Chapter 40: 40. Heroic Desire
When one is about to meet the ground at terminal velocity there is not much time to consider your options, but where the conscious mind fails you, years of muscle memory will do the job.
Puck didn't even have to think about it as he rotated his whole body, pointing himself feet-first to the ground and grabbing hold of Steel Talon in a way that the energy transfer from their soon-to-be crash landing wouldn't be as bad for the younger Alphan. A second later he met the mansion's tile roof.
A super-dense body with the consistency of rubber and another of a two-meter tall creature of sinewy muscle, both weighing almost two hundred kilograms of flesh and gear, easily crashed through ceramic and wood, the feeble structure shattering under the force of the impact as if struck by a cannonball.
But the roof wasn't enough to stop them. Puck felt his feet impact the ground almost instantly after. The much hardier materials were only fractionally better as the energy transfer turned the (probably quite expensive) wooden floor into fast-moving splinters. Thankfully that did bleed off enough speed that when they hit the next floor they only left deep indentations on the cracked boards.
In a well-practiced motion, the two Alphans rolled away from their crash site and took a fighting stance. Surprisingly there was no sudden barrage of weapons fire to welcome them, nor were they surrounded by some vicious type of enemy or another. Instead only the flickering lights of a trashed room, a small parlour if Puck were to guess from the furniture, and the steady fall of detritus from their entry were the only signs of movement.
Puck strained his hearing to the max, trying to perceive any and all sounds but came out with nothing. There was no one there but them.
"Now that's what I like to call a hard landing," joked Puck, his words a half-sincere joke meant to draw any possible ambush by appearing distracted.
"Indeed my dear friend!" answered Steel Talon with his typical exuberance. "I didn't take you for a fallschirmjäger without a chute!"
Puck rolled his eyes at the younger Alphan. Sometimes he couldn't tell if he was really incapable of seriousness or simply going along. Because really, paratrooper jokes?
The gears of his mind came to a grinding halt a second later as he reviewed their conversation. Wait a minute that doesn't make any-
Puck didn't get to finish that line of thought, as Steel Talon pulled him away just in time as a turret popped from a nearby wall, splashing the area he was just standing on with bullets. Without missing a beat Puck jumped, bouncing against the opposite wall before crashing against the turret like a cannonball. Metal crumpled as most of the weapon turned into so much useless scrap.
"Well, I think that's our invitation to go." Commented Steel Talon as he walked towards the door.
Puck was half of a mind to ask about what he had said before but decided to let it go. He had probably learnt it from the internet or something.
Once outside the parlour they found themselves in another hallway. Unlike the spartan and utilitarian ones in the underground complex they had just assaulted these reeked of 'high class'.
A dark vermillion Persian carpet covered the ground, a neoclassical console table stood not far from them, and many paintings adorned the walls. The hallway was lit by many small lamps, the soft intensity of their light illuminating almost everything in sight.
Even then Puck couldn't help but feel he was being watched. From his peripheral sight, he felt as if the shadows danced and moved around the two of them but every time he looked there was nothing. Steel Talon didn't seem to notice either, so Puck decided not to worry too much about it for now.
"Where to?" asked Steel Talon.
"Hmmm, there are no markings and I didn't have time to make a thorough sweep using the omnijet's sensors so anywhere would work just as fine," answered Puck.
Truth was, Puck expected whoever they were looking for to find them before they did. It was almost a law of nature that the proverbial bigger fish always tried to catch them in turn.
"Then what about we try for the ground level?" asked Steel Talon as he started running to where Puck imagined the stairs would be.
"Sure, why not? '' answered Puck as he followed after him, "any particular reason?"
"It seems like the place where a mastermind would wait for his foes. That's where I would do it at least, heh."
Puck rolled his eyes. It seemed that some of his own sense of humour was rubbing off the younger Alphan. That certainly couldn't go wrong.
Surprisingly there were no more attacks as they made their way through the building, nor were there any people or anything at all. The house seemed empty of all life though not abandoned. There was little in the way of dust or detritus, instead presenting a well cared for and maintained appearance. Regardless, even while well illuminated and cared for, the silence gave everything they saw an eerie feeling almost as if it were haunted. Of course, Puck knew that was impossible, he had been to haunted manors before and this one didn't fit the bill.
