Luke stood imposingly, wearing Ruster's armor, a sight none of them could believe. He had transformed, the once skittish and reluctant hero had morphed into a figure of unyielding strength and authority. Even though he wasn't as tall as Ruster, the armor had adjusted itself to Luke's stature, creating an aura of undeniable power around him. His back was to them, but even from this angle, he seemed formidable, a symbol of unexpected resistance.
"Impossible!" Loopy spluttered, staring in disbelief at the transformed human, a twist that completely defied logic. "A human kid, wielding such power... unheard of..."
Wincing in pain, Loopy clutched his bleeding arm, his gaze fixed on Luke who had yet to make another move. He was eerily still, his grip unwavering, a picture of calm and lethal determination.
"Low Ki energy... Master..." Ghost's voice echoed in the grimly quiet battlefield, his statement hanging in the air.
Not wasting a moment, Ruster rose to his feet amidst his throbbing pain, his instincts urging him to take advantage of the unexpected situation. This was the break he needed, an opportunity to deliver a deadly blow. "Please grant me a worthy sword," he pleaded internally, knowing that he had no control over what weapon would materialize from his vast collection.
"What sword is this?" Ruster puzzled as a black, rusty blade materialized in his hand. His vast arsenal of around 1,000,000 unique weapon each held its unique abilities, yet he only recognized a fraction of them. But in this moment of crisis, he couldn't afford to be picky. He studied the seemingly mundane sword, its pointy end promising significant damage. "No matter," he dismissed, readying himself, "It's sharp enough!"
With a burst of adrenaline, Ruster flexed his muscles, his grip tightening on the rusty hilt. The silent air was sliced with the deadly whistle of the sword as he lunged forward, aiming straight for Loopy's heart.
Loopy was thoroughly entranced by Luke's transformation, his attention firmly fixed on the armored boy. However, his honed peripheral vision detected Ruster's incoming attack. Too late to fully evade it, he sidestepped slightly, altering the deadly trajectory of Ruster's blade. Instead of piercing his heart, the rusty sword ripped through the right side of his chest, jutting out his back in a spray of pain.
"Ghost! NOW!" Ruster demanded, his voice echoing in the combat field.
On command, Ghost uncoiled from Luke and instantly enveloped Ruster. The sudden release of support caused Luke to slump to the ground, unconscious.
Utilizing his newfound advantage, Ruster spun around and landed a powerful kick on Loopy's face. Loopy hurtled backward, colliding into a mound of scrap with a loud crash, where he lay motionless.
With swift precision, Ruster dismissed his sword and turned his attention to the unconscious Luke. Scooping him up and clutching the stone tightly, he wasted no time and leaped onto a nearby building. Ensuring no humans were in sight, he bounded from rooftop to rooftop in quick succession, his silhouette fading into the distance.
Reeling from Ruster's powerful kick, Loopy grappled with his spinning world and the relentless bleeding from both his chest and arm.
"I can still catch them... they went that way..." he muttered to himself, attempting to rise. But a sharp, agonizing pain lanced through his chest, driving him to his knees. "What is this?" he gasped, swiftly summoning another morphing syringe and injecting himself, but to no avail. The pain only intensified. "It's getting worse... That sword... it was poisoned!" he surmised.
His gaze fell on the detached part of his arm lying a few feet away. "As long as it remains fresh, I can reattach it... Ice could help preserve it..." He gingerly picked up his arm, thoughts racing. Needing to stem the bleeding, he conjured a medical kit and busied himself with dressing his wounds.
"If they're within a 5 km radius, I'll find them... Ruster's battered... one touch, and I can teleport him to our world. He won't escape there... But there's one problem..." Loopy mused, glancing towards Squala's lifeless body.
After tending to his injuries and storing his severed arm and medical kit inside his body, Loopy trudged towards the fallen warrior. His chest throbbed with a dull pain that threatened to drain his energy.
"Should've died in human form, Squala... Now I have to bring your body back... But can I?" Loopy mused, sinking to his knees and placing a hand on Squala's chest. He remained like this for a few moments, before letting out a frustrated yell, "I can't... That's a problem!"
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Loopy's eyes fixed on a distant building, determination brewing in his gaze.
