Chapter 21: Back to the Surface

The dark church was illuminated by a small bird and unending gunshots. A flurry of bullets hailed on to the mecha beasts. The big boy was the first to fall under the ruthless attacks of Rose. Metal wailed under the impact of the different kinds of bullets. Fiery slugs melted off the limbs of the incoming beasts. Icy bullets froze the metal beings' joints. Green bug-like projectiles were homing onto the metal beasts' weak points. And black lead obliterated everything in its path. A literal one-rose army.

She looked like a demon of destruction. I wonder if it's a single spirit or four separate ones. I'm going to ask her later. She might give me some insight into my own unresolved two-spirit situation.

"Move!" Rose shouted at me.

But I only manage to grimace. I couldn't stand up. With all the adrenaline pumping through my veins it was difficult to assess my damage but it was pretty safe to say I was fucked up.

I asked for help: "Can you give me a hand?"

Surprisingly, she could support my broken body even while fighting off the mecha beasts. Both of her organic hands were free after all. Rose helped me up. When I finally was on my feet I took a moment to search through the leather bag. I couldn't risk any more unexpected surprises. But at least this time it really was just a regular woman's bag. After rummaging through it for a long minute I finally discovered a wallet. I took a peek at it and found different kinds of cards. A bonus card for a grocery store, a bowling club membership card, and finally an Identification Card. I squeezed the wallet into the pocket of my blazer and abandoned the rest of the leather bag.

"I can't believe that you still waste our time with… I don't even know what you are doing," Rose commented while shooting another charging big boy right between its eyes.

"I have my own way of doing things, okay!?" I snapped. I knew that I was my own greatest enemy. If I hadn't picked up these things I would never ever ended up in this mess. But here I was and I had to see it through.

I called: "Feathers, come here, buddy!" The tired-looking baby bird extinguished its flames and waddled towards us. Rose picked it up and sat it on my shoulder.

"I hope you don't fall off cause I will leave your ass", Rose's heartless statement provoked indignant looks from us both.

"Feathers did protect you, you know!" I protested. "Show some gratitude, will you?" The gold beast tweeted supportingly.

Rose narrowed her eyes: "I'm thanking you both by getting us out of this mess!" Well, she is literally carrying us so I shouldn't complain too much.

We must have been the wonkiest trio in the history of Heaven's Gate. We slowly moved towards a hard-fought exit. When we finally reached the outside we noticed that our prospects didn't look better. There still were uncountable mecha beasts down here. I started to worry how long Rose could keep up her wild fighting style.

"What now?" I asked.

Before Rose could answer we heard the sound of summing motors. "Do you see what I am seeing?" Rose asked rhetorically. A few dozen people on cybersteeds were approaching us in a tight formation. We are saved? We ARE saved!

The darkness made it difficult to make out proper details. We saw their headlights and the occasional mecha beast getting beheaded.

"Who are they?" I wondered out loud. Rose shrugged her shoulder: "I don't know but they don't look like coppers. See, in the front! A red cybersteed! The coppers use blue and white cybersteeds."

A mecha beast nearly got us because we were too distracted. Feathers alarmed Rose and she barely avoided a dangerous situation. She refocused on the fight in front of her while I couldn't take my eyes off the seemingly tangible help.

As they got closer to our location I could make out some details. Blonde hair. A distinct uniform with the inscription 'Uncle Hong's Eatery'. Wait a minute… I knew that guy! Feng!? He rode nonchalantly his crimson steed while the people around him cleared the way. On a rickety sidecar sat an old man in a stained apron with crossed arms. It looked like he was staring right at us. We held our position until they arrived.

"Girls, are you the last people alive?" The old man jumped out of his sidecar and demanded an immediate answer.

I answered honestly: "I saw lots of people when I first entered the cave but I don't… "

"Humph!" He interrupted me. "So you are the last people standing! Just say so! We saved the ones on the outskirts we could. We saw light coming from here so we went and took a look. Good for you! Boy, prepare the barrier!"

"What? Now, uncle?" Feng jumped in fright and signaled his companions.

"Yes, now! Who knows where these monsters will go. We have to destroy them all at once!" The old man shouted while examining the situation.

"Girls! Hurry up! Run towards us!" Feng shouted nervously.

Rose and I looked at each other not knowing what was going on. But we hurried towards them, just in time. The strange group activated a barrier. Four statuettes with intricate carvings stood in four places. They were powered by eight people in total. Two persons were needed to power a single statue.

"I never liked the Church of the Heavenly Demon", the old man spat in disgust. "Is that what they call killing two birds with one stone?" He used two fingers to send out an energy beam which destroyed a single mecha beast. It then split in two and destroyed two more beasts. It multiplied again and again until the whole cave was filled with energy beams. Every beast and every building, no, everything except the old man and the people in the barrier was pulverized in a blink of an eye. What the fuck!? What kind of technique was that?

"Now, to the root of all this destruction." The old man Feng called uncle approached us menacingly. Feathers shivered and tried to hide in my hair.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"Oh, I just want to do what has to be done." His hand reached for my throat in a grabbing motion. Rose wanted to stop him but Feng intercepted her.

"No!" I screeched.

He then grabbed feathers tenderly, held him upside down, and shook him like a cocktail shaker. Out came a microchip. The old man then stomped on it like one would extinguish a used up sutra. "Done. Now they won't go after you anymore little one. Boys, let's return to the surface! Girls, you and your bird are invited to tag along. I think in your condition it would be smart not to decline!"

Feng wildly nodded towards us as if to say we shouldn't decline this offer. And we didn't. At this point, I would hitch a ride on a dragon if it meant I get to go home.