Chapter 17: A Mercenary's Counterattack

Gokkan: well, this is quite the surprise.
Gokkan was already poised for another battle, after having fought Kaemyn prior, and placing both him and Rue into captivity, Matt and his squadron were unable to practically prevent the mishap.Not that it’d really stop Matt in any case, quickly he points his gun at the rather lazy-eyed fox beastkin.
Matt: dammit, I can’t believe we were too late.
Gokkan: such is the fate of bad communication.. Am I right, or am I frikkin’ right? Kinda sucks to be a hero don’t it?
Kaemyn: (Notices Matt and the others as he sighs) Guess we got a bit too hasty goin’ off on our own. Tch. Think you can handle this one with your friends there Matt? This isn’t exactly training anymore. 
Matt: I should be able to but… If this guy can even fight you to this point, who knows what might happen..
Gokkan: well it’s five on one.. While you doooo have a chance… I won’t make it easy for all of you. Kind of fun you guys got me an’ not Kaze.
Gokkan twirls his handgun before quickly slamming his foot into the ground, causing many pillars of solid ice to surround them in a large circle, before many smaller ice pillars pop up across the set arena at random
Gokkan: rules are simple, while it’s 5 on 1… I get to have the field advantage.. We clear?
Matt: … I dunno… what do you guys think about these terms
Eletrico: I call bullshiiiiiiit!
Matt tiredly sighs and turns to cassandra and Flamme
Matt: a MATURE response, please….
Lucky: Um, Cassie are you up for this?
Lucky moves his head to look at Cassie.
Cassie: I’ll try, I’ve never been very good with fire magic, but I can try and mess with the water and ice.
Flamme: All right, I accept that challenge.
Gokkan: Glad to see we’re all ready, and if you five kick my ass, I’ll release yer friends.. But if I win you all hafta give me somethin’ of equal value..
Matt: I dunno what’d be of equal value to someone in the resistance and his assistant buuut OK. I’ll accept that challenge.
Gokkan: perfect…!
Gokkan then turns his head to Kaemyn and Rue, flashing them a wink before asking
Gokkan: ..that IS a fair deal, right?
Kaemyn: Well seems fair enough. Try not to screw it up huh? I don’t want to be taken into custody period, but it’d be even worse to be near frozen as well.
Rue: Good luck everyone. 
Matt: to be quite honest being frozen is worse.
Gokkan: heh, all right then. Let’s get this party started…!
Almost at an instant Gokkan quickly makes his move, raising his handgun and quickly attempting to strike Orie, quickly raising her shield to block the strike
Orie: It’s quite surprising seeing you here but, right now is not the time for formalities…!
Gokkan: oh a delicate flower like you can’t stop a frostbite quite like mine..!
Almost right after the fx trips Orie, quickly sending her off to the side before quickly making his next move towards Cassandra
Matt: Cassandra watch out…!
Lucky: Fierce Howl!
Lucky howls creating a soundboom that shatters all the ice surrounding them including the ice that they had been standing on.
Cassie: (while twirling her staff) Water Strike!
Cassandra swings her staff downward creating an arc of water that surges towards Gokkan.
Gokkan: what th—
The water strikes him in his abdomen, causing the beastkin to fly back a slight bit.
Matt: Nice opening..!
Matt quickly follows up with a small kick combo, before moving behind for a straight punch to his head. Causing him to fly toward the group, hitting the ground after a small bit of flight
Orie: I think we have this handled…!
Eletrico: ….no…
Gokkan: grrgh, dammit… I didn’t think that would hurt…
Gokkan coughs up a slight bit of blood after eventually getting back up,
Gokkan: you punks are tougher than you look when you work as a team….
Meanwhile, Lucky slowly works his way, keeping close to the wall, in order to get to where Kaemyn and Rue were. So he could use his fierce howl once more to free them both.
Taking notice of the familiar poking around and inching near the two with caution, Rue gives Lucky a quick glance but she focuses on the fight so as not to attract attention. 
