him. Then he relaxed slightly when he saw us. I'd only met Ace a few times, but apparently he remembered me, judging by the look of recognition on his face.
“Ah, Claec,” he said, sitting back comfortably again as he stuffed another handful of spinach in his mouth. “Long time no see.”
I skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point, thinking of my comrades waiting patiently for me. We weren't getting any younger...
“I need cherries. Lots of them. How many can you get me?”
Ace chewed his spinach thoughtfully, reminding me of a cow chewing it's cud. After a long moment he looked me in the eye.
“Try me.”
“Nine crates.”
Ace scratched his chin, then inhaled yet another stack of spinach.
“What's in it for me?”
“Simple,” I replied, narrowing my eyes. “I won't tell the CAA about your little operation going on behind the scenes. How long do you think before you're ready to move out? Three, maybe four weeks? I'd hate to see that come to a screeching halt.”
Sweat started visibly rolling down Ace's face, and he started chewing harder on his spinach.
“When do you need it?”
“Now.”
Ace gave me a shocked look and opened his mouth as if to make an argument, then thought better of it. Without a word he stood up, moved the chair he was sitting in, and opened a trapdoor beneath him. Just when I decided that he'd run for the hills and was never coming back, he emerged, carrying a crate of fresh, shiny cherries. I looked at them in distaste (I couldn't blame Crossfire for hating them), but took the crate anyway. Behind Ace followed 8 of his followers, who I directed to help me get the crates loaded in a wagon that I borrowed from Ace and hitched to my bike. I saluted shortly as Kone, BL, Panda, and I pulled away, back down the alley.

[Panda4christ:3]

I could kick myself for not keeping up with this story more DX i could use a laugh :3
Really love the writing style, it's easy to read and it flows well c:
Can't wait for more >u<

[SilverToast]

lol I somehow resemble a water bear! =D How did you know I chew with my mouth open, touch my chin when thinking, and open my mouth in shock? :O You're a wizard, aren't you? Or maybe stalker? Or maybe even wizard stalker?

[ClaecElric4God]

I pulled up alongside Panda, noticing that she hadn't said anything since Kone had suggested going to Ace for help. Panda had been uncharacteristically quiet, and had a brooding look on her face.
“Are you okay?” I inquired. She didn't answer, so I pressed a little further. “Is it about Ace?”
Panda sighed and looked away.
“We aren't exactly friends,” she finally said. Then under her breath, “Him and his stupid bear cavalry.”
“Does it have something to do with the pandas?”
“Oh, it's nothing,” Panda looked over at me and smiled, waving a hand as if to brush aside the subject. “Just a war that's been waged since the beginning of time. But I assure you, I will succeed, with my trusty pandas!”
I smiled as Panda pulled ahead of me, into the lead. I loved her “never give up” attitude. She reminded me a lot of Maka Albarn. Whatever it was between her and Ace, I was sure she'd win. What I wasn't so sure of was whether I was going to survive having blackmailed the commanding officer of a military division of bears. I shrugged. That was a problem for another day.
When we arrived back at the rendezvous point, Wolf looked up with relief.
“It's about time,” she said. “He didn't make you eat any banana spinach soup, did he?”
I arched an eyebrow at Wolf. “No....” I had a feeling I didn't want to know.
I gathered everyone together in a huddle. “Alright, here's the plan. If we all storm the place at once, it'll just be confusion and chaos, and we'll leave ourselves open to retaliation from every side. So I'm going to have us split up into teams of three.”
“Wolf and Odd, you're coming with me.” I had to make sure I kept Wolf's destructive capabilities in check, and keep Odd from going crazy with fear.
“Kone, Panda, and Jeremy, you're a team.” Kone and Panda worked together really well, and Jeremy was the type who could work well with anyone.
“Cheetah, BL, and syphon, I'm putting you guys together.” Cheetah and BL were good at collaborating and coming up with really cool ideas and plans, and Cheetah was the only one I felt confident could keep syphon in line. If she thought he was going to turn evil or betray us, she could just trap him in a warp hole or something. Though she wasn't too bright, she was conniving, and she was a troublemaker. Hopefully she and syphon would offset each other, with BL being the mature one in the group.
I laid out a map on the ground, a map of the factory that Xeno had given me.
“There are three main forces on the outside. Gundam, LFO's, and variable fighters. There are also two Arm Slaves guarding the main entrance. We'll deal with them when we get to it, because they won't leave their position unless engaged. So don't attack them till I give the signal. We'll have our hands full already.
The Gundam guys should be hanging around the left side of the building, the LFO's on the right, and the variable fighters will be flying around overhead, patrolling for trespassers – which is us. So keep your heads down and try not to draw attention to yourselves.
Inside, there's not as much stress on defense as manufacturing, but everything in there is still armed to the teeth, so watch yourselves.
Basically, the plan is to clear out the defenses outside and move in right through the front door. I'll lead the way to the packaging section, and we'll make sure they get a lifetime supply of cherry-flavored sour cream. Then we'll get out of there and head home.”
I looked around to see if their were any objections or questions.
“If the guys outside are such a big deal, why don't we just bypass them and go right in?” Jeremy asked.
“Once we beat the Arm Slaves and break in, the alarm'll go off and they'll follow us in anyway. And fighting them all at once in such a tight space would be suicide. If we can break into groups and take them on separately, we'll stand a better chance.”
No one else had any more input, and everyone seemed to be on board – except Cheetah, who was staring absently off into space.
“My team will handle the Gundam. Panda's team, you take the right and deal with the LFO's. Cheetah, I want you and your team to keep an eye on the variable fighters and try to keep them off of us.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and I silently signaled for everyone to split up and go to their objectives.
Panda and her team branched off to the right, toward the LFOs. Panda pulled out a whistle as she ran, and as she sounded it, a group of pandas came lumbering out of the forest, running after Panda.
Cheetah put her hands on syphon and BL's shoulders, just as a warphole opened behind her. She smiled evilly as she stepped backward into it, dragging syphon and BL with her. A few seconds after their disappearance, I noticed a similar warphole open over the roof of the factory, dropping the trio on the ledge. I silently saluted to Cheetah, acknowledging that I trusted her to be smart and pay attention. In the back of mind, though, I couldn't help but worry. There was no telling what an insane person paired with an evil person could do.
Suddenly, I realized I'd just sent my eight friends – who had no training, experience, or even safety gear – into battle against a bunch of super tough mecha. Something about that wasn't right...
As I sat second-guessing myself, I was too preoccupied to dodge the attack. Especially since it came from both sides. I jerked my head up quickly and looked at Odd and Wolf, who had deemed it necessary to both punch me at once, from opposite sides. I sighed. They were going to feel really dumb when my arms fell off from chronic damage.
“Let's do this, Claec. You're the reason we're all here, after all,” Wolf coaxed. I shook my head, clearing the doubt from my mind. Seriously, though. Why was I so doubtful and uncertain? That's like...been the theme of this story so far. Enough of that.
“Sorry, I just needed a second to charge up my awesomeness powers. Let's do this!”

