Chapter 8: Chapter 8: A Choice

Cold wind brushed past Hiro as soon as he opened the door. He and Haruka stepped out, but Maki immediately zoomed ahead.  After a mere few seconds, her feet staggered to a halt. Shuddering, she wrapped her arms around herself.

“H-How d-did it g-get so cold?! It w-was so hot earlier!” Her teeth rattled.

“Welcome to the desert.” Hiro walked past her, his hands snug inside his pockets. “Oh, and don’t make too much noise. I don’t wanna wake the people in the other house up.”

“Of course. They’ll only get in the way,” Haruka said as she sauntered behind him, stopping for only a brief moment to pat Maki on the head. She seemed unbothered by the cold temperature.

Maki looked like she was moved to tears. “Haruka, you’re s-so nice to me.” She jumped to embrace her, but quickly withdrew herself. “Urgh! Why does your skin h-have to be so c-cold?”

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Hiro asked. 

“Don’t ask,” Haruka warned, glaring at him intently.

Her sudden aggression took him by surprise. “O-Okay…”

“Calm d-down, you two,” Maki interrupted. “Now t-tell me where that s-stupid base is!”

Hiro pointed at a small hill just outside the village. “Over there. At the top.”

“Their base isn’t in the village?” Haruka asked.

“Those b-bastards!” Maki stomped on the ground. “We spent days l-lookin’ for them, and they w-weren’t even in the damn village!”

“If they live in Ushiro, people might band up together and try to take them down,” Hiro said. “Even with guns, taking on a whole mob of people will still be a lot of trouble.”

“Ha! Bet I could take them all on.”

“Of course you do.”

They made it to the entrance of the farm, where the white mini truck was parked.

Maki peered through the driver seat’s window. “Yo! This your ride? Can we take it to their base?”

“No can do.”

“But their stupid base is so faaar!”

“I would if I could, but I don’t have the keys with me.”

“Oh, is that it? Leave it to me, then!”

She opened her bag, and two of her robotic hornets flew into the air. With their stingers, they picked the door’s lock. Gleefully humming, Maki entered the truck and took out the compartment under the steering wheel. Several cords were in display; she connected two of them together. The truck started in no time.

She gave him a thumbs up. “All done!”

“I… You actually did it.”

“No duh. I can’t be a criminal and not know these basic things. Now then!” She clasped her hands together. “You can drive this thing, right?”

“Of course I can!”

That was a lie. Hiro only drove it two times before, the second resulting in a disaster that made Miles ban him from using the truck.

He was about to get inside when a familiar voice called out his name. “Hiro! Is that you in the truck?” he heard Granny Jay ask. One by one, he saw the lights in their home turn on.

“Get in now!” he yelled.

Maki and Haruka both jumped on the truck’s back. Hiro stepped on the gas, pushing it down the whole way. While dashing away, he saw Johnny and Granny Jay coming out of the front door through his rear view mirror.

“Wooo!” Maki stood up and spread her arms wide. “Now, this is speed!”

“Maki, you’re going to fall.” Haruka held her knees together as she sat down.

“Haha! No way! Hiro’s got this!” She bent down and peeked inside the rear window. “Right?”

Hiro was frozen, gripping on to the steering wheel with all his might. His teeth chattered; he didn’t blink. His foot slammed against the accelerator, not letting go. The truck’s speed continued to rise until they made it back to the village square.

Maki fell on her behind. “Dumbass! Slow it down! Turn right!”

Hiro turned the steering wheel all the way to the right, but did not let his foot go. Now sliding on only the two left wheels the truck almost hurled itself into a building. Haruka formed a red battering ram and pushed it against the wall, preventing them from toppling over. She formed a whip with her other hand and used it to pull Hiro’s foot off the gas and step on the brakes. The truck skidded to a halt.

Maki hopped out and opened the door to Hiro’s seat. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer. “You IDIOT! Why didn’t you tell me your stupid ass can’t drive?!”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m still new!”

“New? NEW?! Literal babies can drive better than you!”

“I panicked! We were going too fast!”

“Then pull your damn foot off the gas!”

“I-I couldn’t move it!”

Haruka cracked her whip, shutting the two of them up. “Quiet.”

Maki looked around. “Huh… Just realized there’s no guards here.”

“Eh?” Hiro stepped out of the truck. “That’s weird. We made quite the ruckus, too.”

Maki elbowed his side, causing him to reel back. “And whose fault do you think that is?”

“S-Sorry…”

“Alright, step aside!” She shoved Hiro away and sat in the driver’s seat. “I’ll show you how the pros do it.”

“Can you even drive?”

“...I take offense to that.”

“But you’re… you know…” He raised his hand just above his waist.

“What? Too short?”

“Too young.”

He heard a giggle from behind him. Haruka kept her usual disinterested look, but her hand covered her mouth.

“I already told you, asshole! I’m a full-fledged adult!”

“Then do you have a license?”

“...”

“See?”

“We’re criminals, you twat.”

“Ah.”

