Fight, Run, or Die(6)

– Ireland, Europe -2:50 PM –

Percy De Rolo, the one who had the Stand "The Emperor" and the Goblin Slayer, the one who had become "Hierophant Green" found themselves ensnared within the labyrinthine confines of the A-class Zeppelin and were being chased relentlessly by a combination of Reich soldiers, Dark Aether Manglers, and Super Soldats while running through the corridors and deftly evading a hail of gunfire.

"This place is a fucking maze!" Percy shouted as his voice reverberated with frustration amid the chaos.

"Keep running! They're weapons are beyond us. We need to lose them." advised Goblin Slayer, his tone resolute amidst the turmoil.

"Obviously! They have repeated guns! They could turn us into sweese cheese in an instant!" Percy shouted, "Do you have anything?!" he pressed urgently.

Rummaging through his pouches, Goblin Slayer brings out a smoke bomb and throws it behind them towards their pursuers. Spinning around, Percy discharged a shot from The Emperor, igniting the bomb mid-air. The resulting explosion veiled their pursuers' faces in a shroud of smoke, affording the duo a momentary advantage.

However, a Super Soldat shrugged off the smoke and continued to chase them down, but fortunately they weren't the fastest runners so the two were able to outrun them.

But Percy didn't want to take any chances and quickdraws all of them with the Emperor, sending the bullets dead center in their heads and any vulnerable part or organ to make it a quick kill.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Percy said, "Finally."

Their respite was short-lived as the two were met with a Panzerhund bursting out from a ruptured wall to their left and lunged towards the two. Reacting swiftly, the two coordinated their efforts, narrowly evading the metallic beast's assault as it crashed face first into another wall. Goblin Slayer swung his sword on the Panzerhund's head but the blade bounced off of its armor.

With a mechanical roar, the Panzerhund breathed out fire from his mouth on Goblin Slayer but he quickly blocked the fire with his shield. Percy soon identified the Panzerhund's vulnerability in its fuel tanks and shot them which caused it to explode along with the Panzerhund.

"Thanks Percy." acknowledged Goblin Slayer.

"Don't mention it," Percy replied with a nod.

"Stop right there!"

Their moment of reprieve was interrupted by the sudden appearance of two Reich soldiers running towards their direction through the corridor, prompting a swift reaction from Goblin Slayer as he threw his shield at one of the soldiers, striking him squarely in the head and knocking him out. The shield ricocheted off, striking the second soldier with the same result before returning to Goblin Slayer's waiting grasp.

With just a swift throw of his shield, Goblin Slayer had incapacitated their assailants, leaving Percy momentarily dumbfounded.

"The hell did I just witness right now?" Percy asked as he couldn't contain his amazement.

"It's a lighter shield, so it can be thrown and carried easily but not durable against heavier attacks." explained Goblin Slayer matter-of-factly.

"Uh huh."

Soon, they heard more sound of approaching footsteps, prompting them to resume their run through the corridor and make a left turn to find a window ahead.

"There!"

Immediately, they raced towards it and opened it, only to find the dizzying expanse of clouds below. Upon looking down, they realized that they were tens of thousands of feet off the ground.

"So this fortress is flying above or between the clouds, I see," said Goblin Slayer calmly.

"We are literally in the sky?!?" Percy exclaimed incredulously.

"Yes."

"And you're completely calm about this?!" Percy quipped.

"...Yes," replied Goblin Slayer simply.

"...Straight guy."

Out of nowhere, a Robot Soldat suddenly jumps towards them with its mantis blades ready but Goblin Slayer quickly reacts and uppercutted the robot's head off with his shield with a well-aimed strike, causing the bot to limp.

"Okay new plan, how the fuck do we escape this place if we're in the sky?" Percy pondered aloud.

"They must have something." mused Goblin Slayer, scanning their surroundings until the two noticed more Reich soldiers heading towards them, causing the two to quickly run down the corridor, mindful of the approaching soldiers.

Now you might be thinking, why are they just running and attacking when needed to?

Reason 1: Goblin Slayer still has no clue on the powers of the Stand he had become. His armor and weaponry, though formidable, proved vulnerable to armor-piercing munitions, leaving him wary of direct confrontation.

Reason 2: Percy's mastery over "The Emperor" was not without its limitations. Despite its lethal potential, Percy required concentration to ensure the bullets found their mark, making him vulnerable to the enemy's weapons. Moreover, "The Emperor" does have its original weaknesses that Hol Horse also suffered through.