"Don't you notice something… strange about the paintings?" asked Steel Talon suddenly.
As they walked they saw more and more paintings. Some were quite old, probably even as far as the Renaissance, while others were much newer, of a style seen in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They all depicted different things, from great battles to individual portraits without rhyme or reason as far as Puck could see.
Prompted by Steel Talon's words he looked closer at some of the paintings. One showed a dark-haired man clad in half plate and a Morion helmet, holding a great standard as he led a group of similarly clad men as they charged against a group of fleeing First Nation people. Another showed another dark-haired man, this time he wore a redcoat and was in turn directing a hanging, his uniform and those of his men emblazoned with a small symbol. A third painting, this one much older, showed another dark-haired man, this time wearing full plate and in command of a group of pikemen as they broke into a flaming city. The styles were all different and so were the eras the paintings were made. But even with all of that, some details were unmistakable. The small aquiline nose, the same well-trimmed beard, the powerful jaw, the deep brown eyes, and overall the ever-present emblem. It all became clear.
"Dammit!" without bothering to explain Puck broke into a run, Steel Talon following closely behind.
"So you did notice," commented the birdman as he effortlessly held his senior's pace. "The men in those paintings, they are all-
"All the same?" answered Puck as he jumped down a set of stairs.
"Yes. What does that mean?" asked Steel Talon.
"That if the guy we are looking for is who I think he is, it means trouble, a lot of trouble."
Puck had wanted to be careful before, to draw their enemy into committing before they were ready and making a mistake. But this latest revelation changed the equation. He had his suspicions before, but if their mysterious foe was who he thought he was then things might have already escalated well past the point of no return.
They were now running at full speed, or at least Steel Talon was. Puck was doing his usual not-quite-jumps. They found their way down to the ground floor and what awaited them there.
A brown-haired, perfectly immaculate man stood patiently in the brightly illuminated room. He wore a dark blue suit with a stylised red 'V' pin on his lapel. He looked at them with barely contained disinterest and then spoke.
"The Master has instructed me to lead you to him. I had meant to welcome you through the front door but alas…" he trailed off.
"Regardless, you are here now and the Master wants to meet you. Will you follow me out of your own will or will I need to require the use of less civilized means?" asked the man.
The two Alphans shared a glance before Puck nodded at the... butler? Secretary? Mook?
"Excellent!" the butler, at least that's how Puck was going to refer to him from now on, clasped his hands in excitement. "The Master is waiting for you in his study. Follow me."
Without waiting to see if they would follow the butler turned, walking briskly and without a care in the world.
"Should we…?" asked Steel Talon.
"We'll follow him for now, see what they are planning," answered Puck before smiling, "who knows, maybe they just want to surrender to us in person, eh?"
"Somehow, I doubt it."
---
"Sir, I have brought your guests as ordered."
"Good job Anthony, please send them in and leave us. I will call you when you are needed." Puck couldn't see who answered but he definitely knew that voice.
"If you will, gentlemen." gestured the butler as he stepped aside.
Puck was expecting many things to be on the other side of that door. From dozens of troopers armed to the teeth and inhuman monstrosities to a typical villain lair where their enemy would gloat about their plans. A well-furnished office with a small fireplace and pair of cozy chairs was not very high on the list.
"Puck, my dear friend. It's been a long time." Sitting behind the obviously expensive blackwood desk was the last person Puck wanted to ever see again, at least not if he wasn't in the process of cutting off his head or throwing him in a cell to rot before tossing out the key.
"Eshu," Puck almost spat the word.
"Now, now, don't confuse your young companion there. You know I prefer to go by Master of the World." Answered the now named Master of the World with a smile.
He was a seemingly young man in his mid-to-late twenties, with a well-trimmed beard and a black mane of hair falling down his shoulders. He wore a grey and black bodysuit and armour mix, with a red cape to finish the ensemble. The upper half of his head was masked by a helmet with stylised 'V' on his forehead.
