Chapter 68: Digging up a Mecha

Vyran

I looked over Ret's mecha as we finished digging up what we could salvage. It was badly burnt. Almost as bad as Valkyrie had been. But it was almost more damaged than Valkyrie. The legs of the thing had sustained a lot of damage.

From what Ret told us, the mecha was malfunctioning. It wouldn't heed his commands. Yet he still somehow managed to get it to crash leg first. That action really saved his life. If not for that, he might've died. Although, something told me it wasn't only that. The interior didn't have enough shock absorption to protect him from a planetary crash. He must've used ki or something. 

Ki, it was a very mysterious thing. My eyes went to Kaeii, Hiesno, and Zane. "Say, what energy do you use in this world?"

Kaeii dusted his dirt covered hands off and blinked at me. "What kind of energy?"

"Uh, for your powers," I said.

He chuckled and stared at his hands. "Oh. We use something called Ki. What about you?"

"I use hormones and proteins," Deros said.

"Hormones? Like super puberty or something? You still look like a kid. More so than Zane."

"Hey! Who are you calling a kid?" Zane said, bonking him over the head.

Kaeii laughed and rubbed his head. "Hey, be nice."

Deros's doppelganger grumbled. "You be nice!"

My friend chuckled nervously. "Hey, you two, don't fight. Aren't you friends?"

Kaeii smiled and nodded.

Zane scoffed. "As if! We are just co-workers. Not friends, and especially not lovers!"

I hummed. "No one said anything about the latter."

The snappy blond pouted as his face reddened. "Some make that mistake, believe it or not."

"I see." I laughed. "Well, you two do argue like an old married couple."

Kaeii chuckled. "We do?"

"That's not a compliment, idiot!" Zane snapped at him. "Anyway, enough talking and more working! We aren't done digging this thing up yet!"

I glanced at Deros. We both smiled nervously at one another. While Zane might've looked like Deros, his personality was basically the opposite.

Hiesno sighed. "Zane is right, Kaeii. We need to get this mecha back to the base as soon as possible. This area is full of wild beasts and is sometimes even visited by the invaders."

Kaeii saluted. "Got it, captain!"

He sighed. "You and my brother really are two peas in a pod."

The muscular blond chuckled and got back to work.

The rest of us followed suit, resuming our task of digging out what was left of Ret's mecha. As we worked, I couldn't help but chuckle at the dynamics of this group. Even in the midst of such a dire situation, they managed to keep their spirits high.

"Hey, Deros," Zane called out, his voice gruff from exhaustion. "You're not even sweating. Are you even working?"

Deros responded with a chuckle, wiping his forehead dramatically. "I'm sweating bullets, Zane. You just can't see it because of my impeccable composure."

Zane responded with a grunt and a roll of his eyes, but I could see the hint of a smile on his face. The banter between them was infectious, and even I found myself chuckling.

As we continued our work, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie. We were all from different worlds, different cultures, but we were united in our purpose. And in the midst of the chaos, we found moments of laughter and friendship.

Eventually, we managed to dig out the majority of Ret's mecha. It was a sorry sight, but it was also a symbol of Ret's determination and survival skills. He had survived a fatal crash, and was now working with us to fight back against the Commander Yusan. If Ret could do that, then there was no telling what we could achieve together.

Looking around at my newfound allies, I smiled. Despite the circumstances, I was grateful for their company. And I was ready to face whatever came next, as long as we faced it together.

In the end, it didn't really matter what energy we used for our powers, whether it was Ki, hormones, or proteins. What mattered was how we chose to use those powers. And I knew, without a doubt, that we would use them to protect those we cared about. No matter the cost.

"Alright, everyone!" I shouted, clapping my hands together for attention. "We need to get this mecha onto that trailer. It's not going to be easy, but I know we can do it."

Hiesno nodded, rolling up his sleeves. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started."

With that, we set to work. We positioned the ropes and pulleys around the mecha, securing them in place. Deros and Zane took the lead, using their strength to do move the pulley system. Deros surprised the others by turning bigger and more muscular. 

"How are your clothes not ripping?" Hiesno asked, eyes wide.

