Chapter 7 - Mechanical Mayhem
#7 of Country of the Forgotten
Chapter 7 - Mechanical Mayhem
Between the times that Leo left and the explosions near the beach occurred, Gilbert, Vanessa, and Demos have been sitting quietly on the roof tops with barely any form of a conversation besides the moment when food was needed. Other than that nothing happened. Esmeralda and Ruben stopped flying around the buildings and were lying in a grassy field outside of town fast asleep. The peace full afternoon became dark as the moon rose into the sky. The town lit up with what magic was in the atmosphere as the streets glistened with light. People were walking around feeling that it is finally safe to leave their homes and resumed their day as if he dragons never came to the town.
"When is he coming back?" muttered Gilbert under his breath as he looked at the rising moon.
The loud explosion that was heard near at the beach is heard on top of this sky scraper. Everyone on the ground stopped what they were doing as the ground beneath them shook and people falling left and right. Vanessa quickly got up after the shaking stopped and looked as far as she could into the horizon. Gilbert also got followed by another explosion and shaking.
"What's going on?!" shouted Gilbert as he fell onto his bottom and Vanessa onto all fours.
"I don't know but it's not good!" shouted Vanessa as she spotted a black plume of smoke rising high into the sky against the dark night sky.
"How's it not good?!" shouted Gilbert.
"How should I know?! I already told you 'I don't know'. Your head's a fucking rock!" shouted Vanessa.
"More reasons you're a dim witted moron you dim witted moron," said Demos calmly.
"Hey! Don't demote me from 'you dim wit'!" snapped Gilbert as the shaking stopped.
"Amazing! The shaking stopped when you changed his name," said Vanessa sitting up and clapping.
"That just happens to be a coincidence!" snapped Gilbert again.
"Jeez, you need anger management," said Vanessa quietly but Gilbert heard.
"I don't need anger management!" snapped Gilbert.
"Whatever you dim witted moron," said Vanessa with a wide grin on her face.
"I'm going to rip that grin off your face if you keep talking!" shouted Gilbert as he was getting to the height of his patience.
"Just go ahead and try you baboon," teased Vanessa as she stuck her tongue out at Gilbert.
"THAT DOES IT!" shouted Gilbert but Demos intercepted his course.
"Stop bickering! Something powerful is coming this way and it is not going to be a pleasant sight if you two don't shape up this instant!" ordered Demos as Gilbert tried to keep cool.
Out in the dark plume, something round was flying their way and it gradually grew bigger as Vanessa stared at the steadily growing object. Gilbert continued to worry about Leo's whereabouts as this circle became the size of a tennis ball then a basket ball. Demos, who was strangely silent, is quietly quaking inside the steel of the weapon. Leo is somewhere out in the distant as Emerald and Ruben waked up to see the ever growing circle. The citizens of the city were stricken with fear when a faint red light in the distant began to slowly grow brighter. Little did they know that as the circle grew closer, the fire followed right behind it.
"Great, we're all doomed at this rate," said Vanessa with a dumbfounded face.
"Not quite. I'm sure Leo will come back and help us defeat what ever that weird round thing is," said Gilbert trying to be optimistic.
As time inched by, the hope that Gilbert placed up seem to be vanishing slowly as the round object grew closer now being the size of the moon. What ever this large thing is, it is rapidly growing and could probably be the size of the earth when confronted up close.
"Don't bring the mood down! Draw your weapons and everything will be fine!" shouted Vanessa trying to be brave but inside she knew it was another doom waiting to kill her yet again.
"You're the one bringing down the mood. I made it all happy and you turned it sour so just shut the hell up and let's think about what to do next," said Gilbert looking at Vanessa darkly.
"Why don't you both shut up and fight that thing?" said a clear voice rising up the building.
Gilbert and Vanessa turned to see who stated that sentence of battle against something that they don't even know and, as an addition, will hopelessly lose against. First rose ears of gold fur and hair that shimmered with silver and gold linings. Followed by a face with a scar that ran down the left side of the face.
"Leo!" shouted Gilbert.
"Long time no see," smiled the lion as he revealed the rest of his body to the two bystanders and sword.
"Where'd you go?!" snapped Gilbert.
"Isn't it simple?" replied Leo as he extracted a sketchbook turned onto its side.
Flipping through the pages he explained in only a minute what happened to him after he left the sky scraper.