"You wouldn't be the master of a pile of manure, much less the world," countered Puck, "I assume you didn't invite us here to surrender, eh?"
"While you would be quite right to think so, I actually planned to do the opposite. Seeing how you made it out of Beta base I thought I could offer you the chance to join the winning side."
" 'Join me and we will rule together', eh? Even after all these years you don't have even an ounce of originality," Puck said with derision, "I'd rather be a garbage man than work with you, less filth that way. Now if you don't mind we are going to kick your teeth in."
"Really?" laughed the Master of the World. "Then please go ahead, I can barely contain my excitement to see you tr-."
He didn't have to ask twice, fast as quicksilver Puck snapped into action. Puck knew the man sitting before him was not much stronger than a regular human. One good hit was all it would take to take him down. In a flash of motion he moved, his fist ready to connect with the Master's unprotected jaw...
And was stopped by an invisible wall of force.
Just as fast as he had moved Puck retreated, jumping back and away from the Master of the World and the shimmering field of energy that surrounded the area around him.
"Ah, I may have forgotten to mention that I came prepared. Really Puck, is it truly necessary to employ violence? But then again, what else can I expect from a lesser specimen such as you?" The Master showed not an ounce of surprise at Puck's sudden attack, nor did he seem worried by the possibility of the now clearly aggressive Alphans.
Puck tested his hand experimentally, trying to ascertain if there was any damage. Whatever that energy shield was, it hadn't only stopped his hit but also transferred back the force, even magnified it if he were to hazard a guess. He was sure they could probably overwhelm it but it could be dangerous to attempt without knowing more.
So fast that one who wasn't looking for it would miss it, Puck made a short hand gesture. The order was simple and one he knew Steel Talon was already familiar with, 'wait for my order'.
His gaze met the Master's, who simply smiled at him as he waited for Puck to speak.
Sighting Puck resigned to play the maniac's game for a little longer. "So… I take it this is the part where you expose your 'genius plan'? Can't we skip this and go to the part where we send you to prison?"
If the Master of the World felt anything at Puck's provocations he didn't show it. Instead opened a drawer in his desk and took out a small bottle of alcohol and an exquisitely crafted glass.
"Hmmm, not yet, no," he said as he uncapped the bottle and poured himself a glass, "Oh did you want some? I would be glad to offer you a glass too but alas, I don't think it is in my best interest to turn off the force field, not yet at least."
Puck narrowed his eyes. "Get to the point or we can try opening your shiny fourth-rate criminal wrapping and see what kind of filling a 'master of the world' got."
Instead of answering, the Master of the World took a large gulp from his drink, his expression reflecting a deep enjoyment. "Truly delightful! I've been saving this vintage early 20th-century bottle for a long time, always promised to myself I would get to enjoy it sometime, for a great celebration. Really, I never expected it would be in honour of an inferior human midget but even one such as I can rarely predict the far off future, only plan for it."
Trash-talking had never been the Master's forte, nor was he as eloquent as he believed himself to be. At the end of the day he was no more but one in an extremely long list of psychopaths and murderers and one that could and had been defeated many times before. Yet, for some reason, Puck felt something was different this time.
Finishing the last of his drink in one swig, the Master spoke again, "Ah sorry, in my old age I have started to ramble whenever given half the chance. I assume that beyond simple violence, you want to know the 'what', 'why', and 'how', don't you?"
When Puck didn't say anything he took it as an invitation to continue. The smile on his lips now twisted into something cruel. "First of all, I am going to assume you really have no idea and whatever you got from that traitor Utler, it wasn't enough to paint a full picture, wasn't it?"
Once again Puck said nothing, his eyes narrowing at the sorry excuse of a human who seemed to be having the time of his life taunting him.
"Well, I guess it really doesn't matter. While I had hoped the rest of your comrades would come here looking for revenge due to your death, this will have to do."
