Xenoblade Chronicles

Chapter 28 - Hilt of the Sword

Sword Valley was littered with remains of the fateful battle one year ago. The group went across it, climbing over remains of mobile artilleries and hover transports, and avoided decayed remains of Mechon. As soon as they passed through the first gate, they saw their first Mechon. It was enormous, at least twenty feet tall, with long spindly legs and dark red eyes. It moved relatively slow, but it didn't meant that it was incredibly powerful. Dunban scanned the area, before pointing to some rafters. "Let's take those," He said. "Most of the Mechon will ignore us if we do, but there are some flying ones that we'll need to take care of." "Good thinking," Said Shulk. They climbed atop the rafters, and got to the highest point that they could get. They walked across the sword, and the blonde glanced up at the towering Mechonis. In the distance, he could spot Galahad Fortress, in all it's mechanical glory. Dunban took Shulk's arm, and pulled him into a small opening in the rafters. They were in some sort of hallway, and Riki would have walked directly into a small ether river if Reyn hadn't pulled him back at the last second. Shulk stepped around the river, and spotted a bright light coming from in front of him. Slightly curious, he sped up his pace and felt shock ripple through him. Five waterfalls of ether pooled into a large lake of it, which spilled over into an ether river, which twisted and turned and was finally lost from his sight. A large control base, occupied by Mechon forces obviously, oversaw the operation. "This must be ether pulled from the Bionis," Dunban scowled, joining Shulk. "I can't believe they've taken so much..." "We have to cut off this ether supply somehow," Sharla's eyes were following the ether river. "It can't be good for Bionis...That would explain why the Telethia was in Makna. It needed ether, and as far as I know, the forest has the most ether out of any place in the whole world." "I once heard Father say that Alcamoth's ether protection was weakening," Melia remembered. "Perhaps this is the cause." "Why don't we take out the Mechon that's overseeing this whole thing?" Reyn pointed to the control base. "Good idea," Dunban agreed. "If we can shut off the ether supply, then that should be enough to give a little time for the Bionis to regain it's ether." "Riki give Mechon a taste of Heropon power!" Riki cheered, bouncing up and down. They entered the fortress quietly, watching for any small Mechon that would be alerted by the sound of their footsteps. Seeing none, they descended a series of ramps that led down to the first floor. Three Mechon stood guard over a control panel. Silently dropping down behind them, Sharla went through the controls and pressed the 'off' switch. The ether waterfall began to slow, but it alerted the Mechon. Reyn jumped in front of Sharla to protect her from a blow that would have killed her with one strike. Riki sprang up from behind and slammed his biter into their backs and then running back up the ramp. Shulk and Dunban dropped down beside Reyn and Sharla, and Melia stayed on the ramps, summoning elementals. Shulk pulled out the Monado II and activated a shield as he saw a Mechon impale Reyn through the middle. Drawing the monster's attention, he instead saw the machine attack him instead of the ex Defense Force soldier, but then again Reyn shifted the attention onto himself. Luckily, the shield protected him and the vision didn't come true. After nearly fifteen minutes, the Mechon collapsed onto it's back and exploded in a puff of poisonous smoke. Shulk breathed a sigh of relief as Riki got into the machinery of the control panel. The blond wiped sweat off his forehead and glanced back at the Nopon as he ripped out wires and giggled gleefully. When they finally left the control center the sun was at it's peak in the sky and the blistering heat had reached them. Dunban steered them towards a path by the ether river, and they turned into a large room. It was filled with Mechon, but they defeated them with apparent ease and moved on. As they climbed back out into the sunlight, Reyn glanced over at a small opening in the fortress. He pointed to it. "Hey look!" He said. "Can we get in through there?" "It looks as though it's unguarded," Dunban scanned the area around the opening. "It should make for a decent entry point." "Now's our chance, Dunban!" Shulk said. "Yes," Dunban agreed. "But don't lower your guard. The Mechon may just be hiding." "Yes sir!" Came the chorus of replies. They marched forwards and descended a flight of stairs, getting closer