Heroes of Mavia: A Journey Begins
By Phoenixfire083 — BOGG
She watched intently with laser focus at the foe before her. The barbarian beginning to raise his axe to start his attack. Lifting the axe over his right shoulder he screamed with ferocity as he charged forward. Shifting his weight to start the downward swing. The attack was swift and with precision, the perfect height and angle to rend her into two diagonal halves. The barbarian’s lean muscles tensed as the axe came down. Staying calm and reserved, she shifted her weight to the heel of her back foot. A mischievous grin crept onto her face as she sprung into action. Rolling under the swing she came up behind her foe as he slightly staggered from missing with his overpowered swing. Before he could recover and turn to face her, she already kicked backward, connecting with the inside of his left knee. The momentum of the swing, and the buckling of his anchored foot caused the brute to twist and fall to his side. Bracing the fall with his elbow of his right arm, he pushed with his left arm, and rolled out of the way before her blade could find its way into his side.
Squaring up to face her skilled attacker she did not want to hesitate further giving him the advantage of regaining his footing. He was already making his way to one knee when she bound forth with two quick steps and then launched forward. The barbarian grinned at her abrupt attack; sword raised in the air hungrily awaiting to sink its fang into his flesh. He let go of his axe and raised both hands and grasping at the wrist and arm of the warrior woman’s sword arm. Twisting and moving backward he used the force of her jump and began to swing her arm as if it were his own axe. That was where he made his mistake, as she slammed her into the ground, a cloud of dust erupted showing the woman had landed and absorbed the blow with a calculated bend of her knees. Still holding onto her wrist, he thought he had the upper hand, until he heard her start to chuckle. A sudden frantic beeping started to repeat with increased frenzy, followed by the whirling, and buzzing sound of something arming. His eyes opened in wide in shock, as did his grip, and it gave her the moment she needed to back handspring a couple lengths of her body away.
His eyes shut tightly; he could feel the straining muscles of his face as he waited for the worse. Instead of an explosion, arcs of energy spread through his body. His body constricted and he fell to the ground. He could feel the axe fall from his grip, and he knew he had been defeated. He watched helplessly as the purple-haired woman walked closer, a confident smirk on her face. Stopping in front of him, her black boots inches from his face. She leaned over to retrieve her sword that luckily was stuck blade first into the ground, hilt pointed upward ready for her to reclaim it. Smiling with a cocksure grin, she flipped the sword in front of her and it landed hilt first in her hand. She proceeded to walk behind him and pulled something out of a compartment from her utility belt. He fought with all his strength, even being paralyzed from the shock grenade, but it was futile. Realizing that she wasn’t going to kill him, as she pulled each arm behind his back placing a set of energy cuffs on him.
“Mira,” A distant voice screamed.
“Over here,” She replied loudly, followed with an annoyed sigh as she sheathed her sword, and then patted her hands off on her jeans, leaving traces of dirt and specks of grass.
A squad of soldiers materialized out of a wall of tall grass. Infantry with their assault rifles and shotguns at the ready as they instantly surrounded the downed prisoner, and the female warrior Mira, creating a perimeter. With the moment of peace, Mira combed loose purple strands of hair dangling in front of her eyes, and tucked it behind each ear, as a tall imposing figure emerged from the grass. The tall dark grey-haired gorilla surveyed the area of the fight and shook his head in displeasure as he saw her standing over the downed barbarian. Large metal shoulder pads and metallic battle armor strapped to his shirtless body, a large metal belt with the symbol of two bananas shone with a dull metallic sheen in the daylight.
“How did scouting ahead and staying out of site turn into a full-on brawl out in the open in the middle of daylight?” The gorilla growled, “you risked exposing our position by recklessly charging forward Mira,” the gorilla chided with his massive arms crossed across his chest, she rolled her eyes.
“C’mon DH,” Mira replied with an innocent glance of her eyes, “You know I wouldn’t have acted if it wasn’t for the best interest of the scouting party,” she continued as she sheathed her sword, “I weighed my options, and when I noticed that he had seen the position of your group,” she paused as she walked up to the gorilla, prodding her forefinger against his thick, muscular chest, “He was about to run back to relay the information to their base, so I acted.” She finished with a smirk as he was taken aback by the realization that she had saved them from the possibility of an escalated situation.
His scowl caused a couple nearby soldiers to scurry away, fearing that he might lash out a punishment. Mira didn’t shy away. She stood her ground and squared up against the massive gorilla who now closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Uncrossing his arms, he placed one on her shoulder, she felt the weight of his hand and it always caused her to steal a glance at his hands. The dark fir of his arm shifted to a smooth, flat, bluish surface of his diamond skin. The sunlight absorbed into a bluish stone, warped, and shifting to show the many facets and angles of his stone grip. Diamond Hands was a fierce warrior, and King of the gorillas of Diamond Peak of the mainland.
“The result may have been in your favor, but what if something went wrong Mira?” he countered with a gentle squeeze of her shoulder, “You should have at least reported in before you acted.”
“If I waited for any longer DH, we would be swarmed with berserkers, or a rain of mortar fire, or worse an aerial bombardment of whale blimps” she argued as he lifted his hands off her shoulder, “besides, we have a prisoner now who can tell us what we need to know about the defenses of the base.”