"Your inferior minds may find it difficult to comprehend this but as the pinnacle of evolution, as a supreme being that I am, I-"
Suddenly and without warning, Steel Talon's closed fist fell upon the part of the desk which the force field didn't quite cover. Superhuman strength and steel-like flesh met wood and the wood gave way. A force closer to that of a cannonball transmitted through the comparatively flimsy piece of furniture, expensively carved wood turned into so many splinters, the shock from the superhuman blow sending them out like shrapnel and forcing the Master of the World to dive out of the way to avoid being impaled by a long splinter.
Even partially covered by the half-mask helmet, Puck could see his expression of utter surprise and fear. Of course, this expression lasted but a second before being replaced by one of utter anger.
"Wrongdoer, speak your words and accept your fate or simply accept your fate and surrender yourself. Our patience is thinning!" To Puck's knowledge, Steel Talon had not even once shown anger of any kind. He was probably the most well-mannered of all members of Alpha Flight, so seeing him express even that level of irritation felt very strange.
"That was a Wakandan Blackwood desk. It cost more than your pathetic lives!" snarled the Master. The desk had been utterly destroyed by the impact and Puck could see that both the criminal's drink and several smaller splinters had utterly ruined the criminal's suit.
The Master of the World stood up slowly, dusting himself off before moving close to the edge of the force field, where the air still shimmered with power.
"I had intended to treat you with some courtesy in consideration of our long-time association, but it seems this is a waste of my time so I will get to the point instead."
Puck had, sadly, known the Master of the World for a long time. The caveman turned criminal and would-be dictator had been thoroughly changed on the physical level after his millennia-long stay inside the Plodex ship, but his personality had remained ossified since before he ever set foot inside. He was a self-absorbed egotistical megalomaniac with an ego the size of the Canadian wilderness and whatever he was about to tell them, Puck knew it would be the truth. His desire to 'awe' the two Alphans wouldn't allow him to do otherwise.
"I know you are probably thinking that I was careless, that I allowed myself to be easily exposed by sending my lackey to take care of you and any other loose ends. I am sure you think I am an incompetent that you and the rest of the so-called heroes could take down at your leisure."
"Can't say that you got it wrong," laughed Puck, aiming to further provoke the unstable criminal. "We got you figured out quite well, eh?"
"Oh, do enjoy your laugh, because soon you will want to cry instead!" The Master of the World was screaming now. Puck almost expected to see spittle flying from his mouth as he made his threats.
"Well, I will have the last laugh here. Because you know nothing. You didn't discover anything and you certainly didn't find me. I led you here."
Puck was not impressed. "Yes, yes. It's all part of your brilliant master plan. I've heard this a million times, a lot of them from you. Can we get this over with?"
Puck expected him to jump into another tirade, but instead the criminal went silent, his lips narrowing into a thin line. The silence extended for another second before the Master spoke again.
"I am the Master of the World," he began. "You and your friends have long underestimated what this means. You fought me in the open, over and over and because you stopped my plans, you thought you had won." The anger was gone now, only a cold certainty as he spoke.
"You were wrong."
The Master's eyes set onto Puck, the raw fury still smoldering there. "Did you perchance notice how familiar the layout of the complex you assaulted was? How the weapons the men carried were not meant to be in the hands of simple criminals? What about your visit to Montreal? Did you notice anything different about the city?"
This time Puck didn't answer. He had noticed the layout of the underground complex was familiar, too familiar. He had seen similar structures before but he had somehow found his way through it with barely any effort, almost as if he had already been there before.
And that was because he had.
The layout was slightly different, the defenses and aesthetics much changed but that underground complex was the same as one of the many Department H maintained all over the country. Meant to act as the last bastions of the government in case of a superpowered threat or alien invasion and certainly something the Master of the World should never have access to.
The files Utler had surrendered to him showed as much, that and more. Weapons caches, personnel, millions of dollars of equipment, and expertise that the Master's operation shouldn't have access to.
The Master of the World looked at Puck and grinned, a cruel, vicious thing almost unbecoming of the term. "Oh, so you do notice. This is good and it will save me some time to explain because the clock is ticking and your time is almost over." It wasn't Puck who answered but Steel Talon himself, the younger Alphan once again showed the initiative Puck had grown to appreciate.
