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Chapter 3
A Soldiers uniform
The Dark Nexus, a piece of the Nexus built solely on cruelty, malice and hatred. No rhyme or reason, just sheer unadulterated malevolence. This dark force had once upon a time set its sights on the thriving Iresian Society. Qhira had been a young adult at this point, and the moment it was proven to the public that the attacks would be a recurring event was the moment the young dancer straightened her back and marched straight for the nearest branch of Military Recruitment.
“So you ready, sister?” Was the question raised to Qhira by her younger sister Eris. The girl in question had a mousy appearance to her face and the same dark eyes as Qhira. She sported a pair of black thick-framed glasses, straightened and a white lab coat. It was apparent which of them was the professional and which of them was an artist of sorts, not least of which when comparing the white lab coat with company symbol on it to the informal clothing that lay folded on the nearby table and being replaced by an orange combat suit. The frown on Eris’s face told quite clearly a story of a woman who was extremely unhappy to be doing what she was doing, Fitting her own sister with combat attire and sending her off to war.
“As long as the equipment you make me is up to scratch, sis.” Qhira had responded with a chuckle hiding her own nervousness behind a bit of humour.
“This equipment is woven with every thread supercharged with Crystal Electrics as it is put together, capable of generating a field of defence seamlessly dispersing force along several layers of weightless energy.” Eris had said clinically
“Now in common!” Qhira had said, narrowing her eyes in derision
“The suit creates a force field around your entire body.” Eris said, rolling her eyes and sighing in exasperation, “as long as you don’t take stupid damage in a short time frame, you’ll be fine.” Eris responded, shaking her head.
“I promise I won’t be taking too many hits. You just promise me you’ll keep making sure we get the best equipment Iresia can produce,” Qhira said once the suit was finally on. As she said it, she would stand up and move her arms around, testing the suit’s fit on her.
“It’s a deal!” Eris said as the two sisters shared a hug. Before one would head back to their lab and the other would march off to war.
At present, the Huntress was parkouring along the rooftops of New Tirisfal. Her dealings with Baby-Face’s mafia over and done with meant it was time for her to chase that lead they had given her. The symbol for an Iresian company THAT Iresian company showing up in New Tirisfal connected to some religion no less. Of course, this was not the lead for survivors she wanted. In fact, of all the trillions of souls that Qhira prayed to have survived that fateful battle, this symbol meant the two people not among them. To put it mildly, Qhira looked ready to make herself a sole survivor if the survivors were who she thought they were.
Once Qhira was to where she wanted to be, she knelt against the rooftop and looked towards the building she had been directed towards. It was seamless enough, just a regular house of the old-fashioned town two stories high. It looked more like a mom-and-pop store then anything more nefarious. The fact that the residence in question was so much more well maintained then the rest of the musty city was the only real clue that something was out of the ordinary.
Not that the Huntress had time to really think about this as she felt a chill run down her spine, that feeling of someone watching her. Without hesitation, she yanked her sword off her back and pointed it menacingly towards the shadows several feet away.
“Qhira? Oh, thank the Mother Crystal, you’re safe!” That voice, cheery and relieved, it took a great deal of restraint for Qhira not to pull her sword into its whip form and slice the owner to bits right there.
“Don’t even pretend to care, Eris! You and I both know better,” Qhira said as the woman came out of the shadows, the two looked very similar, but Eris having a dark purple conservative dress; instead of an orange combat-ready suit.
“You wound me Q but fine if you don’t want to see me… then hand it over.” The happy tone dropped instantly to be replaced with seriousness and determination as the scientist held out her hand.
“Over my dead body!” Qhira said, no, she didn’t say it; she hissed it like a monster giving up all pretence of civility. Without any warning, the Huntress would whip her blade right at the other woman’s head. Eris raised her hand as calm as can be, and the moment the blade tip would have hit her it was instead reflected away. a Loud bang would be heard as Iresian steel would crash against Concrete
“Don’t you remember who made that sword for you?” Another voice said from behind the Huntress.
“Eris, you just be careful… he might be making weapons for the army but never trust someone who’s that comfortable with mass destruction.” Qhira had said to Eris.
“Oh Qhira, relax; he’s a better man then you give him credit for.” Eris had responded.
“Zeraq!” Qhira hissed as she retracted her sword and held it at her side, turning to him. the man in an orange and black business suit stood with a self-satisfied smirk. His black hair in dreadlocks that reached his shoulders and sporting a pair of dark brown eyes gleaming with triumph.
“Just relax, hand over that gem you wear around your neck, and you can leave without suffering for your crimes.”
Qhira closed her eyes and took a deep breath, or at least that’s what it looked like to them. A tiny glimmer went through the Mother Crystal as the Huntress began sensing the area around them. Undetectable energy pulsing out of her as she felt all the matter in a fifteen-yard radius.
As she sensed all this, it became clear the situation was even more dire then she initially thought, for the rooftops around them were covered in people holding rifles. The building beneath them was likewise filled with hostile presence. About 20 or so people in total, not counting her fellow Iresians, all out for blood.