to the entrance point. When they had reached a large ring with several pathways leading outwards, Dunban threw out a hand to stop them, his eyes narrowed. Blocking their path was none other than Mumkhar. "I've been waiting for you," He said, a sadistic smile spreading over his face. "Mumkhar," Dunban growled. Shulk unsheathed the Monado II and everyone else pulled out their weapons, tense and on edge. "How predictable," Mumkhar said, bored. "I knew you were going to come." "How could you?" Dunban demanded, his grip tightening on his katana. "How could you do this to your own kind?!" "That ain't got nothing to do with it," Mumkhar waved his hand dismissively. "I'm just having the time of my life here! Ain't that the point? I even get to take out that annoying Monado brat." "Oi, beardy!" Reyn shouted, stepping protectively in front of Shulk. "You're talkin' pretty tough there! Don't be so sure you can take us all on by yourself." "Come on!" Mumkhar whined, chuckling. "I ain't that stupid." There was a sound of something ripping through the air, and Sharla tensed. "What's that sound?" No sooner had the last syllable rolled off her tongue then eight giant spears impaled the ground around them. Shulk clenched his jaw. Those spears were the same ones that murdered Zanza. The equal amount of Mechon dropped down from the sky and grabbed onto their weapons. "You scumbag!" Reyn cursed, glaring at Mumkhar. "Well then, Monado Boy!" He laughed, Metal Face rose from above. "Think ya can do it? Can you kill 'em all?" He climbed into the Mechon and closed the armour protecting him. "I wonder who's inside," Mumkhar said mockingly. "Who could it be? Your dad? Your mum? Maybe that special someone!" Sharla tensed, and glanced up at Metal Face. She was trembling with fury. She walked up to Mumkhar, raising her rifle in a threatening manner. "Aha!" The Mechon said. "Looks like we have our first contestant!" Reyn grabbed onto her shoulder to stop her, but she shrugged him off. Shulk glared at Mumkhar when- "Too bad she won't give me much of a fight!" Metal Face raised it's claws, and sliced across Sharla's shoulder. The skin burned away instantly, leaving a poisonous green cloud in his wake. Sharla stared at it in shock, pain etched on her face. It's just like with Zanza! Shulk thought. He gritted his teeth, and reached out towards the medic. "Sharla! Look out!" He yelled. "Too bad she won't give me much of a fight!" Just as Shulk had seen, Metal Face raised his claws. He sprinted forwards, parrying the blow with the Monado II and throwing Mumkhar's claws aside. "Shulk!" Sharla gasped, shocked. "Everyone," Shulk ordered, glancing warily around him. "Watch out for the green claws! And the other one's spears! There's something different about them." "You catch on quick boy," Mumkhar waved his weapon through the air, leaving a trail of green light in it's wake. "You're right. These weapons are special. They were made especially to decompose you Homs. No, wait," He quickly corrected himself. "Any being from Bionis!" "How can that be?" Demanded Dunban. "I dunno about all that technical stuff," Metal Face shrugged, which looked quite odd on a machine. "But it's something to do with that ether. Ether is like the Bionis blood. The fortress sucks it's blood out for us. Then we use it to make this green liquid." "You monsters!" Shulk shouted, disgusted. Mumkhar burst out laughing. "Pretty clever, don't you think?" He glared at the former user of the Monado, pointing one green claw at him. "This world suits me just fine, Dunban." "Mumkhar," Dunban growled. "You're gonna pay!" "I'm tired of your yapping, Mr. Hero!" Mumkhar shouted, slightly annoyed. "I'm gonna squish you like a slug, right here where he shared such lovely memories." The Mechon charged forwards, swarming the group. Shulk leapt forwards, slicing and blocking any green spear or claw he could see. Melia and Sharla stayed out of the way, Sharla trying to heal everyone she could and Melia firing off elements quick as lightning. All of the sudden, Mumkhar shot into the air, charging up his signature ether attack. "Hey, hey, time to die!" He screamed, and Shulk activated Monado shield protecting everyone. Irritated, Mumkhar slammed Shulk aside, and he skidded across the ground, barely coming to a stop before he fell off the edge of the platform. Stars burst to life in front of his eyes and a pounding headache overtook him. Melia ran over and he gratefully took her hand, getting to his feet. He nodded and ran to join Riki, Dunban,and Reyn in the fight. He sliced and hacked, but didn't destroy them. The fact that there were people