Black Bone Tower Part 26

Previous: Black Bone Tower Part 25

His hand slid across the wall as he limped down the corridor, and often lost his balance for a moment, stopping to regain it once again. His right eye was shut, covered in his own blood, and while his more serious wounds had stopped bleeding, he was starting to feel the beginnings of the symptoms caused by excessive blood loss. Gonzo Lee had removed his helmet, as his vision was already impeded, and he didn't need it anymore. It was rendered useless by the cave-in in the back of it anyway. He started to feel cold, and all of his wounds started to lose their feeling. While this was good for the pain, it was bad for his use of them, and slowed his movement at a tremendous rate. He would not give up, though. He simply needed to find his way back to his crewmates before he passed out, at least they would find a way to mend him in some way, shape, or form.

That was when he started to hear clanking in the distance. Down the hall, there came flashes of light and voices. They sounded distant, but that was just him losing his senses. An android, one of those models ran from the left toward the right of the crossing passage. It stopped, though, and looked toward him, quickly registering him as a Tiger-Stripe pirate.

Blue Angel: Target acquired, Gonzo L-- [Knocked against the wall of the corridor as a man clad in a tuxedo knocked her with his kick into the wall, causing her to all but collapse.]

Marcus: Hmmm? [Looked over at Gonzo Lee as he straightened himself up.] What have we here? You're that Gonzo fellow, aren't you? You're not looking so chipper as you normally do. [Started to walk toward him slowly.]

Lee had seen his fight with one of the Viking Pirates, and slid down the wall into a sitting position, his blood marking the wall on his way down. Most of it was dried, but there was much of it that was still quite wet. He looked up at Marcus through his one open eye, some defiance was there, but there was also acceptance. Acceptance that this may be his last few moments.

Marcus looked at him, putting his hand on Gonzo Lee's head and turning it to see the massive head trauma he endured.

Marcus: My my my, what have you been doing? [He took a cloth from his pocket and dabbed it gently on Lee's head.]

Lee: About... twenty of those bast--

Marcus: Stop talking, with as much blood loss as you've had, you're lucky you can even remain conscious right now. You need whole blood, and to be treated for a concussion, it looks like you have a type two.

Lee: What are you, a doctor?

Marcus: Pre-med, thank you for asking.

Lee: Why don't you just kill me, and get it over with? That's what you're here for, isn't it?

Marcus: That's kind of you to offer, but I don't fight those in your condition.

Lee: How noble of you...[He leaned his head against the wall as Marcus tore open his shirt to see a nasty cut on his chest.]

Marcus: Ooohh, let down your guard, did you? The good news is that it's not bleeding anymore, but that can change very quickly. [He got to his feet very fast, and chopped his hand across the air, the edge of it finding the same, damaged Blue Angel Android he kicked before, and split her asunder.] Especially in a place such as this.

Voice: Ran Kyaku: Chio Katana! [A gigantic energy blade zoomed straight for Marcus, and his pink eye pointed toward it as it approached him.]

He very quickly held his arm up and caught the full brunt of it, he skidded back a few inches but the blade dissipated soon after that. He looked down at his tuxedo sleeve to see that there was a very large tear in it, as well as a cut running down his arm that started to bleed some. He frowned at this, and looked over to see Rangass D. Kimi, Runagai Chio, and Jana Chi all lined up in their fighting stances.

Chio: Back away from Lee, slowly, Mr. Loster. You won't pick one of us off that easily, you rotten, low-bellied snake! Have you no honor?

Lee: Chio... he...

Marcus: Stop talking [He held up a finger to Lee, then pointed it at Chio, and grinned, his pink eye seeming to shine at that point.] You caught me, Mr. Runagai. So what if I was going to kill a hurt little puppy like this? Do you think I care about such meaningless rabble?

Chio: Ooohhh, I'm going to enjoy this a little too much.

Marcus: That makes two of us.

Kimi: You think you can lead him away from Lee? [Whispered to Chio.]

Chio: I know I can.

