Chapter 25: Tenrou, the Goal

In the middle of a dark and damp forest, there was a flame lit that glowed gently and quietly amidst the depressing scenery. The woods themselves were covered with rainwater, the end result of a storm that had just recently passed. The forest was also especially dark and lonesome, and a bit on the chilly side, so all in all, the blaze in the middle of it was a good thing. The warmth that came from the dancing flames felt invigorating, but more than just a source of warmth and light, the fire was also a source for thought.

Two men had gathered around the flame, cradling what remained of their past in their arms as they stared into its fiery depths. The crackling sound it made, combined with the occasional sound from the forest, made for very thought-provoking music. Indeed, a lot was on the minds of these two men, so all in all, this was one of the best places for them to be--and also the worst.

Since the destruction of System GOLGOTHA, Cedro Fontano and Sean Gilliam had been absentee assassins, running from here to there, trying to find work or at least a bit of sanity. Once their source of income and employment was gone, so were they, and so was their paycheck. Grady was dead, Lucius was dead, and Ilyich had been taken by the White Doves, which might have been worse than dying. The System had been destroyed, shut down, and slowly forgotten, and with it, the lives of these two skilled assassins.

Sean Gilliam used to be one of the greatest there was. He wasn’t anything fancy, just a normal-looking guy with a massive knowledge of weaponry. He could kill anybody, or so he once claimed, but only two failures made him into the unemployed wanderer he was now. One of them was understandable: like Ilyich, he had been cornered by a member of the White Doves, but unlike his employer, he had chosen to escape instead of surrendering himself. The result was his freedom ... as well as his aimless wandering.

Cedro’s story was almost identical. While he didn’t boast the knowledge of weapons that Sean did, he was probably the second-best sniper in the whole world, and with planet Earth in the turmoil that it was in now, that was saying a lot. There was a killer at every turn of the corner, but few could really boast of any incredible skill. Cedro was different, though, as was Sean, but the older assassin had his spades in marksmanship. Only one man could boast even better aim than Cedro; naturally, he had been a Super-S Class killer as well.

The five Super-S Class killers had either turned traitor, vanished into obscurity, or were ran out of the business once System GOLGOTHA blew up in flames and Ilyich was arrested. The oldest was a man known only as “The Great T.M.”, and though it didn’t sound flashy, he was definitely the best gunner in the whole world, no question. There was also a vicious woman known only as “The Hell-Hunter”, who fought so ferociously that to see her in battle would make even demons soil themselves. There was also another woman, “The Gauntlet”, whose deadly style of hand-to-hand combat made her quite famous on more than one planet.

And of course, there was Cedro and Sean. They didn’t know what happened to the other Super-S Class assassins; they just knew what happened to themselves.

Neither Sean nor Cedro were very talkative people, so they kept their silence as they stared into the dancing flames. They had been wandering for some time, probably two months, and had found each other midway in their travels. The code of the Super-S Class Assassin didn’t always include loyalty or friendship, but these two men seemed to get along fairly well. They decided to team up and keep each other company, at least until a few suitable jobs could be found. Their luck had drained out of their lives, so gainful employment was difficult to find.

Sean and Cedro certainly had a lot to think about. However, they were not so deeply engrossed in their thoughts that they were not aware of their surroundings. Several muffled noises could be heard in the distance, noises that no animal would make. Both assassins, with ears sharp, carefully took hold of their weapons and waited for whatever was making the noise. The fire, it seemed, had alerted somebody to their presence, so although it was a bad move to make one, it would be best to keep it lit. If they doused the flames, then whoever was out there would suspect something, and would rush straight towards where the campsite was.

With their weapons ready, Cedro and Sean stood watching the woods around them, waiting for the intruder to come. Sure enough, footsteps could be heard soon, and in later minutes they became louder, and closer, and louder still. Somebody had been drawn by that fire, but unless it was somebody special, they would find a terrible surprise waiting for them at the campsite. Cedro and Sean might have been put out of business, but they were no spring chickens when it came to self-defense.

Both assassins lowered their guard a notch and breathed out a small sigh of relief as they saw who was walking towards them. It was a familiar-looking woman, fairly tall with a healthy mix of flesh and muscle to her body. The violet eyes she had blazed in the fire, and her bluish-green hair stood out like the sea. There was a cruel scar on her emotionless face, a tantalizing jumpsuit with armor covering the vitals, and a sense of power and ambition radiating from her. There was an object covering her right arm that enabled her to use her powers freely; thus the name “Gauntlet”.

“You sure don’t know how to stay quiet, Gauntlet,” hissed Sean menacingly. “We thought you were one of the boss’ enemies come to kill us. How the devil did you find us, anyway?”

“Fire,” she indicated, pointing to the dancing flames. Sean made a nasty face and shouldered his rifle.

“Yeah, right. C’mon, Gauntlet, give us the full story. And no one-word explanations, like you always do.” The tall woman shrugged silently, and walked over to kick dirt into the fire.

“Mission,” she replied, then paused her actions just long enough to elaborate. “ ... Locate.”

“Did somebody hire you to find us?” asked Cedro. Gauntlet affirmed this. “Why? Is there somebody looking to utilize our services?”

“No.” The older man rubbed his smooth chin in contemplation; Sean, who was a little more apprehensive of his fellow Super-S Class assassin, sneered at her and aimed his weapon at her throat.

“I don’t trust you, Gauntlet. You never talk, except in those stupid one-word phrases, and you’re so self-reliant that I could puke. On top of that, I don’t seem to recall ever hearing about you being there when Ilyich and those guys needed you the most.”

“Elsewhere,” she replied simply. Sean let out a hiss and shook his head.

“What did I tell you about those stupid--”

“Enough,” interrupted Cedro sharply. He gave his accomplice a look, and turned to Gauntlet for answers. “Now, senora Gauntlet, will you explain to us just what you are doing here, and why you have come to see us--por favor?“

“Yes,” she said--then, to the annoyance of Sean, the aqua-haired woman handed Cedro a letter, which she had received secretly. The letter read:

“That’s ludicrous!” spat Sean as he read the letter. Cedro could not disagree. “I mean, I know it’s a good business move to kill off any potential assassins, but ... jeez! Sending Gauntlet here to do it?! That’s crazy!”

“I agree, compadre,” muttered Cedro. “But we, as mere assassins, cannot understand the hierarchy that manipulates people like us. Gauntlet, do you truly intend to carry out this order and kill us?”

“Yes,” she answered coldly. Sean snarled at her.

“Yeah, well, you just try it! I don’t know what kind of powers you think you have, sister, but I don’t think you’ll be able to take out the two of us by yourself!” The emotionless Gauntlet cracked them an icy half-smile, and crossed her arms coolly.

“Maybe.”

“Tch, at least now I’ll have a reason to shut up all that one-word crap you’ve been muttering...” Sean suddenly rushed forward with his fist flying, but Gauntlet easily avoided it, and gave him a swift knee-kick in the guts in return. Sean suddenly became paralyzed as the mighty blow struck him, and with his mouth hanging open from shock and pain, he slowly crumbled to the ground. Cedro, watching the event coolly, did little more than load his RDD-23 sniper rifle.