“You ain’t getting nothing out of me,” the barbarian challenged in defiance as he was lifted to his feet by two infantrymen.
“Oh, you will talk,” Diamond Hands growled with a menacing tone as he turned his attention towards the barbarian.
The prisoner held his head high to show he was not going to be intimidated. The blue war paint over his left eye covered his closed swollen eye, the result of his fight with Mira. His blonde braided beard was untangling and frayed, and a small trickle of blood started to run down his chin. Diamond Hands approached, and with each step, the barbarian realized how much larger the figure was. Soon his head craned upward as Mira watched DH stand directly in front of him. She stifled a chuckle at how imposing her mentor was trying to be, knowing full well that he could crush this barbarian’s head like a mango if he so chose. Yet, as hard, and strong as he was, Diamond Hands had a warmth to him when he allowed you the opportunity to get close, and his laugh was a lot more infectious.
“Go eat a banana, you ape,” The barbarian scolded, and spat upward, a glob of yellow phlegm splattered against the gorilla’s chest. Mira grimaced at the barbarian’s action; he didn’t realize what he had just started.
The barbarian’s defiant grin faded away as the blue diamond hands of DH wrapped around his throat, lifting his hefty body into the air like a sack of feathers. His feet flailed wildly as he tried to kick him in the chest, but to no avail. He choked and gasped for air, as the sound of grinding stone increased as DH started to clench his grip. Mira didn’t hear what DH whispered into the ears of his prisoner, but it did stop him from struggling.
It didn’t take long for the barbarian to talk, and for Diamond Hands to extract the information they needed. The base they were looking for was a few miles north of their position. The east side was along the banks of Sapphire Lake, and massive stone walls surrounded not only the exterior of the base, with sniper towers, three-barrel turrets, and anti-air missile launcher systems. The barbarians were dug in tight and were able to utilize the nearby areas to abundantly harvest the stones of a nearby quarry, gold from a nearby mine, and woods for all the wood they needed. It was a resource treasure trove and one that they needed to gain control over. Resources that they desperately needed, but not as much as the Ruby that every base coveted at this point. She gazed with longing at the tall Ruby pillar in the distance.
The Island of Mavia was a land full of abundant resources, and unprecedented beauty. A natural canvas of beautiful white sand beaches, lush forests, rolling hills, towering mountains, and everything in between. Its most prominent characteristic was a massive pillar of Ruby at the center. Towering over everything else, it was a beacon of beauty. The world outside of this island oasis was one rife with war and fighting between the many factions of the world. When the world recovered from a massive war, the Island of Mavia was honored as a place for all factions to visit peacefully, and it was deemed unlawful to establish any sort of base or facility on the island. People could visit, explore, and enjoy, but they had to honor the truce. It was so, and for many years, uncertain peace was had.
When the inevitable advancement of technology in the world was pushed forth, it was found that with the use of harmonics, and energy harnessing systems, there was a power locked within Ruby. Scientists used vibrational frequencies to channel nodes of energy locked within the stone. They were able to manipulate and pull nodes of energy to a single point within the Ruby and cut a gem that held energy within. With this nodal stone, you could power machines, and systems throughout the world. A large stone could power the entirety of a city for millennia. It could also be infused with minerals and materials to help strengthen metals, which made them more resilient and stronger.
With this revelation, there came a yearning for harnessing Ruby, and soon throughout the world, it became a coveted resource. The only place in the world where there was abundance was on the Island of Mavia. With the truce still in place, the leaders of the world wanted to ensure no nation or kingdom in the world could monopolize or conquer the island. Fear of a full-blown world war was abated with the Mavia Accords. The idea that any nation could not send their own troops or equipment to selfishly harvest the Ruby on the Island. The accord brought the creation of the Ruby Harvesting and Distributing Industry (RHDI). This became a neutral entity that was approved by the leaders of the world to harness the Ruby and distribute it equally throughout the world. They wanted to ensure the lowest number of casualties possible and the use of automated and AI-controlled vehicles was essential to the exploration and combat on Mavia. People had to fully volunteer on their own whim, to know the dangers of going to a place that was fast becoming a free for all. This was done through massive propaganda campaigns from all sides, to get fresh-faced warriors, scientists, and engineers, to gain recognition and celebrity if they did their part. Once people started to land on the island, they quickly scoured the place for the best areas to harness the natural resources of the land. It was agreed that no leader could control this business and the Ruby that was shipped to them. To ensure a leader couldn’t use power or corruption to take advantage of the system, it was ruled that if a leader wanted to get their hands on more Ruby, they had to be on the island themselves to utilize the service. They had to put their own lives at risk, just as the regular people who were willing to risk their own lives. If a leader ever tried to seize the island for their own selfish means, the nations of the world would join to eliminate the threat.
