It didn't take too long for Spencer to finish whatever it was he had been doing, something that Luka couldn't turn to see since he had to stay focused on the enemy in front of him. "What's the plan?" Spencer asked. Luka thought for a moment. He only had three explosive arrows and there were four planes, one of them being a heavy bomber. Spencer was known for his spectacular strength and was capable of jumping high enough to take out a plane, but Luka feared the planes were going too fast for him to reliably leap from one plane to the next immediately after taking it out. The plane could spin out of control taking Spencer with him, or it could dive down in a panic making it difficult for Spencer to reach the next one. Luka could take out the three fighter planes leaving the bomber for Spencer, but the bomber was very large and it was uncertain whether or not Spencer could take it out in time. All Luka had to do was figure out a way for Spencer to take out more planes than one to save arrows. Or maybe the solution was to find a way to take down the plane AND the bomb simultaneously.
Luka turned to Spencer with confidence in his eyes. "My explosive arrows are earth-made, so they probably won't hurt you too bad if you're far enough. I think if you land on the front plane and I explode it with an arrow, you could leap off from it just before the arrow hits and ride the force to the next plane, taking it out and ending up back on the ground. Then I take out the next plane and use the last explosive arrow on one of the bombers' turbines. Then it will be unable to accelerate properly for escape but won't uncontrollably spin into the ground either. Finally, to keep the pilot from just diving into the volcano plane and all, I'll hit it with a grappling arrow. With you on the ground, you can take the cable at the other end and pull the plane, turning it around, then you'll try your best to catch it, or at least slow it down. For this plan to work, your strength and my shooting speed as well as accuracy need to be in top condition. The planes are coming fast, so we need to move faster. Unless you've got a better plan, you should probably get ready to jump!" Luka loaded an explosive arrow and prepared himself to time the shot with Spencer's jumps.
"My strength should be more than enough to cover for my end." Spencer chuckled to himself before cracking the knuckles on his right hand loudly enough for there to be a slight echo across the volcano opening. "That does seem like an awfully good faith you have in your accuracy. If we succeed, this would be an amazing story to tell." Spencer switched to his right hand and cracked the knuckles on it too.
It would be a giant shame for Spencer and his resolve to fail now just because he missed a jump. He would fulfill his end of the bargain and he was sure that Luka would too. They made it there with ease and the success of their own goals would be determined solely on the few upcoming moments. He let out a deep sigh and took in a deep breath before walking back to get a running start. That's right... it was now or never. He would prove to the world how strong he was... and how much stronger he would be when he had something to protect. "Sorry little sis. I know I can't even fix my damages, but hope this is the first thing I can do to repay my failures as a brother." Spencer muttered under his breath as he came to a halt on the opposite side of the volcano. He gave a quick grin to Luka and nodded. "Good Luck." The question was... was he feeling lucky?
Taking off at breakneck speed on his toes, Spencer began to dash in the direction of the first plane. He pushed off exactly on the edge of the outer volcano and felt the wind lashing at his eyes as he seemingly flew higher at an impressive altitude and he was still gaining speed. He somewhat managed to maintain his orientation, with his feet being towards the ground, although he felt somewhat nauseous. The initial jump took out more energy than he though although he would have more than enough to destroy the planes. Clenching his first as the first plane came within 15 feet, Spencer roared as he reached out for the plane wings, just barely clenching onto it with 3 fingers, and noticed the pilot of the plane was trying to shake him off. "Give me some breathing room, you jerk."
Hopefully, this shot wouldn't be ruined. He was already feeling slightly dizzy although he had faith in Luka. When this was over, he was going to learn how to fly so he would never have to do something like this again.
