Catalyst

Chapter 43: Gilded Justice

Jake: "(coughing) Where's everyone?"

Jake, Dawn, Marcel, Sid, BroBot, Isaac, Cale and Cereza have ended up in a completely different area.

Tyler: "Not here."

Another dozen surrounds them.

Dawn: "Seriously?"

They examine the dozen.

Cale: "Strange..."

BroBot: "?"

The soldiers aren't moving.

Marcel: "Anyone have something besides cowards?"

Isaac: "Weaklings."

Marcel: "Thank you."

A cold aura fills the area.

Sid: "I don't like the feel of this."

Sid summons a strange yo-yo.

Cereza: "What kind of weapon is that?"

Sid: "Deadly."

The soldiers lunge towards them.

Jake: "U-Uh guys!"

Jake barely weaves under the attacker.

Tyler: "Watch out Marcel!"

Marcel leaps into the air before back flipping over another soldier.

Cale: "These guy a-are fast!"

Cale blocks another attack, barely, with her black vines.

Dawn: "My Waves are doing nothing!"

Dawn's Waves aren't affecting the soldiers in the slightest.

Isaac: "I guess they aren't weaklings."

Isaac draws his blade and tries to stab one through the heart, but the blade doesn't go past the skin.

Isaac: "(awkwardly) Uh..."

BroBot had attempted the same thing.

BroBot: "?!"

The two machines are sent back a few feet and into Cereza and Marcel.

Cereza: "What did they do to them?"

The two quickly get off.

Tyler: "Crazy magic, voodoo shit? I have no idea!"

Jake switches to a flaming gauntlet form before blocking an onslaught.

Jake: "(blocking, in head) These guys remind me of-"

Jake realizes something.

Jake: "- myself."

Everyone awkwardly looks at Jake.

Dawn: "Say what now?"

Jake and Cereza evade more attacks.

Jake: "They're giving off a feeling like I'm fighting myself."

BroBot takes a critical attack to the back.

Cale: "R-Really?"

Isaac blocks another attack directed at BroBot.

Isaac: "You'd better know how to win then!"

Cereza takes to the skies.

Jake: "(in head) Where do I defend the most?"

Jake switches to a whip and catches a soldier mid punch.

BroBot: ">:(."

No one is able to keep the soldiers still.

Tyler: "We kind of need an idea where to hit them!"

Jake gets sucker punched in the back of the head, causing him to drop his weapon.

Isaac: "You okay?"

Jake quickly catches his whip and changes it back to a sword.

Jake: "I-I'm fine!"

Jake dives to avoid another punch.

Cereza: "Where are we supposed to hit them?"

Marcel gets slammed in the gut.

Marcel: "(coughing blood) Where?"

BroBot gets back on his feet in time to defend from another attack.

Dawn: "Why don't I use real weapons?"

Jake dashes just past a soldier to the right while looking to the left and holding his sword to the left.

Jake: "Huh?"

He notices a strange mark on the back of his neck.

Jake: "I've got it!"

Jake yanks the blade back, severing the head.

Cereza: "The back of the necks!"

Isaac and BroBot develop a metallic aura.

Dawn: "Well I can still do jack shit."

Dawn's Waves and weapon don't do enough damage to affect the soldiers.

Tyler: "Want to make a quick goal?"

Marcel kicks his ball, turning four soldiers into pinball.

Marcel: "I'd say more like four."

All four hits were right on the weak spot, causing all four to drop dead.

Cale: "I'm on it!"

Cale gets another one by getting her vines behind him and skewering the neck.

Cereza: "I've got this one!"

Cereza dives straight into a neck, shattering the vertebrate and the soldier's hopes and dreams.

Isaac: "Let's finish this BroBot!"

The last five are attacking in a perfect line towards the machines.

Isaac: "Synergy Attack, Virus Buster!"

The two fire their massive laser that disintegrates only the head.

BroBot: ">:)."

Everyone awkwardly looks at BroBot.

Jake: "Whoa..."

Isaac: "(menacingly) Excellent."

Cereza lands on the floor.

Cereza: "I believe that there is a distinct level of insanity is within you two."

BroBot: ":(."

The can see base a ways away.

Dawn: "How'd we end up here?"

Isaac: "I'd rather go there than talk about what just happened."

Isaac and BroBot dart to base.

Cale: "O-Okay..."

The others cautiously follow.

Jake: "(in head) I'm glad we're on the same side."