《Restoration Earth: Gaiden》


 Of Kings and Legends (Part 1)

    This was the first time that Roun had been to the fabled Haima¡¯sa Frontlines. He¡¯d been hearing about them since the fusion of the worlds, but this was the first time that he¡¯d actually made his way to one of the locations at which the haima¡¯sa occupied lands bordered with an Oyan clan¡¯s territory.


    The experience was a harrowing one. As he walked through the featureless landscape, the air was thick with magical fallout, ethereal residue of the countless weapons of war employed by the haima¡¯sa and their aggressors in a perpetual bid to wipe each other from existence. But beneath this thick soup of rancid primordial energies, Roun caught wafts of the very real stench of death. On this battlefield, bodies piled up faster than they could be removed, and often times the war simply raged on above the backs of the dead, as they decomposed into the soil poisoned by heinous weapons.


    This place was hell. It painted a picture of Oya¡¯s haima¡¯sa scourge that sharply contrasted with the threat that he had known on Terra. Where Terra¡¯s haima¡¯sa posed merely a persistent nuisance, Oya¡¯s haimsa¡¯sa were indeed synonymous with death.


    That made it all the more confusing that anyone would choose to meet here, among the bodies of the dead and amidst the very real danger of being caught in a battle between two military super powers. Yet, here he was¡ªagainst better judgement¡ªwalking through the stinking, barren wasteland that bordered a haima¡¯sa outpost and a mobile city called Titan¡¯s Call.


    ¡°The legendary Roun Itami, I presume.¡± Roun¡¯s eyebrow tipped upwards with equal parts annoyance and curiosity as a strange silhouette emerged from the persistent fog that blanketed this desolate area. ¡°A son of Oya, turned Savior of Terra. Quite the story.¡±


    ¡°I take it you¡¯re the mystery man that dragged me to this hell hole.¡± Roun replied with audible disdain, drawing a light chuckle from the yet unrevealed figure.


    ¡°Reign Titan, First King and Emperor Sovereign of the Titans.¡± Came the reply as the man faded into view.


    ¡°What is it with you Oyans and multiple simultaneous monarchs?¡± Roun queried dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s clearly a very messy way to run an autocracy.¡±


    ¡°Life is messy, Itami.¡± Reign replied with marked amusement. ¡°Why denigrate a system that that has worked for centuries?¡±


    Roun just scoffed at the response as the fog finally revealed the man that he was speaking to. It was an odd sight. His unkempt red hair contrasted sharply with the intricately designed face mask that covered his features and this contrast seemed to be replicated throughout his visage. His clothing resembled a fine Italian suit, but the ensemble was tucked into massive, armoured gauntlets and greaves, while his jacket was draped over his shoulders and held in place by massive paldrons.


    ¡°So you wanna tell me what this is all about, Reign?¡± Roun pressed, drawing a grin from beneath the ornate face mask worn by the Titan King.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been following the brewing civil war between your father and his sister. It¡¯s poised to create quite the fracture between the Itami and Malaikin people.¡± Reign started. ¡°My predecessors may have sought to capitalise on this moment of weakness, but all things considered, I¡¯d rather throw my lot in with the winning side.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Roun pressed further.


    ¡°My people are the black sheep of our Matriarch¡¯s children¡ªlet¡¯s say I¡¯m interested in reuiniting our broken family.¡± He explained.


    Roun just scoffed.


    ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t get the memo, but I¡¯ve got no interest in Oyan politics¡­ Itami or otherwise.¡± He dismissed.


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly patriotic, especially for the man realistically next in line for the throne.¡± Reign chuckled. ¡°Friendly suggestion, develop an interest in politics, ¡®cause politics already has an interest in you.¡±


    Roun¡¯s eyebrow tipped upwards at this statement, because it brought with it an elevation of the man¡¯s energy signature to combat levels. His artificial eye shone brightly as it went about analysing Reign¡¯s combat form.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Boss-tier, from the look of it. Level 40 at least and stronger than Roun by a significant margin. Summoner given the configuration of his energy, perhaps a Psycher sub-class but it was hard to tell without Tyler¡¯s insight into his specific abilities. Not that it mattered, he was clearly looking for a fight and Roun could do with blowing off some steam himself.


