DreamWorld
Ash, Wes and Braxton approach Xander as the massive collection of D.R.C agents hang back behind them as Ash looked Leon, Artur and Tegan over before eyeing Xander.
Ash: You're like the fucking Boogeyman. Everytime someone says your name they tremble and run away. But I'm looking at you right now. Don't seem that impressive to me.
Xander smirks as he looks at Braxton.
Xander: Been a long time, Braxton.
Braxton: I thought you were dead.
Xander: Unfortunately. You remember Artur.
Braxton looks at Artur who nods at him.
Braxton: I remember. I see you've got yourself a few others.
Xander: Friends of mine yes. Leon and Tegan. I see you've got yourself a new partner also.
Braxton: Wesley.
Xander nods at him but Wes just stares at the others as Ash folds his arms.
Ash: Turn around and leave. This doesn't have to be anything.
Xander: No, no it does not. Simply lead us inside and let us take the chain code and we'll be in our way.
Ash: Like that will happen.
Xander: You cannot stop us. You can only slow us down.
Ash: Maybe that's all we need to do.
Ash glares at Xander who doesn't seem intimated.
Xander: Tegan.
Tegan: Yes?
Xander: Care to be part of a wager.
Tegan: Sure. Why not.
Xander: I want the minimal amount of bloodshed. I am anything if not fair. So. You chose a champion, Ash. Fight my champion. Winner gets to set the terms of a surrender.
Ash smirks as she laughs as Leon and Artur look at one another.
Ash: You can't be serious?
Tegan: I don't think he would be joking right now.
Ash: You? Haha didn't we have a scrap at a bar earlier?
Tegan: We did.
Ash: Pfft. If she's your champion, you really are unremarkable. Fine. Why not.
Xander: Excellent.
Xander steps back and touched the ground as suddenly their is a giant dome that constricts out of rock and steel as Xander smirks
Xander: Keep the damage to a minimum, avoid any casualties.
Ash: Braxton.
Braxton nods as he begins towards the dime as Ash grins and follows in close behind as Wes does the same as Tegan looks at Xander.
Tegan: Tips?
Xander: Braxton is a very skillfull Dreamer, but he's not dreaming right now. He's connected through the A.N.N which means his natural gifts are a little dampened but his dream share power is amplified by the host. More and likely Ash or the other one. You can beat him. Just be sure that when you get knocked down...you can get back up.
Tegan nods as she walks towards the Dome as Leon falls in behind her, talking her up as Artur comes up next to Xander.
Artur: I could've handled him easily.
Xander: We've gotta let them have a chance. Else what fun would this be? And if she truly believes in us... she'll come through.
Artur seems skeptical as the two head over Agents surround the area as the dome becomes clear as it seals up after Tegan and Braxton enter it.
Xander: Old school rules, Braxton.
Braxton: Fair enough.
Tegan: Old school rules?
Braxton: This was a training some us Dreamers use to use to beat the living hell out of each other. In here you cannot die, but you can take massive damage. The only way to win, is to have your opponent down for ten seconds. Old school.
Tegan: Simple enough.
Braxton: I don't harbor any ill will towards you. I dont even know you, but I know your misguided. Xander is a lunatic. A zealot nut. For you to follow him means you have a great deal of pain and sadness he has…
Tegan: You can save the speeches. I'm last that point.
Braxton: Nobody is past redemption. I shall make you see. Even if it's the hard way.
Ash and Wes watch closely as the Agents cheer as Braxton pulls on a set of fingerless gloves as Tegan paces back and forth as she studies Braxton carefully as he gets into a fighting stance.
Braxton: Let's see what you got.
Tegan throws her arms together and suddens a thunderclap of earth flying from the ground and out towards Braxton who crossed his arms into an X and takes the brunt of the shockwave against his arms but as he does Tegan rocket boots forward and slams her fist through the rock, appearing through the crumbling earth as her punch nearly lands against Braxton's face but he quickly grabbed her wrist and threw her up into the air, Tegan steading herself only to watch as Braxton alleared beside her through a portal and punched her so hard that she hit the ground with such forxe that the dome trembled and earthquake rocked the entire valley as Leon screams for her as Ash and the Agents cheer, Artur and Wes quietly observing ad Tegan coughs up blood and stands as Braxton appears to her right.
Braxton: Fighting for order against the chaos...that is my purpose.
Tegan has no time to react as he kicks across the chest and sends her slamming into the side of the room as before Braxton uses incredible soles and grabs her by her throat, peeling her off if the domes see through prism walls as he chokes he with one hand.
Braxton: A bastion for all who live free from fear!
Braxton chunks her across to the other end of the dome and she hits the end hard as she quickly stands and form a machine gun, firing at Braxton who kicks at the ground and used a Rock Wall to absorb the bullets as she dissipates the machine gun and created a rocket launcher, firing a missile that breaks off into dozens of tiny ones as Braxton just steps forward and walks through the explosions as he surrounded himself with a glimmer shield that absorbed the impacts and send them flying back towards as she kicked up and dodged them before Braxton stepped through a portal and kicked her again across the face, sending get crashing back down as he stands over her before she had even hit the earth below.
Braxton: Do you believe in your convictions now?!
Braxton grabs Tegan by her head and holds her up before lifting her off of her feet as he then slams her face first into the floor repeatedly, each sickening crack making some of the Agents look away as Leon runs to Xander.
Leon: You've got to stop this!
Xander: Believe…
Leon: He's fucking wasting her in there!
Xander: Leon!
Leon stops as Xander stares a dagger through him.
Xander: Believe…
Leon gulps and nods as Braxton slams her down after the sixth time and watches as she may motionless as Braxton listens to the Agents begin to count. Tegan twitching but doesn't move as Braxton stands next to her.
