Chapter 16

A loud explosion rumbled through the halls as Helga and Schroeder descended the halls along with the rest of the troopers.  “What the hell was that?” Schroeder asked.  “God-slayer” Harbin added in “we heard about its production from our spies, but we never figured they would use it now” Harbin explained.  “Well they sure as hell are using it now” Wolfgang added in.  “There’s no time to waste” Helga stated “we need to spike that gun.  From what our spies reported, the steel mill is close by.  If we set enough explosives around there, it will produce quite the nasty bang.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Schwartz said “Let’s go spike us a gun.”  “Alright, here’s the plan” Helga stated “Heinrich, you and Harbin are with me to try and spike the gun, Freidan, you and Schwartz take the rest of the men plant some explosives around the steel mill.  Set it for five minutes then run like hell, understood?”  Everyone acknowledged with a set of nods.  “Right, let’s go do some damage.”

They began traversing their way down a series of hallways, running and gunning down Blood Knights here and there.  The farther they went into the castle, the hotter it got.  “We must be closing in on the steel mill” Schroeder piped in.  ‘Must be, otherwise it wouldn’t feel as warm than it was upstairs’ Harbin added in.  After running down a several flights of stairs, they noticed a glowing light at the end of the hallway.

Helga set her automatic-crossbow to full auto just as Heinrich and the others set their assault rifles to semi-auto.  They put their backs to the wall; Schroeder peeked around the corner and saw no-one.  He indicated for them to follow, they cautiously walked across the steel walkways that oversaw   the molten hot steel that was poured into the various vats.  So far they were undetected and that’s what made Helga nervous.

“I don’t like the looks of this” she said sweeping her steam-powered crossbow across every point of attack.  “Let’s carry out the mission, but be careful” she ordered.  Wolfgang took point while the rest of the troopers took the middle and Schwartz took the rear.  As they made their way to the stairs to the steel works, Helga, Schroeder and Harbin scaled up a series of staircases towards the upper levels where the God-slayer was.

So far they had encountered no Blood Knights until now.  Several of them had their backs to them as they came up the stairway.  Just as one was about to turn around, Helga filled him full of crossbow bolts.  “Alarm” he shouted with his dying breath.  Just as the Knight collapsed to the floor with a loud thud, the others took notice and just before they could open fire upon the three Wulfkorp commandos’, they themselves unloaded their weapons upon them.

Shots rang off here and there off the steel floors where the God-Slayer was positioned.  Try as they might, the Blood Knights were not as many as encountered before which seemed odd to Helga.  Just as Schroeder had given the “all clear” from his sweep, Helga moved out, just as Harbin was moving, Schroeder was flung across the room with purple electricity zapping over him.  Before Helga and Harbin could bring up their weapons, two shots knock their weapons out of their hands.

They looked up to see that it was Duchess and Fallion, along with a man who looked like he was part of the nobility.  “Blackthorn!!!!” Harbin said with contempt in his voice.  “In the flesh” he bowed politely “I would ask you not to mess with the God-Slayer but you’re going to do that anyway.  What’s say that we settle this like real warriors, bare handed or melee weapons, it doesn’t matter.  What do you say?” “Fine by me, I’ve wanted another crack at Herr Schroeder since he scarred my face” Fallion sneered.

“I’ve wanted to have so more fun with this pretty young thing” Duchess referred to Helga as she was licking her knives.  “That being said, I’ll take on Herr Wolfiwitz” Blackthorn stated as he undid his cloak and then twisted his cane, revealing a long sharp cane sword.  “Have at you” Blackthorn said as he charged at Wolfiwitz.

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“Come on you ugly bastard” Ulrich sneered as Steel Monger fired off another shot at Ulrich.  He had enough of this shit he decided to end the chase.  Ulrich leapt out from behind one of the destroyed buildings, to make a head on dash at Steel Monger.  It tried to track him with the device, but Ulrich kept zigzagging and the shots went wild.  When Ulrich got up to the creature, he climbed onto its back and began hacking away at the shoulder mounted rocket launcher that was on its back with a machete.

The creature howled madly as the thing that was on his back began hacking away at bone and sinew.  When Ulrich gave one last got strike at the creatures shoulder, he sheathed the machete and with all his might, ripped the launcher off of the creature’s back.  It howled loudly even more so in pain as blood spewed out from his back.  When it regained its senses, it noticed that the man-giant was standing in front of him with his arms wide open and large knife in his right hand.

“Alright you goddamn motherfucker” he spat out some blood dripping out of his mouth “It’s time to end this.”  Ulrich bellowed out a charge and Steel Monger did the same.  It would be as Ulrich hoped, would be the final battle between man and monster.

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“Where are you she-bitch?” Ivan shouted out as he walked across the bridge.  “I haven’t got all day, so why don’t you and your boyfriend come and die already” he shouted out.  Sheila had an idea for how they were going to take   out this annoying pest, but it required a little distraction, one on Sheila’s part.  “Hey firefly” Sheila shouted out.  Ivan turned around to see it was Sheila just as when she first met him.

“That’s right you bastard” she said as she was dripping wet and naked “I told you before and I’m gonna tell you again, take a good look at this heavenly body cause it’s the last thing you’ll ever see again” she said thrusting out her chest with her revolvers in hand.  Ivan gave a wicked smile “Nice try pretty lady, but you won’t fool me again like that.  Like they always say “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice…” before he could finish his sentence, shots rang off his backpack and then exploded.

