Panic gripped my heart, yet my instincts still managed to kick in as I dragged Rumble's body behind one of the pillars.

Curses...

Panting, it was a minute before I could think properly again.

Red dot...a sniper!

In this fog?

A Rumble's breathing was steady and slow beside me.

"Rumble!" I quickly looked to him.

"Agh...curse that bastard!"

"Are you alright?"

"What do you think blind man?"

"Pretty bad."

"Yeah. A graze on the side of the head, it's painful as hell! Agh..." Rumble yelled. It was obvious that he felt excruciating pain, as he feebly tried to lift one of his arm. I helped him remove his helmet, but he flinched so violent, it was as if something bit his head off.

"Aghhhh...how does it look?"

The cut wasn't deep, but the wound ran from all the way from one side of his forehead to the back. My stomach did backflips and I almost lost my lunch, but I couldn't just turn away.

"Just spit it out, how bad is it?"

After a moment of weighing my words, I replied:

"Suits you handsomely." I cracked a small smile.

"You lying bastard, but I will take it." He grinned.

"Can you stand up?"

"You will have to carry me, my prince."

"Curses, we don't have time for that kind of shit."

"Aww, fine."

Using the pillar as a support, Rumble managed to wiggle upright. But the moment he stood, he began to fall forwards, like a bean bag that lost support, luckily I was there to catch him.

"No, I can walk myself." Rumble pushed me aside, before I could offer further aid.

"No, you're going to..."

"I SAID I CAN WALK MYSELF!"

I figured it was impossible to talk him out of it, so I decided to just let him try.

"Fine. I want you to leave then, go to somewhere safe."

"I don't need a brat to tell me what to do."

"Whatever, I will take it from here."

"Take what from here?"

We stared at each other for a moment, and just as I was about to speak up, Rumble quickly cut me off:

"No. Don't tell me you're planning on fighting the enemy..."

"By myself, yes."

"Are you stupid? You're just gonna suicide!"

"I have a plan."

"And your plan is stupid just like you."

"Just shut the hell up and listen. You're going to run, and I am going to distract."

"In case you are retarded: Spartazans don't run, we fight to an honourable death."

"Now that's suicide. If there is only one sniper, at the very least you can make it out alive."

"You don't even know what the enemy..."

"The enemy's a sniper. Isa said the fog is a natural RF shielding. So the sniper didn't use satellite to target us. So he must have done it manually."

"Though all this fog? You must be..."

"My best guess is heat sensor, and I have a plan."

Rumble looked like he was about to protest more, so I quickly cut him off:

"But I need you to cooperate."

"Me? I am not buying you're..."

"Look, I am trying to get us both outa here alive. And even if was the one engaging upon the plan, who said anything about me dying?"

Rumble wore a quizzical look and lowered his head. He was trying to find something to counter what I had said.

"Time is running out, what is your decision? WE EITHER BOTH DIE, OR SOMEONE LIVES?"

"UGHHH! Fine, I will do it! But curse you!" Rumble jabbed a finger at me, almost causing me to fall backwards.

"Curse me all you want, once we both get outa here alive."

"I will curse you, even if you die."

"Whatever, just go."

After a moment of silence, he turned and walked away with one hand covering his head. Just as I thinned my lips, I swore I heard a series of muttering coming from him.

Already cursing me huh...

With Rumble out of the picture, my problems had just begun.

***

​"Rin, can you pinpoint the direction of the last bullet?"

"I am sorry, I am unable to retrieve any data." Rin said, sounding apologetic, which was a first.

"Whatever. Laser beam activate!" I yelled as I pointed my hand at the ground, a brief moment later, a red hot energy beam blasted out of my hand. I used it to trace a circle in the ground around me.

"Kard! What are you even thinking? Didn't you say the sniper probably has heat sensor?"

"That's exactly what I am doing. I am luring him in."

"You're just a sitting duck then!"

"Not quite, I want you to create a CES around my head."

"Kard! You're crazy!"

"Why do you think I haven't switched AI's the whole time?"

"Eh? Why?"

"Because you're the only AI I trust whose going to agree with this kind of crazy shit."

"I-I don't know what you are talking about... But you better know what you are doing BAKA!"

☆ｏ(＞＜；)○

I barely glanced at the face she made.
"Of course." I lied, I was just taking a huge bet.

If I guess wrong...

I gulped.

A moment passed.

Then another.

I clenched my fists and waited.
Just as I thought it wasn't going to happen, a shot rang out, followed by an ear piercing vibration in the air as the CES intercepted the bullet. A violent shock went through my head, as I fell to my knee.

"One o'clock!" Rin shouted.

"Got it." I said, scrambling up and quickly transforming into a sprint. Over the past month I have gotten a lot better as using my legs, and in a sense, they were superior then my old meaty ones. Now I can take up strides ten feet without trying. I even jumped 3 meters into the air from where I was standing once. The potential was just immeasurable.

"RIN! C. E. S. NOW!"

I held my arm forward as if holding a shield, almost immediately the golden energy barrier erupted from my arm. Charging through the sea of mist, I had a vague sense of where the sniper was. As I ran further, a few more shots grazed the shield, but it didn't faze me the slightest as I screamed and ran faster.

"There he is!" Rin pointed out.
Out of the thick mist, I vaguely saw the outline of a figure jump down from one of the pillars and run.

Seeing the killer made rage pound through me fueling my chase, as I charged after him at full throttle.
But after a few moments of chasing, I found myself staring at the foot of the mountain, with the sniper nowhere to be in site. I stopped and looked around frantically.

Curses...

I grinded my teeth at the thought, feeling frustrated as if I let the mouse slip through my cat claws.

"Kard! There's a cave up ahead!"
I looked, and Rin was right. A few hundred feet ahead of me, I could vaguely make out an opening that looks like a cave.

"Ah, I see it." I broke into a jog, but stopped at the cave opening. The hole was about ten feet in diameter and had darkness stretching out like an invitation.

"Looks like we got no choice..." I muttered, "Flashlights." A brief moment later, a light was projected from my arm.

"We're going in." I took a deep breath then walked forward.

Inside, all was dark except for the little island of light surrounding me. After a minute or so of walking, I heard the sound of water, trickling water. Feeling anxious, I ran towards the source of the sound, and as I got closer, the trickling sound slowly became a roar. I made one last turn around the corner and stood my ground as I found myself standing at a person wide ledge, face to face with roaring rapids before me.

An underground river...

I seen enough movies to know where this is going...

Out from the corner of my eye, a figure lunged at me from my side. Out of half instinct and half panic, I ducked and tackled the figure; sending us both into the rapids.

Q: Do you like the game tag?