"That's moronic!" Skan Erreden snapped. He was a man of relatively normal height, a bit on the short side, if anything. He was clothed in his usual tan trenchcoat and dark sunglasses. His blue hair was, as always, meticulously combed. "I wouldn't survive anything like that. Nobody would!"
"You're not thinking clearly," Nisemeisho hissed. Very tall, only missing seven feet by two inches, Nisemeisho's auburn eye (his left was covered by his red hair) focused intently on Skan, the leader of the Engineer's Guild. "The MMG just strike a vital blow. Now is the time, Skan! We have to stage an assault NOW! It's our only chance to take Seth out. You take chances, don't you?"
"Not like this," Skan growled. "Seth hasn't even been DENTED, Nise! His defenses are untouched, can't you see that!?"
Nisemeisho made an angry fist. "We cannot pass this opportunity up, Skan! This may very well be our only chance to stop the war. Our only chance! If we don't take it now, Seth'll completely annhialate us. Damnit, Skan, can't YOU see!?"
"I said NO!" Skan practically roared. Usually, he and Nise, very close friends, never fought, especially with this ferocity. But the war dragged at them both, and Nisemeisho was being an idiot. "Now get out of my face." Nisemeisho didn't move, clenches fists shaking. "I said get lost!!"
"Fine," Nisemeisho snarled. He spun around and angrily stalked towards the door. Just before he closed it, he said, "Just know, Skan. You have sent me, Alex, yourself, and everyone else in EXISTENCE to hell because of your stupidity!" Then he slammed the door with such strength that two pictures hanging from the wall fell and crashed.
Skan looked at the door as if he meant to follow Nisemeisho out, then sighed and put hos face in his hands.
Nisemeisho had isolted himself in his room for the next several days. Skan hadn't come to visit him like he usually did; nor had he even bothered sending for him for the meetings they had every two days. Fine. Let the bastard sulk.
Nisemeisho was busy catching up on some reading he had always meant to get around to, when somebody knocked hurredly at his door. Before he could even acknowledge anybody, Thom opened the door, panting slightly as if he'd been running. Nisemeisho frowned and stood up. "Kutsurogeru," he said. "Calm down. What happened?"
Thom blinked, then scowled as if angry at something. He avoided meeting Nisemeisho's eyes, instead choosing to stare at the floor. "It's Skan, Nise..."
Nisemeisho made an exasperated sound. "What, did he come up with another crack-brained idea to 'slowly yet surely' bring Seth down?"
Thom shook his head vigorously, for the first time looking directly at Nisemeisho. "No, Nise. He's... he's dead."
Nisemeisho's blood froze. "N-Nani?" No. Skan couldn't be dead. Not after how they parted. "What... what happened?"
Thom shrugged. "I advised him not to, as well as a dozen other members. I'm kinda surprised you weren't there when it happened... you kinda holed yourself up in here. Anyway, Skan took Sentinel," Sentinel was Skan's mobile suit, a Gundam, "and three of the best soldiers with him, except you, me, and Teron. He took Jeff, in the Jiggler, Daven and his Fokker, and Chris." Thom frowned. "I forget his mobile suit's name... uh, nevermind. Well, Skan took the three of them in a strategic assault against Seth. Said now was the only time, something about saving the world." Thom rubbed his hands together as if cold, suddenly. "Well, they were all shot down before they could even reach the perimeters. Except Skan. He managed to get in before Sentinel was destroyed."
Nisemeisho couldn't speak. He just sat down, mouth working, but nothing coming out.
"Uh... I'll leave you be," Thom said, and closed the door softly behind him.
Nisemeisho closed his eyes. He killed him. HE killed Skan. Because of his ignorance and stupidity, Skan was dead. Skan was right. He always was. Why did Nisemeisho think now would be any different?
Nisemeisho clutched his head in his hands, then threw back his head and wailed in anguish and anger.
"Nise," Thom pleaded. "You can't really go through with this. You'll get killed!"
Nisemeisho ignored him, making sure that the F.T. Nise, his own mobile suit, was ready for departure. It was.
"Nise, stop this!" Thom said, trying hard to sound commanding. And failing. "You'll just die!"
Nisemeisho whirled around to face Thom so suddenly, Thom thought he was going to hit him. "That's right," Nisemeisho snarled. "I'll die. I hardly think it matters, at this point. Skan's dead, Thom. He's dead and I killed him!"
"No, Nise!" Thom protested, as Nisemeisho entered the cockpit of his mobile suit. "Skan made his decision himself, you can't hold yourself responsible!" The door to the cockpit slowly closed. "Nise, no!"
Ryushi Kaijonari awoke with a start. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear the memories of the nightmare he had every night. And the memories of what he knew followed after. Being shot down before he could even get close enough to even think about going on the offensive. The F.T. Nise, exploding. He had woken up, missing an eye and a leg, and a voice box. And much, much more. Everybody thought that Nisemeisho had died that day. In a sense, they were correct.
Ryushi pushed himself up to a kneeling position slowly, sweeping aside his long, uncombed red hair. He lifted the ragged pant leg on his left leg to reveal nothing but a mechanical stump. It worked as well as a real leg, as far as walking, but it had hampered his acrobotics to a very severe point. Though he was still much more agile then most men his age, or any age, for that matter.
Retrieving a small metal pick, Ryushi began cleaning out small crevices in the metallic leg. If he allowed dirt to accumulate, the leg would function worse than it already did, and living a life with nothing more than fighting, he could not allow himself to falter in battle.
Ryushi could hardly believe himself. Saving women in distress. That woman should have died. The world was divided into two kinds of people, the strong and the weak. The strong survived, and the weak died.
After his leg was temporarily taken care of, Ryushi stood up. Small chance of falling asleep again, tonight. Once more, he picked up his hunt for Seth. His hunt for vengeance.
In a room filled with dark purple mist, like a fog, stood one solitary figure. At first glance, one would call him human. Until one would see all the metallic components of his body. Half of the man's face was entirely machine, only slightly looking like a human face. The ragged trench coat and grey shirt showed bits and pieces of the skin underneath, most of which was a dull metallic shade. The man's eye - on the robot side - had a small green, transparent panel suspended by an ear piece an inch in front of it. The man's blue hair covered even where his head was metallic. His left arm sleeve hung loosely, no arm inside of it.
The man stood as if listening to something. In truth, he was. But nobody was speaking to him. Despite his high ranking, the man was only a mortal. Lord Seth would never honor him so much with speech.
THE ONE THEY CALL SLAYER. DO YOU KNOW OF HIM?
The man nodded. "I have studied the DNA sample that all the SWORD are attuned to," he said. His voice sounded like it has an accent, but closer examination would tell that it was a robotic twinge. "Every SWORD in existance knows who he is, and hunts him daily. His name is Ryushi Kaijonari. A.k.a., Nisemeisho. A.k.a., Hotaru. Ex-SOLDIER: 3rd Class. Ex-Co Leader of the Engineer's Guild. Legendary hunter of SWORDs and you, my Lord Seth.
ONCE A MAN OF THE ENGINEER'S GUILD... YOU ARE LOYAL TO ME.
It was not a question. It was not even a statement, it was a command. The man in the misty room dropped to his hands and knees, then kissed the ground to prove his loyalty. "Yes, Lord Seth. I serve and obey. My life's blood will be spilled serving you."
FIND THIS SLAYER. FIND RYUSHI KAIJONARI, AND KILL HIM.
Skan Erreden allowed himself a small smile, and looked up. "Yes, Lord Seth. I serve and obey."