“Hop on, already! We don’t got all night!”

Maki started the truck again, and she drove through the village gate. The Bandito guards that checked the belongings of the villagers were no longer on their post. They trekked through the cold desert until Bandito’s base slowly came into view.

Maki parked the truck behind one of the bushes. “We’re goin’ the rest of the way by foot. Can’t be too conspicuous, you know?”

The three of them snuck up to the electric fence. They stooped down and walked along the perimeter until they made it to the entrance gate. Two Bandito members were stationed there, browsing their phones idly.

Maki made several hand signals to Haruka. “Execute order alpha, charlie, victor.”

Haruka chopped her on the head. “Speak English.”

“Ow…” Maki rubbed her head and chuckled nervously.

“These two can’t seriously be criminals,” Hiro muttered to himself.

Maki pointed at the guards with a wide grin on her face. “Go kill them. Don’t make any noise.”

“Understood.” Haruka formed two red knives in her hand. She gracefully threw them at the guards, making no sound whatsoever as they traveled through the air. They pierced their temples and lodged themselves within their skulls. The men plummeted to the ground.

Hiro gawked as Haruka sauntered to their corpses. She knelt down beside them and summoned needles from her wrists and stabbed their necks. Within seconds, their bodies shriveled up into pale, wrinkled masses—just like the ones Hiro saw at the alleyway.

“Hurk!” Hiro fell on his knees, hunching forward. Covering his mouth, it took all he had just to prevent himself from vomiting.

“Ah, sorry about that!” Maki smacked his back several times. “It takes a while to get used to lookin’ at Haruka drink them.”

“D-Drink… them?”

“Stop.” Haruka glared at Maki.

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry! Don’t think about it too much, Hiro. You’ll get used to it in no time! Oh, by the way!” She picked up a pistol from one of the corpses’ holsters and chucked it at Hiro, who almost dropped it. “Here. You’re gonna need this.”

He couldn’t keep his eyes off it. “This… This is a gun.”

“Wooow. What a surprise. Yes, idiot! It’s a gun.”

“What about the nanobarrier you showed me earlier? Can I have that too?”

“Nope! I only brought one, and I’m usin’ it to save my own ass.”

“But I… I’ve never used a gun before.”

You are reading story Lionheart at novel35.com

Her countenance changed into that of utter disappointment. She pulled the gun away from his hands and undid the safety. “There. Just pull the trigger. Can’t believe I’m dealin’ with such a child.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“The adult, that’s who. Hmph!” She pouted at him. “You want us to continue or not? We can just steal the pierce rocket and leave them be.”

“Fine, fine!” He took a deep breath. “I’ll do it. But I don’t know how useful I’ll be out there.”

“Oh, you’re gonna do great! Leave the grunts to Haruka and me. You’re gonna handle the big fish! Their boss!”

His eyes widened. “What?! Are you insane?”

“Some might say so.”

“You’re telling me to fight their boss? The guy with the huge metal arm we ran into yesterday?”

She gasped. “Oh my gosh, that’s him?! Even better!”

“You’re going to trust him with the boss?” Haruka asked.

“Well, yeah! I figured he’s too much of a wuss to actually kill, so I’ll give him the one person he shouldn’t! Plus, now that I know he’s the same guy who killed his friend, he can get that juicy taste of revenge as a bonus.”

“And if he fails?”

“He won’t! But in case he does, you and I can give him a bit of support, right?”

Haruka shook her head in disappointment. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Hehe, perfect! Oh, and!” Maki turned to Hiro. “Listen, man. If you could just… you know… do me a little favor and take his arm off for me?”

“Wha— Why?” he asked.

“Spare parts! Ah, and make sure to leave him alive, too. I’ll squeeze whatever info I can get outta him.”

“I couldn’t even land a hit on him yesterday. You can’t expect me to do all that.”

“Psh! You keep puttin’ yourself down. That’s not very mentally healthy.”

“You two are so loud.” Haruka created a thin blade to slice off the gate’s lock. “Let’s move.”

They hiked up the hill, with Maki bolting past them in excitement. It didn’t take long for them to catch up; by the time they reached her, she was dragging her feet and panting heavily.

Hiro slowed down to her pace. “Should we take a break?”

“Shut… up… We’re almost… there…”

“Do you want me to carry you again?” Haruka asked.

She raised her arms. “Yes please.”

Her whips wrapped themselves around Maki’s waist and lifted her up in the air. 

“Hehe! Faster, my loyal servant!”

Haruka sighed.

Some distance away from the warehouse, the three hid behind a large rock. Hiro poked his head out to find two Bandito members guarding the large metal door. On Maki’s demand, Haruka put her down.

“Just two guards? Man, these guys are such pushovers!”

“The lights are all on,” Hiro said. “Looks like the rest of them might be in there.”

“Perfect! Time to go ch—”

Maki tried to get up, but Haruka placed her hand on her shoulder, holding her down. “The guards will see us.”

“And? We’ll be the last thing they see.”