Mira was one of the volunteers, she was tested to ensure she could handle herself in battle and knew standard tactics for military strategy. She came here to make her mark on the world, one that seemed to limit her at every opportunity she tried back home. After proving her battle prowess, RHDI paired her with a battalion of soldiers, as well as researchers. Her group was given enough resources to establish a base on the Island of Mavia. Mira was a little late to the party, however, and to prevent starting in the territory of a strong rival, she found a place in the southern part of the island that was far from the threats of a rival base. They were surrounded by rolling green hills and were close to forests, a river of fresh water, and their geologists found a place to drill for oil. Unfortunately, it was found that they had little to no Ruby near their base at all. If she wanted to get her hands on Ruby, then she was going to have to fight for it. It was here that she came across Diamond Hands and his forces. Luckily no violence ensued, as both realized how much they needed an alliance at this time. It didn’t take long to amalgamate their groups into one force. It was then she found out that she was in the presence of royalty, and Diamond Hands true lineage as King of the Diamond Hand Nation. He was here to help bring extra Ruby to the gorilla Kingdom. One that was quickly falling behind on the technological advancements of the world. She respected Diamond Hands because he wanted to do everything he could to avoid fighting or go into any fight with the lowest chance of casualties as the outcome. She appreciated this because she too didn’t know how she felt about being under constant attack. Mira liked defeating opponents and proving herself to a rival. The rush of overcoming someone in a fight was nothing she had ever experienced before, and it drove her to be the best. However, she disliked the feeling of ending someone’s life and tried to avoid it at all cost. Diamond Hands felt the same.
The temptation of the promise of power, heroics, and wealth for those who helped harvest Ruby from the world was palpable. She caught herself still fixating on the distant peak of the ruby mountain, its peak wrapped in clouds, which glowed with an ominous red light from the sunlight that radiated through the massive gem. It bathed parts of the land in a red shadow at certain times of the day. As time passed by it made some of the troops superstitious, if you were unlucky to be bathed in the crimson light before battle, you would not be returning from the fight. Its beauty was luckily protected, as the RHDI had dubbed the natural landmark as untouchable. Anyone caught marring or trying to harvest the power within the large stone was punished instantly.
It was silly to Mira, she knew that skill and a patient mind would get her through the fight, and whether she was caught in the ruby glow was irrelevant. She shivered though as she felt the heavy steps of Diamond Hands approach her from behind, bracing herself mentally for another barrage of disappointment.
“Did we get what we needed from him?” she asked as she tried to avoid the hint that she was nervous. Not many individuals unsettled her, and DH’s temper was renowned for being a vortex of destruction to anyone who was swept up in it.
“Everything and more,” he answered with a sigh, causing her to look up towards him and she saw him staring off at the distant ruby pillar. He closed his eyes and breathed a calming breath, which caused her to chuckle suddenly.
“What’s so funny?” DH asked with an annoyed glance.
“I’m feeling that you are more worked up from his banana comment, rather than the information you just got from him,” Mira replied honestly, which she got a threatening glance.
“You know how much I hate bananas,” Diamond Hands replied, “And everyone just assumes because I am a gorilla that I like them. It is so arrogant.” His body shivered and he stifled a gag as the thought of eating a banana came into his mind.
“Are you going to be, okay?” she snickered patting him on the back. He always attributed his distaste for bananas to the fact that when you grow up in the Gorilla Kingdom eating the same thing over and over again, no matter what kind of iteration it was presented in, you get tired of it eventually.
“I will be once we are back at base and victorious,” he replied with a focused, calm voice.
“Are we heading back now? Or radioing in our coordinates to attack the base?” Mira asked, shifting her attention to a more serious tone.
“It will be tight, but I think we can win if we play this smart,” Diamond Hands said looking down towards her, she nodded in agreement.
Night graced the land with a tapestry of stars strewn across the black velvet canvas. A soft cloud of purple and blue wove itself through the constellations and caused the distant landscape to become shadowed walls of darkness. The ruby pillar had a soft red glow, that seemed to pulse softly, a beacon of hope for all who came to Mavia. Mira lay silently on her stomach overlooking a dark ridge, the base lay before her. Bright spotlights carefully combed the ground around the base constantly, relentlessly searching for intruders. Groups of soldiers could be spotted patrolling the walls within, and areas outside the base. Turrets on the walls slowly swiveled around, their motion sensors picking up every little movement. Programmed not to attack their own troops, or the subtleness of movements from something as simple as a waving piece of grass, or a bird. A couple of tanks could be seen parked but were unmanned. Most of the troops look to have been resting or turning in for the night.
She knew that they couldn’t be reckless or assume that they would catch them fully off guard. The initial attack would be swift, focusing on the defensive locations of the turrets, mortars, and sniper towers. Anything that could keep the pressure on their troops as they advanced. It would be only a quick matter of time before the enemy regrouped and countered the attack. She quickly stood up and moved to the cliff edge, she had a rope anchored to a large tree, and she quickly repelled down the face of the cliff. Bounding into a run when she hit the base, she quickly unlatched her harness and was free. Sprinting with all her might, she watched as an approaching spotlight was moving closer. She skidded on her knees behind a large rock just as the light passed over her. Luckily, the solace of the shadow hid her, and the light continued its path none the wiser.