inside scared him, but Dunban was merciless. He forced his way through the Mechon, not even caring about the people that were inside. Shulk leapt in front of Dunban and they pushed Mumkhar back. A purple aura began to surround the former user of the Monado, and soon his movements were so fast that Shulk couldn't follow them. When Dunban's attack was finally deflected, Shulk stepped in, willing the Monado to follow his orders. All at once, there was a blast of power and the sword vibrated in his hands. It washed over Metal Face and all of the Faces and they were blasted off of the platform. Metal Face tensed up and when he spoke he sounded pained. "Too much," Mumkhar growled, electricity sparkling around his body. "The Monado is too much!" "Yes," Dunban agreed, his eyes narrowed. "This is the power of the Monado. You wanted it, so now you can have it, Mumkhar!" "I'm better than all of you!" Mumkhar screamed. He managed to ready his ether attack again, aiming it directly at them. "You're the one who's finished!" "Die!" Dunban roared, racing forwards. "Stop!" Shulk raced forwards, slicing off the weapon that was charging up the attack and slamming the Monado into Dunban's weapon, where he had jammed it into Metal Face's armour, inches from Mumkhar's throat. High above them, the attack fired off at a large support beam that was pointing to the sky. "Get out of my way, Shulk!" Dunban ordered, increasing his pressure on his sword. Shulk fought against him, gritting his teeth with concentration. "It's Mumkhar!" Shulk said. "He's not a Mechon!" "Have you forgotten everything he's done?" Demanded Dunban. "Where is your killer instinct? Now is the time!" "I hate him, Dunban," Shulk promised as Dunban tried to get closer to Mumkhar's neck. "For what he did to Fiora and the Emperor. So of course I want to get my revenge!" "Shulk," Melia whispered. "But..." Shulk continued. "Face Mechon are not like the others. They're people! Like us! Are you really willing to kill another Homs?" "Yes," Dunban growled, surprising Shulk. "Sometimes needs must!" He pressed harder. "Even if it's Fiora?" Shulk spoke without thinking. "What then?" Dunban hesitated and his grip loosened on his katana. "When we set out, I wanted to destroy all Mechon!" Shulk plunged on recklessly. "That was my aim. But now...I know that there are people inside! I have to know why. What's the reason for all this? Why do Bionis and Mechonis have to keep on fighting? I have to find out why!" "So that is your fight?" Dunban questioned. Shulk nodded, and Dunban pulled his sword away from Mumkhar's throat and sliced it through the air. Metal Face sat there for a moment as Dunban stood there, expressionless. "Pathetic!" He shouted, raising his claws. Suddenly, in one swift motion Dunban sliced off both of Metal Face's arms. He shrieked and fell forwards, hitting the ground with a thump. Above them, the support beam shivered. "Dunban," Shulk said pleadingly. "I will never forgive what he's done," Dunban said coldly. "And yet...Your words. They ring true. I feel...their weight." The purple aura around him faded, and he turned to face Shulk with a smile. "We have to help Fiora now. We'll worry about the rest later." "Right," Shulk agreed. "Did you hear that Mumkkhar?" Dunban's expression turned hard as he turned back towards his old friend, who was just getting up. "We haven't got time to be playing around with you." "You always had to have the last word," Mumkhar growled. Shulk jumped as his vision washed away for the second time that day. "Just die!" Metal Face was suddenly sprinting towards them. Suddenly, the support beam from above dislodged itself, and stabbed him through the middle. Shulk blinked as the world slowly came back into colour. His eyes widened as the realization of what he just say hit him. "No! Don't move!" He shouted. "Stay back!" "Just die!" Mumkhar ignored him, stomping forwards. He fired off a ball of crackling energy. Shulk tackled Dunban out of the way and the ball of energy soared up through the air and slammed into the support beam. It fell from above, impaling Metal Face through the middle. He choked. "Mumkhar!" Dunban shouted, and the circular platform shuddered, Shulk got up as it began to dislodge itself, and everyone else scrambled to get off of it. The platform fell, taking Mumkhar with it, who screamed his defiance to the heavens. "No! No! Not like this!" Dunban watched as the platform exploded into a puff of smoke and Mumkhar's smoking remains fell out of sight. "Mumkhar," He said softly. "You went too far, you fool." And he turned around, leaving his friend's death behind him.