The 99 Caverns (book 2)

Goon & Killer

Kerien's energy crackled through the air. She d rarely let her power free like this. But people like the good got the hammer.

As Trixie and the Shadow Clan held back the Goon Doc's, well, goons, Kerien fought him and a small batch of henchmen. Their fight made it deeper and deeper into the woods, separating Kerien from the others.

Kerien de-gooned most of the slugs being fired at her, though her power couldn't heal the goon doc.

"You know Kerien," the Slug said through the Dark Bane's mouth. "When you're my new dark slinger, I'll make you kill your beloved friend Junjie. And then, I'll come for the Shane gang. Eli, Kord, that molenoid, and dear Trixie."

Kerien's eyes were suddenly absorbed in red. With a scream, a wave of energy went out, sending all but the Good Doc and his host standing. Kerien knew without checking that the slingers were dead. It wasn't the first time she'd killed, but it was the first time she'd killed anyone like that...

But what scared Kerien was that she didn't feel bad at all

Despite being mostly unharmed, the Goon Doc was still effected by the blast, unsteady and unfocused. Kerien took the chance to shoot him off the Dark Bane's shoulder, sending him flying into the woods. The Dark Bane fell to the ground, unconscious.

Kerien knew she'd have to go after the Goon, but the sound of snapping metal drew her back to Trixie.

The slinger's she and the clanner had been fighting were out, but they were now cornered by a large mecha beast--a black iron lion with glowing red eyes that bulged slightly.

"It just jumped out of the woods." Trixie reported, gun trained on it. "And then it..."

That's when Kerien noticed the blood. On its paws, in its mouth. And she saw the form underneath it. A dead slinger, huge bites taken out.

Kerien couldn't help it. She laughed. The mecha turned to her, cocking its head. The mecha was designed like a female lion, but its head was encircled by metal spikes like a male man. Its colors reminded Kerien of herself. So much of this beast did.

"We're alike, you know." She chortled. She stepped forward and gently pet the mecha's forehead. "We're both killers. But we're more than that, aren't we girl?"

Kerien had always treated everything with respect. Slugs, clanners, mecha beasts. And something calles her to this one.

Cold metal met Kerien's cold forehead as the beast put their heads together. Trixie and the clanners watched in wonder.

"Killer." Kerien murmered.

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The mecha beast had seen much in her exsistance. Her kind scrapped and remade, tortured and poisoned. Even this caverns' so called heroes were guilty. That giant robot? Jetpacks?

Then Blakk's thugs came. They showed respect to no one. And one day the beast snapped. It wasn't one moment, it was many moments building on top of each other for so long that no one could escape once it fell.

There were legends told of the mad mecha beast, who had killed 5 slingers, digesting them in her metal stomach. A killer.

And she--Killer--didn't mind that.

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Kerien took a deep breath. She'd never connected to a Mecha Beasts like others had. Not that many considered there could be a connection. But Kerien could feel it now.

She'd only ever felt this with her slugs, who were noe climbing over Killer.

"Welp," Trixie said. "I've seen weirder things let's go."