Pulling out something from her belt, she looked in her hand at a laser pointer. It could only be spotted with a proper spectrum of light, that was tuned into a headset that Diamond Hands was using, waiting for her signal. She crept to the edge of the boulder and looked for her quarry. Above the main gate were two large flame turrets. A horror for any troops that tried to breach the main gate, as they would have fire rained down upon them. They drifted lazily from left to right, and she waited patiently to time the next moment. As the flamethrower on the right side of the tower reached the limits of one turn, she flashed her laser pointer toward a hose that connected to the barrel of a large tank. It happened quickly, she flashed the laser, and the sound of a muffled shot drifted into the air. Before anyone could react, the bullet from the sniper ruptured the hose spraying flammable liquid forth like a geyser. Fire erupted from a spark as the bullet nicked a piece of metal, and the gates erupted into a large fireball. The explosion crumbled the gate and chaos broke out.
Diamond Hands charged out of the darkness with a wave of troops, tanks rolled into position with a volley of fire, as shells rained down upon the barbarian base. Turrets shifted to meet them but were harried with tank fire, destroying them instantly. Barbarian soldiers rain to man the walls to brace for the attack. The spotlights all turned to flash towards the advancing troops, leaving Mira with an opening at the rear of the base.
She ran with the aid of the shadows of night and reached around her back to her belt and pulled out a folded piece of metal. Unfolding it, exposed hard steel wire, and a hook, and with it, she shot it towards the top of the wall, and felt it catch hold onto something above. Pushing a button, the wire started to retract, and she held on tightly as she jumped up and used the momentum to run up the wall. The force of the lift caused her to fly above the top of the wall, and land with grace in a striking pose to a shocked barbarian troop. Before he could react, she unsheathed her sword swiping horizontally cutting the straps that held his rifle. The gun fell to the ground before he could grip it to shoot her, and she smiled as he looked up helplessly. Jump kicked him in the chest, and he fell back off the wall into a collection of crates below. Shouts around the base caused her to freeze and duck down behind the inner parapet of the wall. After a few breaths, she knew she was not found, as the steps hustled past her and towards the front gate.
Looking towards the fire and dark plumbs of smoke that melded with the night sky and felt the urge to run and help Diamond Hands and the rest of the soldiers. Fighting the urge, she knew she had another task at hand, and in one quick motion, she bounded off the wall and slid down a ladder with ease. Touching ground on the packed dirt ground at the base, she ran towards a tall spherical building with two large telescopes protruding from the top. The laboratory is where they would keep the mainframes for the defensive systems of the base. It was also where they stored whatever ruby they had accumulated in storage. Mira had to move quickly because she knew that if the commander of the base saw that they were going to lose this fight, they would quickly order all ruby to be secured and moved to another location. Loud explosions caught her by surprise as the enemy got their tanks operating. Gunfire popped and whizzed in the distance, and the chaos of battle could be heard arising in the amber light of the growing fires.
Making her way to the entrance of the laboratory, she pushed her way inside into the unsettling empty building. She suspected to see frantic scientists and engineers running around, but to her surprise, it was seemingly abandoned. Following the shiny, white metallic walls of the main corridor light pulsed in waves down the top corners of the wall and ceiling. She quickly gazed into every window she passed to see if she could spot the soft glow of multicolored lights and mainframes. Instead, all she saw were research labs, chemistry sets, and half-finished R & D projects. Cursing as she reached the end of the hallway, she hoped that her bounty lay behind the last set of doors at the end of the hall. The doors slid open with a hiss, and her eyes widened as she saw a singular ruby gem on a cylindrical metal pillar, carefully nestled into a three-prong cradle that held it up. A lone figure in a large white lab coat stared at it and had his back to her. He stood with a slight hunch, and messy dark hair splayed wildly on his head. He turned when he heard the door, and he looked at her with goggled eyes, that glowed with a creepy green tinge in the shadowed room.
“Uh… get back,” he stammered as he reached under his lab coat and produced a sphere-like object in his trembling hand. His thumb wrapped around to the top and hovered over a red button.
“Direct all tank fire to those sniper nests,” Diamond Hands ordered with a growl as he pointed to the two towers that overlooked the walls of their approach. He flinched as a volley of bullets connected with the metal bodies of the tank he was huddled behind.
Crimson streaks of tracers from the bullet fire from the walls shot forward in a constant barrage as the defenders tried to slow Diamond Hands advance. Soldiers huddled in lines behind a row of five tanks as they approached, using them as a mobile cover so they could get closer. They returned fire to try and put pressure on the defenders, and minimize their counter. Rolling along slowly, unleashing a steady stream of heavy fire from their short barrels. Chunks of stone flew as the shells connected against the walls, chunks were removed, and cracks could be seen spreading across the smooth surface. The sooner they could breach the walls, the sooner this battle would be over.
The whistles of mortar fire screamed in the air before landing with a concussive blast. Dirt and soldiers flew into the air as one of Diamond Hand’s columns was struck with a precise hit. Cheers could be heard from the wall as the base celebrated a small victory over the advancing forces. Diamond Hands grimaced as he heard the cries of his injured soldiers drift through the smoke and dust of the explosions.
“Call in a squad of medical drones,” Diamond Hands ordered on his radio from his position.
A few moments later, one of the tank columns drove up next to the soldier column that was struck, giving extra protection as soldiers moved out from behind the cover to drag their injured comrades out of harm’s way. The sound of propellers filled the dark sky as a group of medic drones approached over the distant line of shadowed trees. They extended found legs as they got close to the ground as troops quickly dragged and carried the wounded near them. The drones could administer pulses of healing energies that would radiate in a green aura. The healing energies thrummed with a vibrating pulse, as the soldiers were slowly healed. It didn’t fully heal the soldiers, but minor wounds were fully mended, while heavy trauma could be healed to the point where they could be transported to a medical facility for proper healing.