[Panda4christ:3]

She reminded me a lot of Maka Albarn.

Maka-chan is actually a nickname my best friend gave me lol though i don't feel like it fits all too well XD;;

Also, I love the fact there was a gundam in there (very cross-like) i couldn't stop laughing throughout the entire thing X3

[ClaecElric4God]

She reminded me a lot of Maka Albarn.

Maka-chan is actually a nickname my best friend gave me lol though i don't feel like it fits all too well XD;;

Psh, of course it fits you. You're amazing!

Also, I love the fact there was a gundam in there (very cross-like) i couldn't stop laughing throughout the entire thing X3

It gets better. *Coming soon to a forum near you*

[ClaecElric4God]

Determined to leave my worries behind me, I forcefully dragged Wolf and Odd along as I ran to the left side of the building. Dense forest engulfed the area, allowing only small patches of scattered sunlight through. As we ran, I told them where to expect the Gundam to be, and as we rounded the corner, I motioned for them to follow my lead as I ducked behind a log.
“Make the first attack count,” I whispered. “Because once they discover us, they're not going to wait up for us to organize a good offense.”
As soon as I finished talking, an air horn sounded from nearby, making us all jump out of our skin. We all crouched in the shelter of our log, expecting who knew what.
“Did they discover us?” Odd asked fearfully. “What do we do now?”
I put a finger to my lips, waiting. Nothing. What was that? I shrugged. Probably some system in the factory. Either way, it obviously had nothing to do with us. I gave the signal, and we all leapt over the log, straight toward the designated spot – only to come to a screeching halt when we realized...there were no Gundam. We stood in a circle, facing outward, as we looked around. What exactly was going on? Was this some kind of trap?
I noticed Wolf looking toward the wall of the building, and followed her gaze. There, pasted on the wall was what appeared to be some kind of notice. I motioned for them to wait there, and jogged over to it, ever watchful for an unexpected attack. My eyes widened as I read it:
Scheduled airsoft tournament to begin at 10:00. Have fun!
“Oh no.” I whispered under my breath. The Gundam fighters were scattered throughout the woods, lying in wait, who knew where, in bloodthirsty airsoft-mode. This was bad... A flash of movement caught my eye.
“Wolf, Odd, get down!” I yelled, but too late. Wolf managed to drop in time, and I rushed toward them, landing next to them in a dive. But Odd was stuck in a daze, staring at the Gundam suit standing a few paces away, pointing an ICS M4A1 AEG directly at him. A "whirrrpttpttpttptt”, followed by a cry of pain – and Odd sank to the ground, clutching his arm. By telepathic consent, Wolf and I dragged him over next to the log we'd chosen to hide behind earlier. The Gundam guy was training his rifle on me now, and I ducked behind the log as he unleashed a hailstorm of plastic ammunition at me. I felt like I was sitting in a massage chair as they ricocheted off the log. Looking down at Odd, I cringed. This had gone horrible wrong. Odd was sitting there, cradling his arm and sobbing quietly as he rocked back and forth, lost in his own world of pain and sorrow. There was only one thing left to do.
I turned to Wolf. “Wolf, can you do me a favor?” Wolf nodded quickly, her face tight with concern, but set with determination.
“Whatever you need, Claec. But we need to do something quick. The rest of those guys are going to figure out we're here sooner or later.”
“I know, I know,” I said shortly, instantly regretting addressing Wolf with that tone. In a more relaxed voice, I continued. “I need you to hold them off as long as you can. That's all I'm asking. I'll try to hurry.”
Wolf saluted, then laughed. “Piece of cake.” Wolf threw back her head and let out a howl that sent shivers down my spine, which was quickly answered by a chorus of howls. Wolf smiled at me again, that creepy evil smile she gets when she's about to do something epic, as she randomly started glowing. And before my eyes, she shifted into a shimmering wolf spirit, bigger than any wolf I'd ever seen. The Wolf was too tall to be protected by the log, but she didn't even flinch as the BB's bounced harmlessly off of her thick coat. She turned and snarled at the Gundam. As they stood, facing off, more Gundam came out of the woods, apparently distracted from their game. But along with the Gundam came a pack of wolves, who began surrounding the Gundam guys, circling menacingly.
I shook my head, reminding myself not to be distracted. I ignored the whirring of rifles and the sound of angry wolves launching themselves at the mobile suits, instead directing my attention to Odd. I wasn't sure how long Wolf could hold off the Gundam, as outnumbered and outmatched as she was, so I knew this needed to be fast. I grabbed Odd by the shoulders, trying to make him look at me.
“Odd, snap out of it!” I yelled, the urgency of the situation pounding through every nerve. “Odd, you've gotta snap out of it. You need to call Dox. Tell him we need his help! Odd! If you don't get over it and call Dox, we're gonna lose. I don't know what'll happen to us!”
Nothing I was saying was getting through to him. Odd just sat there, his head hanging as he continued to sob uncontrollably. This was bad. I heard a yelp as one of Wolf's wolves went down. This was really bad. I switched tactics.
“Dox, come out here and help us, right now! Odd's hurt, Wolf's putting her life on the line, and our whole mission's in jeopardy! Odd told me you'd be willing to help us! Dox! Please, come help us!”
I shook Odd's shoulders, desperation grasping at my sanity. We didn't have much time...
Then, suddenly, Odd stopped crying. He went completely still, his head still hanging. I stopped shaking him and stood back quickly. He was still for a long moment, then his shoulders started shaking, and I was afraid he was crying again. My heart sank in despair.
I stood there, utterly hopeless, until I heard a soft, indiscernible noise coming from the young man in front of me. I looked at him quizzically, ignoring the sound of battle around me. Then I realized...it was laughter. It grew louder and more distinct, until it grew into full-fledged maniacal laughter, and he threw back his head with it. His expression was different. There was no trace of the Odd I knew. All fear and doubt had been replaced by determination, excitement, thrill. This was Dox.
I sighed, sinking to my knees with relief. Dox finally finished laughing and turned to look at me, his face lit up with a cocky smile.
“Claec! Long time no see!” Dox walked over to me and reached out a hand, which I accepted gratefully. Once I regained my standing, he tightened his grip on my hand in greeting. “Sorry for being late. I guess Odd wanted to play hero or something.” Dox rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
“Thanks for coming,” I replied. I didn't think I'd ever get used to Odd/Dox's multiple personality issues. “We have a bit of an issue...” I looked over to where Wolf was fighting the Gundam, barely holding her own with only three or four wolves left.
Dox looked in the same direction, his eyes lighting up with excitement when he saw the action.
“Hey, that looks like my kind of fight!” Dox clapped his hands, and a Pile of Junk, similar to the one we'd arrived here in, appeared next to him. I had to wonder how many people had this weird “make things appear out of nowhere conveniently” skill, and why I didn't. Dox submerged his arm up to the shoulder in the Pile of Junk, digging around for a second. He pulled it back out again, grasping the handle of an ornate and incredibly sharp sword. Switching it to his other hand, he delved back in again, pulling out a similar sword. He swung the swords experimentally, spinning them in complicated patterns of awesomeness that were probably more for my benefit than warming up. When he seemed satisfied that the balance was right and everything was in order, Dox spun around, kicking up a cloud of dirt and leaves, then dashed toward the nearest Gundam. Wolf was hanging back, catching her breath. When she saw Dox, she turned to me and nodded in approval, her wolfish expression saying in a friendly way, What took you so long? I shrugged, smiling awkwardly.
Dox rushed the Gundam head-on, going down on one knee at the last moment to slide under the mecha. As he came directly underneath it, he thrust both swords into it, then forcefully pulled his arms apart, slicing both directions through its body. He darted out from under it as it slowly sank to the ground, incapacitated. Dox sprinted toward the next mecha, slicing one leg as he went past. Turning on his heel, he rushed back, similarly attacking the other leg. Sparks flew as the legs malfunctioned, and all the pilot could do was stand there and shoot at Dox, who flitted back and forth, undeterred. None of the attacks made contact with their target, as Dox flashed like lightning. Dox ran full speed toward a tree, jumping against the trunk to propel himself above the Gundam suit, and brought his swords down on it. The pilots of both trashed Gundam ejected, running for the hills.
The last few Gundam had discarded their airsoft rifles, instead resorting to their built-in artillery (which made a lot more sense). Suddenly, it wasn't a matter of discomfort if Dox got hit. Those beams of energy or lasers or whatever they were would hurt a lot more than little plastic balls. But that didn't phase Dox, who didn't miss a step as he continued to challenge them. Slashes, thrusts, parries, 720's. Dox made short work of the Gundam suits, Wolf and I sitting by and watching as we regained our energy. When the dust settled, Dox was standing there with both swords casually resting over his shoulder. He turned to us and smiled, cockier than ever.
“That good enough for you guys?”

