"Maria."
"Yes, Father?"
"Get ready, we're on our way to the cavern where Locke and Lode took over. Apparently there's some local hero there that I'd like to see for myself," Blakk explained as he began loading up ghouls into his gattler. Mari stood at the door, waiting for him to dismiss her so she can get ready herself.
"Now go."
"Yes, Father."
***
Echoes and bangs could be heard from the outskirts of town as Blakk and Maria neared their destination. The scene of action seemed to be taking place in a rather tasteless looking mansion, from Maria's perspective. They could see their grunts inside evacuating to avoid the stink from the Flatulorhinkus, the sight of the Shane gang did not escape the pair's matching green eyes.
A flamboyant man with a crown on his head rose from the smoke and took in the applause of the people. That must be the local hero Locke and Lode mentioned. A couple of young woman in the crowd was looking around and noticed Blakk and Maria approaching on their mechas. With that, the entire crowd grew silent as Blakk made his way before the so-called king, Maria following behind.
"You dispatch my associates quite easily. Let's see how you fare against me," the man challenged, causing the hero to stumble from fear.
"He seemed surprised, Father," Maria observed, following her father's action of getting off the mechas.
"That is true. You see, ever since my associates have informed me that they have control of this cavern, my presence should have been expected. Yet, I suppose it was fortunate that I have arrived at a time like this," Blakk mocked as he approached the shaking slinger. Maria stayed put as she observed the one sided showdown before her.
Both sides had their guns drawn. King shot a Phosphoro while Blakk countered with a Grimmstone. He would have won if it weren't for the interference of a familiar Infernus.
Blakk laughed as he exposed the slinger in front of the whole town. Of which the King admits to, shocking the town. The Shane gang made their presence known, apologizing to the fake hero for not keeping their end of the promise. But their touching moment was cut short when Locke and Lode shot a pair of Attacknets, immobilizing the gang.
Maria watched as the King got motivation from the townsfolk as the two once again engaged in a duel. The best that King could do was block one hit from Blakk before getting blasted against the rubble. At that moment, the young lady thought it was going to be over and they can leave. But what happened next surprised her.
The village was defending him, defending a liar. At this, the King was relieved once the residents started piling into the courtyard armed with pots and pans. Maria only stood there as she observed the chaos around her. She noticed that Burpy had freed the Shane gang from their binds.
Blakk ordered Locke to get his gattler as she unlatched it from her father's mecha, allowing the bigger man to carry it to his boss. The fight got more violent are there are more people with blasters to fight. In the midst of the disarray, Maria caught sight of the young boy running about underneath falling rubble. Eli noticed the same.
"Kid! Watch out!" the Shane screamed as the boy looked above him, his legs frozen in fear.
Without thinking, Maria launched herself towards the small boy, managing to push the boy away just in time as the rubbles made its way to the grass. The two tumbled into the mansion where more unstable rocks are. Looking up, Maria held the boy closer to her chest, feeling him grasping onto the fabric of her suit as he buried himself into her in fear of his life. With her free arm, she grabbed her blaster and fired at the rubbles tumbling down. Her Rammstone immediately transformed and crushed all the oncoming debris in a single shot.
Once the rubbles are no longer a threat, Maria gently pat the boy on his head. "Don't worry... you're safe now," she said softly. The boy looked up at her, then at the shattered debris around them.
"Woah! That was--"
He was cut off by the cheering from the crowd. Apparently Blakk was defeated.
Excitedly, the boy got off the teenager and ran towards his hero with pride. From the corner of her eyes, Maria saw her father grumbling against the fence as Locke and Lode were next to him. Scrambling onto her feet, she ran towards him to check if he's okay.
"Best if we retreat, Doctor, Miss Maria!" Lode exclaimed as he watched the crowd cheering at their loss. Blakk only growled as he and the brothers ran out of the gate. The young woman stood there for a few seconds before deciding to follow after, but was stopped by a small hand tugging on her blazer.
Looking down, was the boy whom she saved from the pile of debris. He smile at her before handing her a crumpled flower. "Thank you, Miss! You saved me!"
Now everyone's attention were on the two as the adults grew wary of the child being near someone who was working for Blakk. The gang hand their hands on their blasters, ready to shoot if necessary but Eli stopped them. He watched as the girl gently kneel down to the little boy's height before taking the flower and patting his head with her free hand. For a brief moment, Eli could see a small smile on her face before she got up.
"You know, someone like you isn't fitted for the kind of work Blakk does," he stated as he walked towards her. The girl looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes before turning away.
"Just because I saved a kid doesn't mean I'm automatically on your side... I may be a bad guy from your perspective, but I'm no monster."
"But what if--"
"MARIAAA," Blakk's yell echoed throughout the cavern from a distance. The said girl gave Eli one last look before walking out of the gates herself, giving the little boy a tiny wave goodbye as he returned with a hearty one.
"I guess we'll see you again, Maria!" Eli yelled out behind her. The girl ignored him but he knew she heard. After all, what he's stating is nothing but facts, and both are aware of it.