    ¡°This is a weird way to forge an alliance.¡± He stated as he allowed his own energy to build within him, causing his body to leak gold energy as he did.


    ¡°I did say that I wanted to side with the winners. I need to see if the legends are true before I throw my lot in with Shin and his ilk.¡± Reign replied, summoning a massive war-hammer into his right hand. ¡°Consider it a test.¡±


    ¡°Funny¡ªthat you think you¡¯re even qualified to test me.¡± Roun scoffed.


    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll see about that!¡±


    With a wild grin Reign rushed towards him, drawing a light sigh from Roun as he drew the sword hanging from his hip. Given his analysis, it was no surprise when Reign slid to a stop and an armoured figure emerged from his body with a powerful swing of the war hammer. Roun¡¯s gaze narrowed at the gambit before he raised his own left hand and shielded the attack with his armoured sleeve. The reluctant Itami prince rotated his body with the force of the powerful hammer strike, rolling around the impact rather than absorbing it before launching a counter slash with his other hand.


    ¡°Watch out, Vabbian.¡± Reign growled.


    It was hard to make out facial expressions on the hulking summon, whose own face mask seemed like a more complete version of his master¡¯s, but Roun could make out Vabbian¡¯s eyes widening as he watched Roun¡¯s slash come sailing towards him. Luckily, a blast of red lightning deflected the sword strike at the last minute, causing it to miss entirely while Vabbian repositioned himself for a follow-up. Roun glared at Reign as his shadow repositioned, taking this time to tense his body and cast off a shadow of his own.


    To Reign¡¯s surprise, this summon of Roun¡¯s shone with golden flames, but before he could put two and two together, the woman¡¯s energy paralysed Vabbian, stopping his attack in its tracks.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not very sporting.¡± Reign muttered as Roun turned his attention away from the summon and towards him. ¡°Well, shit.¡±


    Reign had heard enough about the former Synchros host to know what was coming next, channelling all of his energy into a planar shield between him and his attacker. The barrier was barely erected in time for Roun¡¯s attack to crash against it, creating a golden corona as the flood of aesis rolled over Reign¡¯s red plasma field. Unfortunately, this was simply a gambit of his own. Reign¡¯s eyes narrowed as the golden glow dissipated to reveal a smug and almost bored look on Roun¡¯s face, before his gaze followed his opponent¡¯s downward to reveal Roun¡¯s sword piercing his abdomen.


    ¡°You¡¯re done.¡± Roun whispered coldly as Reign¡¯s body began to react to his attack, violently leaking the crimson electrical energy that was his dagon.


    But much to his surprise, the look of shock on his opponent¡¯s face slowly shifted as gaping mouth curled into an uneasy grin.


    ¡°No, not yet.¡± He chuckled lightly. ¡°You just made this fun.¡±


    What came next was a familiar feeling. The invocation of a clan totem that saw Reign¡¯s power skyrocket. Roun¡¯s gaze narrowed and the look on his face shifted boredom to annoyance. His artificial eye could already track Reign¡¯s growth in power.


    Legendary-tier, then beyond, to a delineation of power for which there was not even a classification on his home world. Once again Roun sighed, gripping his sword tightly before he was blasted away by the immense surge of energy being driven into Reign¡¯s form.


    The force off these energetic waves knocked him off his feet and hurled him through the air, across the desolate wasteland that was the haima¡¯sa front lines. But even with the chaotic streams of magic bombarding his sense, nothing could mask the presence of a revitalised Vabbian closing in on his location.


    As Vabbian¡¯s hammer descended upon him, Roun rotated his body and guarded the attack with his left hand once more. Boredom and annoyance were both replaced as Roun was forced to muster the effort to actually guard the attack. Gold flames leaked from his artificial eye and the magical prosthetics that had been installed in his neck; his own power peaking. Vabbian found himself suspended in the air the second that Roun¡¯s feet hit the earth, dissipating the force of the attack outwards into the environment as he shifted the grip on his sword and commenced his counterattack.


