23 Dragon Suit

Days passed as it became weeks and then into a couple of months. They weren't many low-level sightings of Demon activities as the higher-ups hoped for. Timothy's detection watch came up with more failures than successes, but Alexus was glad that we didn't have to fight any more demons for now. He enjoyed the blissful, slow days.

The higher-ups didn't force them to go after Myth types of demons yet. Their reason was that they didn't have enough field experience or power to go up against them in the first place.

Alexus was okay with that, but they all knew that sooner or later, they would eventually go after one of the unnamed Myth Classes that were slowly popping up like unwanted weeds.

Still, after the success of Crystal's Dragon Scale armor, each Ouroboros needed to be issued one. So it has become the standard armor that they wore under their clothes. Without it, they couldn't go outside Seventh Sanctum. For a good reason too. So far, the casualties have decreased dramatically since people started wearing it. Now, almost no one comes out injured from each mission.

While Alexus was sitting in front of his laptop, Crystal came bursting in through the door without knocking. He snapped his head towards her. Her hair was disheveled, making her look like she had run a marathon. Even her usual white lab coat was falling off her with soot covering half of her face, arms, and legs. He wondered what she went through to be covered in black, but his main concern was how she got into my room without a key. I was sure I locked it.

"Alexus." She breathed in heavily, leaning half her body on the door for support. "You need to help me out, now."

Alexus slowly got up, confused, unsure of what she wanted. Something terrible happened, making him worried if the demons had somehow entered Seventh Sanctum a second time. Such a thought didn't sit well with him, especially if it meant having to fight them again. The demons were just attracted to this one building, just wanting to wipe them all out.

"What is it?" Alexus asked.

"Just follow me." She quickly turned, leaving him alone in his room by himself.

Alexus followed her out the door; he heard her bursting through Jones' room. Jones yelped in startlement as he shouted at Crystal.

"Damn it, Crystal! I'm changing!"

"You don't need half your clothes anyways," said Crystal, not caring that he was half-naked. "Just come as you are. I need your help."

"You want me to walk outside with just boxers?"

"I don't care what you're in as long as your body is fine; come on!" Crystal scuttled out the door and ran towards Timothy's room, but she didn't find anyone there. For some reason, she didn't barge into Marcus' room. Instead, she went out the front door and into the hallway.

Jones was halfway in his grey pants as he stepped out his door, grumbling about how girls shouldn't be barging into a man's room without knocking. Alexus completely agreed with him, especially since he doesn't think she'll appreciate it if they do the same.

They trailed behind Crystal as more and more Ouroboros streamed out of their room. They were heading in the same direction as them. Alexus had to wonder what the special occasion was that every Ouroboros would be outside. Maybe he missed the memo somewhere; he was too focused on surfing the web that he didn't hear or see anything that told him to come here.

Jones finally put on his shirt and power walked next to Crystal. "What's with the sudden influx of people?" He glanced around nervously. "Is there something special going on?"

"Yea. The CEO wants us all at the Auditorium now." Crystal quickly spoke.

"The CEO? What? Really? Why?" Jones asked.

They got on the elevator and made their way down to the first floor.

"Just follow me." Crystal replied. The door opened as they stepped out and headed towards the Auditorium. Hundreds of people were streaming out of the elevators and stairway, heading straight towards the open doors of the Auditorium, where security guards were stationed.

Crystal didn't follow the other Ouroboros and went towards the side doors away from the main doors. A couple of security guards stood in front of the door, but they didn't stop Crystal.

Instead, she opened the door, allowing them to slip in without being stopped by the security.

Alexus was curious about why she wanted them to follow her so adamantly and what the CEO had to say. He had the feeling that something big was going to happen, making him wonder if it was either good or bad.

They stopped behind the curtains; dozens of scientists and other people he didn't know were moving around in a hurry. Boxes were thrown, and tables were filled with drinks and computers. Everyone was working on the Dragon Scale prototypes he had never seen before. They looked even cooler than the last time he saw them, which meant a lot. Crystal and Timothy did a fantastic job, especially from the variety of Dragon Scales on display.

Crystal shoved Alexus one of the Dragon Scale armor on the rack. "Quickly go behind the curtains and change." She hurried him along, pushing him through the nearest curtain.

"Hey. Hey." Alexus replied, not liking the thought of being pushed in so quickly without an

explanation.

"No time to explain. Just change!" The curtains were closed in front of him before he could say anything. Alexus sighed. There was no point in talking to her, especially with her pushy.

