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Ragnarok "Public reaction is as hot as ever in regards to the Aint Valle bank disaster four days ago," a news anchor reported. "This footage, being replayed for the third time, shows the two dark monsters destroying the bank and everything else around them." A video was played of the Dark Fiends of Fire and Earth fighting. Projectiles flew everywhere, wiping out desks, chairs, and even walls. Then, the video switched to that of the earthquake and the bank crumbling into dust. "Public outcry demands that these dangerous monsters be destroyed or contained. However, the worst is yet to come as Alliatus Mystic Thalloric Motarius reports to us that there are not two, but seven of these monsters, known as Dark Fiends." The view now switched to that of a man in the white robes and gold-stitched cross of a Mystic. He looked about in his mid-20s. His dark brown hair contrasted with his light skin. His green eyes were harsh and piercing, the eyes of a veteran soldier. He spoke. "Thank you, Jim. In any case, these seven Dark Fiends were created by the Shadow Lord Skias to wreak havoc across the world and return it to Chaos, just the way Skias wants it. The criminal and Dark Fiend of Earth Gregor Tortoris has been captured and placed in a magically enchanted cell to prevent him from using his Dark Fiend skills." Photos of Tortoris, both as a human and as a Dark Fiend, were shown. "We would have destroyed him, but the military wanted to study him some more. In the meantime, Vincent Zeng, Dark Fiend of Fire and former senior at Trioustan High School, is still loose." Photos of Vince as a human and as a Dark Fiend were shown as well. "The 5 other Dark Fiends are still unaccounted for. For the sake of public safety, Washington has created a new division of the military to work with Alliatus to find and capture the remaining Dark Fiends. We are called Ragnarok, and I will personally lead the hunt." As the Mystic raised a silver sword into the air and began chanting, the view suddenly exploded, spewing hot cinders in all directions. Vince stood in a hotel room, his hand pointed toward a defunct television set. The hand glowed bright red, even though Vince was in human form. Then, his countenance of anger turned into one of fear. He looked around, seeing if anyone were watching him, then quickly slipped on his sunglasses and left the room in haste. Vince had failed to close the door carefully. When he was no longer in sight, a white-sleeved hand pulled the unclosed door open. A man in white clothing peered inside. Then, entering the room and shutting the door, he drew a circle with his finger in the air. Suddenly, the white circle became like a window, and a face appeared inside. "Motarius," the man said to the face. "I've tracked Fire down to the city of Sera Mantis. He's just left the Grand Central Hotel." Vince wandered the city, walking along a sidewalk, his head down in thought. He finally had a fresh change of clothing, and his face was finally clean. Since arriving in Sera Mantis, he had bought himself new clothes--clean clothes--and showered at the Hotel--his first shower since he had left Trioustan. The city was quiet. Vince raised his head. Something was amiss. Looking around him, he saw that there were no cars driving down the street. "That's interesting," Vince commented. As he continued walking down the street, a group of uniformed men came around the corner. One of them pointed at him. Vince turned the other way, only to find more uniformed men approaching from behind. These men wore thick, gray commando uniforms, including silver helmets with built-in visors. In their arms, they carried large, curved pieces of metal, raising them so as to point them toward Vince. Then, from around the corner, behind the uniformed men, a Mystic walked out and approached him, a Mystic with dark brown hair, piercing green eyes, and a heavy silver sword. "So this is the Dark Fiend of Fire," the Mystic said. "Motarius..." Vince said with hostility. "Recognized me from the news, I assume," Motarius replied. "In fact, I heard that you were watching that pre-recorded program up in the Grand Central Hotel." Motarius was stroking his silver sword. It certainly appeared heavy, but Motarius held it up as if it were as light as plastic. The sword, about 3 feet long, had a cornered bulge halfway up its blade and a diamond-shaped tip. The hilt and the flat part of the blade were engraved with intricate carvings. One of them was a faint name, "OPHELIA". "You're so far from home," Motarius said. "Do you miss your sister Alice? Or how about Stephanie, your supposed girlfriend?" "I don't have time to chat," Vince coldly stated. "Leave me be." "So you want me to cut out the formalities and get straight to the point, do you?" Motarius asked. "Well, then. Will you surrender? Or do we have to take you in by force?" "I'm leaving," Vince said. "I have places to go, people to find." "I'll just take that as meaning 'by force'," Motarius said. He raised his sword and made a few swings at Vince, who leaped backwards. Vince turned around and ran, but was stopped by the clicks of firearms being cocked. "We have you surrounded, Fire!" Motarius shouted. "There's no running away." Without warning, the blockade of Ragnaroks spread apart, letting a large truck through. The truck made a quick turn and stopped with its side pointed toward Vince. "It arrives," Motarius said. "Professor Mandragon, bring it out." The back of the truck unfolded like a box revealing a humaniform robot, curled up in the fetal position. With a whirring of gears, the machine began to move, moving first to unfold itself. A middle-aged man climbed