“Zeraq, Eris… I see now that this isn’t a fair fight; after all, you two made my equipment.” She said, looking down in apparent defeat.
Eris smiled and began taking a step forward, expecting to be given the Mother Crystal, only for the sword to flick to the side right behind Zeraq and attaching to the brick of the ground. With one fluent motion, before anyone in attendance could react she pulled herself past the Businessman and tripped him.
“But I perfected them,” Qhira said with a glaring smirk even as she flicked her head to the side just in time for a bullet to go whizzing right past her ear.
“You insolent cretin!” Zeraq yelled, Not that his foe paid his words any heed as she was already working on an escape. Her whip blade would whisk around her, blocking all the bullets being sent her way as she jumped off the building. She twirled in the air to repel every shot with her blade as she went. Convinced she’d be able to get to the ground and retreat, the Huntresss’ ill-prepared for her Sisters obstruction. A feeling of being grabbed by something and yanked back to the rooftop would follow as Eris had used her own gravity disruption abilities. “You called it the lazy man’s Neemashauku… but it seems quite effective at dealing with you.” Eris said with a smirk as she showed off a pair of sleek silver wrist guards glowing violet around the edges.
The Huntress couldn’t go high, but maybe she could go low. Concentrating her energy into her fist, she punched the ground hard enough to punch a hole and immediately dove into the top floor of the building.
Just as her sensory had revealed, the room was filled with fighters under Zeraq’s command. Unlike the technological marvels above her, however, these gunmen were ill-prepared for a Knight of Iresia. This was made all too apparent as Qhira not only cut them all to ribbons but ended the encounter with more strength then she started. The Blood Rage poison doing its work as always.
As the escape seemed well underway, Zeraq would only grin, and Eris just shook her head sadly, “as good as I remember.”
“But not good enough. Cut her off at the front. I will meet you there.” Zeraq ordered her before he began levitating in the other direction.
“Of course, my dear,” Eris said with a nod as she jumped off the building. She would land right at the exit to the building just as her sister would dispatch the last of the cultists.
Raising her wrist guard towards her, Eris blasted Qhira onto who landed her back.
“You can’t win, sister!” Eris implored.
Qhira had no more words for her attackers. As she used her sword to block more projectiles sent her way from above, she would only spare a hateful glance at the woman she once called sister.
As she continued to twirl the blade around her, energy began culminating around the weapon. The whirring of the sword grew more powerful until suddenly she smashed the weapon into the ground. All that force would send a ripple through the terrain, and already weakened supports of the building would begin to crack.
Crunch.
That sickening sound of several stories of concrete beginning to give out under its own weight would invade everyone’s ears. Panic overcame the goons that had been shooting at Qhira, and Eris, who was the closest, found herself losing her balance altogether. The Iresian Knight would attempt to flee into a nearby building until.
Zap!
Qhira felt an agonizing pinch in her lower leg and found herself staggering onto one knee.
“Cyber Blood 2.0… you’ll find it’s 40% more painful and 35% more energy absorbent then your model.” Were Zeraq’s words as he levitated down in front of Qhira, perfectly predicting her path of escape.
Qhira grunted in pain, but like a true soldier, she powered through it. Favouring the leg where the zap had hit her, she still tried to slice her sword toward Zeraq.
The Businessman would casually sidestep before winding up a punch hitting her square in the face.
Landing on her stomach, Qhira didn’t hesitate and thrust out her hand, shooting out her grappling hook and yanking herself far away from Zeraq just as he was about to get on top of her. Skidding along the asphalt didn’t exactly help the pain, but thankfully her suit’s shielding system would hold and prevent most of the damage.
She would swiftly get up just in time to intercept another bullet sent her way. Qhira would move to dodge the projectiles and prepare a counterattack. The sword would come entirely apart now as some of the pieces protected Qhira others would slice through the first of the cultists. The tide of Cultists seemed endless, and though she could typically deal with such odds, typically, those odds didn’t involve dangerous Iresians. As Qhira’s attention was focused on these humans, another zap would hit her, this time in her back. The pain went all through her body as if every single nerve was on fire. At the same time, she felt her breath grow shallow as strength was sapped from her. She tried activating her own Blood Rage, but that relief was short-lived and quickly overwhelmed.
Down went the Huntress. Her sword falling from her grip as she landed on her stomach on the concrete.
Two new Cultists would walk up to the Huntress and pick her up roughly by the upper arms, dragging her towards their leaders.
Zeraq looked down with a smirk even as Eris looked away to hide her frown,
“Even now, your ambitions lead to ruin.” Qhira said faintly trying to look Zeraq in the eyes. Even as she reached the point where even holding her neck upright was a drain.
“Only your ruin, my dear, only yours!” Zeraq said, reaching his hand towards her neck.
And as Qhira’s eyes began fluttering shut, she saw Zeraq reaching to unclip the Mother Crystal and then her vision became engulfed in a haze of blue.