[Cc4FuzzyHuggles]

Prologue

The Sour Cream Reich. The Country of White. Bittersweet Homeland. Those were a few names given to the country ruled by that atrocious “food”.
Legend has it sour cream used to be shunned and hated by most. People were narrow-minded and lacked taste, and they refused to even try it. But then a young Canadian with an adventurous personality broke the ultimate law, and ate of the forbidden condiment. Newly enlightened, he realized that sour cream was edible, and he embraced it's bitter-sweet taste. Eventually he convinced others to try it as well, and sour cream became a popular condiment across the vast expanse of Canada, eventually reaching the rest of the world. But as wonderful as it initially seemed, the sour cream finally ate away at their very beings, corrupting their souls and giving them the desire for world domination. They were so convinced that sour cream was the best staple in existence, they forced it on those around them. Many resisted, but the power of sour cream was simply too great, and even those who loathed sour cream passionately were forced to submit. The Nauzis, as they would later be called, eventually overthrew the Canadian and U.S. Governments, establishing their own dictatorship with none other than “the boy who started it all” as their leader. Thus began a dark and oppressive era for North America.
Sour cream became the main form of sustenance, day in and day out. Once the Nauzis finally realized that sour cream was a dairy product, they shipped massive herds of dairy cattle in, and the people were forced to spend their days fermenting cream to produce the topping they lived by. Factories went up all over SCR dedicated to the manufacture of sour cream. Sour cream three meals a day. Sour cream-based sports. Sour cream cosmetics. Specialty shops where the only specialty was sour cream. Every month, once a month, a day was announced where people were allowed to eat something that wasn't sour cream, as long as it was generously topped with sour cream. This was an effort to satisfy the few who still hoped for a free North America. However, any signs of rebellion or discontent were quickly dealt with, and the offender severely punished. Hope began to flicker and die in the hearts of those who clung to the thought of a better life. It was time for drastic action...

I am probably out of the loop with something here as I haven't been around for a while, and I have not read the story yet, but when I read this prologue about sour cream, I couldn't help but think of a few things and laugh.

--- For starters, the whole idea of "forbidden food", then once it's eaten it turns out it destroys everything later on, totally reminded me of The Garden of Eden and the fruit. You know, snake, Eve, and Adam. Snake says it's fine and she could be like God, Eve tries it, it taste great, she then gets Adam to eat it, it taste great. But, then doom falls upon them and everything else for that matter as sin enters the world causing massive corruption. The world's doom by a tasty fruit, mmmm, yummm..... X_x
I like you're prologue's minor parallel to God's story though. Creative, yet funny with sour cream.

And just for reference, here is a piece of God's story...
Genesis 3:1-6 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

I for one am glad God's story has hope. Just read Romans 5 to hear that by one man's sin, death was brought to the world, like-wise by One Man's death, life is now offered to the world. Yay for Jesus!


--- Getting a bit silly now and random
I also laughed as I read the part about EVERYTHING was sour cream. Have you ever seen Monty Python's Spam skit? Basically, it's about a restaurant that serves spam, spam, spam, and well, more spam.

[ClaecElric4God]

I am probably out of the loop with something here as I haven't been around for a while, and I have not read the story yet, but when I read this prologue about sour cream, I couldn't help but think of a few things and laugh.

--- For starters, the whole idea of "forbidden food", then once it's eaten it turns out it destroys everything later on, totally reminded me of The Garden of Eden and the fruit. You know, snake, Eve, and Adam. Snake says it's fine and she could be like God, Eve tries it, it taste great, she then gets Adam to eat it, it taste great. But, then doom falls upon them and everything else for that matter as sin enters the world causing massive corruption. The world's doom by a tasty fruit, mmmm, yummm..... X_x
I like you're prologue's minor parallel to God's story though. Creative, yet funny with sour cream.

And just for reference, here is a piece of God's story...
Genesis 3:1-6 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

I for one am glad God's story has hope. Just read Romans 5 to hear that by one man's sin, death was brought to the world, like-wise by One Man's death, life is now offered to the world. Yay for Jesus!


--- Getting a bit silly now and random
I also laughed as I read the part about EVERYTHING was sour cream. Have you ever seen Monty Python's Spam skit? Basically, it's about a restaurant that serves spam, spam, spam, and well, more spam.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. To be honest, though, I had no intention of paralleling this to the Bible. This story is in no way an allegory. Honestly, I'm not big on allegories to begin with (Pilgrim's Progress being one of the few exceptions). And if I was to make something allegorical, I wouldn't make it this utterly ridiculous and nonsensical; I feel like it would downplay God's awesomeness and encourage people to not take it seriously. I don't mean to throw a wet blanket on your excitement, but I felt like I should explain that this isn't really supposed to be Biblical or spiritual at all. I think it would be disrespectful for me to write something like this and try to tie it back to God. It's really just an inside joke between myself and my friends, and a source of amusement for anyone who decides to read it. That said, I hope you can still enjoy it.

Yes, praise the Lord for His grace and the hope He offers us through His Son Jesus Christ! It's good to see someone as excited about it as I am. Thanks again for your input.