    Once again Reign reared up to intervene, but this time his dagon strike was intercepted by golden flames as Roun¡¯s own summon lent her support. This forced Vabbian to curl into a ball, pressing his feet against the head of his massive hammer and springing off the weapon before Roun¡¯s counterattack could land on him. The Itami¡¯s reverse slash cleaved the air but nothing else, leaving a vacuum in its wake as Roun grabbed the hilt of Vabbian¡¯s falling hammer.


    It was heavy¡ªtoo heavy to be practical in ordinary combat¡ªbut this was no such thing. With a growl he continued his spinning motion, redirecting the massive hammer¡¯s weight before he unleashed it at Vabbian¡¯s location. Once again, the summon¡¯s eyes shot open with shock, the hammer hit him before the sonic boom even reverberated through the battlefield, dissipating the thick, soupy fog for a brief moment after Roun¡¯s attack.

 Of Kings and Legends (Part 2)

    ¡°For the record, that is a royal heirloom that you just tossed into the stratosphere.¡±  Reign stated with mild annoyance.


    ¡°Then you probably should¡¯ve kept it at your side.¡±  He glared at Reign as he spoke, jets of gold flames still leaking from his shoulders after the last attack.  ¡°Now, should we call it quits or is your test not over?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how fights work on Terra, but here they end when one party can no longer participate.¡±  Reign replied smugly.


    Roun¡¯s anger mounted.  ¡°Your funeral.¡±


    ¡°Roun, no!¡±  His summon, the spitting image of his companion soul yelled, but it was already too late.


    Roun¡¯s beeline for Reign was interrupted by a crimson lightning strike powerful enough to put him on his back¡ªor in this case on his stomach.  Reign cackled as entire area was blackened under the discharge from his dagon cannon miles above them.


    ¡°That attack was strong enough to put down an adult dragon.¡±  He cackled, as red cinders danced across what was left of Roun¡¯s hooded jacket.


    Unfortunately, the former Synchros host seemed a tad stronger than a dragon.  Even as the residual dagon crackled along his body, Roun willed it onwards.  First his palms pressed into the dirt beneath, then his body pushed upwards, before he looked up at the unnerving, grinning face that glared down at him.  His gaze shifted only briefly to Reign¡¯s upward pointing right hand, before Roun pushed himself up off the ground.  Once again red lightning engulfed the battlefield, but this time it was met with green flames.


    Reign couldn¡¯t believe his eyes as Vabbian¡¯s hammer drop was stopped by Roun¡¯s outstretched arms.  Once again, the force of the attack dissipated outwards under the influence of the Itami prince¡¯s aesis, but before Roun could follow up, Vabbian was bouncing off his guard and unleashing a powerful, swinging hammer strike at his head.  Roun easily shifted his weight onto his back foot and drew his sword from its scabbard once more, intercepting the attack with the broad side of his blade.  Once again, Vabbian¡¯s attack was stopped in its track, but this time there would be repercussions.  The Titan heirloom has been forged by the finest craftsmen and enhanced through centuries of magitech, while Roun¡¯s blade had been picked up off a shelf at the headquarters of the Rogue Special Forces.  The latter shattered violently under the impact of Titan¡¯s Call¡¯s war-hammer, casting a cloud of splinters everywhere.


    Both Roun and Vabbian recoiled from the blast of shrapnel, but neither were hurt by it, allowing the massive muscular summon to prepare himself from Roun¡¯s predicted flare up.  It was only then that Roun realised what had blasted him earlier.  As he launched a swinging hook kick to a still hovering Vabbian, he watched as the massive head of Reign¡¯s hammer opened up and shielded the summon from the attack.  Having opened up into an umbrella of sorts, the hammer saved Vabbian from immediately being dispatched, but the force of the attack still sent the shadow hurling directly back into Reign¡¯s form.  As Vabbian hit Reign¡¯s chest, the Titan Emperor also caught the weapon that was once his hammer.


    With the head now unfurled like an umbrella, Roun watched as it draped itself across its master, forming a plate-armour cloak around Reign¡¯s body while the shaft turned into a small sword.


    ¡°Ready to stop hiding behind that construct?¡±  Roun inquired as he began to close the distance between the two slowly.


