Arrival of the Bladebearer

General Hernamidos and Isrina fought as the chimaeras rampaged through the streets. Hernamidos threw arsenic needles at her. Isrina charged at Hernamidos, slashing the thin projectiles away. The General swung his laser-edged cape at Isrina. She ducked, extending her fist in a powerful uppercut to send the General flying. He flew on his jet shoes, firing at Isrina with his two glowing machine pistols.

Isrina deflected the red hot firebolts with her blade. The General activated his wrist gears to launch spinning buzzsaws at her. She hopped away from the rotary blades that pierced the street. Hernamidos pressed another button on his wrist to blast a purple flamethrower at Isrina.

She rolled away from the spreading fire, then jumping on the wall of a pizza shop to launch herself at the General with her sword. Hernamidos swerved right from Isrina's attack, but she rapidly rotated her body in midair to swing her two legs at him in an Albatross Talon kick. The General crash-landed onto the ground.

Hernamidos pressed buttons on his wrist to call a Federation dropship over. The black ship fired its arm cannons at Isrina. She pounced away from the purple fireballs. Two Reaper Squad commandos and an owl droid jumped out of the passing vessel, slamming their spinning blades with Isrina's. She grumbled.

Right, he calls for reinforcements when he's losing, Isrina dodged the owl droid's bladed wings.

She clashed with a commando's spiky sword. Isrina realized the commando wasn't wearing a fully covered helmet. Instead, the commando's brown eyes were visible through the large red glasses. The midriff was distinguishable with its gray covering. The commando pulled out a circular hook. The sun-shaped weapon hooked Isrina's blade away with its steel edges.

Why is this commando dressed as an obvious female? Isrina landed a swift elbow strike on the commando.

Isrina backflipped away from Hernamidos' gunfire and the owl drone's laser eyes. The other commando charged at Isrina with his large shuriken and his owl drone. Isrina ducked under the owl drone's bladed wings. Her palm struck the commando's wrists, disarming him. She looked at the commando's helmet. He also wore glasses that replaced the eye covering of the normal Reaper Squad helmet. However, his spiraling red goggles obscured his eyes.

Yet, this one's helmet design is unique as well, Isrina slammed her foot at his knee.

The male commando winced. Isrina then extended her foot at the back of his head. She bombarded the commando with a swarm of punches. Hernamidos swiftly flew with his jet shoes, knocking Isrina away with an aerial kick.

"Heh," Hernamidos landed. "You haven't lost your touch, red birdie! You are quite a stubborn one."

"You never told me you were bringing friends here!" Isrina sprung herself back up.

"I never said it would be a fair fight, my sweet," Hernamidos spun his pistols.

The other commandos stood beside him. The owl drone landed on the male commando's shoulder, turning its huge eyes at Isrina.

I have beaten hundreds of Reaper Squad commandos like paper back then, Isrina positioned herself in Bong Sao. These two are better trained.

The female commando threw three red crystals on the ground. They jumped into crawling bacteriophages with black necks. Two scampered to Isrina, firing at her with their head guns. She pounced back for her sword, blocking the gunshots. Another bacteriophage flew, using its small legs like a helicopter. It dashed for her. She sliced the droid in half.

"Time to topple the Ferris wheel!" Hernamidos said.

The three flipped towards Isrina with the bacteriophages. However, a man in a dark yellow coat jumped in front of them, destroying the scampering droids. He clashed his curved sickles at the two commandos.

"You again!" Hernamidos clenched his fist. "The Bladebearer!"

"Rahim?" Isrina said with relief.

"Dr. Niang!" The man in yellow spoke. "How do you do?"

"How? How did you find me?"

Rahim elbowed the two commandos away.

"America is in danger! I came to help Niode!" Rahim spoke with his accent.

"The Shuruukos are in the runner. I hope they're okay. Tetsuyin is hurt."

"Yeah, I saw your fancy vehicle! Don't worry, Dr. Niang. My daughter is coming too. She is a very good medic!"

"Mr. Murhav!" Hernamidos charged at Rahim with guns ablaze. "Heh! I guess you missed me too! More kids in the sandbox mean more kids to incinerate!"

***

"Good! Good!" Lansen jumped up and down as Niode placed the last bandage on Tetsuyin's head.

"There, Tetsuyin!" Niode hugged her close. "You there? My lovely wife?"