"I can sense Ruster... He's atop that building... He can sense me too." Loopy murmured, spitting out the lingering taste of blood from his mouth. He grimaced, the pain from his wound sapping his strength. "The human kid... I underestimated him... But with this wound... I can't jump with someone else... If I can't move a dead body, I certainly can't take Ruster with me... My priority must be Squala now. I need to call a jumper to retrieve him before any human stumbles upon him!"
Rising to his feet, Loopy cast his senses wide, probing for any signs of human presence. The junkyard was desolate, as if shunning prying eyes. "I doubt a human will discover Squala here soon... But I must hurry... Ruster, I'll return for you... As for that human... I WILL CRUSH HIM!" he swore, fury and resolve flaring in his eyes.
With a burst of energy, Loopy disappeared, leaving only a fading blue afterglow in his wake.
On the rooftop, Ruster dropped to his knees, eyes closed in concentration, seeming to listen for something. Moments later, he sighed and collapsed backward in exhaustion.
"He's gone... Thank God... Had he pursued us, we would have stood no chance. He must have needed to attend to his arm... It was a serious injury..." Ruster murmured, glancing at the unconscious Luke. "Thanks to him..." he said gratefully, unfastening his armor to reveal Ghost hovering beside him.
"Everything okay, Ghost?"
"Affirmative, Master..." Ghost responded.
Luke's eyes fluttered open to see Ruster's face, relief spreading across his features, and Ghost floating near them. "What... What happened?" He asked. As his memories rushed back, he cried out, "Where's... The Creature... Ghost... The armor... Where are we?"
Ruster laughed lightly. "Relax, Luke. We're safe now." He then bowed to Luke, placing his forehead on the cold rooftop. "You saved my life, Luke. I am deeply in your debt. Thank you."
Luke flushed, caught off guard. "No, Ruster... There's no need for that. I don't even know how I did what I did... It was nothing."
Ruster sat back and met Luke's gaze, eyes filled with sincerity. "If it hadn't been for you, I would be dead. Please, I mean it."
Luke turned his attention to Ruster's battered body and severed arm. "Are you going to be okay? You're seriously injured!"
Ruster let out a long "Ah!" and said, "About that... Don't worry, I've got it covered."
He gestured to Ghost who wrapped around him like a backpack. He extended his remaining hand and spawned a glass bottle, filled with a glowing purple liquid. Unable to open it with one hand, Ruster asked Luke to do it for him. After drinking the contents of the bottle, Ruster's wounds began to heal. Within a matter of minutes, he was completely healed, his missing arm regrown.
"How did you do that? What's in that potion?" Luke asked, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
"It's my energy," Ruster replied, explaining the ancient technique of storing one's physical energy state in a unique solution. Upon injury, drinking this 'checkpoint potion' would restore the body to its previous state. It wasn't technically healing, but rather a restoration. The solution was incredibly rare and a technique Ruster had only recently learned.
Luke, relieved to see Ruster healed, cast a glance at the night sky. They stood atop a high-rise building, the city's lights twinkling below. "So, what's next?" he asked.
Ruster fell silent for a while, his face taking on a glum expression. "I... I don't know," he admitted, his voice almost a whisper.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Luke attempted to lighten the mood. "Do you have a place to crash?"
With a sheepish rub to the back of his head, Ruster confessed, "Um... No." Luke offered his place for the night, which Ruster gladly accepted. He wanted to discuss recent events with Luke.
"Great!" Luke beamed. "Can you do that human thing again?"
Ruster noded, with Ghost wrapping around him, transforming him into the same human form he'd taken earlier. "It's really cool to watch," Luke commented, eyes wide with fascination.
Ruster picked Luke up, leaping from the high-rise, landing on the rooftop of a nearby building, and right after, to the ground. They've descended, making their way among the populace towards Luke's home.
Elsewhere, back in the isolation of the junkyard, the night hummed with a chilling stillness. A drone, an unsuspecting tool in the hands of a curious woman, cut through the silence. Equipped with a night-vision camera, it flitted over the deserted landscape, feeding back live images to her laptop.
As the drone skimmed over the sprawling metal wasteland, a strange object caught its lenses. The woman leaned in, squinting at the screen as her breath hitched. It was a body lying unmoving amidst the scrap.