Reason 3: They still had no clue how the enemy's weaponry, machinery, and tactics operate. Without sufficient knowledge of their adversaries' capabilities, Percy and Goblin Slayer hesitated to risk direct engagement.

"THANKS FOR THE EXPLANATION AS IF IT WASN'T OBVIOUS ALREADY!" Percy shouted angrily at I, the narrator, which kinda felt hurtful.

Moments later, the duo stumbled upon a door, revealing a descending staircase. Opting for expediency, they slid down the railings to reach the bottom of the stairs quicker which they did and as they reached the bottom, they saw another door and opened it to find an S-shaped metal catwalk suspended outside the Zeppelin, hanging over its turbine engines. They quickly closed the door behind themselves and ran on the catwalk until three drohnes showed up from above and started firing lasers at them. The two dodged the laser fire from drohnes and Percy shot the aerial threats with precise shots from "The Emperor" as they exploded.

"Wonder what those were?" Percy wondered.

Their respite was short-lived when Goblin Slayer soon noticed something on a metal platform 300 meters away from them, revealing to be a Heavy Robot staring at them as it began firing its laser at the catwalk, causing it to break and fall.

"Oh give us a break!" Percy shouted as he held on to the catwalks railings.

"We need to get off this catwalk." Goblin Slayer said before he and Percy soon noticed a door at the end of the catwalk that would lead them back inside the Zeppelin.

Exchanging glances at each other, they both make a mad dash for it with the catwalk finally breaks apart and collapses, but the duo managed to jump off the catwalk in time and towards the door. As they flew, they simultaneously kicked the door open and entered through it as they were now back inside the zeppelin.

"Too close." Percy breathed a sigh in relief.

The two continued moving down a corridor where they found a door which they opened to enter, only to find a large area filled with Horten Ho 229 jets with a runway, big enough to held a huge jousting match. At the end of the runway there was an open gate that allowed the jets to fly in and out of the class-A Zeppelin when needed to and it seemed like no one was present at the moment.

Percy whistled, "This place has some big stuff." he remarked, marveling the scale of their surroundings.

Goblin Slayer noticed something, "What's that?"

The two's attention soon was drawn to one Horten Ho jet but this was not a normal one among the others

This was an X-wing Horten Ho 229 jet.

[IMAGES]

"Quite the look it has." Percy commented with a look of awe, his eyes tracing the sleek contours of the metal contraption before them.

"Indeed. Out of all the metal birds here, this one is different." agreed Goblin Slayer, his hand resting upon the aircraft's fuselage. "But how do they control these birds?"

"They're not living things but man-made," Percy stated as he closely examined it, "The metal and the lack of feathers or fur means they lack the vitality of living creatures, otherwise it would have attacked us by now. And thinking about it, this fortress reminds me of Skyships in my world yet markedly advanced without the use of any brumestones. Truly fascinating."

"Then these people are beyond us in terms of advancements than whatever worlds we lived in." Goblin Slayer concluded.

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the approach of footsteps echoing through the chamber.

"We have troops coming," Goblin Slayer said gravely, "We need to hide before moving out when the coast is clear."

"We'll hide in the metal bird then." Percy suggested.

Agreeing with Percy's plan, the two decided to climb up the X-wing and manually opened its cockpit window by hand before taking reduge inside which is big enough to fit both of them but despite it only has a single seat available, they huddled together, awaiting the passing of their pursuers.

"Now we wait until they pass." instructed Goblin Slayer, his tone hushed.

Moments later, a large group of Reich soldiers and dark aether Manglers along with a Reich commander, the same one that Goblin Slayer saw when he was in the vents, showed up in the area.

"Durchsuchen Sie jeden Winkel und jede Ritze. Bewegen! Jetzt! (Search every nook and cranny. Move! Now!)" said the Reich commander.

With a nod of their heads, the soldiers started searching for the duo, swarming the entire space in search for the escaped prisoners, not noticing they were inside the X-wing, not yet at least.

"Don't move. They're not onto us yet," Goblin Slayer whispers to Percy, who lets out a nod and remained themselves concealed within the cockpit, holding their breath as the search intensified. Moments stretched into agonizing minutes as they avoided detection, stealing cautious glances through the window to check whether they left or not.

Then, with a sudden jolt, their precarious sanctuary was shattered by the appearance of a Mangler as it jumpscares them on the other side of the window.

