Heroes of Mavia: Under the Crimson Shadow

Phoenixfire083 — BOGG

“Push forward,” Diamond Hand’s commanded, his voice barely audible over the sounds of battle and howling wind.

Huddling behind the burnt-out husk of one of his last tanks, flames angrily trying to escape the metal chassis. It was the only relief he felt against the icy blast of the storm cascading down the frozen peaks of the Snowy Mountains. DH could feel his tips of the fur on his body as they froze, each exhale a noticeable thick plumb of white. Open before them was the recently breached inner wall, scarcely visible as the white out enveloped them.

“C’mon troops, give ’em hell,” Axel bellowed suddenly as he charged into the cover next to DH.

Throwing a grenade into the breach, he watched eagerly as it disappeared into the storm. Grinning mischievously as an explosion echoed of the storm carrying on the frozen wind the screams of those caught in the blast.

“Nice throw,” DH smiled at his shorter companion who just cackled maniacally as he loaded shells into his shotgun, Betty.

“Barbarians advance now,” DH ordered as he attempted to shield his face from the wind with his diamond hand. He was still getting used to utilizing barbarians in his tactics but saw their effectiveness after their defeat at the hands of the Big Hammer King months ago.

They materialized out of the thick snow-filled air, ferociously screaming with hammers lifted high as they charged toward the breach. Peaking from behind cover, DH watched as the barbarians bounded over the crumbled remains of the wall. He was gritting his teeth in anticipation as he readied to lead the charge of his remaining forces. The first barbarians disappeared through the haze of ice and snow; their screams abruptly stopped as a giant blue cloud roiled out of the gap. DH watched helplessly as the barbarians were enveloped and turned into frozen effigies, icicles pointing behind them from the sudden sub-zero blast. Those lucky enough to have missed the full blast moved slowly, their skin a faint blue hue as they attempted to push forward. Unfortunately, the charge was stopped by the defenders within.

“They have an ice turret?” Axel gasped in confusion, “How was that noticed in the scouting report?”

Diamond Hand’s clenched his jaw in frustration as he watched the barbarian charge falter. His breathing became heavy.

“We need to get in there,” Axel growled as he tightly clutched his weapon, “what’s the plan, ape?”

“I’m thinking,” DH growled back, equally frustrated with the sudden turn of events.

A couple of their soldiers ran to rescue the few barbarians who could still move by trying to pull their partially frozen bodies to safety. Another blue blast puffed out of the gap leaving more frozen statues in its wake.

“If we don’t act now, we will have to retreat,” Axel warned as he watched another soldier try to rush to save a friend, timing his approach for when the blast dissipated, but only to be taken out by a sniper.

Diamond Hand’s mind raced. None of the intel given stated an Ice tower, and he brought every unit he felt necessary for the attack, suicide cars, and doge rocket troops for breaching the walls. Barbarians, soldiers, and snipers helped weaken and take out defenses, while tanks took the brunt of the attacks. Due to the altitude of the base, he opted not to bring aerial forces in case of unpredictable weather, which would make his AI choppers useless. All his main forces were now destroyed, and he was drained of his ruby power to breach another section of the wall. They just had to get through this point, and victory would be theirs, but now he wasn’t sure.

“It’s now or never, ape,” Axel growled impatiently, but DH was lost for what to do next.

“Sound the retreat,” DH sighed in frustration.

“Like hell,” Axel yelled and charged out of cover.

“Axel, get back here,” DH screamed, but his order fell on deaf ears.

Axel charged forth, gripping Betty tightly. Grenades attached to his bandoliers dangled precariously with each step. He felt the snap of passing bullets as the defenders shot through the white of the storm, barely missing him. Summoning the Ruby power within, he felt the growing tingle of energy fill his body. As he jumped to the center of the breach, the Ice Tower unleashed another ice-blue cloud. Axel felt the air temperature drop; hisskin tingled like a million needle pricks. Bursting through the cloud, he dropped to his knees and skidded along the snow, to the surprise of the defenders. Axel had tiny icicles accumulated on his thick mustache and earlobes, but he looked undeterred in his advance. With a quick movement, he threw a grenade with impeccable aim, and it disappeared down the barrel of the Ice Tower. With a scream, he unleashed a pulse of Ruby energy, launching all the grenades off his bandolier in a cluster, leaving empty pins dangling. The explosions ripped through the snowstorm. The barrel of the Ice tower ruptured and split apart. Sandbag walls ruptured, and defenders dove as grenades exploded everywhere.

“Attack!” Diamond Hand’s roared as he realized Axel’s brash tactics brought them the break they needed to advance.