Stunned into silence, she stared wide-eyed at the spectacle unfolding on her laptop screen. Reality seemed to freeze as she grappled with the gravity of what she had discovered. Shaking off her initial shock, she scrambled to contact the authorities, her fingers trembling as they flew over her phone's touchscreen. The drone hovered high above the scene, its electronic eye being the only witness to the alien corps.
Half an hour later, Luke and Ruster arrived at Luke's home, stepping inside to the warmth and comfort of a safe haven.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home..." Luke called out as they stepped into the house.
Luke's mother immediately noticed the dirt and scratches marring her son's appearance, her eyes widening in concern. "Luke! What happened?"
He swiftly placated her, making light of the situation. "Oh, just some silly fight with some kids," he said dismissively, before moving on to the main point. "But more importantly, meet my freind Ruster!" He presented his companion with an enthusiastic flourish. "He'll be spending the night!"
His declaration caused a stir in the living room. "Your friend?" his father echoed, emerging to meet the guest. His mother's face, too, lit up at the news, and they quickly showered Ruster with greetings and warm welcomes.
It had been a long while since Luke had brought a friend home, a fact that had worried his parents. But the presence of Ruster seemed to wash away their concerns, replacing them with a surge of happiness. Ruster, on the other hand, looked somewhat nonplussed, struggling with the formalities.
Luke's mother, animated with renewed energy, announced, "I'll whip up something for you boys to eat. And Luke," she added with a pointed look, "go take a shower!"
Following his mother's command, Luke left to clean up, leaving Ruster alone in the dining room with his parents, who were brimming with questions. Luckily, Luke returned quickly, and with a knack for quick thinking, took over the conversation, effortlessly weaving a tale about Ruster's visit from Tokyo for Kyoto's summer championships and his plan to stay for a while.
Once they had been adequately welcomed and introduced, and after they've had a small dinner, Luke and Ruster retreated to Luke's room. A bed was swiftly set up for Ruster beside Luke's own. As they settled in, Ruster turned to Luke, curiosity lacing his words. "What was all that warmth? Don't you bring friends over often?"
Luke's face shadowed, a stark contrast to the joy that had danced in his eyes earlier. He sank onto his bed, looking rather small. Then he began to share his story. He spoke of his friend, Shimizu Kei, and the tragedy of his loss. He shared the aftermath, the bullying, the isolation. His parents' joy was a product of their worry for him, their hope to see him make friends again.
Ruster listened, empathy welling in his heart. He began to understand why Luke sought a friend, why he wanted someone to share his burdens with.
Luke fell silent, his story told. He moved to his drawer, pulling out a framed picture. It was a photo of him and Kei, a memento he often turned to in his lonelier moments. He handed it to Ruster, giving him a glimpse of the friend he so deeply missed.
But as Ruster took the photo, something startling occurred. His expression went from a soft understanding to pure shock. His grip on the frame tightened, his body trembled, sweat beading on his brow.
Luke frowned in concern, stepping closer. "What's wrong?" he asked, worry threading through his voice.
Suddenly, Ruster let out a shout, his voice filled with disbelief. "Luke.... This kid... THIS IS MY BROTHER!"
ns 15.158.61.20da2Hello, dear readers!
Firstly, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have been following this story from the beginning. Your support means the world to me.
Now, we're 14 chapters in, and I have to admit, I'm really curious about what you think. I find myself eager to hear your thoughts, your theories, your favorite parts...basically everything!
Writing is a lonely endeavor, but it's the interaction with readers that makes it truly fulfilling. I love hearing from you, your feedback not only helps me improve, but it also fuels my motivation to keep this story going.
So, here's a gentle request - if you've been enjoying the story, could you please leave a comment? It could be about the latest plot twist (I know, right? Who saw that coming?), your favorite character so far, or even if there's something you didn't quite like or understand. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant, I'd love to hear what you think.
Your comments can help shape the future of the story. They help me understand what's working and what's not. Most importantly, they let me know that you're there, sharing this journey with me.
So, if you can spare a moment, please leave a comment. It would mean so much to me.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
And as always... Many Thanks For Reading.