Kimi: Good, once he's away, Nikk, I need you to... [Looked over at where Nikk should have been to see she had disappeared.] What the? Nikk? Where did she go? [Looking around.]

Jana: I can get him. It's better if I do, anyway, I have some of my healing solvents with me.

Kimi: Okay, good. Chio, if you would?

Chio: Soru! [Disappeared and instantly appeared with a kick to Marcus, who caught it in an instant with a very strong hand.] Oooo, not bad! [Spun around and kicked for his face with his other hand, but Marcus did a cartwheel and flipped on one hand to his feet.]

Marcus: How I wish I had fought you in the tournament. It would have been a much more interesting bout. Bloody Slice! [Kicked toward Chio, who was quick to duck backward. Marcus's leg ran across the wall, and to Chio's surprise, there was a perfectly cut line across it, as if with a finely sharpened sword.]

Chio: Chio Handou! [Kicked straight up, catching Marcus square in the chin and knocking him back several steps.]

Marcus: Ooohh, remarkable kick you have there. [Rubbing his chin.] I bet you dance wonderfully.

That was when Marcus saw Jana Chi take Lee from his place against the wall, and run back to Kimi quickly. He grinned at this, thinking he could make a move against her, but then he focused back toward Chio, who stood in a fighting stance that, of course, was very hard to read. Marcus's grin widened, though his chin throbbed with pain from the earlier strikes.

Marcus: Now then, shall we dance?

-

Nikk walked through yet another secret passage, this time coming to a room with a gigantic amount of gears, and cranks, along with an array of electronic cables running from grounding points and connectors all drawing to a single place. Near that place was Dr. Kathium hunched over a table, and it seemed he was repairing one of his KAR-2011's on it, one that was all but descemated from head to toe. She moved silently, toward the point where all of the circuits and gears led to.

Blue Angel: Proximity breech! Stand down, Target: Miko Nikk! [Pulled out her katana blade and boosted her way toward Nikk.]

Nikk very quickly pulled out her Mortal Blade from her pocket and sliced the katana blade directly at the hilt, making it flip several times and then land deep into the ground. In the same motion, she lodged the knife deep into the android's sternum, and pulled it out, causing her to malfunction a great deal. With one swift move, Nikk kicked the android to the ground and stomped on hr head, breaking it apart.

Kathium: [Cough cough.] Interesting, you are not registered as one of the combat-types of the Tiger-Stripe crew.

Nikk: I learn quickly. I don't suppose you know why none of the traps in this place have gone off, do you?

Kathium: [Not looking up from his work.] I can pose the question to wonder, why do you ask?

Nikk: Because, it seems to me if the traps and tower movements were on, your androids would be tripping them left and right. Which is why you turned them off in the first place. [She reached over, and put her hand on the lever, gripping the handle in a firm hold.]

Kathium: That would be an excellent observation. Remember, if you do this, your crew would also be in great danger of them.

Nikk: You don't know my crew. [She pulled the lever, and everything went dark.]

In every room that there were androids, their feet sunk into the floor as they tripped a panel, and so many spikes came from the walls. Flame throwers came up from the ground and blew gigantic belches of flame. Floors opened up to endless pits, and walls began to shift. Androids burst into pieces, their metal bodies smashed beneathe huge blocks of granite and steel. Band saws sliced them down, and raining rocks destroyed them as they were pelted into scrap metal. The tower began to turn all over, and where there were doors were now solid steel walls. The true test of the Tower was just beginning.

Nikk: The only current question I have, is what am I going to do with you? [Beginning to walk toward Kathium, who turned to her then, and looked at her through his glasses.]

As he did, she started to grow very dark, and her eyes turned red. Her hair turned to black spiders, and her hands turned to sharp, pointed claws, covered in rolls of blood. Her mouth gaped into a wide smile, her teeth were brown, and crumbling out of her mouth as she neared him even closer.

He looked up at her new, gigantic, monstrous form, and he lit another cigarette.

Kathium: Another excellent question...