Mech slayers 11: tatakai [Battle]

All characters and Situations are owned by Catbert25. [Sean D'anna]
	
	"How goes the fight?" asked the young prince with a hard look.
The men knelt to him and frowned. "Not well sir. Gall has taken the
palace and our forces are being destroyed within the city." said the
soldier in the front.
	"Mother, sister." said the prince with a defeated look. "We
attack. I will have revenge for my blood."
	"Yes my lord." said the soldiers.
	A young man who was obviously a new recruit ran into the room.
"My lord the princess!" he called excitedly. The men gave him a
disapproving look, they had just delivered this news to him.
	"She is here." he said gasping for breath.
	"What?!" said the prince standing from his seat. "Bring her at
once!"
	
	Princess Miza ran into her brothers arms and cried tears of joy.
He turned to the men who had arrived with her. "You will be rewarded for
bringing her to me alive." he said to them.
	"No." said the eldest of the men. The others gave him an odd
stare. "It was not our deed. The man who saved her is still fighting
within the city. Our efforts were not enough." he said to the prince.
	"Brother you saved me. It was you." said the princess to him as
she released him from her hold.
	"What?" said the prince in shock.
	"Sir, we do not have time. Our city is under siege." said Hunter
as he walked into the room. He was frowning and held his sword
impatiently.
	"Yes give the command to attack." said the prince.

	Dan ran through the men and batted the soldiers aside almost
absently as he made his way towards the city's center. The Mech crashed
its way through the city leaving a wake of bodies and destruction. Dan
frowned and stopped as he entered its massive shadow. One of the legs
came down a few feet away from him and he struggled to keep his balance. 

	"I've got to find a way to get rid of this thing." he muttered.
"Lets try this..." he said as he charged a ki blast and jumped away as
the other foot came a little to close. "Yaaaahhhhh!" he yelled as the
wave of blue green energy shot from his hands and struck the machine in
the chest. The mech was slammed back about ten feet but kept its balance.
A huge black mark appeared on its chest and the metal had begun to melt.
But no real damage was created. The huge machine shifted and faced him.
It raised its arm and fired the massive machine gun at him clumsily. Dan
Jumped out of the way easily and stopped as it re-adjusted its aim. The
barrel swung dangerously close to him and he ducked under it. It lifted
its foot and tried to step on him and he jumped into the air catching the
barrel of the gun in his arms. He swung up onto it and began to climb. 
	The machine started swinging its arm around in an effort to shake
him off. He was lifted into the air and shook upside down. He let go of
the barrel and landed on the shoulder. He started to slide off but
managed to cling to one of the massive armor plates. He reached back and
punched the head causing a large dent but not much else. The other hand
came down on top of him and he was crushed as it swatted him. He felt the
world go black for a moment and realized he was falling to the ground. He
hit hard and tried to roll only to get the wind knocked out of him. The
machine lifted its foot and tried to squash the dazed boy as he struggled
to his feet. He shifted barely out of the way and dashed for one of the
nearby homes in an attempt to regain his senses for a moment. He stopped
cold.
	
	Hunter was the first inside the city. He charged as the men began
pouring into the city behind him. They swarmed the castle. 
	"Gall!" cried Hunter as he tore through the palace towards the
throne room. The doors to the throne room burst open and the Akama men
poured out to meet them. "I will not be stopped!" cried Hunter as he
charged into the mass.

	Dan froze as he saw the family cowering behind the over turned
table. A middle aged man stood with a sword held at the ready, he was
injured badly and three dead Akama soldiers littered the room. He began
to back out when he heard it. He turned to see the machine had seen him
enter, it raised its gun and began to fire. Dan rushed the man and pulled
him behind the table before he knew what hit him. The roar of the cannon
overpowered the woman and her daughters screams. Then the building
collapsed on them.
	
	In the palace Gall stood in the former bed chambers of the queen
and her late husband. A grin formed across his face as he watched the
city burn before him. "I feel a great force in the battle." he said as
his smile disappeared. Screams could be heard from behind him as his men
molested the surviving palace servants. He turned quickly as the sounds
of battle came closer, from within the palace. A lone warrior could be
heard rushing towards him. "Gall!" he cried. Gall smiled and turned he
drew his sword. 

	Commander Hunter charged through the halls of the palace leaving
a wake of dead soldiers behind him. The fools were relaxing and raping
the servants while drinking the wine stores. It was as if they didn't
even realize that there was a battle going on outside. He snorted in
disgust and charged through three suprised guards leaving them in pieces
with his massive sword easily. "Gall!" he cried again issuing his
challenge. He reached the highest point in the castle and smiled as he
opened the door. Gall stood waiting with his sword drawn and a smile
across his own face.
	"Welcome warrior, prepare to die." he said sounding amused more
than anything else.
	
