The Lightning Warrior/Chapter 4

Warning: Graphic/explicit content ahead. Read at your own risk.
==Chapter 4: Aaron and Hunter vs. Red==
"You're going to finish me?!", Red asked, laughing. "Green and Blue were far weaker than me. I wasn't the captain of the Red Pirates for nothing! My strength is unmatched! You couldn't possibly hope to defeat me! I don't care if you are flame elementals, you can't defeat this one!"
"We're more than just ordinary elementals.", Aaron said. "We'll be the elementals that end you. You'll end up a bloodsoaked body on the floor like Blue."
"Or a pile of ashes, like Green!", Hunter said, raising his fist.
[CHAPTER 4: AARON AND HUNTER VS. RED]
"None of that matters!", Red said, making a Flame Ball. "This ship shall become your grave!"
"That measly attack is not going to kill us.", Aaron said. "You're going to have to try harder."
"No, Aaron.", Hunter said. "That's no ordinary Flame Ball."
The simple Flame Ball then split into seven similarly-sized Flame Balls that formed a ring of Flame Balls around Red.
"Flame Ball Ring Barrage!", Red shouted, launching each Flame Ball toward Aaron and Hunter. Hunter simply put his hand in front of him and absorbed all of them.
"Don't you listen?", Hunter asked. "I just said I can absorb flames." Hunter then cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Flamethrower!", Hunter shouted. A giant wave of flames was launched towards Red. However, when the flames dissipated, Red was covered in burn marks.
"Congratulations.", Red said. "You managed to singe a few threads in my suit."
"I've had enough of this crap.", Aaron said as he formed a rocket launcher out of electricity and pointed it at Red's ship.
"Thunder Rocket!", Aaron shouted as the rocket launched and hit Red's ship, causing a massive explosion. Hunter quickly absorbed all the flames, but once the flames were gone Red was nowhere to be seen.
"Where the hell did he go?!", Hunter shouted.
"We probably scared him off.", Aaron said. "But either way, now he knows not to mess with us." As Aaron and Hunter went inside to dispose of Blue and Green's bodies, Red climbed his way onto the deck and hid somewhere, since he now had no way of getting off the Orient. Red then thought that if he killed Aaron and Hunter now, he could have the Orient all to himself and finish what the earth elementals started. He figured he could get a couple hundred thousand parlocks or so from selling the Modified Aluminum on the black market, as he knew it was extremely rare. 
Red jumped in one of the holes created by Aaron and Hunter and used Flamethrower to try and kill them. However, this only succeeded in burning Blue's body. Aaron quickly formed another Thunder Rocket and launched it at Red, hitting him in the stomach (causing him to cough up blood) and knocking him back quite a distance. Aaron and Hunter ran out after him, getting there just in time to see the explosion from Red hitting a plateau in the distance.
"How far away is that?", Hunter asked.
"I dunno.", Aaron replied. "I estimate about 1500 meters."
As they disposed of what remained of Blue's body (and sweeping off Green's body with a broom), they finally arrived in Kankakee.
Only four buildings remained standing: the jail, a house, the city hall, and the fire department, which were all being used as safe houses for the injured. Everything else had been consumed by deep cracks in the ground.
"This is my first time being to Kankakee.", Aaron said. "The population before the attack was 1,750, but now it's been reduced to 974. If it wasn't for those earth elementals, it would be a less destroyed and less dangerous place."
"What do you mean by 'dangerous'?", Hunter asked.
"Do you know how deep those cracks could be?", Aaron asked. "They could lead to the planet's core! An earth elemental has the capacity to destroy this very world! That's why the earth elementals were hunted almost to extinction! Didn't you know that's how the Army of Unified Elemental Nations came into being? It was a result of the pact that the elementals made to wipe out the earth elementals! The war that followed is why there are only two — well, now one — nature elemental left in existence!" As Aaron was saying this, the Orient landed on a destroyed sect of the World Road, the road that connects most towns and cities in the world. Several people rushed to the Orient to get the loads of Modified Aluminum that it delivered. The people rejoiced as they now could save their loved ones from death.
"And to think, those damned pirates tried to stop this.", Hunter said. "What do you think could have motivated them?"
"Money.", Aaron said. "The only motivation a pirate needs. But it doesn't make sense."
~*~*~*~*
On the ride back, Aaron couldn't help but wonder: Who would motivate the Red Pirates to attack the Orient? Did the same people motivate the earth elementals who attacked Kankakee?
Aaron walked into Hunter's room as Hunter was watching the new episode of Law and Order: Archer District, which was his favorite show.
"Hunter...", Aaron said to get Hunter's attention. When Hunter paused the TV and turned, Aaron continued, "...do you think... we could be fighting someone who is operating from the shadows? Someone who doesn't want to show their face to us? Someone who hates us, wants us dead?"
"I... never thought of it like that.", Hunter said. "How do you figure?"
"Someone would never hire pirates to attack a ship for money alone.", Aaron said. "There's got to be some ulterior motive."
[TO BE CONTINUED...]
Category:The Lightning Warrior
Category:Explicit
Category:Rapids' Stuff