"No, it is your time which is over. Hand yourself in and end this madness. We may not know what you are attempting here, but there is no way out. You can't escape and we will bring you to justice!"
" Ha, haha HAHAHAHA," the laughter started slowly but before long, it took on a maniacal air.
"You will take me to justice? There is no justice. There is no crime. There is nothing but me. You still don't get it? I already won."
"You were so blind, so sure of your righteousness and your cause, so sure of the incorruptibility of those you served that you didn't see the rot before your very eyes. I know you looked at whatever that traitor Utler showed you. I know you must know something, suspect something." Said the Master of the World as he pointed at Puck.
"I won't buy into your lies, Eshu."
The Master didn't even try to argue. Instead, he pressed a hidden button in his vambrace and a holographic projection lit up the room.
The projection showed a set of video feeds. In one Puck could see hundreds of uniformed men and women marching in lockstep as they entered a gigantic spaceship only to be taken apart and rebuilt. Every muscle, every bone, and every cell disassembled into their base components and rebuilt into something that looked human but wasn't quite. In another similarly dressed but armed people fired en masse at a gathered crowd of emaciated prisoners. Puck could already feel his ire rising, the heat in his veins at the sight of those crimes, but it was the last feed that froze him to the core.
Prime Minister Cody, a longtime acquaintance and sometimes ally of Alpha Flight, was kneeling. Dozens of men and women, all of them wearing the badge of the Unity Party, knelt behind him.
"Master, we await your orders," said the Prime Minister.
"As you should," said the Master of the word dismissively. "You may rise."
"My most sincere thanks, my lord," Cody answered.
Puck could not believe his eyes. They had always feared something like this but to see it happen and for the Master of the World of all people to be behind it.
"I think you understand now, don't you?" The obvious glee in the Master's eyes as he asked the question only angered Puck further but he forced himself to hide it. To allow the enemy to get a rise out of him would be to accept a defeat, and to admit that they were in less but total control of the situation.
Two things had become clear as of now. One was that the Master of the World had built a very big underground force, one that had everything from the mundane to the magical. The other was that he had somehow subverted the minds of many of the country's leaders.
This meant that right now their priorities were twofold. First, they had to learn the rest of the Master's plans, and then they had to free as many of their leaders as possible, for that would be the only way to stop them before they could bear fruit.
"I have long watched this world from my metal coffin, millennia spent inside what was both my prison and womb, the maturing fetus of the superior man. I watched the inferior men battle and die. I watched their empires rise and fall as they slowly crawled through the muck and the blood, yearning for a better future, a future only I can give them." The Master's eyes were wide as he delivered his speech, the fanaticism of his belief in his own superiority clear to everyone, "This country is just the beginning. The world is forever inching towards destruction and I am their cure. I will lift humanity to its true potential just as it was done for me."
Puck had heard many of the Master's plans before but this one took the prize. World domination had been a long-time dream of his, but never before had the madman actually attempted something like this.
"Well, do you have nothing to say?"
It was not Puck who answered but Steel Talon, his words powerful and unwavering in their conviction. "There is nothing else to say, We now know what you are trying to do and we will stop you!"
"Like the kid said," agreed Puck. "We will stop whatever your plan against Canada is, like we always do."
"Stop my plan? Puck, I'm neither stupid nor a comic book villain. Do you seriously think I'd explain my masterstroke if there remained the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome? I conquered these lands two years ago and none of you noticed."
Puck's first instinct was to reject his words, to lash out and scream he was wrong. To deride him as a madman trapped inside his own fantasies. But he could not, for his words made perfect sense.
The sudden appearance of the Unity Party, how they had grown exponentially, the increase in criminal activity that kept Alpha Flight away from their other, more community-orientated tasks, it all fit. Every order, every interaction with the government, every time Puck had felt something amiss, every time he had dismissed a worrying behaviour as just an old man's paranoia. In but an instant, Puck revisited the last two years of his life and red flag after red flag popped up.