Alexus got out of his grey clothes and into the new Dragon Scale without saying anything else. He could easily slip in without much trouble, but what sucked was the cold metal touching his skin; it made him shiver. At times like these, putting it on truly sucked, especially if it meant putting on something this cold every time. Suddenly, he felt a slight tingle of heat spread across his whole body, telling him that some kind of heating system had started. He was surprised at the sudden warmth that filled up his body, allowing him to stop shaking.

This black Dragon Scale that Alexus was wearing was vastly improved than before. The thickness of the armor gained another inch or two, and the carbon fiber type of metal-like alloy was plastered on different areas of the suit. Even the elasticity hadn't changed, allowing him to move around without trouble.

"Here." Crystal handed Alexus black boots and gloves through the curtains.

He took it graciously and put it on. As he did, the sound of metal gears grinding as the boot, pants, top, and then gloves clicked into place, and it locked, not letting a bit of single skin show. This was a drastic improvement. He was worried that he would injure his wrist a couple of times if a sword or a bullet accidentally strayed in between the joints.

It was like wearing clawed gloves; the tips of his fingers were sharp and dagger-like near the nails, and even the ends of his boots were the same. However, this suit was a vast improvement that he liked, meaning he could now fight hand-to-hand if he didn't have his sword. Simply, this girl was terrified to be able to create something like this.

Then Alexus saw something that he didn't expect to see. A green blinking light lit on the back of his wrist, where a watch was integrated into the suit. Then, words started to form as he heard a female's voice speaking.

"Ouroboros 099, Alexus Tyger. Dragon Scale Armor initiating calibrations. Please stand by." A pending circle repeatedly rotated until a ding-like sound erupted to its completion. "Dragon Scale Type 09. DNA match confirmed. Personal Suit of Alexus Tyger, Ouroboros 099 has been recorded." A sudden sound of air whistled outwards from the suit, shrinking to fit his body.

Alexus' eyes became wide, surprised that it was even more technologically advanced. His mind went blank when the air finished decompressing. Timothy had outdone himself.

"Are you done yet?" Crystal asked in a hurried tone.

Alexus stepped out, fully enjoying the Dragon Scale Armor. The whole suit glistened like a snake's skin and even had the same texture. He could now see why this suit was called the Dragon Scale armor.

Crystal grabbed him by the arm, yanking him out of the changing room, and pushed him up the stairs. What waited out in front of him were hundreds of Ouroboros staring at him in their seat.

Alexus gulped. He was not good with public speaking.

"Well.Well. If it isn't Alexus Tyger, Ouroboros no. 099." A very handsome man that looked to be around his late twenties and early thirties rubbed his hand in front of him. He was about Alexus's height, possibly an inch or two taller, wearing a black suit. Everything about him screamed high class, and the way he held himself was like a nobleman. He guessed that the man was the CEO.

"As I was saying," he turned towards the crowds. "There are a total of nine types of Dragon Scale Armors."

Eight more people came out, including Marcus, Timothy, Jones, Simon, and even Crystal. The rest of the four, Alexus, didn't know precisely who they were, but everyone looked slightly different.

"Dragon Scale Armor Type 01-04 are the basic prototypes being mass-produced right now. Type 01, Ouroboros no. 51, Ken Tazak," said the CEO. A young man with reddish-colored hair steps up from the left for everyone to see.

"As you all know, this suit can protect you against a four gauge shotgun and higher. Even stopping a collision of a car at roughly sixty miles per hour. It's waterproof, a least a little acid-proof, odorless, and it's heat and cold resistance to a certain degree. Now, that doesn't mean you'll be able to walk in lava and survive or stay a night in the south pole. Please be practical; we are still upgrading the suit with the team at hand as much as possible. It also has a cooling system, so you don't have to worry about getting hot and stuffy." The CEO walked up towards the man and wrapped his hand on the armor's chest.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats, listening to the new suits with excitement. They knew the power and protection these suits all had, giving them a huge advantage in the fight against a demon.

"Even if you fall from a forty-floor building, you'll be fine. There is a safety function to help you from colliding with the force, using your magic. Also, there are four different types of suits. 01 is for long-distance fighters, and it has the basic guns on each leg with over two thousand specialized bullets hidden inside the suit." The CEO nodded his head, telling Ken to go ahead.

A loud bang of air escaping could be heard over twenty different locations around the suit; it opened up a gun on each side of the leg. He took it out as the gun started to glow with blue light.

They merged to create a DMR-type Rifle, bringing the two guns together. The other compartment closed, and a loud clunk could be heard as the guns clasped onto the suit itself.

Alexus' mouth half dropped open. Did I just hear it right? Two thousand bullets inside that suit itself?! Wouldn't it weigh him down? So he thought, flabbergasted by what he had just heard.

