- Let's see how this will work. - Garret said and flew into the air, closely followed by Ronnie, whose take-off was quite wobbly. He had not prepared any weapons in advance, which is why he wasn't prepared to answer The Executioner's swing. That swing sent him down towards the castle and through one of the towers. Ronnie was in shock and he could not move. The dust and rubble did not help at all. Upon managing to catch his breath, he moved the rubble from himself. He felt like he his chest had a dent in it. Thankfully, he only suffered scratches and multiple cuts. Tyler and Garret were throwing lead ceaselessly. They needed more firepower, so Ronnie knew he had to immediately return to the fight. But before he could do that, he had to arm himself. He used Tyler's ideas and decided to take them to another level. Ronnie envisioned himself as a cyborg, a cross between the Terminator and a Gundam. He then stacked 2 Negev machine guns on each of his shoulders, 2 M249s on each of his forearms, turned the fingers of his arms into Desert Eagles and set them to full auto-fire. He considered adding some sniper rifles for precision shooting when needed, but ultimately decided to leave them for an occasion when they would be most needed. Ronnie was confident in his choice of weaponry, but not in his strength. The weight of the weapons tugged his arms to the ground and he barely managed to lift them up. Now that his target was large and there was no need to mind civilians or friendly units, he opened fire without any concern for safety. His aim was very poor at first, which was far from surprising; Ronnie had never wielded this many weapons at once. So poor was his aim, in fact, that he managed to shoot both Tyler and Garret and miss most of his shots at the Executioner and Gibel. Tyler was understandably irritated:
- Are you thick or something? You're not supposed to shoot me!
A mortar shot struck Ronnie's right shoulder, tore a significant portion of it off and the resulting shockwave sent him flying back down to the ground. That angered him quite a lot. He still felt the pain, but it was ever so slightly numbed by his anger. Then Ronnie stood up, his weapons reassembled themselves automatically, because they broke during the crash landing and flew back into the sky. The gunfire was deafening and even though The Executioner was bleeding, the bullet holes were nothing but tiny dents in his hide.
- There has to be a better way of taking him down! - Ronnie yelled.
- I agree. See if you guys can find something that can cripple him. I'll distract him. - said Garret. Balos had some metal plates covering his torso and waist. They didn't look like they acted as armour due to the significant distance between them. However, in order to reach them, the Trinity had to circumnavigate the numerous drones the Executioner had summoned, combined with his unusually potent hand-to-hand self-defence, given his enormous size. At one point Balos managed to grab Tyler in mid-air as he was trying his best to reach the metal plates. Needless to say, it felt like the tides were turning. Ronnie rushed to help. Due to his poor aim, he was unwilling to use his firearms out of fear of shooting himself or Tyler. Instead, he began swinging his blades at Balos's hand. Gibel had other ideas:
- Stay away from my pet! - he said as he jumped onto Balos's forearm. Balos, meanwhile, kept his arm steady in spite of the minor annoying pain that he was suffering from, so that Gibel doesn't fall off. Ronnie had no idea what to do first and Tyler noticed it, so he told him that he'd handle his calamity himself. Then Ronnie whipped out a MAUL shotgun and fired it in Gibel's general direction. There was a problem, however - his aim was once again poor, the MAUL was designed to be used as an accessory to the M16 rifle, which meant that being used on its own was inefficient and Gibel somehow possessed the dodging ability of the three assassins. Long before he organized the assault, Gibel snuck into his father's depot, where he kept schematics, stolen artefacts and experimental equipment. Among the schematics he found the one he needed the most; the one for the short-range teleportation device. Using it in combination with some unused scrap materials in Huklin's workshop, he managed to make his own device and calibrate it to his needs. Ronnie had no clue how to properly deal with it. No matter how much he swung his blades, he couldn't hit him. He managed to bring Gibel down by chance with a kick to his right calf, which was then followed by another one to his temple. Gibel fell off Balos' arm and barely managed to cling to one of the laser cannons that sprouted from the side of his torso.
- Where does he manage to keep those things? - said Ronnie.