Spencer made the jump without a hitch. Well, maybe a little hitch considering that he had barely caught the plane wing, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue. "Get up, fast! I can't shoot until you're ready to jump!" Luka aimed for the plane's engine, the aircraft being small enough for that to be a viable option, but it seemed that the terrorists realized that they were in danger and started to shoot at him. Spencer was safe as long as he was on that plane, though. Luka cursed as he was forced to get out of position to avoid the bullets. He didn't often face gunfire, but it seemed distinctly slower as a reaper than it was as a human. The trouble came from the difficulty of aiming at a moving target while running and dodging bullets. "Spencer, we can't afford to waste any time! You need to jump!" Luka pulled the scope up to his eye, hoping his practice for this sort of situation (aiming while running, he hadn't quite expected to aim while being shot at by planes) would pay off.
Spencer readied himself on the wing on the plane as he lifted himself quickly on top of it, laying down flat on his stomach. He felt half-ready to leap like a frog and half-ready to lose the contents of his stomach in the air. He clenched up his fingers and leaped off in the direction of the nearest fighter plane, in a mostly vertical jump. He knew he wouldn't make it, but he would have to rely on Luka's ability to readily aim and fire.
While Luka was surprised at how quickly Spencer could get himself out of trouble and into position, he probably shouldn't have been knowing how much more skilled the average reaper was than him. He'd have to prove that he while he wasn't as good as them, he was still good. This was a chance to show that. Luka jumped forward and slid down the volcano side a little, the new position requiring just a little more adjustment on the part of the plane's guns. It was a miniscule amount that only gave him a couple extra seconds at most, but those seconds were all he needed.
Luka took the first free moment he had to align his shot and let the arrow fly, hitting the aircraft dead on. As predicted, the force propelled his partner forward towards the plane he had aimed at. Understanding that time was of the essence when these vehicles were going a couple hundred miles per hour, Luka hopped back to his metal case and loaded the next explosive arrow which he immediately shot at the other plane. Now the only fighter left was the one Spencer was on, so Luka loaded the final explosive arrow and prepared the grappling one.
The heat from the explosion that propelled him was intense threw off his balance in mid-air and Spencer knew he couldn't miss his mark. He was beginning to see how difficult aerial combat could be, even when it was with technology in the hands of a human. If he had to fight a Harbinger in this type of fight, he would be finished, but with a plane, he would have no problem as long as he could launch himself the right way. His jump turned into something of a vertical dive and he began to picture himself being launched out of a cannon with his hands by his sides.
Shaking this thought from his head, Spencer was just feet away from the plane. He pumped his fist and let out a war-cry and smashed his head straight into the side of the plane, planting himself into the starboard side of the plane's body. His momentum slowed down and he came to a complete stop... but this was just the beginning. Spencer pushed both of his elbows to the sides as if pushing for elbow room, increasing the size of the hole in the plane he had created. He could hear the loud drone of the engine begin to slowly stutter and then pick back up. Judging by the sound of it, he was burrowed right in a few feet away. Punching away at the insides of the plane, Spencer found the engine, bashed it with a single punch and a large spark came out of it. Climbing out of the hole he had tunneled (which now seemed more like he had disassembled the plane), he slipped out and tumbled towards the ground like a rag-doll towards the edge of the volcano. He had nothing to propel himself with or to steady his landing... it was going to be rough.
No sooner had this thought came to mind, did the plane explode and it threw Spencer at a high speed into the side of the volcano. A decent amount of dirt got displaced and was now obscuring his view of everything around him... just great. His clothes dirtied and he could feel some tears in the fabric, along with the fact he couldn't feel his vest. Getting to his feet, Spencer readied himself for the finale.
