Companion

"Companion"

(Post Judgment Era)

[Battle of Vigrea]

Side by side they walked along the broken pavement towards the city. Buildings were burning; some skyscrapers were bent at odd angles as if it were about to fall. Vehicles were flipped on the side of the road; some were burning, some were battered.

The two figures walked as one; the other was as small as an average Human, the other, an overtowering armored robot. Each step the hulking figure take, the ground shook. Rodents ran away towards the sewers and canals as they walked past by, but the Benjaminite remained calm. Armored in Strider Battle Gear, the Mech Rider Protectorate of the Death Spartan Regiment flipped his butterfly knife between his fingers as his gaze darted left and right. He was seeking for anything that might come out of the shadow and kill them.

"Companion," the Protectorate called. "Any word from Command?"

"Negative," The hulking robot replied as they continued walking. "Four hours since we have dropped, we still haven't received any transmissions yet."

The Benjaminite ignored what his leviathan companion said. He shot a glance at it before focusing on the road ahead of them. Black and yellow hazard chevron decorated its left and right arms. A long-barrelled cannon protrudes out of its left shoulder. Its legs were huge chunk pieces of metal that left every ground cratered in roads they set foot on. Its head rotation was slaved to its Rider's movement, searching and always scanning. A red glowing light was seen behind its three dark vertical eyeslits. Its nose and mouth part were covered with an angular visor. It stood with its stature hunched. Its chest contained the small compartment where the Rider's cockpit was situated, usually entered in case the Protectorate wanted to operate the Companion manually. Sharp armblades were attached on each forearms of the leviathan machine.

"We better move quickly." The bronze-clad Protectorate said as he pulled the Blast Rifle from his back. "I sensed evil coming from every direction."

"Rider, enemy inbound!" The Companion yelled as it broke its Link and shielded his Rider from the bullets coming towards their direction. Its metal hull caught all the bullets that the assailant had fired. Ahead, they could see an armored Darkshot Legionnaire Demon and a liquidous Demon with a gelatinous skin that classified itself as a Dark Mist Demon Legionnaire in the Benjaminite's bestiary database. The Protectorate raised his Blast Rifle, Heads Up Display link lit up and fired as he peeked over his Companion, hitting the Darkshot and the Dark Mist Legionnaire.

The steel mechanical arm of the Companion snatched the gigantic revolver from its holster, aiming at a squad of Demons charging at them. It fired, burning everyone in a kilometer radius. The Benjaminite righted himself and takes aim before he fired at a mixed squad of Demons, felling them with plasma shots and reducing them to nothing but steamed ectoplasmic liquid and burned metal. The Companion took aim at a different location and fired, blowing up another squad. The firefight lasted for about three minutes with more shots fired, more Demons killed and more armors being damaged.

All of a sudden, warning sirens blared from the Companion's speaker as a shadow materialized above them. A gigantic avian creature with a black fur. Red eyes stared down at the duo with malicious intent. Wings flapped violently and its claws were ready to tear, metal and flesh alike.

"Contact, Rider." The Companion inquired. "Your orders?"

The Benjaminite Protectorate raised his aim and trained the barrel of his Blast Rifle at the winged entity.

"Protectorate Leonius reporting in," he keyed to Command in his earpiece. "Initiating Attack Protocol 88."

[END]