“They’ll warn the boss, and he’ll escape.”

“Tch. Do you always have to think of everything?”

Haruka stood up. “I need assistance.”

Maki sighed as she opened her bag. “Okaaay.”

Several hornet-like machines came out of her bag and snuck behind the opposing guards. Their mouths foamed as they dropped to the ground. Haruka summoned a spear and stabbed the two guards; in mere moments, their bodies shrunk significantly.

Hiro drew closer out of curiosity, but still kept his distance. He couldn’t keep his eyes off their remains.

Haruka quickly spun around to face him. “Don’t ask.”

He lifted his hands up. “Hey, I didn’t say anything this time.”

“Guys, guys! Over here!” Maki stood on her toes to peek at the window.

They took a look inside. The warehouse was filled with stacks of crates. Together with the dim lighting, it was difficult for them to see what exactly was going on. All they could see were rows upon rows of Bandito members standing at attention. Sitting atop a large crate in front of them was their boss.

Maki cupped her ear against the window. “I can’t really hear what they’re sayin’. Can we just bust in?”

Haruka lifted her hand and was about to chop her head. “Maki, I told you—”

“Actually,” Hiro said, “that doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

There was a sparkle in Maki’s eyes. “See? Hiro gets me!”

“What do you mean?” Haruka asked him.

“If you bust in, everyone’s attention is on you. That’ll mean I can get to the boss more easily.”

And less Bandito members for him to encounter.

“Haha! Would you look at that?” Maki pointed at herself with her thumb. “I’m a genius!”

Haruka placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure about this? Are you ready?”

He looked at the gun in his hand. “I hope so.”

“Nonsense! You’ll be fine!” Maki took out several balls that had the appearance of hamsters from her bag. “We’re gonna make a big distraction, and your job is to sneak around through one of the windows and intercept their boss. Not too hard, right?”

“I-I guess…”

“Either way, you got ten seconds before I blow the door up. Now step aside and get the job done. Capiche?”

Hiro sprinted away as fast as he could and took shelter behind a nearby rock. When he looked back, Haruka had already hidden off somewhere. Maki summoned the nanobarrier in front of her and tossed the hamster-like balls at the door. A grand explosion occurred, tearing it to shreds. Hiro moved over to a nearby window to observe what was happening inside.

Maki laughed hysterically. “Goooood evenin’, bozos! Remember me?”

In a frenzy, the Bandito members took out their guns.

“Hold your fire!” Their boss appeared calm—unfazed by Maki’s explosive entrance. He opened the palm of his metal arm and aimed it at her. A golden muzzle extended from his wrist. “After all that running around, you decide to show up out of nowhere and cause this huge mess? Why are you here now?”

She snickered. “Oh, I wasn’t runnin’ around. I was arm wrestlin’!”

“What—?”

“Speakin’ of which, you guys should probably do the runnin’ riiiiight about… Now!”

From her bag, she pulled out two submachine guns and opened fire, raining bullets at them. One by one, Bandito members dropped to the floor. The rest were able to pull out their own nanobarriers on time and protect themselves.

“Sneaky brat.” The boss fired a bullet from his wrist—only for it to ricochet off her nanobarrier. “Kill her!”

They fired back, unloading their cartridges at her. Both Maki and Bandito were at a standstill; none of their bullets even made a dent in their nanobarriers.

Maki pointed her gun at the ceiling. “Your turn!”

Haruka broke through one of the windows with a large red shield. With her other hand, she created several tentacles with sharpened tips. They maneuvered through the barriers and stabbed whoever they could reach. Those unfortunate enough to get hit crumpled into pale masses of flesh.

They turned their attention to her. While her shield blocked their bullets, she lobbed a thick blob into the air. It exploded, releasing a web of sticky liquid that fell on them. As they tried to get it off, she slipped through and cleanly sliced their heads off one by one. 

Bandito’s numbers dwindled. In desperation, they circled around Haruka and fired from all sides. She was forced to surround herself with shields. Maki took several hamster bombs and rolled them on the floor; those distracted by Haruka were blown to bits.

“Eugh… These two are insane.”

Hiro watched on as the mass slaughter continued. At the corner of the window, he could see the tip of a black hat bobbing up and down. Leaning forward to get a better look, he saw the boss rummaging through a crate near the other side of the warehouse. In his hands was a set of missiles.

“Are those the pierce rockets Maki talked about?”

As much as he hated it, he knew this was his chance to move. With no guards outside, the path to the back of the warehouse was all clear. He peeked through the window; the boss was placing the missiles inside a rocket launcher.

“Oh no… He’s gonna use it on them!”

He gripped his gun tightly. Sweat formed along his brow. It was now or never.

Closing his eyes, he exhaled. When he opened them again, they were a glistening green—completely focused on the window. He took a few steps back and placed his arms in front of his face.

“Here goes…”

CRASH!

You can find story with these keywords: Lionheart, Read Lionheart, Lionheart novel, Lionheart book, Lionheart story, Lionheart full, Lionheart Latest Chapter