"RAAAAAHH!!!"

"Holy fuck!!" Percy screamed in fright as he backed away from the window in a panic and in the process his elbow hit a button that started the X-wing engines, causing the aircraft to hover above the floor and reeled its wheels back into its belly that caught the attention of basically everyone in the area.

"They're inside!" the Reich commander bellowed, his voice filled with alarm.

"I told you not to move." chided Goblin Slayer in a deadpan tone.

The Mangler who jumpscared them was holding on to the X-wing's window and climbs on the top of it, preparing to blast his way into the cockpit until Goblin Slayer noticed the joystick in front of him. Instinctively, he moved the stick to the right to see what it does. As a result, the X-wing tilts to the right and dislodge the Mangler from the jet in the process.

The Mangler stood up from the floor and powers up his cannon, "I'm blasting it!"

"Don't you dummkopf!" The Reich commander admonished him, "You destroy it and we'll lose a buttload of money that we invested into this model! We only have five of these at the moment! This is one of them! So none of you will fire!"

Within the cockpit of the X-wing, Goblin Slayer continued controlling the joystick, positioning the aircraft towards the open gate at the end of the runway.

"Close the gates!" the Reich commander ordered, prompting a frantic response from the soldiers.

A Mangler hurriedly smashed a button on a control panel on a wall and the gates started to close slowly.

"Now what do we do?" Percy asked.

Checking the countless buttons in the cockpit, Goblin Slayer randomly pressed a button which had a dial that ignited the engines to full propulsion. Despite the names and labels being written in German, he presses it and the X-wing flies towards the slowly closing gates at a very high speed.

"OHHHHHHHHH MYYYYY GODDDDDDDDDDDD!!" Percy screamed on top of his lungs as the sudden acceleration pressed Percy and Goblin Slayer into their seats, their voices lost in the rush of wind as they watched as the X-wing flew right through the gates and soared into the open sky, narrowly passing through before they sealed shut.

"...They got you away, because of your concerns." The Mangler conceded, staring at the Reich Commander who was sighing in defeat.

"I know. Where is Smasher?" inquired the commander, his gaze steely.

"Currently tearing apart an enemy outpost seven miles north from here." replied the Mangler.

"Contact him and tell him to hunt them down by tracking the X-wings through its beacon that was installed in it. We cannot afford to lose it," commanded the Reich commander.

"Should we back him up?" the Mangler asked.

The Reich commander scoffed, "Nonsense. He himself will be enough."

—————————————————————

The duo was still inside the x-wing as the jet hurtled forward at breakneck speeds while Percy felt like he wanted to puke even though he couldn't.

"I'm gonna be sick even though I ate nothing. And why are you so unnerving calm?!" Percy shouted, his voice reverberated with a mix of frustration and unease as he watched Goblin Slayer trying to figure out the controls, which is complex for him, even for Percy who has knowledge of the functions of airships were still intriguing for him.

Struggling to decipher the intricate interface, Goblin Slayer's focus remained steadfast, his determination unwavering even as Percy's panic escalated.

In a desperate attempt to regain control, Goblin Slayer pressed a button at random, unwittingly sending the X-wing into a dizzying barrel roll. Percy's senses reeled as the world spun around him.

"@_@ I feel the world's spinning. Scanlan, where are you? Please, sing a song for me. I don't give a shit if it's about sex or not."

"I don't know who is this Scanlan you mentioned, but I only know... Goblin slaying." Goblin Slayer responded stoically amidst the chaos.

With another press of a random button, the X-wing lurched into a perilous nose dive, hurtling towards the vast expanse of a nearby lake.

"We're going to crash!" Percy cried out in terror.

"Hold on," Goblin Slayer commanded, his fingers deftly manipulating the controls.

By sheer instinct, Goblin Slayer managed to shut down the propulsion dial and stabilize the jet, halting its descent just above the water's surface. With a collective sigh of relief, the duo opened the window and emerged from the cockpit, settling on top of the X-wing's hull to catch their breath.

"Finally... we escaped and are safe..." Percy gasped between relieved laughter, "Damn."

"Unfortunately we are in the middle of a lake, but yes, we are safe for now," Goblin Slayer acknowledged, his gaze scanning the tranquil waters below, "However, they might send a search party for this bird soon, and possibly for us if needed."

Removing his helmet, Goblin Slayer looked at it for a moment, while Percy was startled upon seeing his face wasn't human but robotic humanoid in nature with yellow eyes and green skin.