After the chaos of the waning battle subsided, the storm began to dissipate. DH found Axel sitting comfortably on a snow-covered box. A handful of enemy soldiers were on their knees with their hands over their heads in surrender. DH locked eyes with his ally, shaking his head in disbelief before sitting down next to the grizzled soldier. An audible sigh puffed out in a thick white cloud.

“You gave up too easily,” Axel spoke calmly, his eyes glued to his gun.

“We lost too many,” DH answered with disappointment, “I felt it was the best choice in the moment.” Axel let out a skeptical grunt.

“I feel you’ve been losing your edge, Ape,” Axel replied with disapproval, “you seem more hesitant these days.”

“When could you withstand a full blast from an Ice Turret, huh?” DH asked Axle to change the subject.

“I didn’t know, in all honesty,” Axel said with a shrug, “I figured it was either freeze-to-death pushing forward or freeze-to-death running. You know I don’t like running.”

The remaining forces loaded up the resources gained from their conquest as the thick grey clouds began to reveal a pristine blue sky. DH ensured they retrieved all data from the enemy’s research facility and sent it back to base. Leaving the survivors to sift through the blackened husks of their former base, DH’s forces started their trek back home. Memories poured through his mind to when they had to rebuild after their defeat at the hands of the Big Hammer King. The lingering scent of decay and destruction stained his senses. The images of familiar faces whose smiles would never grace the light of day again. A heavy sensation filled his chest as the base disappeared behind them, swallowed by jagged peaks; his breathing again became difficult. He focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and he began to calm down as they marched further down the mountain trail. Their previous tracks were already covered by a new blanket of pristine white snow.

Axel marched next to him for most of the journey, lighting a new cigar and trying to prod Diamond Hand’s to talk about what happened on the mountain. After a few attempts were brushed off by DH, he stopped, and they walked in silence. DH’s mind recalling how this journey started out accidently, infusing the Ruby into their beings, but since their defeat, it became almost an obsession for Mira. DH knew that to overcome the Big Hammer King, they would need to become stronger, but he knew obsession led to a dark path. Nero came to his mind filling him with regret. Anger stirred within him, knowing he was now amongst the enemy forces, blinded by his insatiable desire for power. No matter how much he seemed to accomplish, failure seemed to follow in his wake. DH wondered if defeat was all he was destined to experience when he pulled himself from the rubble after their defeat. His mind saturated in his doubt, that even when he saw Mira and the survivors emerge from the bunker, he felt no relief.

His uncertainty started to overshadow is confidence once they started to pick up the pieces. The RHDI who tracked everything going on the island sent them replacement buildings and materials to replace those that were lost. Mira and him, although they had come to common ground before the attack, started to argue on the next direction. DH found that after the defeat he was easily irritated, and her constant disproval of his decisions made him waiver even further. It wasn’t any fault of hers for how he chose to deal with the trauma of loss, but the heightened emotions overboiled into uncomfortable fights. He respected Mira, and she him. So, they agreed the only way to salvage their friendship was for some time apart. Diamond Hands packed up and moved to Axel’s base, bringing troops that he promised him during their initial alliance agreement. Mira wasn’t happy with losing the resources, even temporarily, but honored the agreement.

For the next six months they focused on rebuilding and accumulating resources to upgrade their equipment and forces for the upcoming fight against the Big Hammer King. Knowing that he was aware of their intention and seeing his strength they knew building their alliance was a priority. This way they could still strike at his bases, but not draw attention directly to them. Luckily, Mira had collected enough data pertaining to the many bases throughout Mavia, and she sent out alliance requests. With the information they had gathered showing the reach of the Big Hammer King’s influence, and displaying the ruby powers that they had required, their numbers began to swell. Many flocked to Mira’s call, making her the impromptu figurehead of their cause. DH was relieved for this, as he was able to focus on being a soldier again. Mira did reach out to DH for advice on a strategy, but he noticed that she wouldn’t listen. After awhile DH deflected the chance to talk, saying he was busy training the soldiers or was gone scouting. Eventually they drifted, and DH felt it was a better situation for both. But that was war, it changed people, and DH knew that sometimes you had to let go of those you cared for, and hope when the dust settled that you could find the peace of mind to reconnect, or so he rationalized.

The air began to warm as they descended, and lively sounds of birds singing their mellifluous songs soothed the doubt in his mind as the musty scent of the forest filled his senses. DH found peace in the forest as he took a giant breath, a rare smile crept across his face as he took the simplicity and beauty of the land around him.

“Smiling?” Axel commented suddenly, evaporating the smile from DH’s face, “Should’ve taken a picture so I can remind everyone that you’re still capable.”