"I went to a beach, acted all remorseful about love, someone came and talked to me named Rydia who happens to be a really old spirit but a young person. We talked and talked then this explosion happened following by shaking so she had to leave and I was all alone as I went up into the sky and looked over this mountain that was behind me. On the other side are a burning forest and that thing that is coming this way. To make it short, I went to a beach and now I'm back to beat that thing up," said Leo in a single breath.
"You did all that and your drawings looks like a kid did it," said Vanessa taking the sketch book and looking at it.
"Well I only had five minutes so I drew like a five year old," answered Leo.
"Explains why you drew me without boobs but with a triangle body," said Vanessa.
"Let me see that!" shouted Gilbert grabbing the sketchbook from Vanessa's grasp.
"There's no time to be gawking at my drawings," said Leo quickly taking the book back and throwing it far into the city.
"But I never got to see my drawing," said Gilbert on the floor with his right arm extended as if he was going to grab it.
"Worry about that gigantic machine!" shouted Leo.
"Machine?" questioned Vanessa.
"Yes, that thing is a very, very big machine designed to take out a whole world specifically my fucking head," stated Leo.
"Well then how can we defeat that thing because I'm not going to stick around to fight something that can kill me again," said Vanessa completely shocked.
"Why don't you just start thinking about what to do then?" questioned Demos.
"You two do that and I'll do something to slow that thing down," said Gilbert grabbing Demos and running for the edge of the building.
"You can't fly," pointed Leo just as Gilbert ran right off the edge of the building.
"I completely forgot about that," said Gilbert as he plummeted to his doom.
"He can't get far without doing something completely idiotic and stupid," muttered Leo under his breath as he brought his left arm into full extent palm facing away from him. "Like water that is cool and calm. Like wind that is flexible and strong. Curve the elements and give birth to a new creature. Ice Phoenix take flight."
The wind and water molecules began to conform and merge together first becoming a small round circle that grew as big as a computer screen that is 22" wide taking on the shape of an egg. Inside manifested another round circle that sprouted wings then a long neck followed by the body and shape of a Phoenix but only as clear as ice itself. Once it has achieved its form, the egg burst open and there floated the Phoenix with its wings at full length ready to do what is told.
"Give Gilbert wings and make sure he doesn't die," commanded Leo as the bird flew across the building and down its side.
While falling, it is expected that Gilbert would be screaming for his life with his eyes closed just waiting to hit the ground at full force and shatter into a million pieces leaving nothing but a human blob and blood splattered everywhere. Luckily for him the Ice Phoenix saved him in time and he indeed have wings with painful talons digging into his back but his screaming distracted his thoughts from the pain.
"I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die," screamed Gilbert without any knowledge that he was no floating and annoying the Ice Phoenix.
"You really need to stop screaming or else I'll drop you to your doom once again," said the Ice Phoenix.
"What?! I'm falling though! No, my conscious is playing tricks with me," shouted Gilbert with eyes still shut tight and his grip on Demos tightening even more.
"He's not listening is he?" muttered the Ice Phoenix.
"Nope, that's what makes him a dim witted moron," replied Demos.
"I'm not a dim witted moron!" shouted Gilbert opening his eyes.
"Took you long enough!" shouted Vanessa from atop of the building.
"That's what they all say," Leo whispered to Vanessa looking over the edge.
"Okay, what am I supposed to do now?" shouted Gilbert.
"What do you think? You have wings for God's sake so use them!" shouted Vanessa as she stood up on the roof.
"Good one," complimented Leo as he stood up and walked to the center of the building before bringing his hands together, right a fist and left covering his fist with the fingers together.
"DIE!!!" shouted Gilbert as he flew up into the sky and darted towards the machine.
"He's reckless," muttered Vanessa turning her head away before hearing a deafening screaming from Gilbert.
"Yes, he is reckless but that's what makes him special," said Leo as another deafening scream came from Gilbert.
"I wonder what it's like fighting that machine?" questioned Vanessa.
"Based on his screams it must hurt a lot," replied Leo as more deafening screams followed.
"Aren't you going to save him?" questioned Vanessa even though it is a very rhetorical question.
"Of course I am, he just has a lot of pride that I can hurt very easily," answered Leo opening his eyes and looking away from the fighting.
"Well then do something," said Vanessa.