"Woah!" Percy exclaimed, his eyes widening at the unexpected sight.

"I'm pretty sure you have questions why I don't look human but bear the color scheme of a Goblin?" Goblin Slayer said calmly, his metallic features betraying little emotion.

Percy chuckled softly, "Yes, but I can sense the irony in the color pattern already." he remarked, acknowledging the peculiar twist of fate in Goblin Slayer's appearance.

"I see," he replied, his gaze shifting to the serene expanse of the lake before them, pondering the uncertain path that lay ahead.

It is until that moment where he noticed something on Percy's cape. When Goblin Slayer's fingers curiously brushed against its fabric, a sudden surge of energy coursed through him, a sensation both familiar and foreign, similar to that little priest he know yet different. Even though he wasn't a mage or a magic caster, he could feel there was power in the garment. It seemed to crackle with arcane energy. Lines of electricity ran like veins through the leathers, sparkling a mesmerizing glow against the dark material.

"Is this cape of yours magic?" Goblin Slayer asked, his curiosity piqued by the magical aura emanating from the fabric.

"Perhaps yeah," Percy confirmed, his voice tinged with solemnity. "It's known as Cabal's Ruin, one of the Vestiges of Divergence. I acquired it after killing an old enemy of mind... that bitch Dr. Anna Ripley," he muttered at the end, but Goblin Slayer could hear it and even sense a tone of repugnance and utter distain coloring his voice when he mentioned that person's name, "Anyways, how did you come to find yourself here?" he asked, redirecting the conversation towards Goblin Slayer's own journey.

"...I was goblin hunting with my party that were residing in a cave in a southern town and what we found within that cave were goblins, all lying dead next to emerald green crystals sprouting out of the walls and they themselves were crystallized in them, so we knew they were dangerous if we touched them," Goblin Slayer recounted, his voice tinged with uncertainty, "Without warning, the crystals emitted a blinding green light, and the next thing I knew, I found myself in a forest in this new form. Why? I don't know."

Percy listened intently, absorbing the tale of unexpected transformation.

"Well, mine was a bit more simple," Percy began, a wistful smile playing across his lips. "After the harrowing battle with the Chroma Conclave, a group of powerful dragons that want to enslave or destroy the world, me and Vox Machina returned to Whitestone, my hometown, to strategize on fortifying its defenses and plan to design new guns for the people in my old home that weren't... possessed, like the last time." he murmured, remembering a certain demon that stood with him for all his life.

Shaking his head to forget that time, Percy continued, "Anyhow. While in my chamber, I heard a knock on the window and looked outside, only to get hit by a box to a face by someone out of nowhere and knocking me to the floor. I try to find who did that and I first thought my asshole friends try to prank me, only to find no one. As I opened the box…"

His voice trailed off as he summoned The Emperor into his hand, reminiscing on the events that led him to this unfamiliar realm.

"I found this in it. It looked sorta like my original gun, Pepperbox, given the bullet chamber design," Percy continued, his tone tinged with melancholy. "Upon testing it, the world around me shifted, and I found myself amidst the trees of this foreign land." he said, seemingly depressed, as the weight of his separation from his companions weighed heavily on him, "During this whole thing, I have missed my friends, my old home, my people, and... my sister."

Feeling the weight on Percy's words, Goblin Slayer nodded in understanding, "I see. we're both far from home and family, finding ourselves in this strange land," he mused, his gaze drifting towards the horizon.

Percy followed his gaze, contemplating the vast expanse of the unfamiliar sky. "Yeah. Do you think we'll find anyone else like us out there?"

Goblin Slayer's response was measured. "It's difficult to say. But for now, our priority is survival. We must work together to survive this... war that we might have possibly dragged ourselves into."

"War, you say?" Percy grimaced at the thought. "You think this world is at war?"

"Given from the maps with the unknown language that I found in the flying fortress, it seems that way."

Percy groaned, "Brilliant."

"Since we are out of danger for now, do you wish to tell me about your adventures?"

"Hmmm... might as well kill the time before finding a way out of this lake."

And so, beneath the tranquil sky, the two lost warriors shared stories of battles fought and challenges overcome in their respective universes. As they reminisced, plans began to take shape for their next steps in this unfamiliar world, their bond strengthened by shared experiences and a common goal: to find their way home.

———

A/n: You might've guessed, this is Percy after the Chroma Conclave arc, just letting you know.