“Happiness isn’t a luxury during war,” DH challenged causing Axel to scoff at the remark.

“But hope is the flame that helps fuel our resolve,” Axel replied, “but I know you were just thinking of the banana pancakes at base.”

“You had to go and ruin the moment,” Diamond Hand’s grumbled playfully.

The lighthearted banter between the two soldiers was a bright side to what was normally a dreary outlook for DH.

“Ruin?” Axel laughed, “If my memory serves me well, I not only watched you eat the whole plate.”

“I just returned from two consecutive base attacks, surviving only on bland military rations for a couple weeks. I was famished,” DH replied sternly, which caused Axel to nod facetiously and roll his eyes. Both began to chuckle.

The bond between soldiers was unbreakable once the brotherhood was established. Both served in their nation’s armies during the great war. Both lost friends and suffered unbearable trauma as well. Axel knew how to talk and relate to DH’s torment without judgement, nor did he push to learn more than DH was willing to share. They both knew that desperate times lead to desperate actions that most would never understand.

“So, are we going to keep avoiding talking about what happened up their?” Axel asked bluntly, causing DH to frown annoyingly at Axel.

“What do you mean?” DH deflected innocently, “I had no more ruby power, I assessed the situation and made the right call, how was I supposed to know you were resistant to the blast from an Ice Tower?”

“We were definitely in a tight spot, but we’ve been in worse Ape,” Axel replied honestly, “In those times you found a way to push through the odds. I just hope you aren’t losing your edge. We need you now more than ever.”

Diamond Hand’s nodded as Axel explained his concern. It wasn’t that DH wasn’t oblivious to his apprehension, it screamed at him every time it arose when things became dire. It haunted his dreams, Nero standing over him, forcing him to stare at the bodies of Mira, Daphne, and Axel all strewn about mountains of faceless corpses of those who had died under his command. With every victory they had attained, the list of those lost grew, and he felt his heart for the fight dwindling. As his own personal power grew, he felt powerless to save everyone. What the was the true cost of the power they now pursued? It was something he always feared. After the dust settled, would the cost of life be worth it? His mind drifted to Mira in that moment. Her mind was made up in the use of Ruby infusions, and he didn’t have the fight to try and shift her course. How long had it been since they had talked? He sighed, there was always time to bury the hatchet once the war was over, he promised himself.

“Update,” Mira growled with growing impatience as she swivelled in her chair towards the bustling activity of the headquarters.

“Coming boss,” Daphne responded, her voice cracked with a hint of panic as she tapped her fingers anxiously against the console in front of her. “It looks like the attack was a success, but barely. Axel reported significant losses.”

“Good,” Mira answered coldly ignoring the loss of life as she quickly updated a list used to track the recent set of attacks. Marking the base that DH and Axel had just attacked with three stars. A system she used to gauge the success of each attack based on the amount of damage done, and resources received.

“It was noted that we missed an Ice Tower that almost thwarted their attack,” Daphne added as she approached Mira, who looked at her with skepticism as if it was impossible for her to have made a mistake.

“Alliance squads are all reporting successful attacks and massive amounts of resources from their victories. A strong push in the south from Teams Flying Whales, Ruby Raiders, and Team OMG has weakened the Big Hammer Kings presence in that region. Team Sage, and Agents of Mavia are stating that the western lines of the Big Hammer King’s bases have suffered significant losses and are severed from supply lines.”

“Everything okay, Boss?” Daphne asked with concern as she waved her hand in front of Mira’s face as she gazed off in the distance, only tensing when Daphne dared put her hand on Mira’s shoulder.

“Yea,” Mira responded with a forced smile, as she rolled her shoulder to remove the hand.

Mira’s mind raced with a mixture of frustration and concern whenever Diamond Hand’s name appeared on her reports. The rift that appeared between the two of them after their defeat still stung her heart and was a wound that hadn’t fully healed. There was a moment when she thought everything between the two of them had settled, but that was before their base was decimated by the Big Hammer King’s forces. A retaliatory attack from her kidnapping the Mad Engineer without communicating her plans with him. Mira thought she was successful in her task, but in the end found out it was an elaborate set up by the Big Hammer King to toy with them. Where she thought they would have an advantage, blew up with the automatized effigy that was the Mad Engineer, after a cryptic and dire warning from the Big Hammer King himself. The guttural words that the Big Hammer King clung to her mind as she huddled in the bunker as the whale blimps rained down fire on their base. Her spirit was crushed, but her resolve to beat the vile enemy was all that she could focus on, and no one was going to stop her from her goal.

