“The eyes, aim for the eyes!”
The rata-tat-tat of gunfire once more filled the air, the sound of thick liquid splashing to the ground, the collapsing thumps of heavy objects. Shadow Squadron and their soldier escort stood before the mountains once more, far from the site of the first battle. Before them dropped many Scorupi Mamba and several of the alpha creatures. Sinno stood at the head of the fire fight, scythe attached to her back with blade at the ground, her arms crossed and her eyes sharp. Ahead of them the Scorupi were breaking forward, many cut down with every step leaving others to step over the bodies of the fallen.
Twenty meters sat between the humans and the monsters, a gap full of Scorupi bodies, fire, and holes. Rockets fired out from behind the line, striking the Scorupi front and center, blowing those hit to pieces from the impact. The Scorupi Alpha on the other hand charged forward, all until they dropped with holes in their eyes.
“GET SOME DAMMIT!!!” came the yell of one soldier behind, one of the Black Ops Units with Shadow Squadron.
The roars of the creatures were all that retaliated, the majority of the roars coming from those being mowed down before the soldier groups. Shadow Squadron sat at the head still, leading the fire fight with their weapons, though it was primarily the soldiers attacking with the warriors acting in response to Scorupi that broke through.
Shawn gazed ahead, his eyes locked to the charge of Scorupi, “There are so many… we must be near a Scorupi Nest or Hive of some sort. Sinno, what would you recommend?”
Her head turned, eyes to Shawn as she spoke, “If there is a nest then we have to locate and exterminate it immediately. These things are going down now but if they fall under Darkling control, it could mean the end, especially if they further mutate.”
“Right! Hmm? Wha-”
Shawn’s eyes quaked with but a simple glance up, a shadow above in the air purely humanoid coming right down at the unobservant Sinno. With a sharp turn his mouth flew open, “Sinno, above!”
“Huh?”
Eyes up, eyes wide, eyes quivering. Above shot a figure cloaked in black, hooded much like the Shadow Squadron, “{Shit, not enough time to-}”
Electricity cried out through the air, striking the figure who had come down at Sinno. From its hands flew an ax off behind the Celestia Group, the figure being flung back towards the Scorupi Mamba. With a thud it crashed to the ground, hood flying back to reveal a masked figure, the mask flying off to reveal a mannequin’s face. A breath of relief left Shawn at once, “Ooof, nice save, Ellie!”
“Right!”
“The hell was that, a mannequin?” came a murmur beside Sinno, the murmur of Captain Frankie.
“Mannequin? Hmph. As dirty as always, Satori!” Sinno snapped looking out across the waves of Scorupi.
“Heh heh, hahaha, what a nice save. You truly owe it to that girl, Serpent,” came a sharp, relatively soothing voice with sarcasm mixed in.
Beyond the waves of Scorupi a humanoid figure came into view of the group, at which point the Scorupi ceased their charge forward. Sinno’s arm flew out to her side as well at that point, the soldiers ceasing fire. All eyes rested upon the figure which began to move forward now, the Scorupi Mamba moving aside with their own heads turned.
“That guy’s a human?” a soldier questioned.
“Why are monsters working with a human?” asked another.
The figure stepped to the head of the Mamba, dressed in a long black trench coat that matched his long black hair. Silver eyes began to shimmer, one opened more than the other; one half raised, the other nearly wide eyed, a snarling smirk spreading, “Heehee.”
In the man’s right hand was a mask, akin to that of the mannequin’s; a human face white with symbols carved in, painted black.
“Satori, look at you, you’ve got yourself a bug army to command now rather than those dolls of yours!” Sinno chimed off.
“My you’re as snarky as ever, dear girl,” he said softly, lips curling with delight, the eyes becoming sharper though not one raising or closing itself anymore.
“Satori Gilgar, known as The Mask of the criminal organization Specter,” Dawn murmured.
“Specter?” a soldier questioned, “What’s Specter?”
“Pft, haven’t you ever been briefed before soldier?” Captain Frankie mumbled taking a step up beside Sinno, “Specter is a criminal organization known for theft of government riches and technology, murder of high officials and soldiers of various kingdoms, experimenting on monsters to produce stronger weapons of war, and the ideology that they should be running the world. That guy there, Satori, is one of Specter’s top members. And as I recall, he and Sinno have had a bit of a history of fighting one another.”
“Heh, damn straight,” Sinno chuckled with a grin, “I always come out on top. So, what are you doing here Satori? What is Specter up to this time?!”
“Ho ho, you expect me to just up and reveal our plans? Sorry but I’m above that sort of thing. That’s little time villain one-o-one Sinno. Heh, heh heh heh. I really should be getting back to my business but I just have this itch, this itch for whenever I see you. Whenever I see you, the itch acts up and I just have the most compelling urge to kill you, to see the light leave your very eyes as I drive my blade through your flat chest!”
“Really? Why don’t you come and try to satisfy that itch, rag doll!”
“Tempting, you don’t know just how satisfying it’ll be when I wrap my hands around your throat for the last time,” Satori chuckled raising his mask up to his face.
Without word it was placed on, the arm lowering while the mask simply stuck in place. The ground around him then began to crack and crumble, figures like the first that attacked Sinno bolting out and landing atop the surface. Around as more of the mannequins rose, the Scorupi got themselves ready with acid dripping and their tails flickering.
“Shawn, you take command with your sister. Ellie, Shurren, you’re both with me as per usual.”
“Enrolling us to take down a grudge? That’s not like you,” Shurren laughed.
“In this scenario, I’m granting an exception. Satori knows what we want to know about these mountains, I guarantee it. If we capture him, we’ll bring this operation to a swifter end and save countless lives in the process.”
“That’s IF I let you capture me dearest Sinno. In this situation, I think it’ll be more satisfying to let one of my creatures do the work for me, then finish you off when you’re too weak to resist. Come now, Emperor Mamba!”
Satori’s arms flew out to his left and right, a large howl filling the air followed by a thud that shook the ground all around, then another, and another. Rock behind Satori shattered and crumbled to the ground, a large figure stomping forward.
Towering at seven meters was a beast much like the normal Mamba, though mixed with that of the alphas. A humanoid body with six large claws, three heads, multiple sets of eyes atop two large legs. Behind the body of a scorpion with multiple legs stomping down flat, nine large tails and stingers swishing around. Its back, spiked with three sets of wings flapping.
Captain Frankie took a step back, shock flooding his face as it did with many soldiers around, even some from Shadow Squadron. Dawn herself took a step back right into Audrey who audibly gulped.
“Heh heh heh. Yes, my DEAR Shadow Squadron, behold… The Emperor Mamba Scorupi!”576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcrpicd7mC