Luka watched as Spencer hit the ground hard, having successfully carried out most of his part. Now it was Luka's turn again. He aimed at the turbines below the wings of the bomber, but he saw something else. "Oh, crap." Now that the bomber no longer had the fighters at its side, it didn't have to worry about accidentally hitting them and prepared to unleash the missiles stored below its wings. He was in more of a rush than ever, needing to take this thing out before he took a missile barrage to the face. Even a reaper couldn't escape that unscathed or maybe even alive. He quickly released the arrow he had prepared which hit its target dead on, but the bomber retaliated immediately after, releasing the weapons under the undamaged wing. Luka grabbed one of his normal arrows and shot it at the leading missile, causing it to burst, but he couldn't shoot fast enough to hit all the others so he instead loaded the grappling arrow, attaching the spool of cable to his belt. Even if he were to be hit by the missiles, everything could still be in place for Spencer to complete the mission himself. "Don't worry about me, if I get hit, the metal cable should still be fine! You need to take it and complete the mission!' Taking a deep breath, Luka tried to relax despite the incoming missiles, and once he was steady he hit the plane without problem. Then the missiles did their work, hitting all around Luka.
He was still alive, and very lucky to be so. It seemed like the pilot was frantic and shot the missiles too close together so that when the first one exploded the force moved the others off course. He had sustained clothing damage, bad burns, and maybe more than a few broken bones, but he was alive. He had landed right by the edge, even luckier not to have fallen in. It seemed fortune was on his side today, so maybe everything with the villagers would turn out okay as well. He tried to get up, but it hurt badly to do so. Instead, he started casting his numbing spell while he shouted to Spencer, "Take the...urgh...the cable spool, I'm fine!"
Spencer struggled to his feet, noticing the pain in his stomach. He wasn't good at evaluating wounds and he had no time to do so. It felt as if his landing broke a few ribs and his forearms were both scraped. Acknowledging Luka's request to finish the mission, he ran to where the cable was near Luka and gripped it in a tight fist. He had to make his grip as strong as his will and resolve or everything would have been in vain. Spencer was not the type willing to put in so much effort to fail twice in a row. He wasn't going to allow this mission to end in failure unless he died first and he would not be made a fool of.
The plane wasn't too far from the opening of the volcano. Taking off with the cable in hand, Spencer ran down the side of the volcano, stretching the cable out to it's limit as he stopped and began to halt the plane, although it was costing him physically. He was at a slight advantage because of his strength... the question was... will it hold out?The weariness of his hands increased and soon he could feel something pop in his arms as he screeched and wailed in pain. He remained holding onto the rope and not budging. The damaged he sustained was taking it's toll although he wouldn't let it end this way. He couldn't.
His eyes rolled back in his head and he could no longer handle the pain. His mind was beginning to shut down, although he continued to pull. Soon his pull started weakening although his grip remained. The plane began to move inch-by-inch closer to the hole before suddenly Spencer crouched, dug his feet into the ground, then straightened his back while pulling and swung his arms over his head, throwing the plane out of balance. He summoned up a wave of strength and began to pull the wire in to himself as bit-by-bit, his arms and fingers began to crackle and his veins bulged out of his skin. He couldn't allow his body to take much more punishment. The pointer fingers on both his hands began to poke at his skin before they broke and Spencer wailed out while projecting his pain into his pull on the rope.
Spencer pulled the plane straight at himself with a burst of strength once more and it collided with the ground almost point blank, jamming itself into the ground and flames appeared all around it after the initial impact. He had completed his mission... although he couldn't relish much in his success. He began to lose his balance and he fell right on his back next to the plane. Explosion or not, he had finally made some sort of goodness out of his strength. He had managed to save someone, and that was enough for the moment. He could feel his consciousness fading out... maybe it would all end if he blacked out? He closed his eyes and fell still, although still breathing.