When she found DH aimlessly walking amongst the ruins of their base, she was relieved, but she saw a light faded from his eyes. In the days after the defeat, she noticed DH’s temperament had changed as well. He was more hesitant to act, and he thought of every choice that she made as brash, unsafe, or foolish. However, she didn’t back down from his criticisms, and she found it easier to demand what she wanted. Mira knew that DH was important in gaining the victories of the future, so she pressed him on numerous occasions to talk through his trauma and overcome it. It was the first and only time Mira allowed DH to fully unleash a verbal flurry of frustration onto her. Once he was finished, face flush and veins bulging from his temple, she took a deep breath and warned him to never talk to her like that again. She tried not to take the anger personally, as she knew that the loss triggered past trauma from the previous war, but it was easier said than done. Mira focused on the tasks at hand, and as time passed, she knew that the rift that was forming between them would not be bridged anytime soon. So, he left for Axel’s base, to give each other room to organize, lead, and heal their mental wounds.

Mira would never lie that she missed Diamond Hands, but she missed who he was, not who he was becoming. It still gave her peace of mind when reports came in and she found out he survived another fight. Over time she reached out, but each request eventually went ignored. So, she stopped asking, and focused on her duty as leader of the alliance. Reminding herself that the success they were now experiencing on the greater stage was because of her leadership. It was her data, and direction that was leading them to more victories against the Big Hammer King’s forces.

“Sorry Daphne,” Mira responded with a solemn sigh realizing the sniper had been standing next to her as she was lost in thought. “Let the captains of the alliance know that their victories are well received. Ruby and resources will be distributed accordingly. I’ve noticed that there is an increased presence of enemy forces near the Flying Whales, so let them know I recommend that they focus on upgrading their walls and defenses. They will see more action soon I suspect.”

“Sure thing Boss,” Daphne nodded with a determined smile.

“And Daphne,” Mira said suddenly causing the blonde-haired woman to spin quickly to face her, “Can you forward the latest pool of data to my tablet. I am feeling a bit drained after today’s excitement.”

Her mind felt fuzzy, but her eyes were wide awake. The Ruby infusion limited her need for sleep, to the point where a short nap was all she needed to feel physically rejuvenated. The new powers, however, did not do much to restore her growing mental fatigue. With a salute, Mira left the headquarters and walked out into the lanes of the base. Engineers worked tirelessly with their third mechanical arms to upgrade buildings and defenses sent by research teams from their research facility. Barbarian warriors bellowed out war cry’s as they trained near the barracks. A squad of newly acquired jetpack troops walked by, and it heightened her curiosity to finally see them in action. They could launch themselves over walls and cause havoc to defensive positions. The more success they had with Ruby acquisition, the more resources the RHDI sent them and gave them more options.

Closing the door of her quarters behind her, Mira was bathed in a bastion of silence. Laying down on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling, and sighed deeply. It was the only place in the base now that she could find privacy. Her original sanctuary spot was no longer viable with her being the sole leader of the base. She missed sitting atop the air control tower and watching the rolling green hills and the shadows of clouds drift slowly over them. Numbers and potential outcomes churned within her mind like a terrible storm, whipping possibilities around in a dizzying array. She didn’t blame Diamond Hand’s for losing his cool. He had barely held it together before their defeat as is. Would she ever look at life with the same exuberance and excitement she had before when she was younger? Or was she doomed to try and constantly hold it together with a fake smile for the rest of her life? The only elation she seemed to get now was when she led her troops against a base. The surge of energy she felt when she crushed a Ruby no longer disorienting or exhilarating. Was this because she was accustomed to it now? Was there a limit to the power she could obtain? If there was a limit, then Big Hammer King had already reached it. What she feared deep down was that the Big Hammer King was looking for a way to break through the limitations and gain ultimate power.

Picking up her tablet, she let its soft light illuminate her face as she started to scroll through the flood of data that Daphne had sent her way. Most of the data was the losses and gains from the many attacks the alliance had made. However, there was always data from the research facilities that they had captured. All had the familiar tech created by the Mad Engineer for harnessing Ruby for infusion. So, the information wasn’t unfamiliar to her. How would one try and break the ceiling of limitations? She wondered.

The question urged her to keep diving deeper into the numbers. Out of the fifty bases she had coordinated for attacks, she realized a small handful had data pertaining to energy outputs within the base. All bases ran on Ruby energy, it was standard worldwide. The amount of energy a base used was different depending on the size of the base, and the type of walls and defenses they had access to, and how much Ruby they processed for infusion. Falling into a river of numbers, she surrendered to her curiosity. Nothing seemed out of place at first, and Mira thought she was being paranoid as all the bases they had attacked had nothing that stood out. So, Mira went a step further and started to look at scouting data, and infrared scanners. Where there was higher energy output, there was more heat. Finding one base that had an abnormal heat spike. She skimmed through the bases data and noticed that it did not have any buildings that could justify the energy displacement of that magnitude. Mira knew she had to investigate this further. It was better to be look and be wrong, than ignore it and be right.

