The Spire (POV)

Log 13

The next day, you wake up beside Uzu, and approach her.
"Hey, wake up." You say.
"Huh?" She yawns.

> You say "The Sun's up. Come on, we're going to relocate our tent to Vusmith's border."
"Now?"
"Why not? We have something to prove."
"Oh yeah!" She hops out of a sleeping mat. "Let's go!"

> You check rations.
You check your rations.
You have 5 units of ME-T which can keep you going for 2 more days.
You have 6 units of water which can keep you going for 2 more days.

> You pack up and walk to Vusmith's border with Uzu.
You walk out of the tent with Uzu, and begin heading towards the border. Your journey is a long one, and you talk about random things. Mostly about your past.

> You say "You are now within 300 meters of Vusmith's border. You set down your tent and other belongings down, and sit down on the sand for a while"

...

"Are you okay?" Uzu asks. "Do you want to go eat something?"

"No, I'm fine." You respond. "I can hold out for another 10 days without any food, so I'm planning to save it as long as possible."

Uzu nods, and continues talking to you. "So... what do you plan to do after you clear the Shadow Guards from Vusmith?", Uzu asks you.

"I don't know. After they are gone, we'll have to think about it." You respond.
"I meant personally, after all the Shadow Guards are gone."

"Oh."

> You say "Well, I guess we go on to acquire the 2nd material we need"
"What do you mean?"

> You say "I think it was plastic. I didn't get the location, so we'll have to bet that there's at least some plastic in the High Desert"

"I see...", she says.

The 2 of you continue talking until nightfall, when you take your stuffs and huddle up for warmth. You place the sleeping mat over the both of you.

> You say "Wait, wait. It's night already! We have to go clear the Shadow Guards out now."
"Uh....okay."
Uzu agrees, and the 2 of you begin to walk at a steady pace towards.
You set out, a sneak in your step.
When you arrive at Vusmith, the gates are set alight with purplish flames. It is obvious something is going on, and the Shadow Guards are nowhere to be found.

You immediately use your gasmask, as the strong smoke combined with the sudden whoosh of an engine makes it drop from your mouth.

> You say "Uzu are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Let's go!"

You open the large gate, and immediately see what's going on.
Several large, military-like transport ships sit in Vushmith's city square.

A dome shaped shield covers the entirety of Vusmith, preventing the moonlight from entering, leaving the town in near-darkness.

From what you can see, a figure walks about the city with a group of other Shadow Guards. You can't make anything out except for the insignia on their chest, resembling a serpent's skull with a long tongue flickering out from its mouth.

They must be one of the Devourers.
One of the officers converse with the Shadow Guards in a language you can't understand, and soon, several Shadow Guards are dragged from the delerict homes and thrown into the waiting transport ships

The Shadow Guards don't appear to be resisting at all, but instead, appear to be accepting with resigned dread.

One of the Devourer's Officers shouts to their soldiers, "Make sure none of them escape! I want this done by the time the shield goes down! Remember, we're still the good guys!"

The dragon symbol on their chest is the only thing visible, but You can't mistake the stance or voice. It's unmistakably Kyros.

"Well Kryos, I guess I have to give it to you. You are one hell of a pain in the ass."

"Well, I guess it was also kind of my fault I was in a hurry, so I'll do it properly this time.", you mutter to yourself, drawing your sword.

Your sword begins to crackle with Arts energy, and a bright magenta light glows from the blade.

Kyros looks up and admires the transport ships, unaware of your presence.

> You say "Hey Uzu, do me a favor and hide inside one of those abandoned structures for a while. I got some old business I have to finish."

You hug her closely, and after giving her a ME-T sandwich in case she gets hungry, you turn and walk off into one of the delerict buildings.

You walk sneakily behind the rubble, swiftly slashing through unsuspecting officers, the blade cutting through them like a hot knife through butter.

Your remember how boring using your arts blade got after a while, since it one-shotted everything, but since now seemed like a great time to play some IRL fruit ninja, you decide to keep using it.

Eventually you've cleared out the beginning of the base, leaving only a few stragglers. You fight your way to Kyros, climbing atop a collapsed building.

Kyros is still standing atop a tank, its black hull shining in the flames light from the building around him. He seems to be in the middle of a speech to his men.

> You listen in to what he's telling his soldiers.

"Soldiers! The enemy has landed, and it's time to strike! We have superior weapons, and the rage of battle! We will purge these fuckers from the skies, or die trying!"
"Sir!"

You don't recall the RCC planning a total strike on the High Desert. Especially since they couldn't care less about the Devourers in this period of time. Who could the enemies be?

> You contact your handler on comms.

> You say "Hey dude. So uhh, did the RCC start a war with the Devourers or something? I thought they didn't care about them"

Your message is received, and a few moments later you receive a reply.

> You read it.
"Hmm, it's interesting that you would ask that considering your situation."

He says he doesn't know what you're talking about.

> You say "Idk, just calling in to say that some Devourer idiots came to Vusmith and are now capturing the Shadow Guards in the area."

The reply comes back quickly.

"Yeah, we know about that. Shit's been pretty hectic recently. Don't worry though, you'll be alright. We'll deal with these fuckers soon enough."

> You say "No need. I can do it easily. Just remember to tell the RCC that they're gonna have to pay me for overtime. "

Your message is received.

"Yeah yeah, we'll get to that. For now though be careful out there."

Before you can reply Kyros calls to you. "Hey! I recognize that vest! You're one of those RCC Heretics aren't you?!"

You look up, and try your best to look uninterested...

> You say "Oh you finally saw me. Took you long enough dipshit."

"Hey! I'm doing the job that the Devourers wanted done! You know, to save all these fuckers from the horrible, horrible fate that you've brought upon them?"

> You say "Couldn't care less what you do. I just want to get some Actytaczyl ore. Is that too hard to ask?"

Kyros looks at you and smiles.

"No, it's not. I can give you some..."

Kyros stops in the middle of his sentence.

"WHEN I BUILD YOUR GRAVE WITH IT! ATTACK THE HERETIC!", Kyros shrieks, pointing at you.

His guards fire a flurry of shots, the bullets zinging through the air. Despite this, you easily slice all the incoming rounds with your Arts Blade, the metal disintegrating on contact with the magenta light of the sword.

You run towards soldier, stabbing them with your blade. Their entrails burst with a sick fury, staining the sand with scarlet liquid. You continue on your path of destruction, leaping over the crumpled forms of your slain targets.

You dive through the air, punching one guard and beheading him with a quick twist of your wrist before he can even scream, bringing your sword upon his flesh.

> You say "You know Kyros, I can't blame you entirely for surviving. Funny story actually. When I was assigned to assassinate you after the War, I accidentally struck too carelessly in my rush to get food. So I guess it's also kinda my fault you're still alive"

Kyros seems to freeze for a second, as his bloodthirsty expression falters.

"Heh, glad to see that some things have not changed." He replies, recovering quickly.

> You say "No matter. In fact, to quote one of these Shadow Guards:"

> You ready your blade, the sword glowing more intensely than ever.

> You say "I'll finish the job, properly this time"

Kyros says nothing, and braces himself.

You pause for a moment, as if pondering some unknown thought...

Then charge at Kyros, with reckless abandon