Unwanted Elements

Chapter Twenty-Two

A soldier emerged from the darkness where Choromatsu had come from, swinging an axe from side to side. His face was completely concealed behind a snarling mask, the only thing seeing the flickering lights of the facility were his eyes, contorted into a look of absolute rage. "You guys'll be finished soon, ya hear me! We'll get a large sum 'o money, and maybe we'll hold ya's for ransom, but would anyone come to pick it up?" he mocked, and I recognized his voice immediately. He was the smooth talking soldier we'd run into twice. But how had he made it here in time for the hunt?

Another familiar voice helped part the darkness to our right as me, Osomatsu, Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu pressed our backs together. "I promise, it won't hurt... yet," the gravelly-voiced soldier remarked, his mouth twisted at the corners in a sickening grin. I withdrew the blade, willingly ready to get my hands slick with blood. The man with the gravelly voice snarled. "Torch, he's gotta blade!" he remarked to his partner, whose eyes narrowed with a menacing interest.

"Oh, does he now, Ashes?" Torch grinned, quickly dashing forwards and grabbing the knife from my fingers all in a high speed motion. Ashes smiled, and my stomach began to ache. "If Karamatsu-niisan and Hatabou could show up, that'd be fantastic!" Todomatsu yelped, but sounded more annoyed than he did scared, but I could tell he was terrified. Osomatsu shot first, beams of heat licking towards Torch. Torch sliced his axe into the air, Osomatsu's flames splitting and sizzling away into thin air.

Jyushimatsu was next, twirling on his heel and allowing bursts of lightning to escape the confines of his sleeved palms, the lightning striking the soldiers' armor, but not causing any bit of harm. Ashes sneered, his grin coating my stomach with unease. "Ya thought we weren't prepared?" he mocked, and Torch's eyes flared with a sinister gaze.

Choromatsu was next, launching vines into the air, allowing them to spiral towards Ashes and Torch. One of them snaked around their victim, constricting slightly to hold the muscled arms in place, but the other one failed to ensnare the intended target. Torch was probably smirking under his mask as he sidestepped the vine, letting it curl pathetically on the dirty carpet. Ashes wriggled loose of his foliage prison, grinning.

Osomatsu unleashed more fire, the orange illuminations cutting through the darkness. The heat licked towards Ashes and Torch, but their weapons managed to split the flames, and Osomatsu's face glazed over with a contorted look of confusion and surprise. "It's Elestone," Choromatsu softly commented, prompting an annoyed "What?" from Todomatsu as we pressed our bodies closer into some sort of formation.

"Elestone," Choromatsu repeated. "What is that?" Osomatsu asked, his green eyes flashing over with several emotions at once. "It's a type of stone that can prevent elemental powers, and slice through them," Choromatsu answered, narrowing his eyes into the dark abyss. "Oh, great, they're invincible!" Todomatsu griped.

We were cornered, pretty much. Our powers would only prove useless against their Elestone-infused armor and weapons, and my blade had been confiscated. Now what were we to do? Unless the world had another surprise like Hatabou, I was fairly certain me and my brothers were toast. Certain our parents would lose all six of their sons here.

Until something caught Torch off guard. He gawked, staggering backwards, his axe clattering onto the ground as his hands cupped his face. Ashes screeched, an unseen force surprising him and catapulting him over the railing, sending him flailing onto the glass ceiling, and a very likely demise. Torch straightened, glancing over the rusting railing. "Ashes, buddy!" he called, and just as suddenly as Ashes, he was heaved over the railing, but unlike his partner, he grasped the metal, his knuckles washing white.

"What the fuck?" Osomatsu commented, looking more confused than anything. "Thank you, mysterious force!" Choromatsu bellowed out, and I rushed over to grab the discarded axe. Lifting it, I stumbled backwards from the weight. It was only half my size, but at least twice my weight. Jyushimatsu seemed to notice my struggle, and effortlessly lifted the axe, wrapping his sleeved hands around the shaft.