With the wounded being taken care of, Diamond Hands focused ahead of him and the need to breach the wall. The base gate was where the focus was put on defense, and it would take too many resources, including the lives of his soldiers to breach it. Another barrage of tank fire erupted, all concentrating their fire on the same wall. A smile of relief spread across Diamond Hand’s face as he saw the radiant glow of the interior base lights beaming through a new hole that finally appeared in the stone wall surface.
“Concentrate all fire on that breach,” Diamond Hands ordered, and the tanks aimed their barrels towards the wall in question.
Before the tanks could start their final barrage, one erupted into a column of bright fire, the barrel rupturing off the body of the tank in an explosion. Diamond Hands looked up and his heart sunk as he saw four AI-controlled helicopters rising over the wall of the base, the displays of the computer monitors were showing emotionless green faces. It always unsettled him when he saw those displays, green lines on a blank, black screen. The displays before him now shifted from large circles for eyes, to what looked like upside-down “D’s, which gave the helicopters the look like they were angry. The steady line of the emotionless face turned into a frown, as they launched a second barrage toward the row of tanks.
Another tank erupted into flames as the rockets hit it directly. Diamond Hands growled in anger, as he realized that if he didn’t get his troops in the base as soon as possible, he was going to lose more soldiers than he wanted to. If Mira needed to take out the mainframe in the base and it would disable the AI units, and defenses.
Mira didn’t unsheathe her sword when the engineer exposed the bomb in his hand. She didn’t run forward to attack to disarm the scared man. The darkroom was bathed in the radiance of the lone red ruby gem, as it seemed to absorb the light from the few monitors and button displays from terminals that lined the side walls. From her peripheral vision, she saw the server room to her left, and she knew she needed to destroy them as soon as possible.
“No need to do anything rash,” She said with a warm, friendly smile trying to disarm the engineer’s fear, “We both know the law of the land, and that this isn’t anything personal.” Mira held her hands up innocently, to show that she wasn’t going to cause the man harm. She saw the very subtle movement of the engineer’s thumb as it lifted off the button.
“I know you didn’t sign up for this,” Mira continued, trying to coax the man into a sense of comfort, “you just want to work on the ruby, and unlock every part of its potential, but if you just let me do what I need to do. This will be over, we will be gone, and you can live to continue your research.”
She saw the shoulders of the engineer slump a little bit, as he thought of what she was saying. She couldn’t see his eyes behind the green glow of the goggles he wore, but she could see by his body language that he was starting to ease up, she dared a step forward.
“I’ve come too far to let my research be stopped right now,” he argued, the tone in his voice shifting from one of uncertain fear to that of determination, “You won’t get in my way, nor will you stop the Big Hammer King from getting what he wants.”
The engineer started to cackle maniacally, and at that moment, Mira knew that there was no way to talk this man into surrendering. With a click, his thumb pressed down on the sphere in his hand, and in a swift motion, he launched in the air towards Mira. She watched with unblinking focus as the sphere twisted through the air, slowly spreading apart, and landing on a tripod of feet. The button that was pushed now emitted a red glow that gave the sphere a look of an eerie eye. A ticking sound started and was soon followed by what sounded like a computerized giggle, as it started to run towards her. Mira sighed with annoyance, as she ran towards the small mechanical sphere. The sphere would detonate when it got close to her, so she had to act quickly. She decided to run in an outward circle around the sphere and tried to close the gap of the engineer who now frantically worked to activate three more spherical automatons.
Mira jumped as the first one quickly closed the gap, she launched into a roll and bounded up on her feet again as the bomb exploded behind her. She felt the concussive blast and winced as a piece of metallic shrapnel cut into the backside of her right leg. Positioning herself with the server room behind her, she looked to see two starting their approach, while the third was just extending its metallic legs. She acted with instinct and reflex, unsheathing her sword with one hand, and pulling out her grapple gun with the other. With a quick movement, she threw the sword forth, and it landed blade first into the closest drone. Sparks flew wildly as energy arched out of it at the breach where the blade punctured the metal body, and the red-eye faded. Aiming quickly, she shot her grappling gun towards the furthest bomb and watched as the metal grapple wrapped around the circular body. Jumping backward in a backflip as the closest drone approached, she used the momentum of her flip and flicked her arm backward like a whip. The grapple gun wire drew taught and launched the drone past her and through the glass wall that separated the lab from the server room. With her sword hand freed, she pressed a button on her belt and a light blue shield surrounded her, just as the last drone reached her and exploded in time with the drone she had just launched into the server room.
Glass rushed out behind her in a wave of tempered shards. The fire wrapped around her shield, and the glass rained down upon the bare metallic floor. The engineer turned to see his handy work and instead recoiled in shock to see an unscathed Mira walking towards him, pulling her sword from the junk carcass of the drone she had disabled. The protective blue shaded flickered and faded as it had absorbed the maximum amount of kinetic force that it could withstand.
“You won’t stop us,” he said determinedly as he pushed a button on the console before him.
