Chapter 19-The Boss of Twilight Wolf

I was snoring peacefully as I slept in my tent next to Old-Man F, but then, the loud mechanical hum of an engine echoed across the desert, snapping me awake.

"Do you…hear that…?" I groggily groan as I sit up and rub my eyes.

"Let's go check it out," Old-Man F says and the two of us rush out of our tent, where we run into Khione.

The three of us then turn to where we hear the mechanical hum, watching as that weird-ass train thing that Twilight Wolf was riding in earlier that day draws closer and closer, steam bellowing out of the smokestack on top and polluting the night sky above.

Mary sits with her arms tucked into her chest with her eyes wide, watching as Twilight Wolf grows closer.

"They're here…" Mary softly says.

"THEY'RE HERE!"

"Mary, get back!" Khione orders as she leaps in front of Mary and resumes her Charge Stance.

The train continues barrelling towards us, but before it can crash into the four of us, it skids to a stop, kicking up a cloud of sand and sending it flying everywhere.

The three of us flinch and bring our hands up.

"Look alive, you two," Old-Man F orders.

"Yes, Master,".

The wheel on the hatch at the top of the train begins to spin, and a moment later, the hatch opens for good, and a silver-eyed man with blueish-gray hair wearing a long black cloak and wielding a ceremonial golden staff emerges. Tungsten appears to be in his early fifties.

"That's him…" Mary gasps.

"Hmm?" Khione asks as she turns and peers over her shoulder at the small girl behind her, and when she does, Khione notices that Mary's eyes are wide and her entire body is trembling in fear.

"The boss of Twilight Wolf is here!" Mary cries.

"So who's this guy?" I grunt.

"His name is Tungsten Brasher, the Iron E-Charger," Old-Man F answers, "The Boss of Twilight Wolf."

Tungsten smirks as he nods and peers back and forth between the three of us.

"The Water E-Charger, an old team member, and his new pupil…?" Tungsten asks, "You will be a fun group to kill."

Tungsten peers through the three of us, and spots Mary cowering behind me. Upon sensing Tungsten's eyes on her, Mary flinches, and ducks further behind me.

"MARY BLOODSWORTH! Are you ready to come home, my daughter?"

Our eyes widen.

"DAUGHTER?!" The three of us cry as we spin around to face Mary.

"Tungsten doesn't mean literally…" Mary explains.

"What kind of father abuses their daughter?" Khione growls as she turns to face Tungsten.

"And what kind of father kills his daughter's old parents?" Tungsten smirks, causing Khione's face to go pale with rage.

"You did good, Mary. While getting you captured wasn't…ANTICIPATED, I'm glad that that pager I gave you came in handy."

Our eyes widen again.

"You…called Twilight Wolf to us…?" Khione asks as she turns around to face Mary again, sounding truly hurt.

Mary looks away in shame.

"I…had no choice. And THAT is why no one else died because of me once I became affiliated with Twilight Wolf…because I can summon the boss at a moment's notice with my pager…"

"Unbelievable…" Old-Man F sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I had no choice!" Mary cries as she turns to face us again, "The boss would have killed you guys to get to me, this was the only way! By leaving you guys by my own volition…I can save your lives…"

"This isn't right…" I softly growl as I stare at the ground and clench my hands into fists.

"This isn't right…"

"BUT THIS ISN'T BY YOUR OWN VOLITION, MARY!" I roar, causing the girl to flinch, "DON'T LIE TO YOURSELF, MARY, YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!"

Mary's lips begin trembling.

"BUT I DO WANT TO DO THIS!" Mary then cries, tears spraying everywhere, "I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO ME ANYMORE, I JUST DON'T WANT ANYONE TO BE KILLED 'CAUSE OF ME!"

"Now…come to me, my daughter," Tungsten orders as he holds a hand out to Mary, and, begrudgingly, Mary slumps over and stares at the ground as she waddles over to Tungsten. As she walks by, the three of us can't help but to frown at Mary.

"Mary…" Khione softly says.

As she approaches the train, steps of iron rise out of the ground, one at a time, and Mary slowly makes her way up, until she's standing by Tungsten's side.

"Now that that's over with…" Tungsten smirks.

"KILL THEM."

Instantly, Zippy, Doku, and Cherika burst out of the top of the train behind Tungsten, and surround the three of us.

Mary's eyes widen.

"KILL THEM, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! SPARE THEM, BOSS, PLEASE!"

"My dear daughter-" Tungsten begins to say with a tender smile as he peers down at Mary, "The only reason that I agreed to not kill anyone anymore was in exchange for your cooperation…"

"BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT IS NO LONGER WORKING."

Tungsten slams the bottom of his staff into the ground, and instantly, silver sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around his body.

The three of us flinch.

"TUNGSTEN IS ABOUT TO USE A SPELL, LOOK OUT!" Old-Man F roars.

The three of us bring our arms up to block, anticipating an attack, but instead, a rod of iron shoots out of the iron making up the train before Mary, cracking the girl in the jaw and causing her head to violently snap upwards. Blood spurts from Mary's nose, as she lands on her back on the top of the train. Mary's head smashes into the roof of the train, dousing the train in crimson.

Mary is out cold.

"MARY!" I cry.

"IRON CHARGE, LEVEL ONE: POLE PISTOL!"

I lunge towards Tungsten, but before I can get very far, three more rods of iron fly out of the ground and pumble the three of us, causing Khione, Old-Man F, and myself to crash to the ground in a pool of blood.

I then peer up at Zippy, Doku, and Cherika, seeing that the wounds that they had sustained during our daring escape have been completely healed.

"What gives?" I ask, "Isn't Mary your healer?"

"Remember what I said," Old-Man F grunts, "Plant Charge and Sound Charge can be used to heal."

"Zippy, Doku, Cherika, take care of these three," Tungsten orders as he scoops Mary up in the crook of his arm, "Mary and I have some pressing matters to attend to."

"Yes, boss!" The three E-Chargers smirk.

Tungsten slams his staff into the ground again, and -just as before- silver sparks of energy swirl around his body.

"So that's his Charge Stance?!" I cry.

"IRON CHARGE, LEVEL TWO: DYSTOPIAN MAZE!"

Walls of iron then begin to rise out of the ground again, separating Khione, Old-Man F, and myself, just like our last battle. The iron walls take the form of a giant maze, and just as before, I find myself standing face to face with Zippy.

"So I get to face you again, eh?" I grunt.

"Let's finish what we started, Water Charge," Zippy smirks.