Gokkan: but hey, it’s fun how you all have this team dynamic.. Kinda sucks that it’s all gonna go downhill
Matt: Focus on the fight, jackass. We got no time for your ramblings
Matt went back to a fighting stance, his armagus primed for his next strike.
Gokkan: I’m surprised you’re the one telling me that.. From what I heard you liked to go on these ramblings too
Eletrico: You both do, he has a point….
Cassandra: You do ramble, Matt...
Matt: … -sigh- I gotta work on that I know, but I at least know where the objective is..
Matt shrugged before quickly going back in, Gokkan simply stayed there awaiting the boy’s attack, before swiftly moving to the side to avoid it.
Matt: what the—
Gokkan: Hah, you really think I’d stand around like that?!
Almost right after, Gokkan grabs Matt by the back of his coat before pistolwhipping him to the ground
Gokkan: really brats that think the head on strategy waste my friggin time so...I’d like it if ya just stayed down
Orie: he moves so fast.. How does he do that??!
Cassandra breathes quietly, and she positions her staff with the top of it towards the ground. As she slowly spins, she utters her spell.
Cassandra: Misty Fog.
Suddenly, the room begins to fill with a thick fog to start surrounding the room. For Cassandra, the fog had two purposes. To give Matt a chance to escape, and to give Lucky the edge to get where needed to be.
Gokkan: what the hell?!
Matt quickly used his chance to get up and move, making a small flame with his armagus to lead his way back to the group, before quickly firing the blast at Gokkan in the midst of the fog
Matt: BURN..!
Gokkan: what th?!
Gokkan was struck back by the fireball, sputtering across the ground on impact. Meanwhile, using the opening, Lucky stood between Kaemyn and Rue.
Lucky: (thinking) Alright, just one howl and Kaemyn and Rue can jump into this battle to really give us an edge.
Lucky calmly focuses before releasing another fierce howl, breaking the icy binds that held Kaemyn and Rue in place.
Lucky: Hopefully that’s enough?
Rue: Ah, thank you Lucky. 
As the ice breaks apart to pieces glistening in the sunlight, Rue gives Lucky a small grin in her gratitude, but before her words even finish Kaemyn is hunkered down and ready for action as the man draws his swords manifesting them from the Azure. Kaemyn wastes no time and runs right in throwing the Soularma out to his side as he comes in fast. Growling a moment as he leaps off the floor while swinging the edges of the blades in a fluent rising uppercut of both weapons while shrouding himself in an azure veil. A blue serpentine beast comes spiraling upward with him to knock Gokkan in the air leaving him open for Matt. Rue watches as she closes her eyes and sighs, seeming slightly bothered. 
Kaemyn: All yours. 
Matt: much appreciated…!
Matt quickly hurries in, armagus glowing in a topaz aura as he quickly fires a strong lightning strike at the midair target
Matt: CHAR TO A CRISP; THUNDER KITSUNE..!
Suddenly the thunder strike gains an aura not unlike a fox, striking through Gokkan multiple times before it slams him straight into the ground.
Matt: grrgh...dammit I..I didn’t think that’d pull deep into my azure’s power...and I didn’t even awaken it….
Kaemyn: (Slides to a halt as he turns back around and looks at Matt) Hey, don’t overdo it idiot. 
Lucky lies down next to Rue. Part of it was protecting her, part of it was understanding he would now be useless in this fight. With his limited usage as a familiar, he could only do so much. He partially felt exhausted knowing that if he had to howl again he wouldn’t even be able to make a crack in it.
Rue puts her hand on Lucky’s head and strokes the familiar with a look of appreciation. 
Rue: You did well Lucky, you don’t need to do anymore. Save your strength. 
Matt: right, sorry…
A slight shrug as Matt turned to face Kaemyn, a slight look of concern as he put his hand on his shoulder
Matt: I’m surprised that guy actually managed to get you both caught.. And he almost had me if it weren’t for Cassie’s spell… Why the heck were you here in the first place.. Shouldn’t you be more careful???