out. "This," he began, "is Titan, the first Magic-Machine Hybrid, or MMH for short. It's 20 feet tall, equipped with Vulcan cannons, plasma cannons, surface-to-surface missiles, a magic resolution scanner, and most important, the MagiMagnet." Vince stared, not understanding nor caring. "Oh, you'll love the MagiMagnet." Vince watched the metal monstrosity before him climb off the truck and stand to its full height. Mechanical extensions, holding small, red tubular objects, pushed up out of the Titan's shoulders. A cloud of missiles blasted out of these launchers, filling the air with gray exhaust. However, Vince merely summoned a veil of fire to protect himself. When the fires subsided, the Dark Fiend of Fire turned and ran toward the Ragnaroks, toward Motarius. One man lifted his rifle, but Motarius gestured, and the soldier put it down. Suddenly, Vince felt a force pulling him backwards. He had almost reached the line of soldiers, but could go no further. It was as if a giant rubber band was pulling him back. It lifted Vince off his feet and threw him back toward the Titan. Professor Mandragon laughed, saying, "The MagiMagnet locks onto your magical signature and uses a magic tether to keep you from escaping. And since you can't beat the Titan, you're ours for the taking." Vince focused burning energy into his hands and sprayed an inferno at the Titan. "Did I forget to mention?" Mandragon added with a chuckle. "Titan has flame-resistant armor, which means you're screwed!" Vincent swore as the Titan began firing its twin Vulcan cannons, which were mounted on its wrists. As bullets rained down, Vince scrambled frantically to avoid them. He began running around the Titan, and the Titan turned to follow. Yet, Vince managed to stay ahead of the bullets by mere inches. "I can't run away," Vince thought. "The MagiMagnet will just pull me back. Running around is no use, and it'll only tire me out. Hmm... Let's try..." Vince broke off his circular evasion and ran straight toward the Titan's feet. As Vince approached the legs of the machine, it stopped firing, unable to properly target the Fire Fiend. It began to shift its legs, trying to kick Vince or stomp on him. With swift moves, Vince kept himself from harm. Then, the legs too stopped moving. "It's given up," thought Vince. He was wrong. The whoosh of missiles being launched reached his ears. Vince looked up to see the dark gray exhaust. A volley of missiles showered upon him from all directions. Vince tried to set up a barrier of flames for protection, but to no avail. Because his energies were spread too thinly, the missiles passed right through it, like a knife through butter. Vince gave a yelp of horror as his body was tossed through the air. Then, he felt cold metal slamming into his side. When he finally landed, Vince saw that he lay in front of the Titan. He heard the click, click, whirr of the Vulcan cannons. It would have taken too much time to hop to his feet and resume his runs. This time, there was no dodging of bullets, but what of catching? Vince held up his arms and produced some flames, forming a magical net to catch the bullets. It worked. As Vince caught bullets using his slowly developing magic skills, he climbed to his feet. Suddenly, there were no more bullets. On the left side of the Titan's head, a protrusion shot a glowing charged particle, which shattered through the net and burst upon Vincent's body. Again, Vince felt himself fly through the air like a golf ball. A large chunk of the wall of a mall collapsed as Vince felt through it. Vince lay on the floor of the mall, surrounded in various mannequins wearing colorful dresses. Blood from his pierced chest spilled over the floor. However, like the stretched rubber band, Vince was pulled back toward the Titan. As he approached against his will, the mechanical mayhem fired another plasma bolt at him. Only by twisting his body greatly could Vince avoid certain mutilation. Still, even with his efforts, the bolt grazed his side, drawing more blood. The pop, pop, pop sounds filled the air as bullets left the Vulcan cannons. Yet, Vince refused to give up. He spread out his arms to catch the air. His body ignited in a glorious blaze. A grimace appeared on Vincent's face as he took some bullets to his legs and thighs. He let his descent become a forward roll. Splash-landing at Titan's feet, Vince broke through the concrete floor and landed in the sewers. Quickly climbing back to his feet, Vince fired burst after burst of fireballs upward. The explosions broke apart the concrete, dropping the Titan into the sewers. Gallons of water and slime flew everywhere as the giant robot splash-landed right in front of Vince. "Come on," Vince shouted. "Let's visit the subway. A shocking surprise might take you down." With that, Vincent submerged positioned him between Titan's feet, hoping that there was subway line beneath them. Making his fists as hot as he could, he began pounding away at the concrete below. Chunks concrete broke off, and Vince swept them away through slimy sewer currents. "Missiles," thought Vince as he heard their trademark noise, although the water caused a deal of distortion. "Let them come. They'll only help me dig." Vince let out a mouth full of bubbles as the multiple impacts of the missiles boiled the water, but it was enough. The ground gave way. They fell into a dark tunnel. As everything came down from above him--concrete, water, slimy, metal--Vince jumped up, scaling the Titan to reach the surface. Moments later, Vince kicked off the Titan's head, right when the mechanical warrior touched the electrified subway rails. Sparks flew everywhere. Giant lightning bolts flew across Titan's metal skin. The