[Wolfsong]

Claec, this is awesome. Hurry up and finish!

[Oddood198]

Oh my...my lungs...sides hurting... Couldn't stop laughing through that entire last part. This is getting good.
More chunks, Onee-Chan!

[Panda4christ:3]

I would say you should hurry and finish it, but i don't want it to go away ;u;
still though, hilarious as always c:

[ClaecElric4God]

Wolf shifted back into human form, dusting herself off. I was relieved to see she didn't appear to be any the worse for wear. We all gathered, taking a quick breath (except Dox, who apparently was incapable of overexerting himself). Wolf greeted Dox, smiling teasingly.
“Heh, you're late. You missed all the action, little man. I almost had them beat before you got here.”
“Really?” Dox asked skeptically, looking at Wolf's dwarfish look in comparison to his massive height. “All I saw was a little wolf cub getting beat up by a bunch of robots.” Dox laughed and dodged as Wolf threw a crab apple at him.
I ignored their back and forth banter, instead turning my attention to the roof. How was everyone else holding up? All the variable fighters appeared to be circling Cheetah's location. Good, she and her team had managed to draw them away from the rest of us. I yelled up to her, trying to get her attention.
“Yo, Cheetah! Come here for a sec!”
I almost had a heart attack when a warp hole opened next to me, and Cheetah stepped out.
“What's up? You guys already finished up here?”
“Yeah, Dox finally showed.” Cheetah looked over, nodding in greeting. “Anyway, I need you to get me up to the roof. I want to see how everybody's doing.”
Cheetah laughed. “Well, we're pretty much owning the variables, but if you wanna come check it out, be my guest.” She then put a hand on my shoulder, opening another warp hole. Just before we stepped into it, I turned back to Dox and Wolf, still caught up in their debate of coolness.
“You guys hang out here. Once we get everything else wrapped up, we're gonna deal with the Arm Slaves, 'kay?” The two nodded in acknowledgment, going back to their argument.
Cheetah shoved me into the warp hole without warning, catching me off guard. I felt strangely disembodied, and for a few seconds, everything felt fuzzy and weird; then it felt like someone was pouring boiling coffee on me. Ow. Then we stepped out onto the rooftop, into utter chaos. To my left, syphon was battling a variable fighter that had landed on the roof, walking around in robot form. Enveloping the fighter in a cloak of darkness, syphon began leaking evil energy into it, and it started sparking and spewing steam and weird robot stuff. Syphon grinned evilly, and I shuddered, remembering the time I'd taught him that move. Syphon completely enclosed the fighter in the darkness, then released it, revealing a sizzling pile of metal and doohickeys.
Another mecha homed in on syphon, banking in from the side to come right at him. Syphon covered his face with his hand for a moment, then dropped his hand and turned to stare at the plane, revealing a look of pure evil, the Evil Glare. He'd already mastered that?! I'd only begun teaching him that when we parted ways! The variable fighter exploded into a cloud of ash that harmlessly blew across syphon, who casually brushed some of it off his sleeve. A shiver went down my spine as I looked at his expression. Truly, he had mastered the art of evil lord of darkness.
To the left, BL was holding her own. With one hand, she was firing a cannon loaded with...watermelons? And in the other she held her infamous Root Beer Hose, which she was mercilessly dousing a variable fighter with. Between cannon shots, she chucked pumpkins from a huge pile sitting next to her. All the while, she had a happy-go-lucky grin on her face, chewing on a twizzler. Fighter after fighter went down to her food-related attacks, though where she was getting all this food was beyond me.
Cheetah, meanwhile, had rejoined the fight. Her style involved opening warp holes at random, appearing here and there sporadically, at a rate even the high speed jet/robot freaks couldn't keep up with. Catching the fighters by surprise, she used her brute insanity to punch through them, tearing a wing off here, causing gaping holes there. At one point, she even warped into a cockpit, pouring hot coffee on the pilot.
Cheetah wasn't kidding, as in a matter of minutes, there wasn't a variable fighter in sight. I ran to the other side of the roof, looking down to where Panda, Kone, and Jeremy were fighting the LFO's. I had Cheetah warp me back down, emerging near Panda. She was surrounded by a group of pandas, all facing outward in a defensive formation. Panda herself had equipped her legendary panda suit. One might assume it would look stupid, but somehow she just looked incredibly epic. In each hand she held a bamboo sword. But they weren't like training swords. They were just as sharp and powerful as an ordinary old metal sword, with the added effect that the bamboo leaked harmful juices into the wounds it inflicted, making them that much more deadly.
Crouching into a battle-ready stance, Panda signaled for the pandas to attack. The pandas leapt forward, taking on the LFO's in teams of three. Despite how slow they were, they were surprisingly agile, and managed to hold their own. Panda, on the other hand, was a different story entirely. She charged the mecha with a vengeance, swinging her bamboo swords deftly. One after another of the robots fell to her awesome ninja panda skills.
Satisfied that Panda could take care of herself, I turned my attention to Kone. Except...I couldn't find her. After a bit of searching, I realized that Jeremy was missing as well. Panicked, I looked around for any sign of them. Were they injured? Or worse...

[Panda4christ:3]

The parts with Syphon and BL had me rolling on the floor in laughter XD;;

Also, i love this too much for words ;w;

One after another of the robots fell to her awesome ninja panda skills.

Kone and Jeremy, nuuuuuuu D:

Keep up the good work, Cece

[ClaecElric4God]