Deros chuckled. "Well, they're made of special material that stretches. Usually I use holographic, but after a certain incident, I started using these."

The usually stoic rebel tilted his head. "Holographic clothes?"

I chuckled. "Uh, we'll explain later. Right now, let's focus on moving this to the base before any wild beasts or Titanos show up."

"Alright," Deros grunted, straining against the weight of the mecha. "On three. One, two, three!"

With a mighty heave, the mecha lifted off the ground. The ropes and the wood crane Hiesno had made creaked under the strain, but they held. Slowly, inch by inch, we began to move the mecha onto the trailer.

Kaeii and I were at the back, guiding the mecha and making sure it didn't tip over. The red-eyed blond's muscles strained with the effort, but he never once complained. His determination was contagious, and it spurred us on.

Despite his earlier gruffness, was surprisingly focused, his eyes narrowed as he coordinated with Deros on the pulling. The sweat was pouring down his face, but he didn't let that stop him.

And Hiesno... well, Hiesno was doing his best to help, despite not having the physical strength we had. He was the brains of the operation, directing us and making sure we were working efficiently.

It was a tough, grueling task, but we managed to do it. With one final push, the mecha was safely on the wooden trailer.

We all let out a collective sigh of relief, collapsing onto the ground. Our muscles ached, and we were all drenched in sweat, but there was a sense of accomplishment in the air.

Deros let out a low whistle, looking at the mecha with a sense of awe as he reverted back to his original height and muscle mass. "Well, we did it."

"Yep," Zane replied, grinning despite his exhaustion. "We did."

I couldn't help but join in their laughter. We had managed to accomplish something incredible together.

As I looked around at my battered but smiling team, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. We may have come from different worlds, but we were united in our purpose. And no matter what came our way, I knew we could handle it as long as we worked as one.

"Let's get going," Hiesno said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. "We aren't done until we've brought back the mecha to the hide out."

"And where might this hideout be?" a voice called out.

We gasped and turned to see a pink haired girl with a chrome gun smiling at us.

"Damn it," Hiesno said. "We took too long!"

The girl was unlike anyone I'd ever seen. Dressed in tight, black armored suit and sporting a gleaming chrome gun, she was a sight to behold. Her pink hair was arranged in a high ponytail, and her eyes, a vibrant purple, were sparkling with amusement.

"Well, well, well," she said, her gaze sweeping over us. "What do we have here? A bunch of rebels trying to salvage a mecha? How quaint."

"We don't want any trouble," Hiesno said, stepping forward, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "We're just trying to survive."

The girl laughed, a cruel, cold sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Survive? In this world? That's a good one."

Her gaze landed on me and I stiffened. There was a predatory look in her eyes, a look that said she was a hunter and I was her prey.

"And who might you be?" she asked, her voice dripping with intrigue. "You don't look like you're from around here."

I swallowed, forcing myself to meet her gaze. "I'm just a traveler."

"A traveler, huh?" She tilted her head, her smile widening. "Interesting. Well, traveler, you've stumbled into a warzone."

"I'm aware," I replied, my voice steadier than I felt. 

"Enough chit-chat," Zane interjected, stepping forward. "We don't have time for this. We need to get this mecha back to base."

The girl's smile turned into a smirk as she pointed her gun at us. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Who are you to stop us?" Deros asked, stepping next to Zane.

She laughed again. "Who am I? I'm one of Commander Yusan's Lieutenants, Tira."

Our eyes widened at the revelation. If she was who she claimed to be, then we were in serious trouble.

"Spread out!" Hiesno shouted, and we didn't need to be told twice.

We spread out and sprinted into the forest, but the sound of gunfire echoed behind us. I could hear the whizz of bullets passing by, and my heart pounded in my chest.

I took a deep breath and fired a blast of light at her.

The girl gasped and jumped back, narrowly avoiding my attack.

She smirked and raised her gun at me. "Oh, so the 'traveler' wishes to fight? Fine. A fight you'll get!"

I held my hands out. I had to buy the others time to get the mecha out of here and back to the base. Hopefully, she wouldn't notice. No. Even if she does, I'll keep her here. I could take on a gun. As long as I managed to avoid a hit to the head, that is.