- Quit wondering and help me out, mate! - Tyler said.
- Guys, I need a hand! - Garret was struggling. He couldn't cope with the ceaseless gunfire from The Executioner and his response to it was insufficient in strength.
- Swing at it, God damn it! You won't kill me! - Tyler wanted Ronnie to slice Balos's index finger off, so he could have a better shot at breaking free. And so he swung at it repeatedly with all four of his blades. Blood began pouring out and Balos couldn't help but let go of Tyler. The blood itself was a mix of black, green and grey and one could see all of the colours without any problem. The sand below his feet now looked like an oil spill in the ocean. Balos was enraged and fought back even harder. Once Tyler freed himself, the Trinity could now open fire all together and even focus it on particular parts of The Executioner. One such part was the laser cannons, which Garret found particularly annoying, after they hit him multiple times and drove him beyond just simple annoyance. Bullets alone did nothing but chip away some of the plating. It was clear that only explosives would yield the necessary result, which is why Garret began firing an M32 grenade launcher. As a result, the electronics and wires of the laser cannons fizzled and elements from them began falling to the ground like leaves. His chest was far too thick for their weapons to damage significantly, so instead the Trinity focused on Balos's head. After a considerable amount of gunfire, Balos's head was bleeding and he lost his eyesight upon being repeatedly shot in the eyes. As a result, he was staggered.
- We've got him now! - said Garret.
- How is he still on his feet? - said Ronnie. - What we need is a nuclear missile, otherwise he's going to fight 'till the end of time.
- Tough luck; we don't have one and it's too dangerous to use such things, so we have to use what we have at our disposal. - said Tyler.
- Damn it! - said Ronnie. - What about those flailing wires on his right shoulder?
- That's a good idea. Do it! - said Garret and they all fired at them. That resulted in further short circuiting.
- It's not enough. Ronnie, see if you can do something at point blank.
He didn't like that idea, but upon being put under pressure by Tyler, Ronnie had no choice. He had to come up with something and terminally damage The Executioner.
- "Hm, maybe if I further overload his circuitry... hey, that's an idea!" - said Ronnie to himself. He then electrified his arms and sent lightning bolts through the exposed wires on his shoulder. The effect wasn't immediate, but it certainly caught Balos's attention. The Executioner tried to flatten him like a mosquito, but failed. Ronnie quickly reacted with a rapid thrust from all of the engines of his propulsion system. He then proceeded to throw bolts of electricity at the rest of the exposed wires and the cavity, where his eye used to be.
- Do something else, you two! - Ronnie yelled.
As Garret and Tyler flew closer to Balos, a new vessel appeared in the sky above them. It was Huklin, Retion and Ren'ul Furot, accompanied by the assassins.
- You won't make it by yourself, son! - Ren'ul shouted through the intercom to Gibel. - Let us help you!
- Not when I still have a chance! - Gibel refused.
- Don't be a fool, son! There's no shame in asking for help! - Ren'ul rephrased himself.
- I don't need your help, I said! - Gibel shot down his father's pleas. - You've always stifled my attempts at anything!
- Now, while he's distracted! - Tyler shouted and the Trinity opened fire once more, this time at the tiny platform and the control panel. The gunfire destroyed the panel and Balos began swaying. Now that his power core was vulnerable and heavily damaged, the Trinity co
uld easily take him down. However, it wasn't going to be easy; the core itself was heavily armoured and hidden deep beneath The Executioner's skin. An idea went through Ronnie's mind, but the mere thought of the method to achieve it was repulsive. He thought of slicing his way to the core and plant some explosives.
- That's some good thinking! Do it! - said Garret.
- What is? - Tyler asked.
- Ronnie's thinking of detonating Balos's core! - said Garret.
- Go for it, before you change your mind! - Tyler said.
Ronnie was still hesitating.
- Do it, before I start slinging grenades at you! - Tyler got angry.