The sound of the plane hitting the ground and the volcano not erupting was a big relief to Luka, who had finally managed to numb the worst of the pain. He sat up and looked around at the sight of a completed mission. Spencer seemed to have taken some serious damage and laid on the ground nearby, but he was alive. It took some effort, but he managed to stand up and make his way over to him, once there being able to confirm he was indeed alive. He took a few breaths and rested his eyes for a moment before reopening them and creating a portal back to limbo which he pulled Spencer through. We did it...the terrorists have been stopped and the people are alive... The people...there was still the issue of that. He ignored the portal and looked over to the village where he saw many of the villagers in boats on the lake. He took a moment to watch them, glad that they were safe. It took a while of watching before he realized that something was wrong. He felt around for his crossbow which he had dropped in the explosion but didn't feel it nearby. Had it fallen in the volcano? Luka looked around, panicking, and was relieved to see it on the ground a ways away. More luck. He crawled over to it slowly and peered through the scope to see what was bothering him about the scene. The boats weren't moving. Had something happened to them? Adrenaline filled Luka's veins as he broke out into a sprint towards the village, closing the portal behind him.
Death.
Luka stood by the side of the lake surrounded by death. Corpses filled the boats and littered the shore, some even floating in the lake. The entire village was destroyed in the time it took them to defeat the terrorists. But how? Luka was speechless, eyes wide and unbelieving. He looked around at the same images over and over, blinking and rubbing his eyes repeatedly as if he would open them and awaken from this nightmare. But this was real. In his scanning of the awful scene, he spotted the body of the little girl who had embraced him before he left to the volcano. Luka ran over to her and dove to his knees, grabbing her wrist to check for a pulse only to learn what he already knew but refused to accept. Tears streamed down his face as he brushed away the long hair covering her face, but what lay beneath caused him to cringe in horror. Blood streamed out of her face, eyes, nose and ears, much of it already dried. There were spots where glands had swollen hideously and patches of badly necrotic tissue as well. The sight was grotesque and while Luka had seen his fair share of gore, this sort of thing on a little girl was just too much. He started to feel dizzy from the sight as well as his own exhaustion and he had to run off to vomit.
Who would do something like this? Why would anyone do this? How could anyone be so depraved? Those were the main questions plaguing his mind. "So? What do you think?" Luka felt his questions had been answered upon hearing that voice. His face contorted with rage and he drew his sword, charging in the direction of the voice.
"ATTANO!!!" Luka shouted as he sliced down at the harbinger, only for it to strike air as usual. He didn't care, though. Luka continued slashing the reappearing Attano only for him to disappear again every time. "HOW. COULD. YOU. DO. THIS!" He emphasized every word with a slash, but to no avail. He was exhausted and badly injured, but the indignant rage and adrenaline kept him going. Instead of an answer, though, Attano began to laugh.
"Why are you blaming me? This is all you, Sokolov!" Luka stopped cold. What the hell? What is he trying to pull? Attano kept talking, seemingly struggling to get the words out through his laughter. "This is your work of art! And through a hug? Brilliant!" Suddenly it all made sense to Luka. This was his fault. The power he had sworn to never use, it somehow... Attano saw the horrified look of realization on Luka's face and laughed harder. "You mean you did this by accident?! Ahahaha, oh, my sides! You're kidding me, right? Oh, man, haha!" Attano was sick, but remembering the image of that innocent little girl, Luka could say the same about himself. The thing that harbinger was looking for...this had to be it. This power could be devastating in the wrong hands; Attano's hands.
There were no words for Luka, what could he possibly say? His eyes continuously darted from corpse to corpse, always returning to the body of that little girl who had spread this mystery plague to the entire village because of him. His preeminent thought was What have I done? but there was another voice in his head that was saying Mission accomplished, good work. He couldn't bear to be here any longer, so he made a portal and dashed through it. Attano didn't try stopping him or even following him. He seemed satisfied enough.
Luka returned to Limbo, but he didn't stop running. He didn't even stop to check on Spencer who was on the ground near where the portal had left him, he just ran and ran, not even seeing where he was running. At some point, his damaged legs gave out and thrust his face into the ground where he stayed, not bothering to get up. Instead, tears flooded from his eyes with no signs of stopping. He shuddered at the memory of what he had done, the image of that little girl. There he stayed, wallowing in his misery even after his tears had all dried up until he finally passed out from exhaustion.