Mira watched as the pedestal that held the intricately cut ruby gem, as a robotic arm descended from the ceiling and clung to the gem. It lifted it, turned, and followed along a track in the ceiling where it disappeared behind a small, perfectly cut hole in a large metal door. A small metal door seal closed behind it, sealing the red light within. The door opened slowly, creating a beam of red light, and revealing a large mech, with the same style of AI display that was known to be put onto most of the autonomous vehicles used on the Island of Mavia. Mira didn’t see the engineer run out of the room; her eyes were fixed on the mech as it stepped out of its confines with a loud, heavy step. How it was still operational, she didn’t know or understand. With the server room now destroyed, all automated units should be nothing more than giant paperweights, but alas, here she was.
She quickly peered behind her to the doors that led out of the laboratory. Hopefully Diamond Hands was having better luck now.
Diamond Hands watched on the backs of his soldiers cheers as the bases automated helicopters fell out of the sky, crashing into the ground in a flash of fire, and twisting of metal. Gunfire still harried his soldiers as they tried to huddle behind the few remaining tanks that they had available. The wall was full of holes, and cracks, and was ready to crumble, and in the chaos of the automated systems failing, Diamond Hands roared in defiance and leaped forward from his cover behind the lead tank. With great bounding leaps, he drove himself forward, and with all his might behind his momentum and indestructible fists, he punched the deteriorating wall.
The stone collapsed inward, sending rocks crumbling within, and the breach in the wall was finally achieved. The lead tank was right behind Diamond Hands and drove over the pile of rubble and into the base, where it quickly targeted enemy positions that were now no longer had cover from behind. The bases defending soldiers chaotically tried to defend the breach, but more started to retreat and move to avoid being compromised. Soldiers poured in and the fight became more hectic as the close quarters were met. Diamond Hands roared in triumph and watched as his inspired troops took to destroying vehicles and soldiers. A couple of barbarians rushed him, axes held high, and he laughed as all thoughts of losing were now evaporated from his mind. He met the downward swing of one of the barbarians and caught the blade in his left hand. The diamond absorbed the blow with ease, and he lifted it up high before him while punching out with his right. One barbarian flew back as he was punched, and the other desperately held onto the haft of his axe and kicked out trying to get Diamond Hands to release his grip on his axe blade. Diamond Hands threw the axe and the barbarian out wide, and he continued forward, finding the laboratory in the distance, and where Mira would be. He knew that she had succeeded but was worried now that she had not joined him on the battlefield.
Mira jumped back in a back handspring as the hammer hand of the mech swung wildly and relentlessly towards her. Hammer and Axe arms spun like a propeller, as each massive leg slowly advanced the machine’s steps. It stopped abruptly and both began to spin vertically, twisting into diagonal trajectories, spinning in time that both weapons didn’t connect with each other, but kept a constant barrage of death toward her. She panted as she was forced to leap out of the way and launching into another series of front handsprings and flips as she tried to find time to stop and regroup to counterattack. The mech realized she was out of its reach, so its whirling arms of death stopped, and two shoulder-mounted cannons appeared. Cartwheeling out of the way as a barrage of bullets started to spray towards her, she landed and jumped into a roll, and then dove behind a computer console.
“Relentless,” she said annoyed as she took a quick breath to recover, as she felt the vibration of the many bullets hitting the metallic cover behind her.
She risked peeking from behind to see the approaching mech, the green face on its chest display, now grinning with a maniacal-looking grin, and narrowed eyes as if it was enjoying the chase. She noticed under the display, a circular glass porthole, and the red glow of the ruby inside. Gripping the hilt of her sword, she took a deep breath and repositioned her feet under her. The mech reached the console, lifted both arms into the air, and hammered down on the console. The axe split the console into twine, while the hammer smashed one side into a slim piece of metal and wire. As it lifted the hammer arm, Mira leaped with all her might, and grabbed the haft of the arm and let it lift her off the ground. The mech tried to swing the axe, but she was now within its swing radius and used the momentum of the lift to jump onto the mech’s shoulder. Sinking her sword deep into the left shoulder of the mech, she destroyed one of the cannons. The mech started to spin, faster and faster, and she held on as long as she could as the spin picked up in momentum. Mira felt her hands slipping, her grip weakening as the spinning increased in speed, and the centrifugal force picked up.
Diamond Hands ran into the laboratory, and down the white hallway. Reaching the final doorway. Normally it would slide open with a hiss, but instead, he ran into it. Peering through a small window he looked in and saw Mira dangling precariously on the shoulders of a large mech.
“Mira,” he screamed, and he started to punch the door leaving faint traces of denting in the thick metallic obstacle.
Mira couldn’t hold on anymore and was launched off the shoulders and tumbled roughly across the metallic floor of the inner laboratory. Struggling to stand up, she felt the room spinning, and she stumbled and fell as she attempted to get to her feet. Shaking her head vigorously to regain her senses, she looked towards the mech who slowed its spin, now realizing that she was no longer on its shoulders. Its upper body spun until the display squared up to her. The legs walked slowly in a circle to match where its upper torso, and it then started to walk forward.