Diamond Hands sat alone in his quarters. It was a small room, his bed barely large enough to fit his enormous frame. Yet, he never complained, and turned down every offer from Axel for a larger room. There was something soothing about the muffled sounds from vehicles passing by outside, and the other ambient noises base life offered. The room vibrated from what DH figured to be a tank passing by outside. He stared blindly at the floor, lost in thoughts of nothing. DH’s mind was a blur of exhaustion, so much so that he couldn’t even string together a random stream of consciousness. The mental drain within him would not go away, no matter how much rest he allowed himself to have. DH knew that it was due to the Ruby infusion, and the cost of growing power they sought. Axel started to complain about it from time to time, but DH didn’t want to jump to conclusions. He rationalized that it was because of the trauma he suffered, and that was enough for him to be somewhat content. DH didn’t mind not sleeping as much, as he never had to suffer the nightmares of distant wars.

A loud knock rapped against his door.

“Ape, you awake?” Axel’s gruff voice asked.

Diamond Hand sighed as he stood, opening the door to greet his friend. Axel looked showered and refreshed. Donned in clean military fatigues, his thick moustache was trimmed and meticulous. A high-pitched whirl brought DH’s eyes to the ground where he saw Boomie, Axel’s pet Suicide Car, next to his right foot. A bright smile on its display.

“When do we have time to sleep?” DH replied sarcastically.

“We will have plenty of time to sleep when we’re dead, Ape,” Axel replied with a big smile, waving for DH to follow him, “Mira’s asking for us.”

DH’s mind filled with anxiety at the prospect of talking to Mira. They exited the barracks and made their way to the base’s headquarters. The Snowy Mountains jutted upwards like ice capped sentinels; fresh snow covered the higher elevated forests as if a line of white was painted horizontally across its peaks. They entered the headquarters and Axel moved to the central circular map display at the centre of the room.

“Okay Mira, ready to hear what’s on your mind,” Axel said as he rested both hands on the edge of the circular table.

“Thank you, Axel, and I am sorry to pull you both out of your rest time,” Mira’s voice echoed throughout the room, “I know its difficult to have to ask you to mobilize so soon, especially since you just got back from an attack.”

“Skip the pleasantries Mira, what do you need from us,” DH replied with annoyance, realizing Axel was shooting him a glare at his response, “Sorry Mira, still tired.” He forced a reply that eased Axel’s gaze.

“I found something that is worrying me,” Mira continued, unfazed by DH’s response, “I fell down a rabbit hole of recently acquired data and found unusual high energy generation from different bases throughout the island.”

“What kind of irregularities?” Axel asked with concern.

“Enough that I found patterns. It seems to be a rotation of sorts, a higher output of energy from bases Ruby power sources. Now, what the energy is being used for, and directed to… I don’t know.” Mira added with a sigh of irritation.

“Are you maybe overthinking what this means?” DH dared to ask, but again he knew he had to question Mira’s intent, as no one else seemed to do these days.

“I was hoping I was DH,” Mira replied wistfully, “but the energy output on certain bases did not justify what resources each base had.” She paused waiting for any further questions, “My curiosity got the best of me, so I pulled up all drone data pertaining to these bases and ran an infrared scanner. Usually, more energy means a heat spike, and I found multiple pulses of extraordinary heat outputs.”

“So, you want us to investigate? Do you have a base in mind?” Axel asked determined.

“Luckily, I had enough data to select one base,” Mira continued, the circular map display came to life and focused on one base near at the outer edge of the central Ruby. “It has a history of power surges and seems to be the best option for us for an offensive.”

“This base is massive Mira,” DH interrupted, shaking his head in disbelief as he pulled up the data of the base while she talked.

“I agree, this base is too well defended for us to attack with just my forces,” Axel added, nodding towards DH.

“I agree as well,” Mira said causing both DH and Axel to look at each other with confusion, “I feel we need to coordinate a joint effort from both our bases. We have the most resources, the strongest and higher upgraded troops close enough, and the three of us as well.”

“What do you think is going on there?” DH asked, and a lingering silence filled the air.

“I have a theory, and it’s not good. I have a feeling that if we don’t find out something soon, we may all regret it.” Mira answered honestly, “I want to act fast, so get your forces together soon. I have sent over the coordinates where I want us to muster.”