Matt’s words cause Kaemyn’s eyes to widen at the question a moment before he turns his eyes to the side for a bit while he seems to gather his words, which was, unlike him, he usually spoke right away without hesitation. 
Kaemyn: Just cause I have the Azure doesn’t mean I’m… able to handle everything you know. He just caught me off guard. We were just on our way to look for one of those places you said the smelting might be going on…(rubs the side of his head in thought) but we ran into trouble with this bastard. Shouldn’t be that surprising, I always attract trouble. 
Matt: well, still he seemed rather strong despite his taunts… He seemed like an interesting guy to seem fair like that to let you go if we beat him…
Flamme: yes, we got what we came for, let’s hope that our other squadron is able to stop the smelting process before it begins.
Matt: Better question is where are they now...
Cassandra: Um, guys, how about we take care of what we’re doing first and then we can argue...
Kaemyn shoots a glance at Gokkan before he pockets his hands minute in his coat and sighs. 
Matt: Dooon’t really think we’re argui—
Almost on a whim Matt was almost instantly struck down by a high speed flying Ventus.
Ventus: Grrgh…!
Matt: …!
Kaemyn: (Looks back at where the two landed) The hell-? 
???: Looks like these aren’t the only intruders here… I’m honestly impressed you took Gokkan without a hitch…
Tokatsu: Everyone be careful..! We ran into some trouble and..it turns out there’s more than those two heads and Tabor working on this project!!
Matt: grrgh, wait—there’s more?!?
Kaemyn: (sighs) There’s always more...
Catriona quietly appears. Having followed behind the fight that the others we’re having. Xavier, who had followed behind Catriona, also rejoins.
Catriona: Yeah well, someone got a little trigger happy unfortunately.
Matt: grrgh, can’t imagine why…
The man suddenly cracks his knuckles his gauntlet suddenly picking up wind once again
Kaze: I have been waiting to fight with the leader of this so-called rebel force, as well as this so-called resistance the others have told about… Though I can imagine my associate is quite happy to see this one as well
The man points casually at Kaemyn before going back to his stance
Matt: wait, someone happy to see- … -facepalm- Kaemyn you gotta be careful I get this bad feeling down my spine we’re running into him...
Xavier: Him?
Catriona: Why’re you being vague? Just say it.
Kaemyn: God dammit Matt can you stop being so va-
In that instant a pair of serpents launch and slither forward coated in an impossibly dark aura, smashing against Kaemyn from the side before he can get his swords out in defense. Slamming him back along the ground, though he just as quickly catches the ground with his hand and flips himself back over with a scowl as he spots the man who launched it right from behind the other individual.
Kaemyn: Ire-?!
He spits the name in hatred, and the one in question steps forward to the opposite side of the man with the wind around his companion - if he could be called that - tossing his black and emerald coat and uniform. With a malignant grin and he replies to Kaemyn with a mocking tone. 
Ire: Oh! So you are here Plaything, I thought the intel was screwing with me. I guess after your bitch heard of one of our pet projects was in the works… you just couldn’t resist to come and find out for yourself what was going on. 
Fixing his stance as he shakes off his pain, Kaemyn grinds his teeth as he holds himself back. 
Kaemyn: What project? Rue said-? 
Rue: ...
Ire: You don’t know? (Turns his head with a chuckle) Hehahaa! Oh see that’s funny, given your bond you two have isn’t worth shit since you still keep secrets eh? I guess she doesn’t trust you can handle the news of it. Oh well, that doesn’t matter right now really. 
Rue looks away a moment.
Kaemyn: Even if she did, it doesn’t matter, she had her reasons. 
Ire: Tch, not even a glare, not even a snarl? How boring. But I was hoping you’d break out of that ice since I would be disappointed as hell if your run at em’ was ended like that. Now then, I’m not interested in fighting small fry all day, so lets make this quick so we can get to the good shit shall we?
Category:Novel Chapter