The Venerate Order

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Strafe

We stood in the shadows of two imposing sky-ships. One was Sorian, the other Senti. Both were poised to engage the other in an aerial showdown. Impressively, each ship measured around a quarter of a mile in length. Rousseau said they packed enough firepower to destroy multiple cities. They were the most formidable weapons on this planet.

As I looked up at the Senti sky-ship, I felt that same feeling I got when I first met Roya. Something inside me was telling me there was someone with Guardian Power onboard that ship. Someone I knew.

We noticed each ship deploy Mag-Sleds and Mag-Destroyers, which were smaller warships. Soldiers from both sides flew down to the ground like rain, using hover devices to glide around.

Rousseau drew his weird looking sword from his thigh and clicked a button on it. The blade on his sword formed out of thin air. The sword was a gunblade, able to fire bullets. He pulled out a gun-stock from a sachet he held and attached it to the gunblade. Rousseau pushed the stock against his shoulder as he aimed down the sights. Instead of shooting bullets, the gun fired laser rounds. He shot at the descending Senti soldiers with deadly accuracy with the precision weapon, hitting over twenty that flew up among the skyscrapers.

"How is this weapon possible Rousseau-Sah?" Roya asked.

"Oh, this? It first belonged to my father, and I modified it. I call her The Light Volcano," Rousseau said with pride as he admired his handiwork. He put it over his shoulder.

"Just don't point it at me, or I will slice it to pieces," Zon grunted.

"Guys! I think we should move, or else we'll be shot down by those Mag-Sleds," I called out.

We made our way to the river and clearing ahead to get a better view of what was going on. There were two usable Mag-Sleds, seemingly abandoned by the Senti, so Rousseau and Zon hopped on them and flew in the air to gauge the battlefield. Roya and I jumped on Brutus' back and kept moving.

Ships of all shapes and sizes were twirling around, dogfighting above the city. The two sky-ships kept maneuvering around each other, trying to avoid the incoming fire. We also saw cruisers on the river shooting toward the ships in the sky. Chaos reigned. Civilians were running and screaming in all directions. This beautiful city was being torn to pieces.

"How could they do this?" I lamented.

Roya patted me on the back and said, "Do not mistake the decisions of a few to judge the hearts of them all. I feel in my soul that this is the truth Strafe-Sah. We must find out the perpetrator who has condoned and set such evil in motion."

As we surveyed the destruction, I saw a face I would never forget flying around on a Mag-cycle, Tiras. No mistake about it. His crew was returning back to the Senti sky-ship. My blood boiled hotter than the sun.

Rousseau flew down to us, "Listen, I'm hearing on enemy chatter that they're planning to use their rail cannon on the city. This weapon has the power to crack open mountains. We need to get out of here!"

"I need to get to that bastard Tiras! He knows where my friends are!" I insisted.

"Strafe, we will all be blown to rubbish if we stay! I found an empty cruiser you all can use to escape with us!" Rousseau replied.

"Rousseau-Sah, will you always keep running away from the demons of your heart– or will you learn to stand up and face them? Now is your chance!" Roya affirmed, looking deep into his eyes.

Rousseau's facial expression read as if she had looked into his soul, "What? What are you talking about? What do you know about me?"

Roya responded, "We are all fighting for what is right, as well as fighting battles beneath our own skin, in our hearts. We need you Rousseau-Sah to stand up and fight with us. We need your speed."