Cyberspace; The Ultimus Collection

Chapter 21, Seal Thy Fate

Ashely raised her hand and extended her fingers. The guardians drew and readied their weapons. Derick, his sword. Alyson, her bow of light. Jax, his fists. G-1, his machinery. Daniel, a sword and shield similar to Derick's. And Catelin, a sturdy branch she found on the ground. The air became charged with an electrical energy. The group could see red sparks crackle in the atmosphere around them. 

"I'll make you regret coming here!" Ashley announced. Soon the ground began to tremble and crack. Boring through the earth, little black hands emerged from the soil. Dozens of creatures burst through the ground to make an appearance on the battlefield. They all had sharp fangs and claws and were almost dog like in nature. Little beasts of prey.

"What the hell?" Catelin cowered. 

"Viruses." Derick remarked. The viruses began to patrol the area like hyenas, as if they were waiting for some sort of command. 

"I propose a new plan. We take care of these viruses while Daniel challenges Anonymous." G-1 suggested. Ashley laughed. Everyone took their eyes off the viruses and put their attention on Ashley.

"Good luck with that." She said in a sadistic tone. "Sick 'em!" She waved her arm as if to send out the little monsters below. On cue, the viruses charged at the group.

"Okay, I guess we're doing this!" Jax yelled. The guardians charged back, with Daniel and Catelin more hesitant to move forward. "Kid! Go, don't worry! We can handle them!"

"And Catelin, don't be afraid to fight with us! I'll be sure to keep you safe! Can't lose a valued member of the team." Derick added. Both nodded and rushed into the fight, Catelin sticking by Derick's side and Daniel pushing ahead towards the castle. Ashley glanced down to see Daniel. She took a step to fall off the castle. Her body tipped forward and she planted her feet against the castle wall, now sliding down into the battlefield. 

"Didn't I tell you to halt?!" Daniel looked up to see Ashley falling down towards him, corrupted blade ready. 

"Oh shit!" Daniel tried his best to stop on a dime, causing Ashley to miss her attack. She plunged the blade into the earth, but she retaliated without hesitation. She disassembled and reassembled the blade and begun to swing wildly. Daniel dodged all of her attacks, blocking the last one with his shield. "Can't we just talk?"

"I'm not falling for any tricks if that's what you're wondering! This is as far as you go." She snapped her fingers, and another rumbling could be heard coming from the castle. Suddenly two bulky, armored figures broke through the gate and coordinated a singular attack on Daniel's stomach. The blow shattered his shield and caused Daniel to vomit. The two new figures looked as if they were haunted suits of armor, but they had bodies similar to the viruses on the inside. They stood in between Daniel and Ashley, separating the two as if they were her own bodyguards. "These two lovely creations are called malware. Think of them as a sort of cousin to the viruses. If you want Anonymous, you'll have to go through me, and if you want me, then you'll have to go through them." 

"Target identified, parameters recognized, preparing for termination." 

"Terminate this!" Screamed Daniel. He found his footing and swung his fist as hard as he could at the first malware. However, it caught his arm, stopping his assault. Daniel was too stunned to speak. The malware lifted Daniel off the ground and held him in the air at eye level. 

"This is as far as you go." It repeated back to him. Then the malware lightly tossed Daniel up into the air, as the other came by and slammed him back down. The ground splintered and caved in. Daniel was left lying in a crater. The first malware walked up to the edge of the crater and lifted its foot, planning to stomp on the broken guardian. But just as it lowered its foot, Daniel created a new blade under it, piercing through the metal boot as it came down. The malware was shocked. Daniel pushed off the ground to further drive the sword further. The malware lost its balance and tipped over, slamming into the ground. He pulled out the blade and swung it at the last malware. It caught the sword and crushed it between its hands, but Daniel threw another swift punch before the malware could react. The titan stumbled back before too falling to the ground.