Braxton: Stay down and be on your way. Or join us... you're skilled but…
Braxton sneers as he turns and throws a hand out as he blocks an eruption of fire that springs out of a portal as Tegan spins around and kicks up as she surrounds her body with a mech parts and begins firing bullets, missiles and flames at Braxton who watches his shielding decline as he stomps on the ground and sends a fissure flying at her as she dodges it and keeps the oppressive fire up as Braxton grunts and jumps backwards into portal as Tegan looks about, scanning for points as she sends a rocket at the various spots watching as Braxton appears at one of the spots and is instantly struck by a Missile, disappearing behind the explosion as Ash screams out angrily as Tegan breaths and pants as Tegan can hear clapping as she breathes heavily as Braxton steps through the smoke, his arm cinched as he pats some fire off of his shoulder as he had some burns as he stood clapping and smirks.
Braxton: Impressive.
Tegan sneers and touches her forehead as she had a bleeding wound that she closes up with a healing technique as Braxton paces about before he suddenly charges her, creating a Large Double Sided Battle Axe as Tegan rolls away and formulates her dual blades as she blocks Braxton's next attack and is knocked a few feet backwards as she attacks and blocks as best as she can Braxton is slashing and bashing the large weapon as if it weighs nothing as she blocks and jumps back as she spins a blade and tosses it as he knocks the sword up into the air as she stand forward and stand Braxton in the side but he simply pulls her closer and raises the axe up high as Tegan looks terrified as he slams the axe and cleaves it into her shoulder and down, severing her arm off of her body as she stumbled back and looks down in shock as Ash cheers and slaps Wesley who doesn't say anything as Tegan looks down at her severed arm as the wound was spurting blood as she falls over slowly as Braxton places his war axe onto his shoulder as she grins.
Braxton: Do you now see the folly of your ways?
Tegan lands hard as she shudders as Leon scream as Artur and Xander watch as Braxton stands on her chest and watched as she spits out blood.
Braxton: You will not die. But when you leave here and awaken I hope you see that you never stood a chance.
Xander smiles broadly.
Tegan: You talk to much.
Braxton looks down as Tegan didn't say that as she was gagging on blood as Tegan suddenly dissipates and nothing was there at all as Ash looks confused as Braxton turns to see Tegan leaning against the dome walk without a single scratch in her.
Tegan: Boring.
Braxton: How is this…
Tegan: Do you know what my true ability is as a Dreamer? It isn't being vastly overpowering to D.R.C cunts. It's not even being able to just whip up any ole thought I have in my head. No, my true gift, is quite simple. It's that I have the power of complete hypnosis.
Braxton: That's not possible…
Tegan: Oh but it is. See you think you've been fighting me this entire time. They all have. Except that's not really the case. In actuality, you've simply been just l...fighting the air. It feels and tastes and smells and looks and sounds just like me.
Braxton turns as he sees Tegan now walking behind him.
Tegan: But I was never really there…
Tegan touches Braxton from behind as suddenly his entire chest blows outwards, Braxton looking down horrified as he falls over and spits out blood as Ash looks on horrified as Wes sneers.
Tegan: The entire time I just needed to be able to find my opening.and that little missile show I gave was the perfect opportunity. The missile did connect you but it didn't so what you think. It was actually me, planting a touched based bomb to your chest and...well you see what happened next.
Braxton looks up terrified as Tegan squats down beside him
Tegan: Eight... nine...ten. that's the game big fella. Thanks for playing.
Xander dissipates the dome as Ash squeezes his fist tightly, drawing blood.
Ash: Open fire!
Artur draws his blade as Leon runs and qcreates a bubble shield around him and Tegan as D.R.C let loose a massive barrage of gunfire but Artur zooms between lines of them and slices many to ribbons as Wes goes to Braxton and touches his chest, healing him as Xander simply disappears into a void he created.
Leon: Where did he go?!
Tegan: You know the plan! Worry about these guys and let him handle the rest!
Leon: I've got to pay better attention…
Tegan closes her eyes and smiles as she suddenly gears the screeching sounds of a massive dragon crash down onto some Agents as Mech Units begin to appear as the Dragon burns everything it sees as Braxton is led away as Wes eyes Artur and points at him as Ash directs his men to focus on the Dragon now as Leon creates a hovercraft and jumps inside as he lifts off and begins covering the Dragon by blowing the Mech Units out of the sky with well time missile attacks and gunfire as Tegan watches Artur cut three men in half before wiping the blood off with a whisk of the sword as he turns and faces Wes who says nothing before rocking his head from side to side and cracking his neck as he materializes a double bladed spear. Artur and Wes pacing one another as they then begin attacking each other with blocked blows that are so fast the trained eye can barely see as Tegan moves from a barrage of missile explosions as Ash fired from Machine Gun that was sending out tiny bullet sized rockets as Leon flies over and covers her, forcing Ash to move as the Dragon is gunned down by the remaining Mechs before the turn and focus fire on Leon who takes defensive maneuvers.
Elsewhere
Valencia watched from the hill as Michael folds his arms.
Michael: Such a dad display of primal force.
Valencia: If Halstead gets his hands in the second chain code...their won't be much we can do to stop him. Please...lead me to the Paragon.
Michael: The Paragon has seen this come to pass before with no results. The story has yet to be written.
Valencia: Enough! Look! Look down there!
Michael sees the explosions and carnage that fill the void with their might and fury.
Valencia: That's what will become of this all if we don't stop them!
Michael looks at the sight and shakes his head.
Michael: We must get closer. Do not fret. We will not be seen.
Michael touches Valencia on her forehead again and the two disappear once again. As the battle wages on.
End of chapter