His trajectory drew the smoke as he ascended. Raj spreads his arms wide and desperately tries to form his stance. He raised his knees gracefully to get more height. "FEUGO!" Crossing his arms releasing a power surge directly to Axel.
"Is that all you can do?" Axel accepted Raj's attack openly.
Raj was not impressed. Before he landed Axel reached his landing point before he does. Raising his hands releasing a shockwave.
He flung and fell. He came out rolling behind some cover of fallen deteriorated walls, but another attack followed before he could catch his breath.
Crossbow arrows covered with majestic flames with aching bolts rained from above. Even if he did not position his body properly.
Quickly he fired off a series of precise shots with his Quanta morphed power blasters, detonating the bolts at a distance. Dazzling flames engulfed his field of view.
As he continued to roll hiding himself to avoid the explosion, scorched fragments of metal came showering down, and a gust of terrific heat washed over his face, hot enough to raise blisters despite his defending himself using his Quanta creating a shield.
If he had taken the brunt of that blast, he would be a charred, corpse right now. The scent of burnt hair filled his nostrils.
He destroyed another dozen or so arrows that were angling toward him, firing off another blast using his Quanta powers as he somersaulted behind the large piece of rubble, he had set his sights on. A single heartbeat later, flames blossomed above him as another explosive bullet engulfed the whole area in its blast.
There was a tremendous boom, followed by a searing rush of air that carried with it the stench of singed asphalt and burnt flesh. A good number of people were probably dead.
"NOW WHAT!?"
"SHOW ME ALL YOU GOT! RAAAJJ!" Axel shouted angrily. Producing more Quanta energy balls around him.
He slapped a fresh clip into his hands and scanned the area, looking for his way to retreat.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an enemy soldier - Regulus guards- scrambling from behind cover, gunning for him. Lee and Ken were leading them.
Raj responded instinctively with a single blow of blast - not at the enemy soldiers, but at yet another explosive bolt coming his way.
Deflected and spinning out of control, the projectile careened straight toward the cover the enemy soldiers had been using.
An immediate hit.
Screams filled the air. Several enemy troops stumbled out from behind the shattered concrete, smoke rising from their bodies as they ran.
A moment later, however, they staggered in a spray of blood and pitched forward onto the ground.
The reports of gunfire followed. Shield crouched in his sniping point, switched to a new clip, burst fire, with practiced ease, and resumed firing without delay.
In a span of a single breath, every enemy soldier lay down dead on the ground. Shield aimed at Lee and Ken, but they recognized the direction of the shots. Thomas from a distance was in his reach, shot but missed.
Looked straight at Shield dead in the eye, as if he were watching him visibly from a remote area.
A fresh round of intermittent booms sounded from Ferra's right. A small-statured Regulus-masked soldier with locks of blue hair slid down the embankment at the battlefield's edge, firing his submachine gun-like Quanta from the hip in short bursts.
The squad he was leading followed close behind.
Raj saw him.
Regulus members were slowly moving out and the others had already escaped. Axel left in opposition to the hardware store. Raj scanned and be it his timing to attack Axel. "Hya...."
Axel did not even flinch. Swinging his arms from the right in Raj's direction.
Before Raj's Quanta even activated his hands reached Axel. Axel already had a grip on his neck. "Ugh... Nggngggggggg...."
Raj struggling and delivering blows with his Quanta to Axel. He cannot speak with his neck being held.
"Is that all?" Looking straight not to Raj but forward in his direction.
He held his grip on Axel's hands.
Axel consuming and extracting Raj's Quanta. Light flew over the area coming from them.
"This is taking quite too long." Axel seems to have difficulty extracting Raj's Quanta.
Before it was even extracted Stella came to the rescue.
She chanted "Destruction.". Axel let go of Raj. He recoiled quickly from a distance.
He sends him electrocuted blows.
Raj regaining back his breath.
"You are not, okay Raj?" Stella remorseless said. Aiming his fire at Axel.
Raj was still trying to catch his breath.
"I guess it's time to leave for now Raj, and you miss." Axel creakingly said.
Raj was coughing his breath down on the ground.
"I guess I'll just have yours next time Raj". Axel fleeing his way out.
All his squad members stepped in slowly in guard. Shield. Stella. Ferra.
It was an hour later. Raj can still feel the damage that was dealt to him.
"I saw it!!"
"He was consuming my Quanta with his, I can feel it pain me."
Stella was shy when she spoke. She usually does not talk to anyone.
"Chill out Raj." Stella brings him to Strawberry.
Strawberry was only supervising the mission. They are not participating in combat or even in rescues. Higher rank officials like Strawberry do not engage in their fights because that is part of the training for the recruits. It was from Strawberry's words "I don't need to feel the remorse of these people they were already sacrificial lambs. Even if I can still save them, I know they will just wish for their death to make it easier for them."
"That is just how greedy people are. They even avoided the struggles they needed to face and wanted an easy life."
"So, most of them wish for their death."
Strawberry was already a wielder for years and had participated in several missions. She is always sharp and does not hesitate.
"What happened?" Strawberry nearing herself to them.
"You can leave us here Stella."
Thanking her.
"What was that?"
Strawberry does not care about what happened. Because if they were truly strong, they would survive.
"So, you tasted one. I told you they were skilled."
Raj thought of something uncertain that he wanted to do but was still unsure if he could pursue it. After facing Axel, he wanted to train more on his own. So, he wanted to talk to Socrates.
"But I'm not sure of what that was."
"By the way can I return to Socrates? His book? And I also have some questions."
He is already looking for his way.
"I'm sure he is not present now.". Replied Strawberry.
"Or maybe next time."