	Dan rose from the rubble and looked at what was beneath him in
horror. He was not able to save the family within the home, only the
child had lived she looked around with frightened screams as the crushed
remains of her parents lay around her. She had been directly beneath him
when the building had collapsed. Dan looked at them and said nothing. He
just stared. He turned and looked at the machine as it loomed over them,
it raised it's cannon and pointed it at him once again. Dan felt the
anger rise in his blood and he stared at it and raised his bokken
offensively. He cried out and slashed at the barrel of the gun as he
jumped into the air and landed on it's arm. The barrel was cut cleanly in
two and exploded as the machine fired causing a chain reaction
disintegrating half the arm behind Dan as he ran up it. He stopped at the
shoulder and jumped down the length of the chest leaving a long diagonal
slash in the armor. 
	The Mech punched out and caught him in mid air sending him flying
into a building and leaving a crater about five feet in diameter from the
impact before the wall simply caved in around him. He stood and tossed
his bokken to the ground in anger. A great red aura formed around him and
he glared at the thing as it walked towards him again. He felt his entire
body surge with pure rage and felt his clothes begin to smolder as the
aura began to grow brighter and larger. The few remaining spectators
gasped in awe and horror. The girl he had rescued watched from behind her
dead mother in complete frozen terror.
	"Dan jumped at the mech and shot forward like a bullet leaving a
red trail of light behind him. His fist met the chest of the mech and he
felt his arms begin to buckle from the force. "Violent Wave!" he cried
and the world around him went completely red. He felt himself shoot
forward and every thing became clear again as he shot through the center
of the Mech�s chest and came out the back. He went on for about twenty
feet and came down on the ground hard. He stood shakily and smoke rose
from his clothes as they began to cool. He walked over and retrieved his
bokken and sat down against the wall breathing heavily, his hands were
red and throbbing.

	From the shadows someone watched. "Gods." exclaimed the figure.
"How can any one be so powerful?" 

	A few feet away Inu-Masumi watched in equal shock from the
shadows. "It can't be him, that's impossible." she said as she walked out
into the light. She removed her cloak and stood before him looking at him
coolly. Dan gazed at her in a sort of wonder. Some of the remaining
Joseian soldiers backed away in horror.
	"An Assuran!" cried one of them in panic. A bright light flashed
from the palace and she spared Dan another passing glance before
returning to the shadows and disappearing.

	Hunter stood with his sword straining against Gall's weapon. Gall
growled at him and slashed up breaking the contest of strength. "This
game grows tiresome, die worm." he said as he shot an energy burst at the
man. 
Hunter Grunted as he raised his sword to the blast and absorbed it with
the blade.
	"Impressive toy boy." said Gall with a smile.
	"I'll kill you yet bastard." growled Hunter as he slashed at the
wizard who simply moved casually out of the way.
	"Do tell." said Gall smugly as he reached for Hunters throat and
lifted him into the air. Hunter tried to slash at his arm and Gall simply
swatted the sword away sending it flying across the room.
	"Bastard!" gasped Hunter between breaths as Gall increased the
pressure to his neck.
	"Funny, that is what most people say before I kill them." said
Gall with a small smile. "I'm starting to think it may be true." 
	Hunter's eyes went white and his hair shifted from sandy blond to
a deep gray. His all ready prominent fangs grew longer and his hands
became claws.
	"Pose all you like half breed mutt, you still die." said Gall
never stopping the pressure on his neck.
	"Come To me." said Hunter quietly.
	"Huh?" said Gall as he released his grip and dodged out of the
way of the incoming sword as it returned to its masters hand. "So, an
enchanted sword. Interesting." said Gall with his smile never wavering.
An explosion from the center of Sambika roared through the streets as the
mech fell forward in flames. "Useless toy." said Gall never taking his
eyes off his opponent. He formed two energy blast in his hands and shot
them towards Hunter. "You can't hide behind that blade forever. Sooner or
later you'll miss and die." said Gall with a smile as he shot two more at
the warrior who barely blocked them.
	"I don't have to. I'll show you what this sword is really for."
said Hunter with a grin. He pointed the sword at Gall and smiled.
	"What?" said Gall with a frown.
	"Blade Return!" cried Hunter as he released the charged up blast
back at Gall.
	"Impossible!" yelled Gall in anger as the blast engulfed him.
Hunter watched with a satisfied smile as Gall fell to the ground dead.
His smile vanished as light began to form around his body. 
	"Oh, Shit!" he cried as he dove out of the room and ran down the
hall.
	
