(Stan’s group)

  Jumbo placed himself in front of the group.

  Their faces sprayed by the malevolent rays from the sun above, their eyes couldn’t flinch at the sight in front of them. Extending his hand, the agent had a nonchalant face.

  (Agent Eren) We won’t fight you if you want. But please come with us at once.

  All of their faces let their eyes downcast onto the stone staircase that they stood on, their sneakers and boots sticking themselves onto the humid floor. Jumbo, who rubbed his lower jaw back and forth, scratched the fur from his jawline with his sharp nails.

  Chunks of dead fur falling off from his face, he tilted his head to the right, letting out a small smirk by pushing his upper lip.

  (Jumbo) Over my dead body.

  A woman tumbled down onto the ground.

  Wrapping her arms around her, a monolid woman with glasses and a black leather jacket dug her fingers deep into the woman’s stomach. As for the woman, a gasp of air plowed through her lips, her sunglasses falling off from her face.

  Both Eren and Ada turned to look at the commotion from behind.

  (Spartan Alexandra) You sneaky bitch!

  (Agent Ada) Release her now!

  Both Ada and Eren took out both of their respective weapons, with Ada putting on her knuckle dusters while Eren wielded an assault auto rifle sniper. Their barrels already pointed towards the monolid woman, they laced their fingers on their triggers until…

  The two of them felt their backs sweat against another group of barrels.

  Using their peripheral vision, Eren took note of Stan’s assault rifle and Gary’s combat pistol, their fingers on the side of their guns. As for Ada, she noticed Diego’s revolver, and a razor blade yo-yo dangling from the side of Fred’s thigh.

  Meanwhile, Jumbo walked toward the tackled Alexandra, his Thompson directly aiming at Alexandra’s face.

  (Agent Eren) You guys aren’t thinking straight…

  (Stan) Just let us go. We haven’t done anything wrong and you know it.

  (Agent Ada) Planning to fight me? I thought you were the more sensitive type.

  Fred remained silent.

  Jumbo squinted his left eye, keeping his breathing steady while pushing away unneeded air out of his lungs. His lungs were empty, his feet steady, and his finger slowly pressed onto the metallic trigger. Which caused Jenny to loosen her hold on Alexandra’s body.

  Gasping one last big breath of air, she twirled her body to the right, barely dodging in the knick of time. One single bullet leaving the barrel of Jumbo’s Thompson landed an inch from her head. Jenny, who jolted her body from the sound of the gunshot, failed to keep her guard as her stomach was jabbed by two feet.

  (Jenny) Gah!

  Sprawling her back many feet, she struggled to breathe, as most of the air got stuck inside of her own throat. Hovering her hands over her windpipe, her eyes widened and blurred at the sight of a stood-up woman. Tucking the butt of his Thompson inside of his armpit, Jumbo let the barrel rain a storm full of lead. His trajectory being the woman with above-average height, the recoil of the gun tremble his entire body,

  Every fur sticking up, every muscle tensing with the shake; a small grin lit up from his right lip. Because of the sound of the gunshot, both Ada and Eren turned to look toward their respective enemies.

  Assembling the ammunition needed for the chamber, Eren took a lunge forward as a storm of bullets overcrowded him. Hiding behind a small garden tree, he placed the back of his head deep into the bark, while having his arms envelope the shading.

  (Agent Eren’s thoughts) I should’ve loaded in the bullets beforehand! Why do I always stick to my pacifist ideals!?

  Ceasing the rain, both Stan and Gary still kept the barrels of their guns pointed at the small garden tree, smoke flowing out from the hot metal. Using his right hand to now carry the gun, he tucked his left hand deep into his leather jacket’s pockets, his knuckles hitting the many metal objects he tucked away.

  Pulling out a glass bottle, there was a frozen liquid situated on the bottom, with air wrapping around the inside of the glass.

  (Stan’s thoughts) Let’s see if Luke did a good job of mixing that batch up.

  Turning the camera back to Ada, she turned her body toward the two of them.

  Throwing back her hands, her emotionless eyes cut a cold bone into both Fred and Diego, whose eyes and faces widened and paled. The air gathering around the sharp spikes amidst her dusters, she pinned her eyes on the tall silver-haired young man.

  Raising both of his hands, the yo-yo that dangled lifelessly near his thigh swept up to block the knuckle duster’s spikes. Seeing her vulnerable, Diego pressed the trigger of his revolver, sending the bullet straight to Ada’s face.

  (Ada’s thoughts) That scum.

  Bending her knees in the knick of time, she used the tip of her toes to kick out a small cloud of dirt up into the air. Her aim…

  (Diego) My eyes!