"I came here not only in search of who I am and for my dad. But." He paused and whispered to himself. "In the Kabkab I saw the same mask that murdered my grandma."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing," Raj said hesitantly.
He kept it within himself. He never held a grudge against Axel, and he knew Axel might be of some help if he could persuade him, but he also knew it was out of his hands. That Axel is not someone you can control.
In the Regulus group.
"How many did we....". Axel started counting. Blood rushed in his aching head. "AAAAAAAAHHHH!"
"What a wrong timing when they came!!"
"We just need a few more specimens."
The doctors and scientists came to his room to examine him.
He was trying and fitting newly made technological advancements made by their team.
"What do you have there?"
The leader of the scientists stepped forward showing the blueprints to Axel. "This one is the "Direct-To-Brain" technology."
"We have fully equipped it with new functions, this goes with the nano-bots and the Harmonic Oscillator..."
"Stop the babbling let me try it on."
Attaching the strings to Axel,
"Here you go, Sir."
"This can lower your energy levels or raise it."
"Now how do I.... What do I do with those bots?"
"You can just control them with your brain sir, you'll just think and give them a command."
"Ohhhh!!!" he is witnessing it happening in front of his eyes.
Their organization has been rapidly growing since the project had been seeded. The government requires more of their help, so they also keep asking for more.
"This function will still be disabled sir. It is still not safe. You cannot think and command them during actual combat it's only for lab and office use."
"I see."
"But this one... I can feel the energy erupting."
Axel was seeing things with his mind as he began to gain control over the bots.
"Sir we need more...". The doctor said to him.
"I know! I know!" Axel calming himself.
Raj stalked Axel's organization where he was brought but the moment, he arrived at the place, it was deserted.
Days later.
There was nothing, a single trace of anything that could not be found, only a building. A new buyer inspecting the building which Raj thought was an enemy but then he realized that those people were not one of them.
Regulus guards were still on the location searching and scanning.
While Raj was walking out, they crossed paths with Thomas, and they saw each other's faces.
When Raj reached the entrance Regulus guards already cornered him.
"Damn." He was about to get inside but he saw guards positioned already behind him. "Awh". He was left with no choice but to combat.
"Universe Group reporting, the enemy already made their move."
The universe is a squad platoon under the organization.
"Copy."
At the same time, another team came rushing down from a position on Raj's left and opposite side. As Raj ran, he fired rotating himself above ground, belching out a gout of beaming light from his Quanta; ensuing explosion several troops were blasted to a cinder, leaving a blackened, smoldering hole in the ground.
Thomas came to a quick stop, keeping Raj in check, backed up by his Quanta, about to leave. "He's here. There is one.".
With his grinning eyes and with his size he flew rocketed up in the sky.
Raj augmented their vision as he surveyed the area.
The guards are currently sixty-eight troops; his front seventeen; his back fifteen; his left eighteen; his right another eighteen.
He cannot in any case discover an exit. Raj was tracking down the correct method to draw the foes to make an opening. Holding tight for a break in the adversary troop's attack, attempting to decide the most ideal course to take.
A blinding white light flashed.
Elevating himself floating in the air and fleeing. The Regulus guards were still chasing him. Forcing him to pause and fire Quanta Blasters bombing them.
"Strawberry. Strawberry. Do you hear me?"
"They have already moved out of their headquarters. The organization was already in play, I don't have any hints anymore."
"I knew it was him."
While in his escape Raj visits the place where he used to work when he started in the city the corner block and the place was doomed. He almost busted in anger but was able to control himself.
"Why would they do that to old man?"
"He's never done anything." He traveled more distance.
Raj came back to Socrates' place. Pierce anticipated it. "Master is not yet around."
"Oh Pierce, I'll just wait for him."
"Your choice."
He waited patiently. Sat down. Stood up. It was obvious that he was irritated.
Till Socrates came. "How are you doing? I see you've improved a little."
No one knows where Socrates goes every time he goes out. Not even Pierce.
"You saw the Logo symbol, right? Uhm about my father..."
"Yes, your father... He was secretive, nobody knew what his true intentions were. The book I gave you was from him. It was very detailed I have read it and I do not know what to do with it. I understood the studies of the information we made and....."
He slowly talked till he paused. "And? What?"
"I don't know. It has all the information of the Quanta and how to wield it everything you might need."
"I know, I know but where do I find him?"
"He was running from the government because he discovered something only, he knew."
"Romeo was one of the members during the expedition decades ago. Even I was not present during those times. He discovered a power source that was full of life and energy. I just don't know what it is."
During those times. Socrates was still a member of the Geminis, but he also worked part-time on his own.
"I guess it has nothing to do with me now."
"I have found new friends and family here already."
"I guess I'll just be contented with what I have now, to help the group and to stop the enemy and the government from diluting us."
He only said it, but his decisions were never clear. There were still doubts in his mind.
Still confused about his next steps.
"A good choice you made. It is up to you. You can't live a life looking for something you don't have and having something right in front of you."
"I came here to return these to you."
Raj had already finished the book. There was nothing special that he could hold from the book. Not that it also includes a history that he does not know where he can apply.
"I won't be needing it anymore I guess."
"But this is your father's book."
"Yes, but you found it. It's yours."
Raj went back to Strawberry's group and helped them in their missions.
Axel was one of the leading persons in the organization. Even with Raj's training, he was still on the upper hand. Raj continued his training with Strawberry's group. Unable to train with Socrates due to some restrictions.
Raj wanted to bring Axel down making it his objective.
Assigned to missions, but he never saw Axel like the first mission he was assigned.
After doing such missions Raj joined the rankings and was able to lead their team.