	Dan watched the woman that stood before him as she removed her
cloak. His jaw dropped, She was a Werewolf, her face was mostly human
accept for her fangs and a light gray fur that covered it. She had long
silver gray hair, and a very feminine figure. Her hands were covered in
white fur and ended in impressive looking claws. She gazed at him coolly.
He was about to stand when a great ball of light engulfed the top of the
palace and disintegrated the top floors. "What the?" he said as his
attention was momentarily averted from the woman. He regained himself and
faced her again only to see her disappear into the shadows. A few moments
passed as he rested against the wall. 
	"Gall is destroyed!" came the cry over the streets. The battle
was over. Dan stood and began to walk away He reached the gates to the
great city when something stopped him.
	Standing in front of him was himself. Beside him was the girl he
saved from the palace. "Hold." said his doppleganger. He frowned and
looked at him coolly.
	"Who are you?" asked the man.
	"Just a traveler." said Dan coolly.
	"So, you are the one known as Ryoko Sha." said the prince.
	"You've heard of me?" asked Dan in suprise.
	"Only in passing, I have heard stories of me wandering the
country and giving that name." said man to him calmly.
	"I suppose so." said Dan calmly.
	"What do you want?" asked the prince with a suspicious gaze.
	"To be left alone." said Dan.
	"Why did you help us?" said the prince with a suspicious gaze.
"How is it you look like me? Is it some magic?" 
	"I was born this way. It is not my way to watch others suffer if
it is within my power to stop it." said Dan calmly.
	"Very noble, I thank you for saving my sister. Had you not I
would have arrested you on the spot for treason. My land has many enemies
and I would have thought you a plot for the throne." said the prince with
a hard gaze.
	"You would have tried at any rate." said Dan as he continued his
trek.
	"What?" said the prince suprised at the arrogance of the man.
	"He speaks the truth my lord. It was he who single handedly
defeated the giant." said one of the battle worn men who had gathered
from the ruins of the battle. "He is a powerful warrior."
	"He is someone who must be watched." said the prince.
	"Leave him alone brother, he is noble." said Miza.
	"What?!" said Sonkei looking at his sister in shock.
	"I could see it in his eyes." she said calmly.
	
	In the palace Hunter stood at the base of the stairs that once
lead to the bedchambers of the queen and her husband. Now only a few feet
away was a hole. He stood with the few servants who had escaped with him
down the hall. He frowned as he realized that only a fraction of the
servant girls who were in the upper floors was standing with him, most
had perished in the blast. The few who remained were wearing torn clothes
and sobbing hysterically. "Damn." muttered Hunter as he walked away.
	
	Dan shifted the cloak he had bought to replace his burnt clothing
and tightened the belt around his waist with the small bag of fruits on
it. He pulled the hood over his head and smiled. The merchant had seemed
suprised and almost afraid when he had asked for a black cloak. He was
suprised to find that both nickel and copper were considered precious
metals in this world. The few yen coins he had were worth allot, he had
even received a good amount of change in this worlds denomination. he
turned towards the bushes and smiled. "How long are you going to hide
from me ninja? Tell me what you want." he said.
	The girl rose from her spot in the bushes with her sword drawn,
her eyes had an eerie glow. "Thats a neat trick girl but mine is better."
said Dan as his whole body began to radiate power making him seem to glow
with blue fire. The girl growled and backed up. 
	"You think you can intimidate me with a light show? I've seen
parlor wizards do better." she growled at him and stuck her sword out
offensively. 
	Dan frowned and readied his own defense "What do you want?" he
asked her his eyes darting around his surroundings.
	"Why does a warrior like you look for a way to escape?" she asked
him coolly.
	Dan smiled and relaxed a little. "Only a fool fights when he
doesn't have to. What do you want?" he said calmly with his Aura dying
down.
	The girl crouched low and looked at him with a dark smile. "To
find you, after what you did to me and my little gang back there I had
to." she said with a little venom in her voice.
	Dan smiled and looked at her calmly preparing for her attack.
"Well you have me. Now what?" he said in a voice that seemed drained of
emotion.

TbC....
	
	Next time Jun and his party begin the long voyage to the desert
city. What dangers await them in the sandy sea? When the hell will they
figure out what the hell they are doing?
In mech slayers 12: Suna [Sand]

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