Mira cursed as she saw her sword still stuck in the shoulder of the mech, but she was grateful to realize the other shoulder gun hung limply, her sword must have damaged its targeting system. It still had the menacing hammer and axe arms that were now being lifted as it approached her. A dull pounding sound quickly caused her to turn, and she saw the outline of Diamond Hands face in the small window to the room, as he attempted to punch his way into the room.
She knew she didn’t have much time, and there was no guarantee that Diamond Hands would be able to breach the door in time to help her. A smile appeared on her face, she wanted to dismantle this machine before DH entered the room, she was competitive that way. Taking a quick breath, she ran forward.
Diamond Hands stopped punching as he realized he was not making much of a sizeable dent in the door. He watched helplessly as Mira ran weaponless towards the mech. And there was nothing he could do to help her.
Mira ran forward, focused and with precise movements. The axe arm raised into the air, as the Hammer arm started to swing outward. The axe swung downward, and she launched into another cartwheel, as the axe blade barely missed her before digging deep into the floor. Then shifting into a front handspring again jumping over the hammer as it swung horizontally under her stomach. She used the momentum of her handspring to jump upward and grab onto part of the mech and climb back up to her sword. This time she didn’t stay up there and let the mech try to spin, but it couldn’t because of the stuck axe head. Landing behind it, she heard the gears and hydraulics groan in protest as it couldn’t move. Finally wrenching the axe free, it spun, but by the time it turned its body around, Mira already moved under its legs, activating the energy blade of her sword, she cut through the hydraulics behind the right knee easily enough of the right leg, and the mech tumbled to the ground.
It whirled and groaned as it did a quick diagnostic to recalculate its response. She didn’t wait for it to regain any sort of advantage, and as the mech attempted to push itself off the ground, she cut the axe arm of at the elbow. Soon the display was pointed up towards the ceiling, and Mira stood triumphantly on top of the mech. The green display showed one of shock, as the mouth and eyes all looked like giant “O’s”. She saw the small red hole where the ruby rested, and she thrust downward just above it to cut a hole into the body of the mech. The mechs display shut off, and Mira sat down on the body of the mech, just as Diamond Hands forced his way into the room by prying the doors open with his fingers and unmatched strength. With a smile of triumph, she reached down into the hole of the mech and lifted out the ruby, holding it up for Diamond Hands to see. He shook his head in disbelief but smiled as he realized she was okay.
Mira admired the ruby in her hands, so intricately cut and shaped. Then her eyes locked on a pulse of red light that seemed to be within the hard walls of the gem. It pulsed slowly at first, and that’s when she realized that her blade must have cut the gem, as the light seemed to be coalescing towards a small line on the gem’s outer surface.
“You really know how to give an ape anxiety,” Diamond Hands chuckled in relief as he approached, not realizing how much of Mira’s attention was on the gem in her hand.
Her eyes were transfixed on the increasing pulsing light as if she was hypnotized by it. Something within her told her to hold on tighter as if to crush the gem in her hand. Even though all parts of her mind told her that it wouldn’t do anything. Something was drawing her to it. Diamond Hands noticed Mira was captivated by the ruby in her hand, and something within him told him to get it away from her, as he realized there was an increasingly pulsing light that emanated through her fingers.
Before he could reach it, she let her instincts take control and she clenched her grip tightly. The gem surprisingly crumbled with ease in her grip, red arcing energy wrapped around her arms, and body, and she convulsed and constricted her body. Diamond Hands grabbed onto her, but his hands were pushed away by red arcing energy. It was over as quickly as it began, and Mira lay unmoving on the ground, her right hand surrounded by specks of red gem-like pebbles. Diamond Hands picked her up and ran from the building, trying to get her to a medic as fast as he could.
The throbbing in her head pounded like an angry child throwing a tantrum. All she felt was the constant beating within her skull as the subtle sounds of medical equipment slowly faded into her senses. Opening her eyes revealed a white blur, with dark splotches spattered about. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust and to realize that she was laying down, a thin sheet covering her body. Sitting up was more challenging than she anticipated, but with a grimace and strong will she sat up. Her body felt stiff and weak at first, but as she stretched and turned to scan the room around her, she felt the discomfort fade quickly.
“Had us all scared for a bit, Mira,” a familiar voice sounded from her left.
Mira carefully turned her head slowly, as the stiffness was still apparent, and she didn’t want to tweak a muscle in her neck. Taking up the entirety of the doorway was a leaning Diamond Hands, both arms crossed, but the soft blue of his hands could be seen under his arms. He was no longer donned in his battle armor, and instead wore basic black pants, with a belt buckle of two giant bananas the symbol of his kingdom. She smiled, as she chuckled internally at how much her mentor hated the fruit, but because it was the sigil of his kingdom, he had no choice but to wear it.
“How long have I been out?” she asked with a groan as she swung her legs over the medical bed.
“A couple days now,” he paused as he moved out of the doorway and walked up to stand before her, “enough time for the medics to confirm that you are out of harm’s way, and for us to retrieve the bounty from the raid.”
“Hope it was worth the trouble,” Mira replied with an uncertain chuckle at the end, as she dared stand up. Her legs wobbled as her feet planted onto the cold metallic floor, a warm, strong hand of Diamond Hands graced her shoulder to help support her.