Ivan was screaming in pain like he had never screamed in pain before.  He didn’t understand.  He was supposed to be immune to fire.  This was clearly the shots of a professional.  Before he collapsed down to be consumed by the fires of hell he took one last look at who had shot him.  It was a scarred face man who was also soaked by the moat water.

“I’ll see you again in hell” Ivan laughed his last.  Bruckner grabbed Sheila and made a mad dash away from the drawbridge before it was engulfed in fire and then exploded.  Bruckner and Sheila turned around to see it.  “Hope that’s the last of him” Sheila said as she rung out her hair.  “Somehow I doubt it” Bruckner said plainly.  “Thanks for holding my clothes for me” Sheila said as she began to get dressed again.

“No problem my love” Bruckner said “by the way, there’s something I’ve been meaning to do.”  “What’s that” Sheila asked quizzically.  Bruckner pulled her in for a kiss and then slapped her butt.  Sheila blushed as he did that. “You said that one day I would get to do that to you, well I did just know.”  “Oh Bruckner, I do love you so” as she pulled him in for another kiss.

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Kurt was intending to join up with Helga and Schroeder after climbing up several flights of steps on the battlements, but then he felt an eerie chill and he knew what that meant.  He drew his sword once more, then sliced backwards with his sword and then steel rang against steel and the cold sadistic smile of his old rival appeared before him.

“Hideo Sasaki” Kurt said coldly “today is the day you die.”  “We shall if that’s the case” Hideo said plainly.

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“Where the hell did these bastards come from” Schwartz said in between shots.  “Hell if I know” Wolfgang shouted back “But if you can just buy me enough time to plant the last of these explosives and return the favor with a beer.”  “That sounds good to me” a familiar voiced rang out as more gunfire was brought in.  It was Kruger and several other Wulfkorp troopers with him, using suppressive fire.

“Nice to see you again Cyclops” Schwartz said sweating half to death.  “You too peg leg, what’s say we give these guys hell and make a break for it?” Wolfgang grinned “That sounds right for me” he said reloading his assault rifle “but Commander Braun and the others went to spike the gun.”  Kruger nodded “Alright, I’ll leave my men here with you, I’ll go and see what their status is, cover me.”  “Covering fire” the troops shouted out as they fire off shots that rang off of steel melting pots and girders.

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“Take that you bitch” Duchess said as she took multiple swipes at Helga.  She already tore up her suit leaving it in shreds to almost reveal her ivory colored skin.  There was no way in hell she was going to have the last articles of her clothing torn off by this witch.  Duchess managed to push her back against a railing that was the pit where the gun came from.

“When I am done tearing off the last of your precious clothes, I am gonna chain you up and whip you, I going flay the skin of your back, I am going to cut parts of your body with sharp knives, I will make you my slave to the desires of men and myself.”

“I don’t think so” Helga spat as she gave a good shove that knocked Duchess off her feet.  Duchess regained her senses and the came charging at Helga with her knives drawn and screaming for blood.  It was at that moment that Helga took out a knife that she stole from Duchess when she wasn’t looking.  Just as she was close enough, Helga slammed the knife into Duchess’s gullet.

Duchess had a look of surprise and shock on her face.  She was grabbing the area around her wound and tried to form words, but she couldn’t.  She then fell back onto the rail and then fell over into the pit where the gun had emerged from.  With that done Helga picked up her steam-powered crossbow and grabbed the explosives to spike the gun.

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Schroeder had been more bruised than he ever remembered in his entire life, but he still managed to bruise that albino face freak Fallion enough to make him look like a well worn punching bag.  He had no idea that Fallion was a formidable fighter.  Fallion then moved in and rained in flurry of punches that Schroeder had a hell of a time blocking.  “Not much of the fighter types are you?” Fallion spat blood on him with a sneer.

“I am better than you think I am” Schroeder spat blood out as he then leapt up to body slam Fallion.  He was caught of guard by this recent attack, then Schroeder rolled off of him and stood up, waiting as Fallion did the same.  “Very clever Herr Schroeder” he said wiping blood from his mouth with his arm “But not clever enough” he roared as he charged into Schroeder.

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Purple lighting buzzed at Harbin as he ducked out of the way.  “You don’t even know the basics of spell casting and you think you can take me on?” Blackthorn chuckled.  “I may not know much about casting spells” he said as he undid he vest and then ripped off his shirt, revealing a tattoo that made Blackthorn cringe.  “But I know enough about it to know what this means.” 

It was the sign of the Teutonic Knights, the warriors who since from their creation, fought sorcery and the blackest of arts.  “I am descended from the Teutonic Knights of the Holy Roman Empire” Harbin yelled coldy.  “But is it enough to stop me?” Blackthorn roared as he threw gigantic lighting bolts with both his hands.  Harbin felt the pain from the bolts, but it didn’t stop him from charging at Blackthorn with all his might.

When Harbin was almost upon him, he put all his might into one great punch.  In doing so, his fist connected with Lord Blackthorn’s face and knocked him out cold.  With that being done, Harbin saw that he did more than he wanted to.  Lord Blackthorn was unconscious and almost dead looking.  “That’s what happens when you dabble with the black arts” Harbin said as he began to re-button his vest.