Plasmatropolis

Chapter One - Noble Beginnings

Val reloaded her pistol, flapping her Mobilliwings while keeping an eye trained on the Kaltaris beneath her. A series of bullets whizzed past her leg, the rattle of Spectre Kaltaris' machine gun reaching the Mendoris Underboss' ears. The clamour of gunshots and battle cries rose up, filling the streets of the Suburbs with slick blood.

There were already multiple corpses, stuffed up against the sides of houses, pushed aside to make room for the fight. For a brief moment, Val thought about the civilians who lived in those houses, but a wash of contempt coated her thoughts. These were idiots, whose lives were baby-proofed. They'd never seen the horrors she had, never endured the hurt she had, Val sneered as she gracefully avoided yet another series of bullets fired from the machine gun, her back against the fading light of the setting sun. War was an art, and she was an artist.

The Kaltaris Boss had been trying to shoot her out of the sky - like a hunter to a rare, exotic bird - for almost an hour now, and the two had been tiring out. Long shadows were painting the ground, and the many squat buildings were bathed in a hot, orange light. Val knew the energy from her Mobilium was only as strong as she was, but Eulikia be damned if she was going to let herself fall off like this. The Mendoris smirked as she spun out of the way of another round of bullets, equipping the arm blades she'd stored in her inventory, rising high upon the air currents. Spectre slowly turned into a tiny green speck, as did all the other combatants, but the sound amplified.

Val folded her golden wings tight against her body, tilting into a stomach churning torpedo dive, arm blades extended in front of her, ready to shear through the flesh of anybody who was unlucky enough to stand in her way. Aiming for Spectre, Val felt herself speed up, the Kaltaris growing closer and closer. She grinned at the sudden look of growing terror on Spectre's face, as the Kaltaris tried sidestepping her nosedive.

A wall of Protisium energy sprung up in front of Spectre's arm, pushing back against Val's arm blade. The force sent waves of energy up her arms, and she gritted her teeth, rolling across the concrete path. Air was forced from her lungs. Spectre then mirrored the smile the Mendoris had been making just a moment before, as she reloaded the machine gun, aiming it towards Val.

With not a moment to spare, the Mendoris Underboss spun away, the shower barely missing her. She jumped back up, running towards Spectre, boots pounding against the shattered pavement.

The Kaltaris Boss suddenly dropped her gun, catching the Mendoris off guard. She flung an arm out, catching Val by the wrist, and tried to push her down to the ground again. Val snarled, and the two engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Val had the upper hand, with her arm blades protecting her forearms from being grabbed, and she soon managed to beat Spectre back.

Spectre was not about to admit defeat though, and upon spying something behind Val's back, butted her head forward. She clipped Val under the chin, and managed to spin the Mendoris into a headlock.

"Wolfbane!" Spectre cried.

The Kaltaris Underboss - who was extracting a throwing knife from a dying Mendoris' chest - turned at the sound of Spectre's voice. Val knew this could not possibly be his real name, but now was not the time to think about that. She wriggled wildly, trying to break Spectre's vice, but the Kaltaris only tightened her grip. Val had to get out. If the other Kaltaris got a hold on that knife again, she was dead.

Val activated her Mobilliwings once again, pushing Spectre back against the house behind her, and took off.

"RETREAT!" She shouted, and the sounds of combat beneath her ceased, followed by the rattle of guns firing at the fleeing Mendoris. That was going to happen, and she could not stop it.

Val hated to admit it, but this was not a battle they could win.

She could not afford to return alone.