The Steel Legion

Welcome to post apocalypse, yeah, you heard it right. That's my world where I live in. We live in things that we call as domes. Shelters where it houses limited amount of people due to its limited sustenance. I has its own ecosystem where it supports life to us humans and the flora and fauna that is required for a healthy biosphere.

Unfortunately what we mostly believe are lies. These facts we now call as rubbish to keep the general population in check. Our news are fake and the truth we know are myths. Sad but necessary they say where a lot of people indeed buy it.

I am the different sort, although I tend to believe some of their lies. The system indeed breed morons and fools for them to control. I cannot blame them, a tamed sheep is easy to herd. Not much hassle compared to enlightened individuals such as myself who causes a lot of trouble.

I live in a small shack near the sewer. I as a person you see is poor. We live in shanties and the place we live, dirty as I describe it. Poor sanitation and low quality of life. We are always hungry and sickness plagues our neighborhood. Probably a good way of population control. The ones on top are indeed smart with population management. I say with a sarcastic tone.

I am currently hiding from my uncle. He is always furious when he see me. He doesn't like the sight or even the shadow of myself in his premises. He wishes me gone and always looking a way to get me out of his sight. Here he is now, looking nook and cranny for me. Sadly he won't find me, not yet for I hid in my secluded spot in his house.

"Aero, Aero! Where are you kid!"

Aero, a unusual name eh? I prefer if I were named John or Leonard but I guess this is already given. Something even laws tightly regulate, everything in the dome is well monitored.

"Kid, where are you hiding?" A middle aged man was looking for me.

I am called Aero, the youngest of the Rand siblings, my real name is Damon but it is rarely used. I usually get into trouble in participating the Martial Games. Extreme games that requires great physical effort and results mostly in harm. The prices however for the participants are great, even those that win the consolation prizes can be rich for a month.

"Are you hiding something from me again young man? I think we have talked about those prohibited games you are participating in. I do not want law enforcers to come knocking again at my house for problems you have caused!" The man again said grumbling looking at the corners for me.

It seems like he won't give up looking for me. Every nook and cranny he had checked for my whereabouts. I guess the trouble that he was talking about was about my last match. I participated in a Martial Games called Metal Bout. A fight between to participants in power armor, unarmed but with special abilities.

I happened to defeat a well known fighter that is sponsored by the Mafia which is protected by some corrupt government officials. The defeat caused an uproar which made the Mafia furious. Using its connections, they are looking for me, the one who humiliated their fighter. It is not my fault if their contender sucks. He's good, but rusted, they must find someone better if they do not wish to be shamed.

The sound of my responder rings as someone in my contacts tried to initiate a transmission with me. I tried to turn it off but my responder still keep on ringing persistently. I looked at it and I realized it was Tazereck. He is one of my friends who has connections.

"Tazereck, what's up? I cannot talk with you right now! An old fool is looking for me." I responded to Tazereck's call while hiding.

While talking to him I am running towards the basement of the house that leads to the underground sewers. There I am planning to make my escape for good!

"You fool, what have you done!?"

"I know, I know, I should have lost but it is not my fault if that idiot sucks! I am just the better fighter..."

Before I could finish I hear a heavy thud behind my back where I was hiding.

"He's here, get that rascal I have no need for him!" The old man seems to have an idea where I was hiding.

I may not get into prison for what I did but a reeducation camp seems to be a bad place to be. I have been there once and trust me, not even the likes of you would endure the propaganda, songs and all the crap and nonsense they force to feed you. You will indeed by indoctrinated to like every lie they tell you.

While moving forward towards the underground tunnels. Tazereck continues to pester me and this time replies with a furious tone.

"YOU, RASCAL! That was not supposed to be the plan. How are we supposed to deal with this then!? We cannot have you yourself as a replacement. With this kind of mess you made, we need to have a redemption to get you out of the trouble."

"I cannot really talk with you Tazereck, I am in a serious business right now." I replied trying to end the transmission.

"If you are trying to escape, there's no chance for you. Better you participate and redeem yourself..." Tazereck said.

Before he could finish talking the signal was lost, I arrived at the sewers below the main city block. It is a place where civilians like me should not be around. My training in martial arts could not help me even to at least survive for at least fifteen minutes.

I only have some of my basic gear with survival items. At least this will protect me from most lethal diseases that I may contact underground. I was able to smuggle some of my old man's armaments plus this famed blade, "Koutetsu". One of the sharpest steel sword that existed, it is said that the blade could cut the skin, flesh and bone of the demons of the old. That if such things really indeed existed.

"Sharpness unparalleled but skill is the true blade."

The inscriptions written near the hand guard of the blade. It emanates a weird aura, a feeling that I have felt before. As I looked closer to the sword a reflection flashed on the blade. I immediately rolled sideways to hide on the wall beside me.

It was a gunshot, although rare, guns and its ammunition is used for hunting people who have gone rogue.

