Eternity's War

Book 1: Chapter 31

Tango and Echo ran through Shangwu, looking for the three Tianzu warriors. They were now on the opposite side of East Tower, far from where they left the others.

"When we find them, we can't kill them," Tango said as he ran. "We need at least one of them alive for information."

"Agreed," Echo said.

They turned right and ran down a narrow and deserted street, trying to cover as much ground as they could.

"They must be here somewhere," Tango said.

Echo dropped to the ground instinctively, narrowly avoiding a sword fly toward his neck. He dove forward and rolled out of the way. Tango saw the attack too and stepped back, away from the danger.

They both snapped their heads right to see Aurelius emerge from the shadows. He held a long chain with a sword attached to the end, and swung it like a flail. It flew forward again and headed straight for Echo.

"Look out!" Tango screamed as he leapt forward. He quickly grabbed hold of the chain and flung the sword back at Aurelius. The bulky man jumped out of the way of his weapon.

Tango wasted no time. He ran at Aurelius and kicked him hard in the torso, knocking him through the window of a small supermarket behind him.

Echo felt something crash into his back. He looked down to see a small knife fall to the ground. His vest had saved his life. He turned his head just in time to see another knife fly toward him. It smacked him hard in the face. Once again his armour saved his life, but the force from the throw knocked him back down to the ground.

Sabina crept forward and revealed half a dozen throwing knives in her palm. She threw one at the distracted Tango across the road.

"Tango!" Echo screamed, warning his teammate.

Tango inched to the side, the small knife narrowly missing his unprotected leg. The knife continued forward into the supermarket, embedding itself in Aurelius' bulky forearm. The large man let out a painful grunt as the blade ripped through his skin.

Tango spun around and saw the sinister Sabina march toward Echo, who still lay on the ground. He rushed over to protect his friend, just as Sabina threw another of her weapons. Tango's reflexes were better than hers; he grabbed the handle of the projectile while it was mid-flight.

He rotated the knife and was ready to throw it back at Sabina, but his eyes widened as he saw a ball of black matter soar through the air, heading straight for him. His armour would be ineffective against an attack from Tahlia.

Sierra landed in front of him and sliced the ball in half with her short sword, saving his and Echo's lives. She ripped the knife from Tango's hand and threw it at Sabina, who managed to avoid it by a mere inch. Sierra turned right and fired several crossbow bolts at Tahlia. The woman in black skilfully evaded all of them. Sierra gave chase as Tahlia ran down the street, away from the altercation.

Echo jumped to his feet, only to feel his chest crushed by a powerful weight. He looked down and saw Aurelius' bloody arm wrapped around him, squeezing the air from his lungs.

Tango leapt forward and swung his fist at Sabina. He hit her in the jaw, delivering a sharp crack and knocking her down to the ground. He snatched a knife from her hand, then turned to assist Echo. Tango stabbed the knife into Aurelius' other forearm. The man grunted loudly again, releasing his grip on Echo.

Tango suddenly felt his life drain from his body. He struggled to breathe. His legs buckled, and he fell to his knees. Tango knew that Hana must be nearby—it was a trait of hers to absorb the energy of anyone nearby.