Terran Knights: Chapter 33

The Taq-Law’s face hissed with heat as it stared at Seth and then approached Kathryn. Before it could get further it was hit in the back, its body spasming as electricity raced through it’s circuits. It whirled around and thrust a drill forward, crashing it into the blade of Sarah’s second axe.

She leaned forward pressing against the machine but it reached behind itself ripping the axe out of it’s back. Flipping it around it swung her own weapon against her but a gunshot rang out blowing the weapon from its hand. It turned to face Marco as he ran forward shooting yellow bullets into it.

Each one hit making it have a mini spasm with each success. It tried to turn to face him but its body wouldn’t react fast enough. So instead the head of the Taq-Law glowed to life and it’s laser scathed across the ground. Marco jumped aside the explosion throwing him through the air and sliding across the ground.

It stomped forward finally gaining control of itself and started running. Rolling upright Marco shook his head and spun the barrel of his gun around as the Taq-Law was almost on him. The pink barrel clocked in and then pressed it against his head. The machine was in front of him and Marco fired as the drill pierced his head.

Instead of being impaled he was shoved backwards and rolled across the ground again as a copy of himself stayed in place flickering back and forth before fading away. Clambering to his feet he looked at the barrels of his gun and only the purple and red ones were alight. The blue was flickering but the yellow and pink had gone dark.

The Taq-Law stared at the illusion for a moment when another blow struck it’s back. It turned to the source and viewed three copies of Cal each with their sword pointed at it. The red dot of the machine flickered between the three of them but they were all solid and real to its sensors.

Kathryn crawled slowly toward Seth barely registering the noise and chaos around her. She pulled him closer and rolled him over to his back. His entire front had been blackened and cracked from the damage. “I didn’t ask you to protect me last time and I didn’t ask you to protect me this time. So, don’t you dare die on me!”

She could feel the feint rise and fall of his chest but he wasn’t making any sounds or even remotely moving. She was afraid to move him too far and her hands shook as she traced her hand over his body and then he flashed. His armor disappeared and she saw the damage had somewhat touched his real body. She stared at him shocked at how much paler he’d gotten or even burned red in some places.

Another explosion rocked the ground and she stared at the smoke trying to find where the others had gone in the fight. A trio of Cal’s rolled over to her two of them fading away but the third she managed to catch with a well-placed shield. He groaned and looked at her then Seth, “Is he?”

“Alive? For right now yeah,” she said. “I’m having deju vu in the worst way.”

“Me too,” he got to his feet running his hand across both sides of the sword and his clones appeared just as beat up as he looked.

The Taq-Law kicked through the rubble running at the three of them. Its head glowed to life again charging another one of its lasers. Cal watched and groaned, “This thing really just doesn’t stop.

“I’m going to finish it,” Kathryn told him.

She made sure to lay Seth down gingerly. She traced her hand across him and gently touched his hand as a blue shield covered him from head to toe. As the shield covered him his hand opened and his purple stone gleamed angrily. She stared at it then picked it up squeezing it in her hand tightly.

Her armor tingled and a foreign surge of power shot through her. She grit her teeth together, almost wanting to scream but focused on the approaching robot. Holding her hand out the staff materialized in her palm. It was dark blue with purple accents in it. She broke it into pieces and deep purple energy crackled between the segments. She spun it around creating the shield as the Taq-Law fired it s laser.

The laser struck the center of her shield and pushed her back but she squared her feet. The staff vibrated in her hands but she refused to let it break. Screaming she thrust it forward and the laser reflected back where it came from. It slammed into the head of the Taq-Law blowing it clean off, the explosion blowing its body into pieces.

Silence fell over the lot and she sank down to her knees breathing hard. Pressing both hands against the ground her suit fell away and the two gems rested in her hand. She crawled back to Seth’s side opening his hand and placing both the crystals in his palm.

Closing his fingers over them she felt them pulse, a wave of blue and purple flowing over him for a second. She heard him grunt and then his breathing evened out. His eyes cracked open slowly and he glanced at her, “Guess I’ve saved you twice now.”

“Stupid idiot,” she mumbled feeling tears in her eyes and brushed them off. “Just rest.”

Marco and Sarah walked over to the Taq-Law it’s body smoking and energy crackling from where its head was formerly attached. Sarah spun her axe and slammed it into its body hacking at it over and over and then started kicking at it. Her shoulders shook and she dropped the axe to the ground wrapping her arm around Marco’s waist.

“Why doesn’t it hurt less?” she mumbled.

“Because he’s still gone,” he replied wrapping his arm around her.

“We’ve got an audience,” Cal said to the pair of them.

They looked over their shoulders and saw that there had been a growing amount of people, watching the fighting from a distance before but were approaching now. Marco looked at them and then at Kathryn and Seth who were both keeping their heads down and away from prying eyes.

“Let’s get out of here,” Marco said to each of them.

The rain finally stopped with a few more drops in puddles amongst the rubble. The dark clouds had lightened up and with a final rumble of thunder it all stopped. Marco stared at the sky, the sun trying to peek through. Seth wasn’t dead, the Taq-Law were stomped out for now, and they’d fight another day.

The three of them went to Kathryn and Seth letting them know. Kathryn took her stone back gingerly and armored up. Picking Seth up slowly she smirked knowing he had comments that he was keeping down. The five of them left glad that at least for now they weren’t the subject of fear and the people’s ire.