- Ok, alright, quit shouting! - Ronnie said, charged towards Balos's chest and stuck his blades in it. By that point the blood from where The Executioner's finger used to be had stopped flowing thanks to a nifty system that allowed the blood flow to be redirected away from any missing body part. The particularly difficult bit for Ronnie was piercing Balos's flesh with only one hand, due to the fact that Ronnie had not yet gotten entirely used to the weight of the blades. It was a daunting task, but he had no other choice. A flickering light pierced through the blood and flesh.
- "That's got to be the core!" - Ronnie said to himself. - "Ugh, gross, too much meat in the way. What am I - a butcher?". This was the point, at which slicing through the muscles became more fiddly than the usual. He had no idea how the core functioned and he was afraid that there would be some sort of failsafe that would harm him in some way. Funny enough, he was still cutting through muscles and even chipped some of the core's plating with his blades without any sign of him being imminently blasted away.
- "Right, now I need something that sticks... plastic explosives! No idea if C4 will work here. Hm, wait... what about Semtex? That was something like clay that easily goes boom. That should do." - Ronnie mused. He didn't know how to make a detonator for it, so instead, he opted for gunfire from a distance. But once he flew away from The Executioner, his mouth lit up. He was about to fire a laser beam at Ronnie.
- "Holy mother of Christ, what do I do now?" - he said to himself. Luckily, he had just the right tool to give an answer. None of the boys knew that they all too could shoot lasers from their eyes and mouths. So as soon as Balos opened fire, so did Ronnie.
- Wh... How's that possible? - Tyler was confused.
- He needs help! God knows how long he'll hold that up! - said Garret. With that they flew closer, so that they could figure out a way to distract him quickly and so that Ronnie could hopefully melt through his head.
- Don't let him pierce through Balos's head! - Ren'ul roared. - Fly in closer, so we could knock him out.
- If we fly in closer, we might alert him and we'll be shot! His eyes are missing, the control panel is damaged and he could consider us a threat. - the pilot said.
Tyler and Garret flew close to The Executioner's head and started shooting him in the neck. Balos stopped firing, because of the distraction and turned his gaze away from Ronnie. Thus Ronnie's beams hit the temple of his head and staggered him, leaving only a fairly small dent.
- Now! Detonate the core! - Tyler screamed.
Ronnie did not need a second invitation, charged up his beams and fired once more at his chest. It detonated. Fires spread within Balos's chest cavity. His blood caught fire. He tried to put out the fire with his hands, but to little avail. Balos fell like a building after a controlled explosion - gradually and rather gracefully in its own way. Unfortunately, he fell onto one of the walls of the castle. Gibel somehow survived. The ship landed quickly and so did Garret and Tyler. Just as they were about to feed Gibel with their fists, The Overlord quickly dashed out of the ship and knocked down Garret. Tyler tried to help him, but it didn't work. The Overlord was simply too skilled in hand-to-hand combat for him. With a few moves, Furot immobilised Tyler. He then grabbed Garret's arms and ripped them clean off his torso. Ren'ul did the same to his legs and then cast four tiny clouds that enveloped the places where his limbs used to be. His blood was pouring out and Garret was in excruciating pain.
- You fucker! Get off of him! - Ronnie growled and spat acid at Ren'ul. It melted some of the skin on his arms. The clouds disappeared shortly afterwards. Ronnie then opened fire at Ren'ul Furot. Tyler managed to get up and join Ronnie. They were not doing too well and neither was Garret. Gibel wanted to join the fight alongside his father, but he was denied that request:
- You won't be able to handle them! Go back to the ship! - The Overlord told him. Ronnie used that opportunity to kick him in the leg with the hopes of knocking him down and then follow it with another one to the face. He didn't land the second kick because of Furot's block.
- What do we do with Hexer? His limbs are gone! Why isn't he healing? - Tyler said upon helping Ronnie up.
- No clue. Drag him to safety. See if Sable can do anything about it. - Ronnie replied. - I'll handle the rest here.
- You won't! - Tyler said.
- Do you honestly believe we could do anything? The two of us and a dying limbless torso? - Ronnie asked him. - Now go!