Finally, I caught sight of Kone. She was standing in the shadows, waiting quietly. I was about to call out to her, when I realized she was using her lurker technique. She was taking advantage of the confusion caused by the pandas, and as an LFO would run past unawares, she would lash out from her corner and take them down with one blow. They never saw her coming – which was understandable, since Kone was the ultimate lurker.
When the LFO's were finally taken care of, we ran around to the other side of the building, where Dox and Wolf were playing a game of paper-rock-scissors to see which one was cooler. Considering they'd each taken out the same number of Gundams, it was the only way to settle things. However, they kept coming to a draw. I sighed, facepalmed, and walked over to them.
“Guys, give it a rest,” I said tiredly.
“But then the world will never know which of us is more likely to successfully take over the world!” Wolf argued. Dox crossed his arms and nodded firmly.
“Claec, you don't understand the gravity of this situation,” he added.
I sighed again, then put a hand on each of them.
“You both beat 6 Gundams, right? And you both managed to avoid getting hurt, while being incredibly cool.” I didn't mention the fact that Odd had been really uncool and crybabyish, because that technically wasn't Dox's fault; at least, I didn't think it was... Yeah, multiple personalities are confusing.
“Wolf is older, but Dox is taller. Therefore, you guys are obviously equals.” With that, I patted them both on the back and moved back to the subject at hand. I wasn't about to let them duke it out right here and now – though I was curious which one was really better.
Cheetah and BL came running around the corner to join us, waving triumphantly.
“Where's syphon?” I asked. At the same time, I realized that Jeremy was nowhere to be found, either. He hadn't come back with Panda's party, and looking around, he apparently hadn't come ahead of us.
BL shrugged. Cheetah looked blank for a moment, then got a look like a light bulb turned on in her head.
“I remember now! As soon as we finished beating the robot thingies, he ran off, muttering something about revenge. Then I saw him running into the woods with a really big bag, like as big as him.” Here Cheetah put out her arms to demonstrate the bigness of the bag.
“And you didn't try to stop him, or even ask him what he was doing?” I asked skeptically. Cheetah shook her head innocently. I hung my head and sighed deeply, resisting the urge to facepalm.
“Well, Jeremy and syphon are down for the count,” I said. “It's up to the rest of us. The Arm Slaves are next. If we can take them out, the rest should be smooth sailing. Remember, our goal is to get in, contaminate the sour cream, and get out, without getting ourselves closed in or putting ourselves in danger. We fail if they catch us off guard, and we can't afford a full out fight with the main army. Chances are they've called in reinforcements by now. It's only a matter of time before they get here, so time is of the essence.” I paused, looking each member of my group in the eye, trying to get across the importance of what I was saying.
I pointed at Cheetah. “So nothing stupid,” then Wolf, “nothing crazy,” and finally Dox, “and nothing heroic. We need to keep this together and work as a team.” Dox noticeably harrumphed, crossing his arms and looking away. I pretended to ignore him.
“All right guys, let's do this!” I raised a fist, and everyone else followed suit. Even Dox, caught up in the excitement, abandoned his stoic attitude and raised a sword as he shouted “Victory!”
We sprinted along the wall of the building, toward the front doors. The building's size made it a long distance, giving me lots of time to think and worry. The difficulty of this battle depended on the skill of the pilots, and I had a feeling it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. After all, this was the main plant, and the Arm Slaves were the last line of defense. But as long as it wasn't anyone as epic as Sousuke Sagara, I felt confident we could handle them.
“Wolf, Kone, and BL! Take the one on the left. The rest of you come with me to handle the one on the right.”
Then I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. Up ahead and to the side, in the woods, I caught a glimpse of movement, then saw the outline of a figure. Dox fell into step beside me, gesturing in the same direction.
“You see that, don't you?”
I nodded.
“Well, what're you going to do about it?”
I hesitated, thinking. I hated to follow a rabbit trail, but I didn't want to take the chance of getting caught by surprise later.
“Just let me handle it,” Dox said confidently, obviously noticing my indecision. “Ill be back in three minutes, tops.”
I laughed. “No offense, Dox, but you don't fight as fast as you read. All that fancy show-off stuff takes way too long. No, leave this one to me. I'll catch up with you guys. You take the lead till I get back.”
And without waiting for a reply, I veered off toward the mysterious newcomer, waving a quick goodbye behind me.

[ClaecElric4God]

As I reentered the woods, I slid to a stop, scanning the area for any sign of the figure that had drawn my attention. Nothing. I slunk through the trees, quietly pulling out my knife. Chances were my flyswatter wouldn't do much good in this particular situation. I trod as softly as I could, willing my feet not to step on a twig or a patch of dry leaves. I had to force myself not to hold my breath, reminding myself that as virtuous as silence was, oxygen was higher priority.
I froze in my tracks when, through the trees, I caught a glimpse of something. I ghosted over to a large oak, pressing my back against it. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly craned my neck around, nervous about what I might find. As my vision slid past the trunk of the tree, I saw a guy with a sword, and I instantly recognized him. Swordguy.
Swordguy was an enigma at best. One of the Sour Cream Reich's greatest weapons, yet I couldn't help but be surprised that he was here. He wasn't the type to take orders from those of questionable motives, and I hadn't expected to have to deal with him. Honestly, I wasn't sure I could beat him. His skills were legendary, and I'd never heard of him being beaten by anyone. His wisdom and prowess far exceeded anyone else I'd ever met. Taking all of this into consideration, I decided I had the best chance of beating him if I took him by surprise. Another glance showed that he hadn't moved a muscle, but it appeared that he was looking for me. Fortunately, he had his back turned to me, and I took advantage of the opportunity. Lunging around the side of the tree, I dashed top speed toward him, thrusting my knife into his chest as I let out a yell of determination. The first indication that something was off was the fact that he didn't offer any resistance or reaction, and the dagger slid into him way too easily. I decided for sure that there was definitely something wrong when he didn't start bleeding and crumple to the ground in defeat.
“Oh, Claec.” Chills went down my spine when I heard the voice behind me, but I didn't dare turn around; just stared at the “Swordguy” in front of me. “Will you never learn?”
A decoy! I realized as it vaporized. I whipped around to face my attacker, muscles tensed. There was nothing but shadows, but I knew this routine, and I waited, unwilling to enter Swordguy's territory. After a moment, the shadows rippled, and the real Swordguy stepped out of them, sword in hand.
“Long time no see, Swordguy,” I greeted, feigning politeness. “What brings you here?”
“I had hoped you would have gained wisdom since the last time we met,” he said; a disappointed expression on his face. “You of all people should know, rebellion reaps nothing but sorrow. Though noble of heart and pure of spirit, your alliance will not stand in the face of adversity, not without a truly worthy cause.”
I growled at Swordguy, anger welling up in my chest. He knew nothing of my cause. After all, he loved sour cream, on pumpkin pie no less. There was no way he could possibly dream of understanding how my comrades and I felt. This was something we needed to do, and I wasn't about to let this swordmaster stand in my way, regardless of the odds. Swordguy sensed my determination, planting his feet in a firm stance, grasping his sword expertly as he faced my attack. He obviously didn't plan on going easy on me. He probably wanted to end this as quickly as I did.
I leapt at Swordguy, thrusting my knife at his arm. I knew there was no way I was going to seriously wound him, but if I could injure his sword arm, the battle would turn drastically in my favor. Of course, he deflected the attack easily, knocking me back with his free hand. The force of his hit knocked the wind out of me, and I slid back, trying to catch my breath. I barely recovered in time to dodge as he came back at me. Sidestepping, I shifted my momentum so I was coming at Swordguy's exposed side. Steel clashed on steel as he whipped his sword around to block my attack. Due to the awkward angle, he didn't have a chance to counterattack this time, and I easily jumped back before he could do any damage. We stood facing each other for a moment, each waiting for an opportunity from the other. I got mine first, when Swordguy quickly glanced down at his watch. Caught off guard, he barely managed to deflect my slash, aimed at his arm again. I went down on my hands, making a move to trip him, but he simply jumped back. Regaining my feet quickly, I retreated to a safe distance. But I couldn't help but notice that Swordguy didn't appear to be giving me his full attention. It was almost like he was uncomfortable...there was a touch of urgency in his movements and expression. I didn't know what had him so distracted, but I realized this was my chance to finish this fight, and I needed to do it quick – before he got back in the game.
Swordguy glanced at his watch again, but fast as I was, I was too far away to get in a decisive attack before he turned back to me. He suddenly straightened, abandoning his fighting stance and any defense. Confused, I hesitated to attack, sure he had some trick up his sleeve. Swordguy rested his sword on his shoulder and bowed shortly.
“This skirmish has been enjoyable, but I must go online now. We shall meet again in the future.”
And before I had time to react, he stepped back, melting into the shadows.
It took a moment to register that the fight was actually over, but when it did, my body went limp with relief. That was one fight I didn't mind avoiding. Though I had no idea what he was talking about...Either way, it was apparent that Swordguy was no longer a factor in the grand scheme of things. I took a deep breath, gathered my resolve, and ran as fast as I could back toward the fight. Hopefully they were doing okay without me.
In the clearing at the front of the factory, the fight was already in progress. Food and Dox flew everywhere. Wolf was back in spirit wolf form, attacking with a vengeance as she used her huge jaws to rip out chunks of metal and machinery, while Kone covered her from the shadows, helping divide the AS's attention. BL was shooting huge wads of gum from a safe distance, effectively clogging the Arm Slave's weaponry and rendering it useless.
A short distance away, Dox's team was working on the other AS. Dox and Cheetah had worked out a cool fighting pattern where Cheetah warped Dox to different angles where he could come at the AS before it had time to react, then quickly warping him out of harm's way before the AS could fire at him. Their combined speed was mind-boggling, and the Arm Slave didn't even have time to pay attention to Panda, who zipped around in impressive martial-artsy patterns, attacking the joints and weak points. Overall, Dox's team was more synchronized, but Wolf's team had the advantage of brute force. The two were evenly matched, gaining ground at the same level. I had a feeling if I tried to jump in, I'd just end up getting in the way.

