Ch 103: Into the Fire

The air smelled of smoke and burning oil. Fires crackled in the distance, and the screams of the wounded echoed through the ruined streets. The city of Absheron, already a place of tension and unspoken conflict, had descended into full-blown warfare.

Kael stood at the edge of a crumbling overpass, his coat tattered, blood-streaked, and soaked in sweat. His hands gripped a compact control panel, his eyes scanning the grainy but functional visual feeds displayed on its cracked screen.

Behind him, Mira wiped the sweat from her forehead, adjusting the reinforced knuckle guards on her gauntlets. She watched the Crawler—Kael's latest mechanical monstrosity—roll forward on its reinforced treads, its armor thick enough to withstand most small-arms fire.

"Time for the offensive," Kael muttered, his tone cold, focused.

Mira crossed her arms. "Wait—do we even know where they're coming from?"

Kael tapped the panel. "I sent some drones for reconnaissance. It seems like our seemingly personal battle has turned into a full-blown conflict between factions in the city." He turned the screen towards Mira, showing several units fighting across the urban sprawl. Gangs, mercenary companies, and hired killers had all joined the chaos.

Mira narrowed her eyes. "Wait, hold on—where are you even getting visual feeds? We don't have the materials for building cameras."

Kael smirked slightly, flipping the panel closed. "People throw a lot of things in the trash. And I have a talent for finding things in trash."

As if on cue, the Crawler let out a low mechanical hum, its armored chassis gleaming in the firelight. The upgrades were unmistakable—thicker plating, heavier weapons, and a new turret system mounted on top. It was no longer just a transport—it was a war machine.

Mira let out an impressed whistle. "You really don't waste time."

Kael shrugged. "Time is a resource. So is violence."

Mira exhaled, glancing at the fighting below. "Then let's end this and leave. I found a place we can use to get to the real stage."

Kael didn't respond immediately. Instead, he adjusted the straps on his belt, where several compact grenades and modified weapons hung from the loops. Then, he drew his curved blade, letting the dim light catch its razor-sharp edge.

"Fine," he said, his voice low and almost casual. "But only after I kill everything that is fighting."

Mira sighed. "Sure, it's not like I can stop you."

The Crawler roared forward, its engine growling like a beast on the hunt. Its reinforced treads crushed shattered glass and broken stone, sending sparks flying. Kael stood on its back, controlling the turret remotely while Mira ran alongside, her muscles tensed, ready to fight.

The first enemy unit—a group of mercenaries in patchwork armor, wielding makeshift firearms—barely had time to react before Kael opened fire.

The Crawler's main turret belched out an explosive round, hitting the ground near their formation. The shockwave sent bodies flying, and the ones who survived were immediately torn apart by high-speed projectiles from the secondary guns.

"Too easy," Kael muttered.

Mira, already in motion, leapt into the fray, her boots smashing into the chest of a stunned gunman. The impact caved in his ribs, sending him sprawling backward. Before another could react, she grabbed his arm, twisted it at an unnatural angle, and shattered the bone with a brutal snap.

Another mercenary tried to strike from behind, but she ducked, spun around, and drove her gauntlet directly into his throat. He gurgled, collapsing to his knees before she finished him off with a swift kick to the skull.

"More incoming," Kael called out, adjusting the turret's aim.

Ahead, a convoy of armored trucks barreled through the streets, their mounted weapons aimed in their direction.

"Looks like someone's trying to retake control," Mira said, wiping blood from her knuckles.

Kael didn't respond with words. Instead, he pressed a button.

From the rooftops, Kael's hidden drones activated.

They had been lying in wait, disguised beneath tarps and debris.

The first wave dropped EMP charges, disabling the leading truck's electronic systems. The vehicle skidded out of control, slamming into a nearby building, metal twisting as flames erupted from its engine.

The second wave of drones deployed sawblades, slicing into the exposed tires of the remaining vehicles.

One truck veered sharply, nearly flipping as the driver lost control.

The moment it slowed, Kael fired a single explosive round from the Crawler's turret.

The shot pierced the engine block, and a second later, the entire truck went up in flames.

The mercenaries inside screamed as the fire consumed them.

Mira exhaled sharply, turning to Kael. "This really escalated."

Kael didn't look at her. His gaze was fixed on the battlefield ahead, where the fighting was still raging in the distance.

"This is what happens when you let weak men play war," he muttered.

Mira frowned. "What, and you're not?"

Kael finally glanced at her, a small smirk playing at the edges of his lips.

"I don't play war," he said. "I win it."

Despite the devastation Kael had inflicted, the battle wasn't over. More factions were moving, and the city was turning into a full-scale battleground.

Mira pulled out a folded map, tapping a location near the northern district. "There's a route through the old industrial sector. If we take it, we can slip out before the fighting spreads too far."

Kael narrowed his eyes at the map, then at the battlefield. His mind worked quickly, calculating risks.

"Fine," he finally said. "But I'm leaving a gift before we go."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "A gift?"

Kael pulled out a small, handheld detonator and gestured toward one of the downed mercenary vehicles.

"That truck was carrying spare ammunition and fuel reserves," he said. "I took the liberty of setting up a chain reaction."

Mira stared at him. "You really can't just leave quietly, can you?"

Kael pressed the detonator.

The explosion that followed lit up the city like a second sunrise.

A wave of fire ripped through the buildings, sending shockwaves that shattered windows and toppled debris onto the remaining fighters.

Kael turned, dusting soot off his coat. "Now we can leave."

Mira exhaled, shaking her head. "Remind me never to piss you off."

Kael just smirked as the Crawler rumbled forward, guiding them toward their next destination.

Behind them, the city of Absheron burned.