"All bullets will be fed from the suit into the gun itself. If the suit jams up or doesn't function correctly, you will be able to manually exchange magazines from one to another without throwing away the magazine itself. These bullets are fueled by your magic, allowing deeper penetration of the Demon's thick skin. Normal bullets don't kill demons, but these bullets do."

The CEO had a bullet in his hand as a large screen appeared over his head. It was a simple silver metallic-looking bullet with an inscription wrapped around it on all sides.

Alexus could even see the glow of soft energy humming with power as it stayed on the CEO's hand.

"Two extra emergency daggers are hidden on the side of both arms. Once again, these daggers are used against demons, but you can use them against humans." The CEO chuckled.

Alexus nodded; weapons weren't only just for demons; who knows if there would be humans against us that could become problematic.

"Type 01 isn't a speed base suit. Its whole purpose is specifically for sniping. The rifle has a night vision and heat vision scope, giving you an easier time at night. I hope you don't use all one thousand to kill one type of Demon. Each bullet is quite expensive, you know." He chuckled.

"Type 02, don by No. 23, Jack Skeller."

Jack was a buff-looking man with a crew cut for a hair. He had an army mentality with a giant scar slash across his face. Even the Dragon Scale was nicely conformed to his muscles, making him look much bulkier than normal. Possibly a lot bigger than Marcus himself, making Marcus look a bit dwarf in comparison.

"Type 02 is all about strength. The extra inch on the armor around the hand, knee, and legs gives it the extra boost. In addition, special inscriptions are written around these body areas, helping you focus your energy on the needed area. What's even nicer is that there is air support when you punch or kick, helping you build up the power and speed."

Jack raised his arms and went into a fighting position. He then took a few jabs and kicks, with air duct-like holes opened up from the opposite ends. A high-piercing sound could be heard, pushing the punches and kicks forward into a blur. His footwork was first class, and his punches were blisteringly quick, to where Alexus could feel the power behind each kick as the air smacked him in the face.

"One gun on the right side with one hundred bullets. Extra daggers are in place. We tried to keep the body less heavy than Type 01. Now, Type 03, don by No. 63 Steve Reynolds, is more for specially designed engineers, blacksmiths, medics, or techy. Each one curtailed to the person itself. You can say that it has all the necessities to help the people and fix the damaged suits. One gun, a couple of daggers, hand grenades, and about one hundred bullets for protection."

Steve stepped out as different medic packs, extra gears, tools, and exciting bits of unknown technology appeared out of the side of his suit. In addition, his suit was lit with green light, differentiating him from the other two.

"Type 04, don by No. 284 Sara Ten, is based on speed. The Dragon Scale is a lot lighter than the other suits, with less protection and power, but the speed at which this suit can move is three times faster than any other suit combined. The only weapon it has is a sword, made from a well renowned Japanese Blacksmith master, engraved with the newest technology and magic."

Sara stepped forward. To put it simply, she was a blond-haired beauty. Her fingers laced around the back as she pulled out her sword fluidly. I was mesmerized by the blade's beauty as it glistened underneath the light. It was like an energy sword straight out of fantasy. The moment the sword cut through the air, bluish yellow power trailed behind it, giving the illusion of multiple swords at once. A hum of power could be felt as it trailed downwards to the side in a down-ready position. The CEO waved his hands back, so Sara would go back into line.

"Now, Type 05 through 09 are a bit more special. You can say that it's personalized to the person itself. All five of this armor have the same blueprints as the four you see here. For example, type 05 don by No. 11, Marcus Ivanov, a power type, has two times the strength and speed as Type 02 with a slight mixture of Type 04 speed enhancement, but the defense capabilities are cut down by 20%. The only problem is that the magic consumption one needs to wear these suits is triple the amount to use, making it so that not many people could wear one without high magic stamina," said the CEO. "Marcus. Jack. Please show us a demonstration."

With a snap of his finger, two large boulders five times the size of either one were dragged in by five men, each in a Dragon Scale suit. Both Jack and Marcus stopped in front of the boulders; they pulled back their arm, ready to punch.

Jack was the first to punch the boulder before him, causing a large crack-like hold to dig halfway

through the boulder itself. The others were shocked at the amount of power that Jack had shown, but when Marcus hit the boulder, it broke in half. Then, as the back of the rock exploded, the other end was three times bigger than the front. Everyone was stunned at Marcus's sheer amount of strength, but Marcus was breathing hard, trying to stay on his feet.

People came out to clean up the mess as Jack and Marcus went back in line.