[Wolfsong]

lol awesome!! I broke down laughing when Dox and I were fighting for supremacy. I wonder who would actually win in a real contest...

[ClaecElric4God]

For the first few minutes, the Arm Slaves held their own pretty well. But then I noticed it. A subtle change. From where I was standing, taking in every detail, it was easier to catch than for those who were busy fighting. The Arm Slaves were slowing. Every once in awhile, they would hesitate, almost like a glitch. One would leave an opening that it realistically never would have, giving Dox a chance to slash, or for Wolf to rip out a chunk of metal. Their movements got progressively more choppy and uncoordinated. To the rest of the team, it probably just looked like the result of the machines taking damage and malfunctioning. But I could tell, something was off. But I couldn't quite put my finger on it. However, I shrugged it off, since whatever the case, we were totally owning those robots.
Slowly but surely, the two teams bested the Arm Slaves, leaving behind a pile of twisted, slashed, contorted scraps, bolts, gears, and wires. Surprisingly, the pilots were nowhere to be found.
“What, no pilots?” Dox sounded unnervingly disappointed.
“They must've used the cover of the smoke and bailed when we weren't looking,” Panda reasoned. We all decided that was the most logical answer, but I couldn't keep that nagging suspicion out of the back of my mind. Something didn't add up...
“Claec, you're zoning out again,” Wolf, who was once again a normal human (well, normal for her anyway), was waving a hand in front of my face, looking annoyed.
“What's the plan now?” Kone asked. “Are we really just gonna walk in the front door?”
“Well, I don't know of a better way,” I replied, staring at the huge doors in front of me. They were about 30 feet high, probably to allow mecha to pass through freely, and really wide. Made of a heavy duty steel-looking material, they looked to be nigh-impenetrable. Suddenly, I found myself trying to figure out how on earth we were supposed to get in. Looking around, I realized everyone else was thinking the same thing.
“How well have you thought this through?” Dox asked skeptically, waving a sword at me. I grumbled, leaning down to pick up a stick and throw it at him. He laughed, nimbly sidestepping. “Just asking~”
“Maybe we could bribe them with food?” BL suggested, holding out handfuls of popcorn. I looked at her, still trying to figure out where all this food was coming from.
“Or we could lurk in the shadows till someone comes out and slip in while the door's open,” Kone offered. This was a good idea, but I didn't really have the patience to wait for that. And I had no idea if or when anyone would be using the door in the near future.
“Why don't we just tear it down with brute force!” Dox and Wolf shouted in unison, then glowered at each other. I didn't bother answering, since trying to explain the flaws in that idea to these two was pointless.
“Well, if you don't come up with something,” Cheetah absently commented as she used the stick I'd thrown at Dox to dig furrows into the dirt. “I can always warp us in, right?”
Everyone turned and stared at Cheetah. I wanted to smack her, but I controlled myself.
“Why didn't you mention that earlier, Cheetah?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“Hm?” Cheetah cocked her head at me, oblivious to my irritation. “Cause you never asked.”
I made a small choking sound in my throat, turning quickly away from Cheetah and crossing my arms.
“All right, whatever. Just do it already. Though I don't know where we should come out... I don't want to run into anything unexpected by landing smack dab in the middle.” Then I had an idea. “Wait, why don't you warp in alone and scan the place; see if there's a good place to put us where we won't be spotted.”
“Okay, yeah!” Cheetah said excitedly, abandoning her stick. She stood up, giggling, and quickly warped away. After a few moments of silence, BL coughed awkwardly, turning to me.
“Are you sure giving her such a big responsibility was a good idea?” She asked tentatively. “I mean, not that she isn't trustworthy or anything...”
Before I had time to respond (not that I had a valid argument), Cheetah appeared in front of me, dancing around absently. I waited a moment for her to do something, but she just kept dancing.
“Um, Cheetah?” I asked, scared to interrupt whatever was going on inside her head.
“Hm?” Cheetah stopped, looking over her shoulder at me. Her expression was so...blank.
“Are you ready to warp us in? Did you find a good place?” I was too weirded out to be irritated with her, but I really did want to get in before the entire Nauzi army arrived.
“Oh, yeah, that!” It was like a light bulb came on in her head, and she laughed again. “Sure, let's go!” And with that, she waved us all in, glomping us in a group hug when we complied.
There was that uncomfortable, unexplainable feeling, then we were standing inside the factory. When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the lighting. Why was it so dark? Seemed like the workers would need a well-lit workplace to produce their disgusting handiwork. And yet, the room we were in was pitch black. I couldn't even see my hands in front of my face. I bumped into something, and realized it was Panda. I heard Dox muttering something about hoping he didn't accidentally stab someone, followed by a surprised yelp from Kone.
“Cheetah, did you warp us into a broom closet or something?” Wolf asked.
“Nope!” She replied happily. “This is right inside the building! I decided we would walk inside the front door, like you said!”
I reached my hand out as she spoke, and it touched something cold and hard. I realized it was the huge metal door we'd been studying a moment ago, from the outside. I breathed in sharply.
“What were you thinking?!” I hissed in a hushed whisper, trying to look around for signs of any enemies. But I couldn't make anything out in the darkness. “This is the dumbest place to drop us! We'll be noticed in an instant!”
“But...but...” Cheetah whimpered, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. “You said to see if there was a good place where we wouldn't be spotted. And since there wasn't any, I figured coming in the front would be easiest. I'm sorry...”
I facepalmed, sighing deeply. But then I jerked my head up, realizing what she'd said.
“What do you mean, since there wasn't-”
“So, you've finally arrived?” A sinister, yet familiar voice echoed through the building. “I've been waiting for you...Americans.”
Suddenly the room was filled with light, glaring down from giant fluorescent ceiling lights, the kind you see in Lowe's and Home Depot. What I saw when my eyes adjusted to the light made my blood run cold.