water began to boil. "No! My Titan!" Professor Mandragon shouted from his truck. "That's enough!" Motarius shouted. "The Titan has failed! Attack him!" Vince whirled around, looking at the Ragnarok soldiers running up into position. A small group of about ten or so broke off from the rest of the squadron and stood in a line, facing Vince. Vince was now trapped between a hole and enemy army. The Ragnarok squadron grasped automatic rifles, pointing them at Vince. In the hole behind him, electrified waters splashed around. The Titan's shoulders burst into flames, as well as its wrists. Apparently, the shock had shorted out its weapons. As the men began firing, he dashed parallel to the line, trying to escape. Unfortunately, a piece of metal lodged into his side, and he fell, rolled, and dropped into the pit. The uniformed men approached the pit, pointing their guns just in case. Standing next to the pit, one of the men said, "What the--?" as he saw a bloodied, black hand barely grasping the concrete by its fingertips. "Wait a minute," Vince thought as he looked down. "The water's not electrified anymore. The subway system must have overloaded. Oh, and Titan's moving again!" It indeed was. Titan, moving slowly and stiffly, turned its head toward Vince. The protrusion on the left side of the Titan's head, still intact, gave off several sparks as it fired off the bolt of plasma. The next instant, the Ragnaroks opened fire, Vince kicked off the concrete and into the now safe waters, and the plasma bolt shattered the concrete that held up the Ragnaroks. Vince landed on his feet, while the others handed on their backs. Frantically, Vince sped toward the Titan, whose face stiffly turned to face him. The arms also moved, but only to maintain balance. A shot of plasma flew. Vincent jumped, performing a forward flipping somersault. "Look out!" cried a Ragnarok soldier. The gray-suited men dove to the side. Only one was unlucky enough to be caught in the blast. His blazing body flew down the sewer corridor, never to be seen again. In anger, Motarius slashed a deep gash into the street, then turned and walked away. In the meantime, Vince landed on the Titan's shoulder. As the Titan turned its head, Vince slipped into the gap where the missile launcher previously sat. His hands immolated, Vince tore through the gears, wires, and circuits within the belly of the beast. Something bright caught his eye. It was a glowing red orb. "The MagiMagnet," Vince said as he tore it from the wires that held it. Suddenly, a heavy, silver sword shot out of titanium wall, barely missing Vince's red-haired head. This time, it was glowing light blue. Then, the whole sheet of Titanium armor came off, and there hovered Thalloric Motarius. "Let me introduce you to Alliatus's most Holy magic," Motarius shouted, "given to us by the Seraphim of the Great Power in Heaven. We call it 'Scales of Justice'!" Motarius extended his left hand, his free hand, pointing his palm toward Vince. Before Vince could comprehend it all, a bright light came from all sides, blinding the Dark Fiend of Fire. He heard a quick swiveling sound, echoing through the light. Then, a tremendous amount of energy began tearing through his body. Vince couldn't see it, but he could feel his blood splashing from his body. He screamed a gruesome scream. "How do you like the Scales?" Motarius's voice echoed. "There is no stronger Holy magic than this. You will die." Vincent couldn't tell where the voice came from, but he understood. Grasping the MagiMagnet in his left hand, he focused on Motarius's voice. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew it was there by the sense of touch. Held high above Vince's head, the MagiMagnet pulled slightly to a front-right angle. Quickly, with his right hand, Vince threw a burning flame in that direction. He heard Motarius yelp in pain and fury as the light slowly ceased its painful shine. Vince hopped down from the metal on which he stood and into the dark subway tunnel. Lighting ablaze his hands for a torch, Vince saw that metal shards lying on the ground. Above him, the Titan's upper body had been completely dismantled, especially after the Scales of Justice. He also noticed Motarius climbing to his feet, brushing the flames off his white outfit. Without delay, Vince rammed Motarius--shoulder first--and knocked him against the wall. Then, he launched fireballs all over the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. The explosions knocked holes in the architecture. Now unstable, the tunnel collapsed. Rocks, dust, and concrete came crashing down as Vince ran from his cave-in. He reflected on his move, "Even with the tunnel blocked, I still have to run lest they find me again." And so, Vince ran and ran. Finally, he saw a light ahead. A bright flame, and the black, bleeding hide was replaced by skin and blood-soaked clothing. "It's better like this," Vince thought. "At least, my clothes will absorb the blood, so I won't leave a blood trail for them to follow." The human Vince emerged from the tunnel into the subway station, startling many bystanders, who were angry about the subway system failure. Yet, Vince didn't stop. He ran up the stairs and down the streets. He ran for blocks until he saw what he was looking for. The bloodied Vince ran into a building, handed a man behind a counter his credit card, said something briefly, took a thick piece of paper and his plastic card back from the man, ran to a large, metal, rectangular object, showed another attendant the paper he had just received, and climbed into the metal object through a folding door, which hissed as it closed behind him. As Vince found a seat and sat down, the bus began to move. |