"Of course, it is not a simple matter of taking control of the nation and calling it a job well done," explained the Master jovially, almost as if he were discussing a simple game. "I had to weed out the resistance and make sure none of you noticed anything was amiss. You see, it was quite the little operation. Especially taking care of all those mutants. Their spoiled inferior bodies, a useful source of ideas for the superior men I'll remake mankind into, have proven to be quite the windfall as you can see." He gestured at one of the holograms, which showed what was now an unmistakable concentration camp, bodies being dragged to a common grave. "Thankfully, the people were very cooperative in this matter, if a little overzealous."
Puck remembered the mutant activists, many of whom were 'accidentally' labeled as terrorists and detained by Sentinels. He remembered the ghettos that had seemingly popped out of nowhere. He remembered the callous policies that he had assumed were simple government incompetence that would fix itself as time went by.
His body tensed and his blood boiled. The rage that filled his body was like nothing he had ever felt before, not ever since he witnessed the massacres in Spain so many years before.
Behind his back, Puck made a fist before raising one finger. Steel Talon said nothing, but both knew what that meant.
"Now that's the face I wanted to see. You may not be the Guardian, but for now you will have to do." Puck readied himself. They would need to be fast if they wanted to catch the Master before he was ready.
The walls shimmered, something manifesting upon them. Shapeless things and forms lurking behind a thin veil of reality that was about to be ripped apart. From the corner of his eye Puck saw something crawl from the void just as he heard the door behind him burst open. The moment to act was now.
The Master had continued speaking, either ignoring or uncaring of what was going through the Alphan's mind. He gave the two heroes a last sneer before issuing the command both knew was coming.
"But alas Puck, your life ends now, kill hi-" but he never got the chance to finish.
Steel Talon burst into action. Fast as lighting, the Alphan seemed to teleport from standing still to swinging his dark blade with inhuman strength and speed in a blur of motion almost invisible to the naked eye. The obsidian blade met the force field and-
The next thing Puck knew was that he was lying somewhere, a bunch of rubble obstructing his view and what appeared to be a scorched support beam pinning him down. His body hurt more than it had in a long time and he could feel the sting of a burn on his face and arms. His ears rang, similar to the last time an explosive had gone off right on his face. He was disoriented enough that it took him almost an entire minute to feel the vibrations on the ground, the steady pounding of something.
With a not inconsiderable effort, Puck pushed the fallen beam and the rest of the rubble away and stood up. Trying and failing to regain his balance and shake away the white spots lining his view. He staggered, almost falling face first as he made an effort to stand straight. When he felt he was stable enough he took in the scene before him.
The room was simply gone, or to be more specific, a good chunk of the building was. He could see the night sky from where a giant hole had been carved into the structure, the area around them was bereft of any of the room's previously defining characteristics. The wood paneling of the remaining wall had been flash burnt, all the furniture was gone and most of the mansion as far as Puck could see was now a soot-blackened ruin of obliterated wood and half-burned rubble. From the damage, it was clear that the sphere of destruction had expanded from where the Master of the World had previously stood. It was almost as if a fuel-air bomb had gone off just where the would-be conqueror was standing.
The Master himself was nowhere to be seen, but the source of the pounding Puck had felt earlier became clear very fast.
Steel Talon, a broken stump of a sword held on a low guard, battled what Puck soon identified as demons. Four of them surrounded the Alphan as they attacked in tandem, and one of them was none other than the possessed Citadel.
Elongated adamantium limbs clashed against broken and scarred metal. The Alphan danced around the enemy as the other demons fell upon him. One swing of the blade severed a clawed hand before parrying another. Meanwhile, his left hand caught a falling fist before crushing it with inhuman power, eliciting a cry of pain from its owner before the Alphan kicked it away. It was then that the fourth demon managed to land a hit, its talons carving deep gouges into the younger Alphan's flesh.
Steel Talon did not scream but Puck knew that wound was not minor. The avian's dark blood flowed freely from the cut, staining his clothes as he fought his attackers at speeds that rendered him into nothing but a blur. The Alphan was incredibly strong but even he was being pushed back by the numbers of his foes.