  Dropping the revolver, it clanked on the soil that loosened and dried up from the extreme lack of precipitation. Hovering both of his hands over his eyes, he turned his head away from both Fred and Ada.

  Digging the bottom of his palms deep into his soiled-filled eyes, it left only Fred to deal with the agent. Still blocking her knuckle duster with his razor yo-yo, he pushed back his feet, letting them take him back a few meters away from her.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  But she lunged to the right.

  (Fred’s thoughts) She’s not going to let us leave unscathed…

  Letting his instincts flow, he swiftly moved to the left while keeping the yo-yo swinging up and down along his side. The razor blades bending with the metallic rope, he pushed his hand upward to let the yo-yo strike toward the lunging agent.

  Moving her head out of the way, she thrust both of her knuckles forward. The spikes on the verge of making contact with his striped shirt, his weapon, were much faster than she anticipated.

  Pulling the yo-yo back to him, the rope that was just near her right ear moved toward it. The base nearing itself to the tip of her ear, the blades alongside the base…

  Cut off half of her ear.

  (Agent Ada’s thoughts) Huh?

  Despite clearing half her ear off, both of her spiked knuckles stabbed themselves right into his chest.

  Instantly, blood coughed out from his parched throat, dropping both of his hands down to his thighs. Riveting down to his jaw, his right hand still gripped the top of the yo-yo, the base tangled and knotted on the soil below. Pulling out her hands from his chest, more of his red liquid gushed out, turning his white shirt red.

  (Fred’s thoughts) I feel…

  Slamming both of his knees on the dirt, a small cloud of dust reached up to his shoulder, covering his body in doses of soil. Dropping his yo-yo, his fingers grazed the small brown pebbles that stabbed his kneecaps.

  Towering over him, her head blocked the afternoon sun, her glasses blocking him from seeing her eyes. Her right ear being cut off from the top, she could still hear, but her blood boiled underneath the desert sun. Still wearing her knuckle dusters, both of her hands were laid flat on one another, her palms holding up an object covered in her liquid.

  An object that used to be attached to her body.

  With Ada bending down, Fred had his gasped mouth open, the dry air molesting his lips. Despite his vision on the verge of ceasing, he squinted his eyes to notice the crevices of her lips reaching to her temples.

  (Agent Ada) You’re the only man that scarred me …

  But a man tackled her down to the ground.

  Her hands clenched together the piece of ear that was blanketed in blood, her entire body tightened under, followed by her eyes forming a deathly glare. Looking at the man who tackled him, his face was pale despite his skin being relatively tan.

  Not only that, but he wrapped his elbow over her throat.

  (Diego’s thoughts) This chick is crazy! I need to bring her to sleep!

  She dug her left hand into both of Diego’s wrists, her fingernails digging deep into his wrists as drool growled out of her mouth. Her breathing was heavy, she raised her right hand, the sun sparkling and lighting the knuckle duster that she wielded. Dropping it down like an anvil, gravity directed it straight toward Diego’s face, his reaction time not fast enough as he couldn’t jump or out move his head in time.

  Stabbing his face, a loud crunch spurted out.

  Blood rolled out of his nostrils, and not even air crashed out from his lungs or throat. Pushing him away, she lay on the dirt, looking up at the desert sun that tanned her pale smooth face.

  Seeing the sky, seeing no clouds, seeing the blocked stars that daylight stole, her ears only heard the faintest trail of her shallow breathing.

  Moving the camera to Eren’s fight.

  Wielding the see-through bottle with his left hand, Stan glided his right foot back, pulling his right arm to gain an excess momentum of inertia. Throwing the bottle, the glass soon directed itself onto the opposite side of the tree Eren took cover. Shattering, the liquid and gas showered the bark with its mendicant chemicals and glee, sparkling and freezing the tree that caused Eren to yelp.

  (Eren’s thoughts) What the hell did they throw?!

  (Stan) Now Gary!

  Without hesitation, Gary gave Stan a simple nod before pulling the trigger of his combat pistol. Hitting the tree, a blazing fire sparked in the area of which the liquid trailed, the gas unescapable from its clutches.

  No choice but to leap out of cover, even the side where Eren took shelter soon got engulfed in flames.

  Noticing Eren out in the open, Stan wielded the butt of his rifle below his armpit, letting the reticle encapsulate his right eye. His finger was on the side of the trigger, he placed it on the metallic mechanism.

  (Stan’s thoughts) Unlike Fred and Diego who hadn’t fought in Lagefor at all, I and Gary had previous experience in dealing with enemies; especially me.

