“While most Samurai are built to be individually dominant, those that are willing to work alongside a partner or two have shown to be the most powerful. Covering each other's weaknesses and shoring up their strengths allows for incredible feats of power. Turns out that’s why a lot of DID systems thrive as Vanguard.”
2047, Geryon-Alpha
Turns out we weren’t the first to make it this far inland. Coming up from the tunnel and out onto the bridge, I clocked a major force clambering along the bridge and below it. The Antithesis had more than beaten us to the punch, and not just a few. This was something that a small army could struggle with. Hell, I could see bullets flying our way from what was probably a local PMC making their last stand.
I sighed. Of course I had a timer on that too.
“Nate, keep as close as you can. We’re gonna be facing a lot of plants, and we’re not going to be able to avoid them. I need my remora to keep the ones in my blind spots off me,” I explained, preparing to launch into the fray.
“Mind getting me some body armor? I don’t want to get hit by a stray bullet,” He nervously asked.
“Oh, yeah, that would be helpful. Kyos?”
Already have something prepared. Would you ask Nate if he’s interested in a new hoodie?
I nodded. “Hey, Nate, you want a new hoodie?”
“Sure, I’ll take one.”
Fantastic.
New Purchase!
Dark Blue Reinforced Amphibious Hoodie - 40 points
Points reduced to… 7429
A box dropped next to Nate, letting him open it up, shed his old hoodie, and put on a cool new one. It seemed like one of those breathable wicking hoodies, but I knew with all the Protector stuff, it would be good at blocking most any kind of regular bullet or low-level piercing, such as a Model Three’s teeth.
Speaking of which, some Threes and other Models at the back of the pack seemed to notice my presence and started rushing towards me, as I still had some of the death pheromones on me. Not that I was mad.
More points.
Macy bolted ahead to catch the first cluster of Antithesis that were running toward us, leaving me in the dust as I settled into my new hoodie. Taking a deep breath and exhaling loudly, I gave chase.
Sad.
A tendril from my left swung towards me that I hadn’t noticed before. But, thanks to Pathos’ guidance, I barely dodged under the bludgeoning appendage before flicking my gun toward my assailant and firing. The Model Four vibrated for a moment before exploding like that old movie Macy showed me…What was it again? Scanners? Yeah, I think that was it.
A mess of black and green gunk scattered across the bridge as I reeled back in the harpoon wire. There were definitely more than what was in front of us. Macy probably knew the amount better than I did. I’d have to rely on Pathos, much to my annoyance, to make it through.
Regret.
Stop.
I turned quickly and bashed the Three that was about to jump at me as I was about to continue forward before shooting the harpoon through it. I shuddered.
Fucking hell. I needed to be better. I was too slow for this. Pathos wasn’t, and that was the only reason I was still alive. Come on, Nate. I needed to move. Macy was making a path, and I needed to capitalize.
I rushed forward, moving within the wake of Antithesis that Macy stabbed, shocked, and exploded in flashes of movement, leaving a trail of bodies that she wasn’t trying to clean up. Weren’t Sams supposed to clean up the biomass so that the Antithesis didn’t get it back?
A bullet ricocheted off the road and right into the hoodie, making me stumble back. The clink of the squished bullet to the ground let me know quickly that it didn’t break through. I shouldn’t have expected it to break through, but I was still functioning on Human 1.0 thinking, which constitutes not wanting to take bullets in any situation. From my view, though, Macy didn’t care. She kept ripping into the xenos like she did this for a living, which I guess she might as well now, thanks to being a Samurai.
Oppression.
Shit!
I jumped and rolled off to the side with less-than-stellar form, which I would pay for later, just in time to avoid an Eleven dive-bombing at me. Like trying to dodge a car at the size that that was. If it wasn’t for Pathos, I would have been cooked. I laughed hesitantly before flicking up the URCHIN and spraying with the water function. The Eleven’s body seemed to break into tremors as it turned its attention on me, intent on killing me. I kept spraying and praying that it would work slowly but surely.
Satisfaction.
The giant flying Antithesis leapt at me, but once midair, it convulsed and exploded, which sent a wave of blood and plant guts at me. I spat some out as I realized how insane the situation had become. I was…able to do something.
“Ha! Get fucked!” I shouted before my giddy, smiling self ran after Macy. Maybe I was a remora, but I’d keep these fucking parasites down.
I could sense the Eleven that was coming down at Nate and could do nothing. I was in the middle of a pack of nearly ten plants who wanted my blood for their hive. And I was pissed about that. I was pissed as hell. I was ready to charge in to save Nate, but it seemed he had it somewhat under control.