“We will see you there general,” Axel replied formally before signing off. His eyes stuck on DH who just turned and quickly walked out of the headquarters.

Diamond Hand’s felt a pit form in his stomach as it became hard to breath. Hearing Mira’s voice brought him a mixture of comfort and anxiety. The anticipation of an upcoming fight filled him with resolve, but also a torrent of growing fear. What else did they have to lose to stop this growing menace? DH knew that a soldier had one job, and there was no time to mull over the pros and cons of an order. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he let the resolve of completing the new mission fill his mind. One mission closer to finding peace, he hoped.

DH had never been this close to the center Ruby of Mavia and found himself awestruck at its massive size. Large ruby pillars jutted outward like a frozen red star, and his gaze was lost in the translucent surface that seemed to warp as sunlight absorbed into its mysterious depths. The air was heavy with humidity, as the land surrounding ruby was a thick jungle, screams of birds and unseen animals sounded from within the depths of the vine strewn trees. An ominous feeling hung in the air as the crimson shadow saturated everything within its aura. Distant sounds of fighting could be heard like a grumbling thunderstorm. Mira ordered other alliance bases to attack specific targets in the area to draw attention away from their position, which added to the uncomfortable trepidation of the upcoming battle.

“Close your mouth, you’re going to catch a fly,” Axel mocked jarring DH out of his hypnotic state as he waved DH to follow him.

Diamond Hand’s stomach twisted as he followed Axel to the main staging area of the camp where he saw Mira standing with another individual. The man had a neatly trimmed beard, thick dreadlocked hair tied up on his head, and his hand rested gently against a jetpack placed at his feet. So engaged in studying a map, they didn’t see the two friend’s approach.

“How do things look?” Axel asked as they approached.

“Axel, Diamond Hands,” Mira greeted with a smile, her gaze locking on DH. “I don’t know if you have met Clay, he is a newly acquired unit sent by the RHDI and leads our contingent of jetpack troops.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Clay introduced himself with a joyous tone as he extended his hand to shake both Axel’s and DH’s hand. The man seemed too excited for DH, and he wondered if he had seen any combat prior to being on Mavia.

“Jetpacks huh,” Axel said with skeptic curiosity as his eyes locked onto the pack at Clay’s feet.

“We strike quickly, and efficiently,” Clay explained as he patted the jetpack with care, “Over the walls we fly, striking at whatever positions boss lady here tells us.”

“And if you get lost behind enemy lines?” DH added skeptically.

“Then we fight and wait for the rest of you to show up, or we die trying,” Clay answered honestly and without hesitation meeting DH’s gaze.

“Now that we are all introduced,” Mira interrupted the awkward silence that followed, “Let’s go over the plan.”

Mira didn’t waste anytime. Diving into the battle plans of what was expected from each force. Axel’s forces were highly prepped for a ground attack and would start the offensive. Newly upgraded, thick armor plating was added to their tanks to help absorb turret and mortar fire, leaving them room to send suicide cars to breach the outer wall. A couple Doge rocket troops would add extra support if the suicide cars failed to bring down the wall. Mira would send in Clay’s jetpack units to prioritize destroying the air defenses and what ground defenses couldn’t be taken out by the first strike, leaving room to send in an air strike of AI choppers. When it was safe to push, they would send barbarians, and soldiers in for clean up If all went smoothly.

As soon as the meeting ended, DH turned and left the group quickly. Axel ran to catch up to him.

“Didn’t want to catch up with the lass?” Axel inquired in which DH just shook his head and grunted.

Axel went to speak but a quick glance by DH ensured he didn’t press the subject.

A light fog lifted off the dew kissed jungle in a soft mist as the sun crested the easter horizon. The jungle went silent as they army pushed its way to the area around the base. The immediate area was clear cut to precision around the base, its outer walls hummed with thick menacing red laser fencing. A peaceful, serene morning interrupted by the booming sounds of tank fire. Birds filled the sky before the first volley landed. A line of tanks burst out of the thick jungle foliage. Explosions rang out against the metal posts of the fence, and the interior buildings. Warning sirens wailed to life, as turrets and rocket towers swivelled to meet the charge, sending out lines of fire towards the attackers. Trees toppled and earth blasted upwards in clouds of thick black dirt.