  With just one single bullet, a rifle round lodged deep into Eren’s stomach.

  (Eren) AAAH!!!

  Dropping his small automatic sniper rifle, it lay on the hard soil along his fingers grazing the chamber of it. Clenching his eyes, breaking his teeth into two, his entire body tightened underneath the burning pain from his stomach.

  Sprawling on the floor, rock and soil painted his right cheek a hideous color, some of the pebbles nudging themselves onto his lips. His face pale, blood stained the ground, along with the soil being fertilized by the rich metal nutrients from his blood alone.

  (Stan) I didn’t want it to come to this.

  Eren held the butt of his sniper in a death grip, his eyelids on the verge of shutting off from the rest of the world. His vocals rubbed against his esophagus and windpipe, it only coarse and scraped off any mucus situated inside of his throat. His lips continued to hiss out excess pain, every pore of his body indulged in hot sweat that tried to cool off his shivering body.

  Standing in front of him, Stan sniffed once before pinning the barrel of his gun down.

  (Stan) Just let us go, man.

  But something from behind caused both Stan and Gary to turn around.

  Finally, there was one battle ensuing at the same time as Eren’s and Ada’s. As Jumbo continued to fire his Thompson rifle…

  (Spartan Alexandra) Oh, you poor boy~

  A well-tightened fist slammed into his stomach, his mouth opening wide for whatever air and saliva that was trapped in his lungs and his mouth.

  Tumbling back, both sides of his body rolled away like a rollie-pollie, with most of the dirt sinking deep into his loose clothing. Most of his fur being littered with rocks and pebbles, he stopped along the far end of a wooden wall, the back of his head making first contact with the wood.

  (Spartan Alexandra) I didn’t want to hurt you, but you left me no choice dear~

  Putting both of her hands onto her hips, she swayed them right to left as she looked at Jumbo with pushed-down eyes. Licking her lips, she moistened them as the hot desert sun continued to tan her skin, her throat on the edge of drying up like the desert.

  Grabbing Jumbo’s collar, he lifted him high in the air, as she used her other hand to curl it up into a ball. Thrusting her arm back, she let out a soft giggle.

  (Spartan Alexandra) Now be a good boy and just go to sleep~

  Without thinking, Alexandra pushed both of her feet off the ground.

  Being in the air for a couple of seconds, the force of a metallic object slamming onto her back traversed every nerve inside of her body. Red straining her eyes, she let go of the bunny-human’s collar, letting him drop to the dirt-poor floor below her feet. Feeling a liquid trickle down her back, she puckered up both of her lips into a sealement as she looked at a woman a few years younger than her.

  A woman who wielded a spiked frying pan with both of her hands.

  (Jenny) I’m going to make sure your days of recruiting are over…

  Alexandra instantly lunged forward, her eyes widened and red-strained. Her right hand was thrown straight into Jenny’s body, Jenny let the tips of her toes traverse the soil the same as what her older sister did during Brigg’s fight.

  Her hands restful along her thighs, she swiftly dodged left and right from Alexandra’s punches, her spiked frying pan unable to let her defend herself.

  (Spartan Alexandra) GET BACK HERE!!!

  (Jenny’s thoughts) Why the hell is she so mad?! I just hit her on the back with a frying pan.

  Swiftly moving through the round hills of dry soil and dirt, the back of her boots hit against an old tree slump. Losing her balance, she fell on top of it, her lower back aching and sore upon impact.

  Jumping up the max she could go, Alexandra’s body blocked the summer sun for Jenny, as gravity began to pull her down. Plowing her fist down like a hammer, the momentum and air that garnered between her knuckles only strengthened her arm and forearm.

  Until—

  Her stomach was dented with two leather boots.

  Reaching toward her intestines, the force of the kick alone pushed Alexandra ten feet away, piercing the air from the edge of her boots. Her eyes plastered white, she soon landed on the back of the wooden fence. A hard crunch was heard, Alexandra slumped down onto her tailbone, letting her knuckles drop down onto the soil. As for Jenny, she looked up to the bright blue sky, with the sun sparkling on her pale skin.

  (Jenny’s thoughts) I finally won my first fight…

  Closing her eyes, she heard the rumbling of footsteps all around her. Ceasing, she opened them while tilting her head up, letting them trail through…

  A battalion of agents surrounded them. Their eyes traversing through the short fights that happened, they scratched their cheeks the more they noticed their fallen comrades.

  Their pistols were all aimed at the four men, beast-human and her, she closed her eyes again, imagining the reality that she wanted. A reality that she yearned for. A reality with the person that she just wanted…

  (Agent #1) Let’s tie them all up.