“They had a good pool of gold, oil, and wood. Enough for us to make necessary upgrades to both of our bases. Your people are waiting for your recovery before committing to certain projects and research. However, I told them that their primary focus was to upgrade your wall from these warn out wood fencing to stone. There was some stone salvageable from the base we just took, so it won’t be too long.” Diamond Hands explained as Mira started to walk around him towards a table with her things waiting for her, all neatly stacked and arranged to ensure she hadn’t misplaced anything.
Diamond Hands watched unblinking as she made it to the table, removing his hand from her shoulder, and he wanted to make sure she was able to move on her own safety. She turned and looked at him, then quickly glanced to her clothes, signaling it was time to leave the room so she could change. He smiled and nodded in understanding and quickly stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Moments later she emerged and the two walked out of the medical bay of her base. The sun greeted Mira along with the cheers and applause from some of the soldiers and workers that saw her. Lifting her arm in a wave of appreciation, she really felt embarrassed deep down. The success of the raid was primarily due to the actions and response of Diamond Hands, or so she kept to herself.
“Did we find anymore Ruby?” she asked as they turned down a stretch of road that was flanked by gold, oil, and stone storage facilities. A new structure was being built at the end of the row, the skeletal metal frame showing that it was going to house a large hangar door.
“Yes, not as much as we would have liked, but enough to increase the power output of both bases, that will make our defenses more sustainable and efficient.” Diamond Hands explained with a grin, and it put Mira at ease, knowing that her base and soldiers would be better protected in the future from the type of raid she and Diamond Hands just executed.
“Our engineers and researchers are concerned however with the Ruby that you discovered, and subsequently was destroyed in your hand,” he continued, his tone turning more serious as he slowed his pace to a standstill.
Mira turned and looked up at her towering ally, an inquisitive and confused look in her eyes. She shook her head not understanding what he was implying and making him get to the point.
“They did preliminary tests and scans on you when you were out Mira, and to everyone’s surprise, it seems the power of the Ruby has been infused within you.” Diamond Hands revealed with a confused look on his face.
“Within me?” Mira replied with a hint of disbelief as she gazed down at her hands, turning her palms upwards and then downwards, “I don’t feel any different, I don’t think.”
Mira didn’t want to dwell on what this revelation meant. For now, everything felt normal and fine, besides the slowly dwindling throbbing in her head.
“It’s something we will have to monitor over time, but they said that your vitals are above normal, that even the muscular structure of your body has been affected. It’s possible that the ruby you found powering that mech was upgraded you in some way.” Her eyes shot open in surprise.
“If it is something that the other bases have discovered, then it is something we need to put our focus into,” Mira said with determination, and she wasn’t wrong.
The name the Big Hammer King echoed in her mind. A name that was whispered in disdain throughout the world, and if he was already harnessing the power of ruby not only to power his bases, and vehicles, but also using it to upgrade his most powerful fighters. They had some catching up to do.
“Agreed,” Diamond Hands answered with his own determined nod, and the two continued their walk. “We were able to salvage some of the research from the research facility, and our people are working on it feverishly. They know what’s at stake.”
“Good,” Mira answered with focused stare as they rounded another corner, but she stopped suddenly as something was being built, a statue.
“It wasn’t my idea, and the troops felt it was important to honor your work during the last raid.” Diamond Hands said with a smile as he followed her gaze to the statue being constructed that resembled Mira’s likeness, and he saw the uncertainty in her eyes.
“I agree,” he chuckled as he saw the shock in her face, “I normally would have had this stopped, as I also wouldn’t feel comfortable with a statue in my honor,” he paused and placed one of his blue diamond hands on her shoulders. “Your soldiers were inspired by your willingness to sacrifice yourself to save as many of them as you could. Consider it an honor when your soldiers think of you this highly. They will look at this statue every day now and know that it will push them to excel and perform at a higher level, to mirror your dedication.”
“I hope I don’t let them down,” Mira’s voice cracked in embarrassment, ending with a cough.
“So, what’s next?” she asked Diamond Hands as they both looked above and beyond the statue to the distant snow-covered peaks to the north. Towering over them in the distance was the Ruby pillar that drew everyone to this island, that held the hope of everyone on the planet.
“Keep gathering resources, upgrade our base and equipment, and stay focused on not losing our minds to the greed that fuels everyone else.” Diamond Hands tone shifted from hope to disdain as he ended his sentence.
Mira nodded in understanding. They were both here to push to get the resources and energy for both their people back on the mainland. In a land full of fighting and with limited rules, however, it was easy for one to fall into the clutches of greed. She would not allow it, though, she would not succumb. She was here to make a difference, and with a quick glance at the statue being erected in her honor, there was now a responsibility she had. Being a Hero of Mavia now was an honor to those who were able to make a name for themselves.
“Want to get something to eat?” Mira asked suddenly, realizing that her stomach was growling something fierce.
“I could eat,” Diamond Hands said excitedly.
“I could really use a banana milkshake,” Mira teased, patting Diamond Hands on the back.
“Please don’t,” he struggled to respond as he tried to stifle a dry heave at the thought.
“What?” Mira replied, holding up her hands innocently as they walked through the base.
He playfully shoved her arm, and she stumbled a bit as they continued. Mira broke out into laughter, and it was too contagious for DH to ignore.
Stay Tuned for Chapter 2!