    ¡°King¡¯s don¡¯t fight men who willing choose to be peasants.¡±  Reign shrugged.  ¡°We have valets for such things.¡±  He retorted as he too strolled towards Roun.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Aesis, on me.¡±


    Once these two men reached striking distance, the battlefield erupted.  Reign didn¡¯t even move as Vabbian lashed out from his body, through the armoured cloak, in his stead while Roun unleashed a flurry of blows of his own.  The Titan King was amazed as the speed at which the two moved, each driven on by vast external power reserves to fuel their preternatural speed.  As Reign poured his energy into Vabbian, his speed and strength only increased, to the point of taxing Titan¡¯s Call¡¯s unique soul-forge.  But each time his speed and power increased, so did Roun¡¯s, driven on by his direct connection to the font of power that fed their abilities.


    As the exchange dragged on, it began to look more and more like Roun wasn¡¯t even moving.  His limbs blurred into a flurry of green and gold streaks, while the armour that shielded his left arm splintered like his sword before it.  As the exchange deepened, Reign poured all of his energy into Vabbian but Synchros still hovered over Roun¡¯s shoulder, watching as her summoner poured all of his stress and frustrations into the battle.  Where boredom and annoyance had only just given way to intense focus, a new expression was dawning of the reluctant prince¡¯s face.


    Exhilaration.


    It had been a while since he truly went all out, an even longer since he had the luxury of enjoying it.


    A grin broke across Roun¡¯s face as he began to push Reign backwards, forcing the Emperor to pull out yet another stop.


    Roun wasn¡¯t the only one exhilarated by the battle.  Reign¡¯s own grin widened as he tapped into his greatest trump card. Soon his body was overrun by the wild, red, electrical surges of dagon.  Up until now, Roun had been too uninterested in their conflict to truly pay attention to his clan energy type, noticing only that much like his own veranos it amplified Reign¡¯s outputs.  But now, the energy¡¯s function became crystal clear.  He could see the normally rhythmic fluctuations of Reign¡¯s soul become frantic as his dagon tapped directly into this spatial singularity.  He watched as the young King¡¯s lifeforce poured into channeling core, amplifying his existing abilities even further.


    As his spiritual energy drained, the man¡¯s red hair bleached white at the tips, and as it did Vabbian¡¯s power increased further.  First, Roun¡¯s advance stopped but soon Vabbian began to push him back.  To Reign¡¯s delight, Roun¡¯s attacks became more focused and concentrated as Vabbian¡¯s speed and strength both surpassed him.  Raw ability was now replaced by years of honed technique.  Blocks turned to parries and then deflection, his focus shifting from stopping attacks in their tracks and instead to using the momentum of the massive summon to throw it off balance.  Slowly the angry brawler died and the martial artist in him was reawakened.  In an instant the maelstrom of blows ceased.  Roun had managed to catch Vabbian¡¯s attack and pull the bruiser into an armbar, before throwing his weight into the lock and moving their skirmish to the ground.  As Vabbian was taken down, Reign was left with the split-second decision of going to the ground with the two or once again relinquishing his energy to Vabbian so that he could do what he was summoned to do.


    As the shadow was pulled out of him, his armoured cloak went with him, providing the necessary defence to make his scrap with the former Synchros host manageable.  Unfortunately, he was also playing into Roun¡¯s final gambit.


    ¡°This was fun.¡±  Roun¡¯s stoic summon stated before taking aim at Reign.


    The emperor cursed inaudibly.


    The searing golden discharge from aesis¡¯ palms brought the most fun that Roun had had in years to an abrupt end.  As Reign¡¯s augmented form dissipated into the tainted ether, Vabbian also vanished.  Roun sighed lightly, watching the Titan King¡¯s regular body slowly reform from the ether.


    ¡°Seriously Syn¡­ Aesis?¡±  He scolded, but the construct just shook her head.


    ¡°You know that you can¡¯t keep this up forever.¡±  She admonished her would-be master.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but now I need to take him back to his city.¡± He rebutted.


    ¡°Unlikely.¡±  Aesis shook her head, motioning to a number of Titan soldiers emerging from the fog.


    Roun just chuckled at the sight.


    ¡°Not as dumb as he looks, I guess.¡±  He shook his head, dissipating Aesis as he did.  ¡°I guess I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±


    His words echoed as he faded away on the ethereal winds.