"I never thought I would be this infamous!" I said to myself catching up my breath from the surprise attack earlier.

"Find him, I saw him there earlier!" One of the bounty hunters said rushing forward to my position while I was hiding behind the walls of the sewer I was hiding.

There were at least two of them who rushed before me. I went sideways to the right slowly to avoid detection. I made my footsteps as quiet as possible until I heard a shout from a distance.

"Ahhh, we're surrounded!" A bounty hunter exclaimed, horrified in what he saw.

Gunshots rang afterwards as the bounty hunter next to him retaliated. The next thing I heard was a groan and roar of some creature that responded after the gunshots. I observed by hearing the events fifty meters away from my pursuers.

"You fool, you have caught it's attention!" One of the bounty hunters who seemed hurt said.

"You need to get that wound patched up before it gets infected." His companion who sound concerned said but was interrupted.

"If you idiot have not shot your gun we would be alive. Instead of chasing someone, now, we are going to end up being chased by something!"

Their banter was cut short when a strange figure appeared in front of them. A loud growl was followed by a loud thud and screams from the bounty hunters earlier. Hearing the carnage, I in panic ran away as fast as I can. Ran for my life and ended up being captured instead after bumping into one of the bounty hunters who were looking for me.

"There he is! I found the rascal over here!" The bounty hunter said wrestled to pin me down to the ground.

"Thank goodness, bring him in before a the Tyrant shows up!" Another bounty hunter said.

"Bring in the big guns boys! Toast it alive!" Another bounty hunter which is their leader ordered his subordinates.

A huge man with a heavy minigun shows up and placed a tripod to the ground. With him are two of his buddies who held a grenade launcher and another with a flame thrower.

All of a sudden waves of living corpses began to show up. Some of them bloodied in the face with some traces of flesh and pieces of cloth in their mouth.

"It's the leader of their pack eh? I never thought their kind would appear right under our sewers. Everyone, formation!" He said.

His men grinned expecting to have fun in the encounter. Five more of the ten bounty hunters that chased me appeared with more sophisticated weapons. With them are drones and heavy rifles that could tear apart a person limb from limb with one shot.

As the charge of the living dead came closer to our position, the bounty hunters started to open fire with their weapons. Laying waste to every piece of meat that happen to come close. The creatures may be terrifying if you were going up against them alone. But the horde are just stupid and weak to organized resistance.

Wave after wave was exterminated, leaving nothing but shattered flesh and bone to the ground. The bounty hunters shot in an accurate and disciplined rate saving bullets as they plow through the wave of living corpses before them. Silence followed after the onslaught their leader called for a ceasefire and waited for the Tyrant to appear and indeed it did.

"Don't worry boys, that fool is no threat. Sure he's tough but he ain't smart!" The leader went forward ahead of the team.

He took off his protective gear. One by one from his chest plate, gauntlets, leg guards and finally his helmet as he walked forward.

Despite being horrified from what they seen. The bounty hunters cheered on their leader as he bravely walked forward towards his adversary. From his face alone he shows no fear and after closing in for at least fifty meters from his opponent. He took his machete and brandished it in front of the Tyrant.

It seems like these men are used to fighting these undead as what I have observed. I hear of tales of people who hunt the undead but I never thought that they would chase me for the mischief that I have done.

"Who are you guys? What is it that you want from me?" I asked struggling from the person who pinned me down.

"Quiet, shhh!" A big muscular man on top of me said as he pins me down to the ground.

As I looked forward the fight has already began. Their leader dodged the Tyrant's attack efficiently as he returned with powerful strikes with his machete wounding it. From his face it seems like he is having fun and damages his opponent with ease.

"Our leader may be a veteran, however, he is one of a kind!" The huge man said enjoying the scene.

Looking closer to the person fighting the creature, I saw several mechanical and cybernetic enhancements in his body as he removes his clothing from the top. It is with no surprise why he was able to keep up with the swift and powerful movements of the Tyrant. For someone who practices Martial Arts, I wish to learn a lot from him.

"I can tell that you practice martial arts. Sadly you are way behind a millennium if you are to be compared to him."

"How did you know?" I asked the man who was pinning me down.

"I saw your fights young man. You have talent but you need polishing!" He said and continues to watch the fight.

"Is that what you got?" Their leader shouted with amusement and attacks the Tyrant's weakness in its upper neck, nearly severing it's head from its body.

The Tyrant fell down afterwards in its knees. Their leader then cleans himself with a towel that one of his colleagues handed to him and moved closer to me.

"So, this is the boy?" The man said.

"Yes boss" a wise looking man said clearing the way for the leader.

"My name is Ivan young man, Ivanovich Valdo nice to be of acquaintance!"

"Ivanovich Valdo, this guy can't be!?" I exclaimed after hearing his name.

"Welcome to the Steel Legion son!" The man grins in front of me.