Tyler obeyed, picked Garret and his limbs up and flew into the sky.
- Shall I open fire, my liege? - the pilot of the vessel asked. - The infantry is also curious if they have to be deployed.
- No, let them suffer... for now. And send my minions out. - said Ren'ul. - Gibel, you take over from here.
With those words he stepped to the side and let his son handle the remainder of the battle. Gibel then immediately ordered the infantry to open fire. Ronnie immediately got perforated and began bleeding. It didn't stop him, but the shock froze him in place for a moment. Somehow he shook it off and resumed fighting. The infantry consisted of Culvyns, heavily armed this time around. Despite the firepower upgrade and the number of combat hiccups Ronnie had during the fight, he bested them, dragged Gibel towards himself through the momentum he built up through the fight, grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the ground. It didn't immobilize him. Unfortunately for Ronnie, as much as The Overlord was extremely resilient, his son was no pushover.
- You won't beat me this easily. I'm the son of The Overlord! - Gibel proclaimed.
- And you're just as annoying! - Ronnie replied, aimed an Ultimax machine gun and opened fire. It didn't do much good - Gibel had the same armor his father and the assassins used. He quickly froze Gibel's right leg, ran up to him, knocked him down with a kick and tried to break his ribcage with an axe kick. Gibel dodged that kick, but Ronnie pulled him back with telekinesis, brought him to his knees and aimed a Desert Eagle at his head whilst holding it. Ren'ul gasped. Ronnie caught that with the corner of his eye. He then located the tiny device that projected the armour and broke it with a kick that was strong enough to break it and make Gibel flinch.
- Don't you dare move! - Ronnie said to Gibel. - I've had just about enough of your shenanigans and showboating! As for you, make a step! - he told Ren'ul. - Just flinch that leg and your son is dead meat!
Upon breathing in deeply a couple of times, Furot said:
- You won't shoot him. As I stated before, you're not the ruthless Ankonian whom I had the misfortune of calling "my biggest obstacle between me and my eternal throne".
Dust rose on the horizon. It was the military. Ronnie was not in the mood for further murder. He heard the mysterious voice again:
- "Do what you feel is right. You will be just fine."
Ronnie looked around and while he was distracted, Gibel tried to break free.
- Motherfucker! - with that he pushed Gibel to the ground, broke his shoulder with a kick, whipped out as many guns as he could and discharged them into his body. Ren'ul was in shock:
- Gibel! No! - he growled.
Once Ronnie was convinced that Gibel was dead, upon observing his body, which by that point had turned to Swiss cheese, he reached for his head and ripped it clean off.
- So what if I'm not "that" Ankonian? Tell me. No, actually, I'm not interested at all. My friend is dying a
s we speak. The one whose limbs you tore off. And this was for him. As for me, I'm keeping your dead son's corpse as a compensation. Have fun dealing with the army, you sick fuck!
Ren'ul wanted to do the same he did to Garret, but he was interrupted by the pilot of the ship:
- Sire, we simply cannot stay here anymore! We can't fight back! It's in our best interest to retreat!
- Your nightmares have only begun... - Furot said, boarded the ship and left the desert. Ronnie had to leave immediately, so he picked up the body and took off back home. His mind was completely empty as a result of the exhaustion until Sable contacted him:
- What happened?
Ronnie did not respond.
- Tell me, Ankonian, what happened?
- The Executioner is history. - Ronnie said.
- Kugen told me that already. What about you? - said Sable.
- I'm fine... sort of. I killed The Overlord's son.
- That's... astonishing! Was it him behind all of this? - Sable asked Tyler.
- Yes. - Tyler replied.
- Alright. You must come to New Hope immediately. If we examine his body, we might acquire some very useful information. - said Sable.
- Not until I see my family first. - said Ronnie.
- Ronnie, Garret's not doing good and it's your fault! Get your ass here right now! - Tyler shouted. Ronnie did not answer and instead killed the link. It was too much for him. He was going to fly for a long time and he needed it to clear his head as much as possible.
The Immortal Trinity: Inheritance Page 30