Just like that, the fog clouding Puck's mind cleared. His mind focused only on his friend and the danger at hand.
He charged.
Bouncing once, twice, and then again, Puck increased his speed manifold in a few leaps, and before any of the combatants could notice it he struck. His hard soled-boot connected with the jaw of one of the creatures, a misshapen mass of half a dozen spindly limbs and claws held by two thick and stubby digitigrade legs. The force of Puck's kick, which would normally be enough to dent thick steel plating, sent the monster reeling but there was none of the familiar crunch of a broken mandible.
"Drop the mitts!" yelled Puck as he bounced back from the force of his kick.
Without missing a beat, Steel Talon punched away the demon trying to bite out his throat before extending his hand forward...
And catching Puck squarely by the leg.
In that very familiar second-before-tragedy moment of clarity Puck had but one thought. I hoped to never have to do this again. Damn you Logan, why aren't you here instead…
Puck's body was much denser than his muscles would make one think. While his body had the consistency of rubber, he was also highly resistant and concussive force could barely affect him most of the time. This meant that when in a pinch, he could make a delightful club.
From the corner of his eye, Puck saw two of the demons lunging at them while a third tried to circle around its foes and attack Steel Talon from the back. The fourth one, a ghastly insectoid-like thing, simply stood there, its alien features transmitting a feeling of befuddlement at the two Alphans' actions.
Steel Talon swung.
Puck barely had time to protect his vitals and face before he felt his shoulder connect with something, something wet and chitinous that became wetter as he felt the chitin break under the force of the impact. A moment later he was moving back again, Steel Talon's grip on his leg changing as he drew his arm back as if to-
"Slewfoot!" with only that yelled warning, the younger Alphan threw Puck with all his might. Puck's ears buzzed as he wasn't so much thrown as fired at his target.
The impact was something he had rarely felt before, his legs bending without a thought as he took in the force of the brunt of the clash. Puck did not know what he hit, but the oh-so-familiar sound of snapping bone and tearing flesh was more than enough confirmation that he had hit something. The pain-filled howls that followed sounded like music to his ears.
With a perfectly executed backflip, Puck landed a few meters away and gazed upon the demon he had struck.
The creature was a bloated cherry red monster with half a dozen drooling mouths lining its fat body, all of which were screaming now. The demon had three misshapen insect-like legs, one of which was bent at an odd angle and from which a coal-black bone protruded from a gaping wound.
Without giving the creature a moment to think, Puck rushed it once again. Ducking under a pain-filled swing of its misshapen arms, Puck tackled the creature. Or, to be more specific, tackled the creature's already broken leg.
Broken bone and torn flesh snapped fully, bending at an unnatural angle under the force of the human-shaped bullet. The demon fell to the ground, screeching in fury and pain as it tried to claw at Puck, who simply rolled away.
Now, Puck had once been dead and unlike most people he had enjoyed the distinct 'pleasure' of one of the hells. Puck had then killed his way through the hordes of the neverborn, cutting with stolen blade and wit through both their flesh and ego before coming back to the land of the living, where his friends awaited. Even to this day, Puck was not sure what kind of hell it was or if the experience had been real, but it felt real enough to him and if he had learnt one thing in his stay there was how to kill demons properly.
While the creature writhing on the floor lacked anything like a head, it still had eyes and ears and, more importantly, a nose. In a demonstration of athleticism that would make a soccer player proud, the reinforced tip of Puck's boot crashed against the thing's 'face'. A scream of pain, a brutal crunch, and a spray of blood rewarding the Alphan and sending the half-risen demon back to the ground. With no time to lose, Puck hurried to the second part of his improvisation routine.
Two fast kicks followed the first one, rattling whatever the creature used as a brain and taking it completely out of the fight, if only momentarily. Ideally, he would also stab each of the creature's limbs with a silver stake, but time was at a premium so Puck had to make do.
Puck's left gloved hand took hold of the demon's bigger mouth, tightly gripping its jaw while his other hand grabbed hold of a discarded piece of metal, a half-melted pipe if he wasn't mistaken, before shoving it tip-first into the demon's mouth. Once the pipe was firmly lodged into the creature's jaw, he jumped as high as he could and did what Archimedes always recommended.