"Just look behind you," countered Leo.
Vanessa turned around and couldn't believe what she saw at all. Of in the distance is Gilbert zooming around the sky as big as a fly since the wings gave away his position. The machine was firing lasers at Gilbert and most of them connected resulting into him screaming from the rush of pain. Vanessa had a lot of pity for him but was amazed that the machine stopped where it was to fight the flying annoyance.
"And now, brace yourself cause you might get hit," said Leo as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate on the atmosphere around him.
Vanessa backed away to the edge but got the feeling that she shouldn't be anywhere near the building when Leo commenced with what ever he was doing.
"Fire that scourges the land and blazes with the brilliant colors of the imagination. Unbind your strength and leap to the air. Gather your embers and collect upon my hand. Symbols of bindings that appear under my feet, cry out and explode at my will. Burning Fist of the Forbidden Star, Cataclysmic Clash #1 - Flame Spire," chanted Leo.
While he was chanting, the air around Leo grew hot as lines made its way up the building. Flames leaped from thin air and settled around his enclosed fist which he lifted up upon the words "collect upon my hand." The lines that made its way up the building connected as his feet which resulted Leo into punching the roof on the phrase "Burning Fist of the Forbidden Star." The ending is already expected but the building explodes as flames bust out of the lines until it reached the top where Leo is pushed up with flame as the flames became the spire which continued to rise until Leo stopped it by chanted the second half of the Cataclysmic Clash.
"With the wind and water that freezes in the air. The sharp jabs as it flies in many directions other than one. Combine with the flames and become the frozen flame. Burn with brilliance and shoot straight and true at the enemy. Frozen Flames of the Lost Star, Cataclysmic Clash #2 - Freezer Burn!" roared Leo as the flames shot towards the machine and froze as it flew.
The freezing fire struck the metal outing and scraped along the edge as it tried to make a large tear. Upon contact, something inside of the structure resonated with Leo as he felt the invisible presence pass through his body. The feeling was warm but also cold at the same time.
"This feeling," mumbled Leo standing up in mid-air.
Deep within the machine rested a sword strapped against some sort of steel plating that restricted its powers. The chains added an effect to restrict any possible force from taking the sword without removing the chains in the first place. Its design is of a simple long sword seen in medieval times which is used for sparring with one another to hone any swordsmanship.
"There is even a single scratch on that thing," said Gilbert bringing Leo back into reality.
Small black circles began to fly out from the large machine. Each small circle drifted their way as it began to power up. The circles spanned out until it became visible to both Leo and Gilbert that what ever the machine is, it is something not to be trifled with.
"Uh, Leo, what are those things?" asked Gilbert.
"From the humming I can hear, I bet they are portable lasers waiting to zap us to smithereens," answered Leo.
"Where's Vanessa?" asked Gilbert.
"She disappeared," answered Leo.
"Two man party!" shouted Gilbert as he charged towards the small circles.
Wielding his sword in a high arc, he managed to destroy a few of the small circles in one swing before retaliation occurred. Thin lines of laser emitted from the black circles narrowly missing Gilbert as he moved in many directions thanks to the Ice Phoenix and its quick thinking. Leo took the opportunity to slip past the laser battle and moved towards the machine quickly. He was up against the large machine as a door opened up for him to enter. Turning his head to see if Gilbert was alive, which he was, Leo decided to go and find the resonance that he felt earlier.
Gilbert saw Leo slip into the machine and thought to himself, "That bastard better not die in there and leave me all alone."
Past the door, Leo stood on the cold steel surface beneath his feet as the entrance closed and the inner lights turned on allowing him to look around him. He stood in a corridor that is long and the walls smooth without any sign of any form of circuitry moving inside in the walls. Leo cautiously walked down the path thinking that this corridor is a trick and something that will spring a trap on him but the path remained unchanged. Eventually, the path opened up to a large room to make it seem like the whole machine is nothing but a hollow sphere. The machine is divided into three sections, storage, engine, and empty space. Leo stood in the empty space.
"What is this place?" thought Leo walking into the large room.
The resonance occurred again as Leo stopped to take in the feeling that he felt. Another wave of warmth and cold passed through his body. The waves came at a steady beat of an interval of 5 minutes and Leo made a determination to find where the waves were coming from.
"If this is coming from my sword, then I'm going to get it and get out of this place," promised Leo.