"Mmm," Tetsuyin mumbled. "Ari… Arigato, Niode-Kun."

"Of course! Don't forget that our Lansen was here too!"

"Yep! Yep!" Lansen saluted.

Tetsuyin rested as Niode patted her on the head.

"Rest easy, Tetsuyin. Remember that God is always here," Niode said. "We'll get out of here with our children safe and sound. Geez, I wonder what Dr. Niang-"

Lansen and Niode heard an explosion near them. Out of the smoke came in two Reaper Squad commandos. They wore red and black, holding plasma rifles equipped with bayonets.

"Freeze! Freeze!" The commandos' voice scramblers sounded. "You! Stand up! Hands in the air!"

Niode and Lansen did as the commandos said. The little Trash Buddy did its best to lift his tiny wings.

"Holy freak!" Niode panicked. "Who are you, people?"

"Reaper Squad," One commando said. "You all are under arrest for affiliations with-"

From the smoke came a green-haired girl with two curved sabers. The commandos clashed their bayonets and swords with her blades. As the three clashed, the commandos fired simultaneously. The young lady swiveled her swords rapidly about her nimble hands, deflecting the plasma fire and blades with skill.

Woah, Niode saw the girl blocking the commandos' purple fire and strange blades. She's very talented! Is that girl who I think it is?

After an exhausting minute clashing with the commandos' weapons, she quickly sliced them down. She breathed heavily.

"Um, hi? Thanks for the help!" Niode waved. "Are you Nashura, by any chance?"

"That's a me," Nashura blinked her yellow eyes as she flipped her blades on her back. "Hullo! Nice to meet you, Mr. Shuruuko."

"Ah, knew it! You have your father's eyes."

The two shook hands.

"Impressive! Impressive!" Lansen waddled to Nashura.

"Awe, thank you!" Nashura bowed. "You must be Niode's trash buddy."

"Yes! Yes! Me, Lansen!"

"Lansen? Hullo! He is cute!" Nashura then ran to Tetsuyin. "How is she?"

"Her head landed on glass," Niode explained. "I was taking off the glass and patching her up. She's resting now."

Nashura examined Tetsuyin's face closely. She then checked the rest of her body for any missed wounds.

"You treat her well!" Nashura noted with her accent. "I don't think I need to do more. Very impressive, Niode!"

"Well," Niode looked at his Trash Buddy. "Lansen helped me. I actually could not have done it without him."

"Really?" Nashura knelt to the Trash Buddy.

"I do my best! I do my best!" Lansen said.

"Teehee. Good!" Nashura patted Lansen's small head. "You're a great invention of Isrina! She will be very proud!"

"Nashura. Is the rest of your family safe? Rahim?" Niode asked.

"Yeah, my dad is helping Isrina fight the Reaper Squad."

They peeped out of the runner to see Isrina and Rahim fighting off Hernamidos and the two commandos.

"Holy moly!" Niode sweated. "What do we do now?"

"I am gonna help my dad!" Nashura drew her sabers.

"What about us? Our runner is down!"

"No worry! My mom is coming too!"

"Wait, Naphthien?"

"Yah! Plus runner too."

"You guys have a runner? Dang!"

"Teehee, gotchu!"

Nashura winked. She jumped out of the runner flipping her way towards the fight. General Hernamidos cartwheeled towards her. She ducked under the general's laser-cutting coat. Nashura sweated, feeling the heat emitting from the coat's glowing red edge.

"Nashura!" Isrina smiled, blocking Hernamido's cape blade with her sword.

"Hullo! Hullo, Isrina!" Nashura protected Isrina and Rahim from the commandos' arsenic needles. "We will be out of here soon!"

"Heh! Seems like I get to kill the Bladebearer's daughter too!" Hernamidos blasted a protonet crossbow at Rahim. "Let's splatter the merry go round with blood!"

Rahim slashed the electrifying net with a scythe. The general gunspinned his pistols, making blades appear at the ends. He clashed his pistols with Rahim's swords while Isrina slashed her way through the female commando's arsenic needles. Nashura jumped away from the machine owl's bladed wings, slamming her sabers with the other commando's electric trident. An epic three versus three gunfire ensued on the town's streets for minutes.

