Demon of the Skies [Book 1]

The Demon of the Round Table

Chapter Quote:
"Vengeance in my heart, death in my hand, Blood and revenge are hammering in my head."
~William Shakespeare
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Chapter 19: The Demon of the Round Table

Cipher

December 31, 1995...

Ever since our last mission, Espada's claim that I only fought for money repeatedly rang through my head. I guess having been less than merciful on my enemies since Pixy's desertion had turned me more into a ruthless mercenary than I realized. I still didn't want to risk giving the enemy any capability to continue this war, meaning I couldn't truly trust leaving optional targets. However, I could at least decide which ones were most likely to be weaponized.

We had a briefing in a few minutes, and instinct told me this would be a decisive one. Whatever happened today would decide the fate of the world. I fully intended to make sure it went in my favor. If it didn't, who knows when, and if, I'd ever see my family again.

At the thought of them, I picked up the letter Janie brought back with her from her mission, chuckling at Genette's picture of his mom shoveling snow. It would forever be my favorite thing he'd drawn.

When I found out Janie had gone to check on my family for me, I'd decided then and there she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. No other woman would ever be able to compare to her, and on a secret mission of my own the next day, I went out and bought her a ring.

I planned on proposing to her after the mission.

My alarm went off, alerting me it was time. Folding the letters and putting them in my pocket, I walked to the briefing room. PJ, Janie, and Iris were all waiting for me. Having survived all the chaos, plus witnessing and hearing numerous confidential information, Iris had been allowed to stay on base. She and Janie became close friends and were rarely apart from each other. However, I noticed my girlfriend was suited up to fly.

"Are you coming with us?" I asked.

"You really think I would let you go without me?" Janie countered, raising an eyebrow as I sat next to her.

"That was a stupid question, wasn't it?"

"I'll let it slide given the circumstances we're under." Leaning in, she whispered, "Are you ready to face Pixy?"

I sighed. "So, you sense it too?"

"It's not so much that I sense it... it's more like this is the final battle. Or near it. He's their ace, and you're ours. Sooner or later, we were going to end up here."

"I was hoping we'd never have to, but I know I can't avoid it." Taking her hand in mine, I faced forward as the lights dimmed, and Hammerhead began the briefing.

"We have confirmed that the aircraft that attacked our base belonged to the major rebel organization- A World With No Boundaries. This highly organized renegade army is comprised of soldiers from numerous countries, including Osea, Sapin, and of course, Belka. They are believed to possess a massive arsenal of weapons. The coup forces are gathered at Mund, in northern Belka, where they have confiscated the Avalon Dam facility from the Belkan army. What's worse, we've discovered that this facility houses an experimental V2 weapon. Unfortunately, it took us a long amount of time to uncover this information, due to the facility's location beneath the dam's waters. Proceed immediately to Avalon and destroy the V2 weapon. Note that B7R blocks your route from Valais Air Base to Mund. You will most likely encounter fierce resistance from the coup forces at both B7R and Mund. Remember to be prepared for attacks from land, air, or elsewhere when choosing which aircraft to pilot. This mission will succeed upon the destruction of the V2 at the target area, and your safe return to base." Hammerhead turns his eyes towards me as if his final words were specifically for me. "Now go destroy that weapon, and come back in one piece. Anything else is unacceptable."