"Type 06, worn by No. 33 Crystal Takahashi, and Type 07, worn by No. 44 Timothy Ortiz, both are a mixture of mid to long-range sniping and engineering. Type 06 has half the amount of bullets for sharpshooting with quite a bit of tool to fix any broken-down Dragon Scales. You could say she's a one-stop-shop, allowing her to fight and fix. Type 07 is mid to close range shooting but more heavily geared to its technology. The number one friend of Type 07 is the extensive amount of knowledge it can store into the suits and connect to the local web," said the CEO. He moved from Crystal to Timothy, then to Jones. "Type 08 worn by No. 22, Jones Robinson, specializes heavily in magic, helping to control their inner natural element. It has the same frame as Type 02 but with more defensive capabilities than offensive abilities. Jones, show them your fire ability."

Jones hesitated for a moment; he looked at Alexus, then back at the CEO, unsure if he could do it correctly. Even Alexus had to give him a reassuring hand gesture, so he wouldn't flack out. He raised his hand, bringing it up in front of him. Closing both his eyes, he furrowed as he imagined himself drawing up the fire energy into his palm.

Alexus was awed at the sheer amount of red energy swirling around Jones' whole hand. It wasn't like the first time he saw Jones bringing up two flames; now Jones was able to conjure up an actual fireball. Everything was being shown on the big screen as people held in a gasp at the unnatural phenomenon that Jones was able to create.

"Thank you, Jones.'' The CEO nodded his head and finally came toward me. "Type 09 worn by No. 99 Alexus Tyger. You could say that this suit was a lot thicker than all the other suits combined. It is light, but not too light, allowing the speed to be about 1.5 faster. It has a Katana-like Type 04 and a second hidden blade down its leg. There is one small handgun installed at the base of its right leg with fifty bullets for emergencies. Extra ammunition and hidden compartments are installed depending on the user's wishes. Though there is a special weapon installed in this suit."

Alexus was curious about what Crystal had installed in this suit. The word special weapon caught his attention.

"The back of the spine can be pulled out into a bow."

A bow? Alexus looked at him funny. This wasn't medieval times; guns were faster and more powerful than a bow.

"Alexus. Please show us the bow." The CEO looked at Alexus, telling him to show everyone the new toy he doubted would be useful. Then, he reached towards his back with a sigh as he felt the contraption along his spine start to move into gear. A long rod-like weapon appeared, allowing him to grasp the edge as he pulled it out.

Alexus brought out something like a stick; when it came in front of him, the whole stick started to take shape into a futuristic bow. Suddenly, he felt a large draw of his energy sucked into it like a black hole as gold energy flashed across from one end to another, creating the string to conjoin two ends. He was mesmerized by the sudden strange lull of power coming from the weapon itself.

"There is no arrow." The Ceo replied with a smug smile on his lips.

Alexus looked at him funny. No arrow? What? Then how am I supposed to use this? He thought, cursing in his head for believing it to be very special.

"As you can see, the energy that we usually can't see is shown through the weapon; the high concentration of energy distorts the fabric of the veil itself, giving us a better picture of what metaphysic energy is all about. The more condensed the energy, the more powerful it becomes. It could become even more powerful than a bullet itself. Pull," The Ceo directed.

Alexus' hand reached over towards the golden gold energy. As his finger twined around the string, he pulled. Suddenly a flash of gold swirls pulled out from his hand and into the arrow, turning into a condensed energy arrow. He was shocked by what he saw.

"The same thing applies to this suit; the consumption rate for magical energy is twice as higher

than normal, making it a lot more difficult to use."

Alexus lowered the weapon and put it back into the spinal area of the suit.

"But do not fret; all Dragon Scale Armor has a first and secondary battery that will keep all its function running for at least three to five years. One needs to change it every time it's low; only the magical aspect will be fueled by your energy, meaning it's limitless as long as you are alive.

With that being said, all Dragon Scale Armor is considered DNA coded so that no one else but you can wear them. Even normal people will not even be able to power it, giving it an extra security measure." A large grin erupted on the CEO's lips. "All the armor and weapons are specifically designed by our lead blacksmith, Crystal Takashi, while the high tech was designed by Timothy Ortiz with the help of many other brilliant minds."

Alexus was gaping at the two with pride. The two did it. They created something monumental that would give them an edge against the Demon themselves. He was proud of both of them and knew that their expertise would push them far up the ladder to benefit the Ouroboros as a whole.

"But, I didn't call you all here for only the Dragon Scale Armor." The CEO darkly stated. "Our No. 666 Ouroboros will be coming up. We are on No. 659, and so far, at least six to twenty Ouroboros have been coming towards Seventh Sanctum every month. We don't know if it's days, weeks, months, or years, but at the rate, I believe that our next difficult demon fight would be right around the corner."

All their happiness with the new toy was quickly washed away with worry, and Alexus could see that everyone else had a dark expression just like him.