Hernamidos held his pistols in a deadlock with Rahim's blades. Rahim clenched his teeth as Hernamidos stood his ground, pointing one of his shoes at him to reveal an arrow launcher. Rahim pushed Hernamidos back, leaping back to dodge the firing arrows. The adversaries then tested each others' blade throwing skills, hurling curved knives and shurikens at each other. Both of them blocked and evaded each others' weapons with great finesse.

The General pressed buttons on his wrist, then threw a large plasma scythe at Rahim. Rahim rolled away, letting the glowing scythe crack the street. The same dropship flew by, strafing the street with machine gunfire. Isrina, Rahim, and Nashura flipped out of range. A figure jumped out of the dropship. It wasn't a commando.

"Great, now what?" Isrina recognized the man. "Oh no."

The man landed between the two brawling sides. He smashed the ground, sending Isrina's group flying.

Isrina groaned, pushing herself up.

"Argh, come on, Rahim, Nash!" She struggled to get them up.

"Wut… wut happened?" Nashura shook her head on the hard street.

"My God, who was that?" Rahim crawled.

"Nicely done, my agent," Hernamidos spun his pistols. "Why don't you end their misery?"

"With pleasure," Dacos grinned.

The psychic agent held his hands up towards a large store. The building cracked, with the top half tipping over Isrina's group.

"No! No!" Isrina still couldn't get Rahim and Nashura up. "Come on!"

She looked at the falling building. Isrina closed her eyes, hugging Rahim and Nashura tight.

My little chickadee, Isrina thought. I love you so much. I am so sorry I can't protect you.

Isrina waited for the end to come, but she was alive.

"Eh?" Isrina peeked out to see Rahim and Nashura waking up. "What happened?"

"Isrina?" Nashura opened her eyes.

"I miss something?" Rahim asked.

The three saw the building floating in midair

"What the hell are you doing, Agent Dacos?" Hernamidos yelled.

"Um," Dacos flailed his arms at the building. "I… I didn't do that!"

"About time a grand hero emerges to rescue his endangered friends!" Someone said.

A red-haired Vulpi with purple eyes wearing red robes stood in front of Isrina's group.

"Ugh! Not him again!" Hernamidos stomped the ground. "Crush him, Dacos!" Have you lost your mind?"

"I am trying!" Dacos sweated, swinging his hands around. "I swear! I am!"

"Master…" Rahim recognized the man. "Master Oreic!"

"Been a long time, Bladebearer. Desert Cardinal. Nashura," Oreic bowed.

"Ooo! Master Oreic!" Nashura gasped. "You can stop a building like that? Cool!"

"Naphthien's already getting Niode and your kids in her runner!" Oreic pointed.

They looked to see a purple runner beside Niode's.

"What are you two standing there for?" Hernamidos shouted at the other two commandos. "Shoot him! Dropship, come in!"

"You guys join the others!" A flaming saxophone formed in his hand. "I will be right behind you!"

"Thanks, Oreic," Isrina nodded, helping Rahim and Nashura walk.

"Always a pleasure to work with you, Desert Cardinal," Oreic then looked at the two commandos and dropship dashing towards him. "Well then, Hernamidos, hope you got your mask on! Like how Master Fermato heroically flew down onto the Omaunukai with the horse of the cello, I come with the jazz of the fire!"

Oreic spun his saxophone bo staff with skill, turning the building into small fireballs. He launched the fireballs at the Reaper Squad.

The two commandos retreated as the dropship slammed into a fireball. Hernamidos protected himself with his cape. He groaned as Dacos was sent sky high into the air.

"Seriously? Damn it!" Hernamidos cracked his neck in frustration. "Well, Oreic. You fox freak and your stupid fire. Guess we have to do this the hard way. Remember this trick? Chimaera 891!"

Hernamidos shouted at his wrist gear. A chimaera turned around.

"Of course he calls for help," Oreic grumbled.

"Oreic!" Isrina shouted from the purple runner.

The purple runner sped up to him.

"Come on!" Isrina opened the doors.

"Alas, the hero must retreat to fight another day!" Oreic jumped into the runner. "So long, puny king! Wahahaha!"

"Grrr!" Hernamidos fired at the runner. "Chimaera 891! Pursue those slimeballs!"

"Nothin like a scene of the hero scoffing at the villain!" Oreic laughed. "We better go, Naphthien! I think I made grumpy blackie over there mad!"

Naphthien gave a thumbs up, stepping on the gas pedal.

The mechanical shark slashed its fins through the buildings, chasing the purple runner through the town.