Steel Rising

Chapter 19: Mechs, Tombstones & a Hydra

*DONG!* *DONG!* *DONG!* Tellius hit the massive three-story-high vault door that they suspected the others to be behind.

"This could be it!" He told the skeptical-looking blonde beauty by his side that had armed herself with some high powered rifle that she had found in the rubble.

*Booooooooom!* The ground shook with the sounds of explosions finding their way down to them as the battle above came ever closer.

Her frown deepening, Sarah replied. "Or maybe not... The way vaults are constructed, it might even be impossible for them to hear your strikes on the in..."

*Dong!* *Dong!* *Dong!* The sound of muffled strikes from the inside instantly shut her up mid-sentence.

"See?..." Smirked the male cyborg and walked over to the vault door's mechanical lock. Only now, as he stood in front  of it, did Tellius realize that he had no clue what the combination might be. Embarrassed, he coughed. "... Ahm... Got any idea what the combination is?"

Smirking, the female mercenary stated while striking a mockingly heroic pose. "Oh? Now you'll listen to me?"

*Booooooooom!* The room shook, and some dust fell from the high ceiling.

"Ahm... Yes?!" Stated the former commander with a pained expression.

"Good!..." Sarah noted happily before she shushed him away as she ordered. "... Now step aside and let me unlock this monstrosity of a door... You can open it once I'm done."

With Tellius getting out of the way, Sarah punched in the code that Tina had given her and immediately the massive bolts keeping the vaults locked slid aside.

*Clank!* The first bolt retracted. *Clank!* The second bolt retracted, but as the third was about to do the same, it got stuck and bent without breaking. *CLANK!* *CLANK!*

"Yeah, that totally worked!..." Mocked Tellius sarcastically, having already calculated how to forcefully get rid of the last bolt. "... Now, please be a dear and step aside."

"AARRRGH! FINE!" Exclaimed Sarah, miffed, and got out of the way.

That said, Tellius triggered his [Flaming Draw] skill. Instantly, flames shot out in an arc from his wrists just as his Gladius Blades extended from his wrists and ignited. *Slide!* *Slide!* *Foof!* *Foof!*

Jumping up to the bolt while swinging his blades in an upside-down scissoring motion with his right flaming blade descending and the left ascending, he struck the massive bolt.

Only a quarter through on both sides, Tellius struggled to cut the bolt in one go and had to leverage the heat of his blades and his mechanical body's strength to push through the bolt.

*Clank!* His feet struck the vault doors he had pushed through last—centimeters of hardened and now-melted steel.

"AAAAAH!" Tellius screamed just as the bolt was finally cut through.

*Boom!* The cut-off part from the bolt hit the ground, which in turn caused even more dust to fall from the ceiling.

Breathing heavily, the male cyborg was still stuck to the door as his blades had welded themselves to the cut bolt.

*Clink!* *Clink!* Yet, trying to remove them by force, Tellius unintentionally broke both off.

Left with only their hilts, he was finally unstuck. He jumped off the door and landed right beside an annoyed Sarah.

*Booooooooom!* The ground shook thanks to the war above.

"Show off..." Was all she said before they began to push open the massive vault door.