“I want all units to focus your fire on sections eight through ten,” DH ordered over the comms as the tanks broke into three smaller subgroups. Barbarian warriors huddling behind the tanks, three Doge warriors excitedly waiting for their chance to fire off their rockets. As the defenses shifted their fire on the separating groups, a handful of suicide cars happily drove out of the shadows of the forest and towards the base. One of the lead tanks sputtered and started to smoke as turret fire breached its metal chassis, screams sounded within as fire erupted from within. Yet, Diamond Hand’s pushed the group forward undeterred. Mines exploded as suicide cars drove over them, only a couple detonating at the base of one of the fence pillars.

“Rocket troops, finish off that pillar,” DH ordered, followed by howls of glee as the Doge aimed their rocket launchers from the cover of their tanks. Smoke trails appeared as they fired their shots. The laser fencing flickered and went out as the posts collapsed. All the turrets in range turned on their position as they tried to focus their fire on one tank at a time. Completely unaware of the new threat.

Clay and his jetpack units flew out of the jungle in a burst of fire and strewn leaves. The ground was a blur beneath their feet, and with a timed jump they cleared the outer wall. Troops within the base tried to meet them, but they quickly dispatched them with submachine guns, as they covered each other to plant C4 onto anti-air defenses. Launching upward before the explosion decimated the area in a plumb of fiery carnage. DH watched with an impressive nod at the effectiveness of the jetpack units, and he knew that this attack was going to be victorious. A few moments passed, and Mira ordered the charge for the remaining ground troops to breach the base. They rushed into the base like water breaching the hull of a sinking ship.

Mira ran into the breach with her sword drawn and surrounded by her soldiers and DH’s barbarians. The barbarians screamed in glee as the chaos grew, and the wedge that their forces created pushed to the center of the base and its headquarters. DH and Axel stayed with the trailing forces, cleaning up any resistance around the outer edge of the base. By the time the smoke settled, their forces were already loading up on resources.

Diamond Hand’s walked towards the headquarters where he saw Clayton leaning comfortably against the charred remains of an ice tower, surrounded by his jetpack units who joyfully celebrated their victory.

“Thank you for taking the brunt of the attack,” Clay greeted with a wave as DH approached.

“Just another day at the office,” DH replied facetiously, “I will say, it was my first time seeing you in action, and I’m quite impressed.”

“It’s easy to do good work when you enjoy the job, isn’t that right?” Clay said with elation, which his unit replied with a boisterous cheer. “Maybe one day we can get you up in the air and take you for a spin.”

“I’m sure there isn’t a jetpack big enough to get me off the ground, but thanks,” DH replied with a smile, although he hid his anxiety from every letting his feet leave the ground for an extended amount of time.

Diamond Hand’s kept walking towards the entrance of the headquarters, it slid open with a hiss to reveal Mira who was exiting. Pausing suddenly, he felt an anxious pit in his stomach grow as he quickly looked around to find a different way to go.

“Diamond Hand’s,” Mira greeted, “just the ape I wanted to see,” she smiled.

“Mira,” DH nodded in response, but felt his tongue growing numb with anxious uncertainty.

“I have Axel overseeing the resource acquisition, would you want to join me for a walk to the research facility? It would be like old times,” Mira asked with a hopeful tone, but she noticed DH nod with reluctancy.

They walked in silence at first through the decimated lanes of the enemy base. DH pressed his fingers nervously into the palms of his diamond hands. Chancing the occasional glance out of his peripherals, quickly averting his gaze if he saw Mira look towards him. It drove DH insane why he felt such unbearable nerves around Mira. Was he so lost in the pain of the trauma of the constant losses that resurfaced from their defeat?

“It feels like it’s been an eternity since we’ve been this close,” Mira’s sad tone breaking the silence. She stopped to face him, “Are you doing, okay?”

“I’m fine,” DH answered quickly, but she looked at him with suspicion as he refused to look her in the eyes.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it then,” Mira said with a forced smile, “I honestly don’t know how I’m doing these days.”

Diamond Hand’s was caught by surprise with her honesty. He looked at her and, in that moment, he saw something different. Her hair was dishevelled, her body armor marred and dinged, but what stood out the most was her eyes. Normally bright, inquisitive, and full of focus, now seemed exhausted, and devoid of light. Then it hit him, she too was carrying the weight of leadership in her. DH always felt that he couldn’t burden those under his command with his worries or pain. If he showed any weakness, then his hold on his troops would faulter, or so he rationalized. How many times he wanted to vent but didn’t want to burden anyone else.

“Tell me what you’re going through?” DH asked suddenly as he sat down on a sandbag bunker wall.