The Bloodchaser boosted me around as I jumped from Antithesis to Antithesis with blood in the water, my anger driving me from kill to kill. My tail bashed one, my spear struck another through, and electricity arced from one alien to another to another, leaving a trail of shocked and scorched bodies. We were around fifty meters from the PMC, and let me tell you, fighting around both Antithesis strikes and bullets from your own damn people was taxing. I am damn glad I gave Nate that hoodie. Otherwise he’d be Swiss cheese.
“Kyos! Patch me into the communications systems for the PMC that’s here! I need to not have me and Nate get shot the moment we hit their lines!”
Understood. Patching you through.
“Samurai Macy. You’re a newbie, not even with a name yet?” A gruff, yet smoother voice spoke through the line.
“Yes!” I screamed as I spoke mentally to Kyos and grabbed a shrapnel grenade from the Esoterics catalog for about 25 points.
“Right. Need a way through?”
“Yeah! For me and my friend,” I called back, priming the grenade and throwing it into the pack to my right that was starting to amass a little more than I was comfortable with.
“You do understand that until the enemy forces are down, we can’t quite stop our firing. However, we can make sure to aim better when you get up to our position. I could hear that grenade from here, so it seems that you’re close, unless that wasn’t you.”
“Nope! Was me.” I spun around and skewered two Threes in the swing before launching the spear tip at a Six and some of its mooks, letting the Feeding Frenzy commence its electrical tearing before calling the tip back.
“Alright. You got a distinctive color or something to work with?”
“Blue and grey. Blue for my friend, greys for me.”
“Sounds good,” The man on the other end concurred. “We shall meet up soon.”
Nate ran up behind me as I stalled for a little to make conversation. I was glad that he was able to keep up with me, but he definitely looked winded.
“Almost there,” he breathily let fall out of his mouth. “We’re almost there.”
“Yeah,” I nodded and looked at the rest of the way…
“I have an idea. It would help funnel Antithesis better as well for the PMC too,” I mused. “Kyos, can I get about six grenades that can create a bit of a wall? Area denial and all that.”
I can get you some hardening foam that can block off areas, yes.
“Sounds good.”
New Purchase!
Water-insoluble Area Denial Explosive x 6 = 120 points
Points reduced to…7732
A box with a bandolier of six grenades with some waves on them dropped in a box next to me, which I slung over my shoulder and began throwing left and right.
“Nate, just keep focusing straight forward!” I yelled, charging in to continue the onslaught and keep creating a path. Because I asked Nate to keep focusing forward, I needed to return my thoughts to behind us as well, where a significant number of Antithesis were racing after us.
“Nate! Catch!” I called out as I tossed the bandolier to him and started moving around faster. I was a blender, ripping the enemies around us to shreds and keeping both of us safe. The next set of foam grenades went off, extending the funnel and allowing us to get around twenty meters away from the goal line.
Keep going. Stab. Shock. Slam.
Next.
Stab. Shock. Slam. Next.
A rhythm began to build up, a hunting song that led me from one to another until the final explosions went off a little more explosively than I imagined…no. That wasn’t it. It was something shaking the bridge.
And then, my sonar pinged.
And the air around the bridge went dark as smoke as a pitch-black liquid began to fall all around.
Antithesis are normally silent. Antithesis are scary because they don’t make a sound.
This thing didn’t need to. I would have been crapping my pants if I’d sensed this earlier on in my samurai career--a few hours ago.
“Gas masks on!” I heard through the voice connection still going in the back of my mind through the ECHO.
Oh no.
“Kyos! GILLS for Nate! Now!” I screamed.
Got it!
Nate began to cough and stumble as a box dropped next to him. I ripped open the box and placed the GILLS against his sides. I fretted deeply as I remembered that it took around a minute for the install to complete. He winced as the tubes stabbed into him and began to prepare the install.
You will also need a Cleanse for him once the install is complete.
“GET IT!”
Another small box dropped. I would have been focusing on the other Antithesis, but it seemed that all of the others that were around…died. This miasma…this ink that was raining down…it was killing indiscriminately whoever and whatever it landed on. The poison was seemingly most dangerous on contact, though inhalation of evaporating fumes seemed to also have a detrimental effect, albeit lesser. Whatever the exact nature of the poison was, it was violently quick. I could only hope that I was not going to be too late to save Nate.
I clambered for the small box and pulled it open, pulling the EpiPen-like device from within it, and came over to Nate.
“Sorry about this.”
And then I stabbed it into his thigh, depressing the button to put the cleansing materials into his body.
He began sputtering and vomiting as the GILLS and Cleanse worked together to flush his systems of all the toxins present coming down from the sky and coming up from the ink fumes.
“What…is going on, Mako?” Nate asked weakly.
“Cuttlefish. A fucking cuttlefish combined with an octopus is what’s going on. Fuck these Antithesis hybrids,” I deadpanned.