[Wolfsong]

LOL oh my gosh. Suspense...HURRY UP CLAEC, I"M DYING FROM SUSPENSE HERE!!!

[Panda4christ:3]

"The kind you see in lowes and home-depot" for some reason this compariosn makes me laugh XD;;
I'm also imagining Cross with a ridiculously Canadian voice *can't stop laughing*

[ClaecElric4God]

Author's note: I've run out of steam, and I'm running on fumes now. So bear with me, and the quality probably won't be as good, but I promise I will finish this.

In the room that was surprisingly empty of any furnishings, equipment, or anything to indicate that it was a working factory, the first thing that caught my attention was the line of tanks. There were only 6 of them, but they were so massive, they completely blocked any passage further into the factory. Perched atop each of the tanks were a handful of guys, all dressed in identical uniforms that said “Krav Maga” written across the front. A balcony stretched across the upper level of the factory, which was lined with archers all aiming right for us. A man dressed in medieval attire stood amongst the ranks of archers, and I recognized him as Vilo159, a battle-hardened warrior who looked like he'd come straight out of a history textbook. He was a formidable opponent, I knew; I'd heard stories about his physical prowess and ultimate strategy skills. There was a reason he'd been granted the position of second-in-command of the Sour Cream Reich.
Movement drew my attention back to the ground floor, where a stream of militia with AK-47s and robots with laser-incineration artillery were flowing into the room from multiple doors.
Our small-in-number-but-large-in-spirit band took a step backward, forming a defensive pattern with our backs to the door, facing the enemy head on. I made a mental note of the doors, which, despite being blocked by blood-thirsty sour creamers, weren't barred or bolted in any way. So they didn't even give us credit for being able to escape? My fighting spirit rose to the surface. Suddenly, I was determined that not only were we going to make it out of this alive, we were going to succeed. There would be cherries in the sour cream this day!
Then I froze. And not only because I suddenly realized we'd somehow managed to forget the cherries (which were at this point still sitting in the wagon hitched to my motorcycle). No, the situation was far graver than that.
The enemy forces had parted straight down the middle, backing into two perfectly formed ranks that faced inward. The soldiers each held their left arm behind their back and their right arm across their chest, fists firmly planted against their hearts. It was a truly breath-taking sight.
And at the end of this long line of men, tanks, and mecha, I saw...him. A lone figure, proud and tall (well, not really that tall, but proud enough to make up for it), hands clasped behind his back, started walking toward us. He wore BDUs, and a high-tech airsoft rifle in a sling over his shoulder. A mop of shaggy black hair sat proudly atop his head, framing his fairly average face (okay, so maybe he was a little かっこいい). Between his eyes he sported a diagonal scar, doubtless inflicted in the heat of an epic battle. He walked with confidence and determination, the epitome of a true soldier; and in his eyes danced the light of conquest, a thirst for combat, explosions, and world domination. Truly, this was a man to be reckoned with, to be feared and obeyed. This was Crossfire, Commander and Ruler of the Sour Cream Reich.
When he'd cut the distance between us in half, he suddenly lurched forward, and we all went for our weapons. But instead of attacking, he simply fell into a somersault, smoothly standing up again. As he paused to brush himself off, I realized that there was a strip of wood in the middle of the floor that apparently he'd just tripped over. A...door frame? I had no idea why it was there, but it had made a beautiful scene.
“H-sama,” I spat the word out bitterly. Oh, yes, I knew this villain. We'd met a long, long time ago. At one point, he'd even been willing to call me an acquaintance. But that had all changed when we realized what different tastes we had. While I was one of refined taste, what some might call a “picky eater”, Crossfire was a veritable garbage can, willing to eat almost anything. The difference between us, from food to level of intelligence and education, and ultimately our nationality, had been the reason we could never be called comrades. In fact, we were sworn enemies. But in spite of all that, I secretly held a shallow respect for him, probably the main reason I was still willing to call him “-sama”, in spite of his evil nature. Because, backwards and confused as he was, he had a deep loyalty to his country, and he had a charisma that made him easy to follow. Even as much as I despised his position of authority, I could see how he had won the support and admiration of his followers, and the fear of his enemies.
Crossfire halted a few paces away from us and crossed his arms, looking us up and down.
“Is this all?” He sneered condescendingly. “I would have thought you would provide me with more of a challenge. I am disappoint...” then he came closer, his face inches from mine, “...eh, Claec.”
“So you remembered me?” I answered, stalling for time. My mind was going a million miles an hour, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. Around me the others were fidgeting, and I knew it was only a matter of time before one of them snapped and started attacking. Most likely it would be Dox. And once that happened, there wouldn't be any options left. We would have to fight these forces head on, and I really didn't like those odds. “How did you know we were coming?”
“Ha, you really thought I wouldn't know, eh? You really are a horrible strategist. Even if I didn't already know everything that goes on under my leadership, I still would have noticed you coming the second you entered this premises. Your little group made quite a ruckus, you know that?”
I gritted my teeth, not willing to play along. The way he put it, it sounded like this had been a really dumb, not very well-planned idea.
“So why didn't you just snuff us out in the woods?” I shot back. “It's almost like you didn't have what it took to beat us. I mean, we took out your precious Arm Slaves, even.”
Crossfire laughed, holding up a small electronic device.
“Do you know what this is, eh? It's a remote control. I let you beat them, because I wanted to see your faces when you saw this.” Crossfire waved his arm, taking in the entire military force that had greeted us.
“So that explains the pilots,” Dox interjected, a displeased grimace etched on his face.
“And the glitches,” I added, suddenly remembering that uneasy feeling I'd had watching them fight. Why hadn't I realized this earlier? I growled in frustration. H-sama always seemed to be a step ahead of me, even though there wasn't really anything superior about him.
“Don't patronize me!” I yelled at him. “Don't underestimate us, or you'll be sorry. Don't think for a second that we can't take all of this.”
“Oh, don't worry,” Crossfire replied. “I think I estimated you perfectly, eh. I brought just the right amount of troops to make it a challenge. But eventually we'll have to bring this game to an end. After all, I have important business to attend to.”
I grinned evilly. “Heh, don't count on it. You might want to call in and tell whoever you're meeting with that you're going to be delayed...” I pulled out my knife, passing it back and forth between my hands. “...indefinitely.”
I spared a glance behind me, looking for Cheetah.
“Cheetah, go find the cherries. Take someone with you; he probably has reinforcements outside by now. Bring them back quick.”
Cheetah nodded, strangely paying attention for once. In an instant, she was gone, along with Panda, Kone, and BL. I tried not to be frustrated, because I didn't think it would take 4 of them to bring all of the cherries back, and I really could have used the manpower here.
“So that's your choice, eh?” Crossfire asked. “Interesting, I must say. But ultimately fatal. You should have taken the offensive, then you might have had a chance.” He sighed, stretching his arms one at a time. “But at this rate, this will all be over far too quickly.”
“Claec, I hope you have a plan,” Wolf asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice. But though she sounded unsure, I knew she would follow me all the way.
I looked back between her and Dox, who stood casually with his sword over his shoulder, looking at me with one eyebrow raised, obviously thinking the same question Wolf had just asked. I grinned at them. We made such an awesome team.
“Nope.”