He applied leverage.
The demon, even through the haze of the beating Puck had given it, realised what was going to happen. But it was too little too late and the fear in its inhuman eyes was all too clear for Puck. Then his feet connected with the pipe and…
A muffled cry of terror, shortly followed by the sound of snapping bone and tearing flesh, broke through those of the battle, drawing attention from the combatants. A grave mistake.
While one of the demons charged at Puck the other turned its back to Steel Talon, who was still engaged with the possessed Citadel, a chance the Alphan did not miss.
In one swift movement, Steel Talon knocked the possessed Citadel aside before plunging his broken blade deep into the chest of the chitin-covered demon. The creature's screams soon turned into gurgles as the Alphan withdrew the sword before stabbing it repeatedly into the demon's unprotected neck. The two remaining demons tried to turn back and help their fellow, but by the time they had closed the distance, it was too late.
"yOu CaN'T wIn, nO MaTtEr hOw MaNy oF uS yOu KiLl." Citadel's adamantium claws met Steel Talon's broken blade in a shower of sparks. The stump of a sword was nicked and scorched, the black ichor of the slain demon sliding down to the hilt yet it still held, just like its wielder.
"I guess we will have to find out!" he exclaimed, letting out a grunt as he forced the demon's claws back.
"Remise of justice!" With one herculean showing of strength, the tired and wounded Alphan forced the demon to break its attack… and punched it in the face.
The shockwave from the punch alone shook what remained of the building. Ash and pulverised wood falling to the ground all around them as Citadel crashed into a mountain of rubble in an explosion of debris. A moment later, hundreds of tonnes of building, finally losing all lingering cohesion due to the shock of its impact, fell upon it.
The remaining demon, with Puck hot in pursuit, decided that discretion was the better part of valour and tried to turn tails and run. All to no avail.
The demon didn't even have a chance to take two steps before both Alphans fell upon it and tore it apart with cold-blooded precision.
With their last enemy finally down the two tired Alphans almost fell to the ground from fatigue, their weary bodies screaming in pain as the fugue of combat left them.
"Well, that was a little harder than expected," said Puck, holding his index and thumb barely apart, "just a tiny little bit."
Steel Talon looked at his broken sword and then at Puck's and his own body, both covered in wounds, and nodded. "Yes indeed, somewhat less than the easy mission you promised but quite simple nonetheless, I would say!"
The silence hung in the air for a moment, and then both Alphans burst out laughing.
"Be as it may, we still need to contact the others and stop whatever scheme the Master cooked up. I would like to believe otherwise, but something tells me he got away."
Steel Talon nodded, "Indeed, I saw him teleport away just before my blade struck his shield."
"Well, in that case I think maybe we-" but he didn't get to finish, as something, many somethings crashed all around them.
The silhouettes were tall and imposing, matte black and almost indistinguishable from the darkened environment. All except for their glowing yellow eyes.
"Oh, shi-"
"ATTENTION, MUTANT DESIGNATION: PUCK AND NONHUMAN DESIGNATION: STEEL TALON. YOU HAVE BEEN DECLARED AS NATIONAL THREATS TO BE TERMINATED. SURRENDER PEACEFULLY AND ACCEPT YOUR EXTERMINATION." Ordered the Mark XII assault Sentinel in its booming voice.
Once again, Puck cursed his luck.
AN :
Still kinda slow with the updates but I'm trying to stick to at least on per month. This one was mostly a battle scene (which are not my forte) and a few important revelations regarding why Canada was run like it was an evil organization.
Because it was.
Now, I'm not 100% happy with this chapter and I hope you guys have plenty of criticisms for me to adress. I just didn't want to end up bogged down with rewrite after rewrite forever, so I went with what I considered the best version so far.
Also, there should be only one other Alpha Flight chapter before we go banck to Ainz and the others. I know some people didn't like this arc but I wanted to try and write something in the most cliche, narmy comic book way.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lasyandra
Lasyandra Please support the original writer here :
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