Midna had a point. If Alex was ever going to be able to challenge Damien Roth, he needed practice. He shouldered the rifle and freed his hands. Casting magic would be more difficult with armor on, but Alex wasn?t about to take his chances with the vanguards. Unsuspecting, the Kandie convoy continued through the main thoroughfare leading to the citadel.
?Now?s your chance!? Midna whispered. ?Charge up a blast and nail that group of vanguards down there!?
Alex brought his metallic hands together and charged up a fireball. It took slightly longer to form, due to the armor, but it reached ideal size eventually. He fired the sphere of flame into the center of the group of vanguards accompanying the convoy, and he saw about two or three spontaneously ignite. As they scrambled to extinguish themselves, one accidentally misfired his mortar, causing the majority of the group to go flying. Through hollering and cursing one vanguard was able to get a bead on Alex. He let fly with his mortar launcher, producing an arcing ball of crimson energy that drew ever closer to Alex. Though nearly panicking, Alex was able to roll out of the way in time, as the mortar obliterated the archway he was standing on only a few moments ago.
As he picked himself up from underneath fallen rubble, he withdrew his rifle. The Kandies were well aware of his presence now. The convoy stopped, and a few infantry soldiers stepped forward.
?Don?t move! We?ve got you covered,? one Kandie shouted. ?Drop the weapon and surrender.?
Alex hid behind the ruined arch. ?Over my dead body,? he whispered. He broke from cover and fired off three shots, eliminating the three leading Kandies. Two others stepped forward and fired spears in his direction. One nicked him across the shoulder, but bounced off without much damage. The other lodged itself in a wall inches away from Alex?s skull. How could he possibly take on all of them at once?
?Midna!? Alex cried. ?I need some help here!?
The imp floated down in front of him. ?All I know to do is to perform a fire wave.?
?A what?? Alex said, ducking to avoid another spear.
?A fire wave is a wide-spreading fire attack, though considerably more difficult to cast. Start with charging a fireball, but then part your hands to disperse the attack.?
Alex shouldered his rifle and began to charge another fireball. To provide better coverage, he charged it up longer than normal. Finally, he stepped from behind cover. At the moment of critical mass, Alex brought his hands apart, the fire racing towards the Kandie soldiers in a shockwave of heat. When the smoke cleared, one lone Kandie was left guarding the convoy. He dropped his speargun in fright. Alex walked towards him.
?If you want to live, you?ll tell me what you know,? he threatened the soldier, grabbing him by the chest. ?What?s in this convoy??
?Err, um, it?s supplies and weapons for the citadel!? His voice quavered. ?Three weeks of food and water as well as three tons of stolen Asgarnian weapon technology!? He was terrified of his attacker. ?Please, don?t hurt me! I don?t know anymore than that!?
Alex scoffed and tossed the soldier aside. ?Now get out of here and don?t ever let me see you in this part of the city again, got it?!? The soldier dashed away, yelling and screaming in terror. Alex made a motion towards some dark corners, and Asgarnian scouts revealed themselves.
?Very well done, Alex.? One scout said. ?These weapons will be quite a step forward in the uprising efforts. We?ll take it from here.? He motioned his mates over to assist in pulling the cart full of supplies back to headquarters.
Alex shouldered his rifle, a sense of confidence filling his mind. Midna followed him.
?You scare me sometimes,? Midna said. ?I?ve never seen anyone cast a fire wave successfully on the first try!?
?Eh, the mission had to be done,? Alex said, feeling a little modest.
?Caulus was right,? Midna continued, ?you?re no mere human.?
Alex stopped in his tracks for a moment. ?What??
?When you fell from the tower,? Midna started, ?Caulus came to me in a vision, reassuring me you would be all right. He said you weren?t merely human. I?m not sure what he meant by that, but whatever the case, you survived.?
?Was it really that bad?? Alex asked.
?Alex, Damien electrocuted you across the chest with who knows how much voltage, and then hurled you off the top balcony of the citadel, which is a thousand feet off the ground. Even with that suit you have on, no ordinary human being could survive that kind of thing.?
?Okay?? Alex replied, a little confused. ?If I?m not just human, what else am I??
?I wish I knew,? Midna replied. ?If we knew your other side, it might give us a huge advantage against the Kandies. If Caulus was still here, we could ask him, but??
?No. No way. I?m not nearly dying again. Twice in twelve hours is enough.?
?I?m not asking you to do that. I just wish we had a lead.?
?All in due time, I guess,? Alex muttered.
As Alex rounded a corner, he could?ve sworn he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye. When he looked again, it was gone.
?Something wrong?? Midna asked.
?No, no,? Alex replied. ?I just thought I saw something.?
?ALEX!? a voice hollered up ahead. A rebel came running up to him, panting.
?Is there a problem?? Alex asked.
?Hurry, follow me! The Kandies have found one of our underground access points!?
Suddenly things were far more serious. If Kandies were to reach the headquarters, the entire rebellion could be compromised. Alex followed the frantic rebel to the source of the problem.
?Excellent,? Damien Roth muttered, watching the performance from his balcony. ?Everything is going according to plan. We lure Alex back to headquarters, capture him, and bring him back to the citadel. That whelp will think twice when he tries to stick his nose where it doesn?t belong. I shall finally get the chance to do away with him once and for all. After all, the last one to try to help Midna cross me wasn?t so fortunate.?
He watched as Alex and Midna did away with some Kandie soldiers, and charged into the underground tunnel network.
?And as for that wench, Midna? well, let?s just say she could benefit from a vacation?to the Borderworld.?