[Panda4christ:3]

what do you mean? This is just as good as ever cx
your humor can't be brought down by running simply on steam ^-^
can't wait for the ending

[ClaecElric4God]

“Great,” Dox said, bringing his sword down even with his other, ready to fight. “Works for me. If you can't fight without a gameplan, Wolfy, just let me know and I'll protect you.”
“Not on your life, you wimp,” Wolf shot back, crouching down as she shifted into a spirit wolf. “Before this is over, I'll be saving your hide.”
“Don't count on it,” Dox laughed.
I smiled fondly at the pair, knowing they'd just shoved aside their doubts for my sake. Regardless of what they actually thought, they were going to fight with me to the end. I was secretly really grateful that Dox was locked in Dox-mode. Because Odd would have defected to H-sama's side by this point.
I stepped back away from Crossfire, so that I was right next to Dox and Wolf.
“Alright, here's the plan,” I whispered, not taking my eyes off of Crossfire, but turning my head toward Dox. “Dox, you take the top floor and deal with Vilo and his 10th century dudes. Wolf, you can handle the scrap pile down here. While you guys keep them busy, I'll figure out how to deal with H-sama. Hopefully by the time we get this mess cleaned up, Cheetah and the others will be back.”
“So you do have a plan,” Dox said.
“Though it's pretty vague and depends entirely on us being able to take all of this,” Wolf added. “You have way too much faith in us, you know that?”
“Isn't that what friends are for?” I teased. “Besides, I couldn't ask for a better fighting team.”
“Are you done chatting?” Crossfire inquired. “Because it's about time we found out just how long it will actually take me to destroy the three of you, eh? Of course, we'll have to take into account the time it will take Swordguy to chastise your friends outside.”
“So that was his plan,” I said under my breath. I had confidence that the four could take care of themselves if they worked together, but I couldn't help but wonder if they actually would work together.
“Scatter!” I yelled, hoping the archers up top had let down their guard enough to give the three of us time to not get skewered the second we took off. As if by unspoken consent (oh, wait, it's not really unspoken when I yell out the plan, huh?), we simultaneously shot off in different directions. Wolf and Dox went left, and I went right. A shout from the top floor was quickly proceeded by a rain of arrows, which bounced harmlessly off the concrete floor. Dodging the arrows wasn't hard for me, as I simply darted from one spot to the other, creating a haphazard zigzag pattern that the archers couldn't keep up with. A glance toward where Wolf and Dox had gone indicated that they weren't having too much trouble either. Dox deflected the arrows with well-timed sword sweeps, and the arrows that made it past Wolf's snapping jaws couldn't even penetrate her thick coat.
“Wolfy, give me a lift!” Dox ordered. Wolf cocked her ears back and nodded, slowing her pace a bit. Dox rushed up onto her back, using her as a springboard to launch himself toward the balcony. He dropped one sword and caught it in his teeth, grabbing the railing with his free hand. He hung for a fraction of a second, then swung himself up so he was perched on the railing. I couldn't see his face, but I still had a vivid picture of his glowing eyes and evil, twisted, maniacal smile, and I truly pitied those people.
Dox sprinted down the line of petrified archers, coming to a halt on the other side of the balcony, swords outstretched. In unison, the men all crumpled to the ground. Vilo barked a command in Old English, and a squadron of swordsmen surrounded Dox. He took them all on at once, with parries and thrusts and all those fancy names for swinging one's sword in systematic patterns. One by one, the attackers fell by his hand, until it was just Dox and Vilo. They rounded a corner so I couldn't get a good view of them, but I could hear steel clashing, and the occasional witty banter. Although a lot of it seemed to be more medieval trivia than anything.
I looked back to where Wolf had engaged a group of robots. Her fur was singed in a few places. Apparently she wasn't entirely immune to incineration. But she was more than holding her own, by the looks of it. One swipe of her enormous paw would take out the smaller robots that were foolish enough to get within striking range. The tanks hadn't engaged, I noticed, but the Krav Maga guys were slowly walking toward Wolf, forming a large half circle around her. I couldn't figure out why they weren't attacking yet, until I looked at H-sama, who'd made no move to attack at all. He had a grin on his face, and I realized what he was planning. I gritted my teeth. Wolf would probably fall right into his trap, and there wasn't anything I could do about it.
When Wolf finished with the robots, nothing remained of them but a steaming, sparking heap of metal. She hung her head, breathing heavily. But she looked at the Krav Maga patrol with a fire in her eyes, lips pulled back to reveal a mouthful of sharp teeth.
“So, Wolfsong,” Crossfire called across the room, his voice full of mockery. “I hear that you're a martial artist, eh? Now we all know that martial arts are a waste of time, as they are no longer practical in our day and age. It's a complete and utter waste of time, eh. Krav Maga is the “martial art” of today. Military and civilian individuals alike who are trained in this self-defense system can handle a myriad of situations that quite frankly, martial artists cannot.”
Wolf growled menacingly at Crossfire. “What are you trying to say?” she challenged.
“That's simple, eh,” Crossfire replied confidently. “Only the truth, that martial arts is a joke, and just one of my men can single-handedly defeat you in man-to-man combat.”
“No, no, no...” I said to myself. In wolf form, Wolf could easily annihilate all of them. Because no matter what kind of self-defense they knew, they'd never been taught how to handle a 6 foot tall spirit wolf. But if she came down to their level...
“Wolf, don't listen to him!” I yelled. Crossfire turned and scowled at me. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a grenade, casually tossing it directly at me. I jumped out of the way at the last second, a pile of boxes exploding behind me. He wasn't going to let me get a word in edgewise, and I knew it. I just had to count on Wolf to use her head.
“Oh, is that so?” Wolf asked angrily, completely ignoring the fact that her dear friend had just come very close to being blown to pieces. My heart sunk as she began to shimmer, slowly returning to human form. She took a fighting stance, staring Crossfire in the eye. “And I say I can take all of them at once. We'll see which fighting style is superior.”

[Wolfsong]

So, what? You're trying to get me killed? Thanks Claec

lol but yeah, I would probably do that...no I wouldn't. If I could be a wolf, I'd never return to human form. Well, maybe. But being a wolf would be so awesome. I don't know that I'd give it up for MA.
Anyways, great going, looking forward to seeing if I make it or not. Please have mercy, either way.