Paradise

Fourteen

3019, Zeus Space Center | Earth | Space

There were more guards waiting for them upstairs.

Richard opened fire at the surprised guards, instantly killing one. The other men fired back at them, forcing Adrian and Richard to take cover from the barrage of enemy fire. Adrian conjured magic, immediately knocking the guns off and making them scramble to get it back only to get a taste of Richard's laser. In minutes, the bodies of men were scattered across the floor, dead.

Richard had to help Adrian in the end, though; he was getting more tired after every time he conjured magic. Now, it was like he was about to collapse into sleep.

"Hold on, buddy," he muttered as Richard hoisted Adrian on his back.

"Pancakes. . ." Adrian mumbled offhandedly.

"Not helping."

Richard lifted him all the way to the weapon's chamber. He arrived in front of a huge door that led to a hatch. He typed the code into the keypad then the door opened, revealing a huge assortment of weapons for Mission Eleven. There were blasters from a pistol to a machine gun, advanced rocket launchers, bombs, and plasma energy launchers. They weren't like Kuznetsov's weapons, but they will do.

Guards sudden,y came from behind, their blasters loaded. Richard dashed in the nick of time as a beam shot zoomed past his shoulder and hit the wall instead. He placed Adrian's body on the floor beside the shelf of weapons so Richard can do real action stuff.

Richard took out his blaster and immediately killed one soldier with a shot on the head. Three left.

One of the trio took out futuristic swords, which were sharp like most katanas and made as light as air and suitable for any person who would use it. Richard shot a beam at the guard but the swordsman instinctively raised his sword to his face, blocking the blast and sending it towards Adrian. Fortunately, it only hit him a few feet above him.

The swordsman lunged at him, forcing Richard to feint backward. Then he had to dodge twice to avoid a strike from the sword and a laser blast from the two other guards. Richard backed towards the shelf full of bombs. He took one and before the enemy could make a move, he threw an impulse grenade at the shooters, sending them careening towards the wall and knocking them unconscious.

Only one wasn't completely affected. The swordsman was able to raise his two swords to block the impulse, but it did affect him a bit. He slid on the floor all the way to the wall close to the door. He grunted as he launched himself towards Richard, his sword gleaming. Richard managed to scramble to the guns section of the armory. He then took a random gun and shot the swordsman before the enemy could lunge at him again.

Instead of hitting, the blast collided with the sword, deflecting it back to him. He dive-rolled to the left just as the laser beam hit the wall near where he last stood. Then Richard raced for the melee section, grabbed the nearest weapon he could find, turned and locked blades with a hook-shaped sword. They let go.

Richard held his hook-shaped sword on his left hand while the attacker charged towards him. When the swordsman was a few feet away from him, Richard used the hook to catch the assailant's right leg and to lift it, forcing the swordsman to fall hard on the ground. The one enemy groaned in pain.

Just as Richard went to finish him, the swordsman croaked. "The plan of the Robed One is almost over. He will crush the planet that sealed his family's fate!"

Then Richard took the sword and drove it into the man's stomach.

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