Mira looked at him in shock, paused, took a deep breath, and proceeded to unload onto DH an avalanche of thoughts and emotions. Her obsession on defeating the Big Hammer King. The growing affects of the Ruby infusion, and the mental drain of not sleeping. Worrying constantly about her growing desensitization to losing the soldiers beneath her. Every word she spoke hit him profoundly, as he felt the same way in almost every facet. The unbearable weight of every decision, of fights won and lost, and the piling of corpses at the feet of every choice. A smile crept on his face as she spoke, and he had a profound realization as he listened to Mira vent, and that was how much braver she was to him. How often Axel and Mira had asked him to talk about his worries, and each time he rebuffed them. How selfish he had been thinking he had to carry every ounce of pain, turmoil, and doubt like a burden. They offered to help carry the weight, but he wanted to hide away and just follow orders, to stay away from the duty he had a responsibility to uphold.

Mira’s shoulders slumped after she finished talking, but she looked relieved. How much could the burden of self doubt be alleviated if he had just been open to it? DH put his arm around Mira to comfort her, and she buried her face into his thick furred body.

“I’ve missed you so much DH,” Mira said as she tears filled her eyes.

“I’m sorry Mira,” DH apologized, “I didn’t realize how selfish I was being.”

“Of course, you didn’t you big buffoon,” Mira chided playfully as she pulled away, slapping him lightly on the arm, “but I get it.”

“After our defeat, it just triggered something within me. A deep well of self-doubt that I realize I didn’t want to crawl out of. I felt responsible for everything. Like I failed the base when we lost that day. I failed you, as if I should have done more that could have prevented you from rushing off. I failed myself, again, just like when my people asked me to exile myself.” DH explained in length, Mira listening intently.

“That’s the silliest thing I have ever heard you say, you know that right?” Mira countered, “you always taught me to take accountability for my actions, and to learn from mistakes and move on, to avoid burdening myself from our mistakes.”

“It’s great advice,” DH acknowledged, “I never said I was good at listening to it.”

The two friends chuckled and laughed together for the first time in a long time. They felt an energy fill them within, as if a missing piece of a puzzle was laid into place.

“We have to stop doing this to ourselves DH, we can’t hold onto the burden of our position without giving ourselves the chance to let off some steam,” Mira scolded as she wiped a tear from her eyes, “no one knows what we are going through, even though so many do care.”

“I know,” DH replied with a roll of his eyes, “Axel’s been trying, I’m just not good at opening up is all.”

“The man has a pet suicide car. As gruff as he seems, he has a heart of gold,” Mira said with admiration.

“Thank you for this,” DH said softly.

“You too, big guy,” Mira replied as she leaned in for another hug, “now, should we finally see if I’m going crazy or not?”

“Crazy yes, but after you,” DH replied as he stood up, Mira shot him another friendly glare.

They entered the familiar while halls of the research facility, and the main circular room finding the similar sights of streaming data on computer screens, and blinking lights from many consoles and servers. Nothing seemed out of sorts. Mira quickly went to work with a flurry of fingers as she started to scour the system for information, unsatisfied that nothing was wrong. Then with a triumphant “aha,” the floor vibrated to life as a panel slid open revealing stairs. Walking into the depths of the hidden path, they found a room with a large cylindrical glass case with a massive ruby within. Wires and tubes disappeared into a pipe in the wall, as the ruby pulsed with a soft light. Mira approached another terminal and went to work.

“Well, the bright side is that this ruby isn’t for infusing into an individual,” Mira said with a sigh of relief after sifting through more data, bringing up a map display on its screen.

The base they were in appeared as a dot, and a red line stretched out that eventually attached to the large central ruby at the center of the island. Other lines appeared from other bases, showing a larger plan at hand.

“Are they trying to divert energy to the central ruby?” DH asked in confusion, but Mira just kept digging deeper. Then he saw the color fade from her face.

“What is it, Mira?” DH asked as he walked back to her.

“You know how I said I had a theory,” Mira whispered loudly to herself.

“I’m not sure I follow you,” DH responded with a worried look.

“I don’t feel the same intensity when I infuse with Ruby as I used to,” Mira explained, which made DH realize the same thing when he thought about it, but he attributed it to just acclimatizing to the process.

“What if the flaw to the Big Hammer King’s plan was a limit in the power he could infuse with? What happens if he found how to increase the scale of the process and use the central ruby to focus the power to a focal point within? Would the Big hammer King have unlimited power?” Mira finished with a worried look in her eyes.

DH turned and looked at the screen, the intricate lines of so many power stations throughout the island all concentrating to the central ruby.

“I fear that the power surges I found were just tests that they were running to prepare for his final experiment,” Mira said with intensity.

“Well, we know one thing for certain,” DH said with determination.

“What’s that?” Mira asked with a hopeful look.

“The Big Hammer King has to be there,” DH finished by pointing at a base located at the central ruby.