117 Deals (2/2)
”Wow!” Ed shielded his eyes as a red ray of flames blasted from the cannon into the skies. It successfully blasted through thousands of the Presidents threads, and then, there was a huge explosion. Fire, water, darkness, and other elemental energies blasted out for dozens of meters in every direction. Soon, the energies cleared, revealing the President wrapped up in golden threads completely unharmed.
”Tsk.” Ed clicked his tongue. 'Still wasn't as powerful as the rail gun. There's only so much I can improvise.' He looked at the battlefield and saw that most of Tai's men had already escaped. 'That's my queue to leave too. I've already done more than enough when considering these aren't even my men.' He eyed some of the remaining mana-shells he hadn't taken apart and reached out to grab them. 'I guess I'll take these with me. No point in leaving good gear behind.' Silver flames blasted from his limbs as he fled the wall, flying east through the Alaskan wilderness. He decided to meet up with the escaped Fire Dragon Clan members at a previously planned location.
...
Within the Alaskan wilderness. The last rays of the descending sun reflected against the snowy ground. Frost covered trees were sparsely spread out over the rough terrain. The temperature rapidly fell as the sky grew darker.
The Fire Dragon Clan members were huddled together in a large opening. Ed tiptoed around the opening amongst the trees in the wilderness. Each step he took, he seemed to be doing something to the ground. It was as if he was taking a walk in his own backyard and watering the flowers. 'That should be good enough.' He smiled.
It was nearly two hours before Tai and Carlos turned up to the meeting location. Tai was holding the body of a dead guard with his right arm. He grimaced as he surveyed the situation. ”Looks like only 800 survived between my and Rubi's forces.” He sighed. ”But I guess that's actually pretty good. Roughly a forty percent survival rate is leagues better than the other gangs.”
Ed walked out from the crowd. ”Yo!” He waved before his eyes widened in surprise. ”The hell happened to your arm?”
Rubi exited the crowd as well, worry evident in her eyes as she examined the injured Tai.
Tai frowned as he stared at his now missing left arm. ”Obviously the President took it.” He tossed the dead guard's body to the ground. ”A purple mana-core to make me a new arm. Deal?”
”Sure, sure.” Ed laughed as he nodded. For once, he wasn't pushing for more. After all, he knew the terror of fighting the President himself all too well. He melted the dead body, creating a strong arm for Tai. ”So, what's next?” He questioned.
”I'll be heading to California.” Tai replied. ”I made preparations there long before I was ever imprisoned, and I have a ship ready for taking my men to China with me. We can also stop to hunt the bat mutant on the way there.”
”I see.” Ed nodded. ”I still have some personal matters to attend to in Florida. I don't suppose you can wait a while? If not, then I'll have to find a way to head over on my own later on.”
”Hmm...” Tai rubbed his chin while eyeing the crowd of espers. ”It would be difficult to conceal this many espers for long. The President will no doubt contact the Hunter Association to send out hunters to catch these sinners. Let's do this instead. I'll head for Hawaii first, and you can meet us there later. Then we'll head to China together. Sound good?”
”Hawaii... It'll be easier to get there then all the way to China I suppose.” He nodded. ”All right, let's plan on doing that. I'll try to be there within a month or so.”
”Good.” Tai smiled. ”I'll be sure to show you Chinese hospitality once we reach the mainland.” He lifted his arm into the air. ”ATTENTION!” He shouted. ”We're moving out! We've got a long march ahead of us, so prepare yourselves!”
”Yes, Mr. Long!” A chorus of voices echoed.
Suddenly, the crunching of snow echoed in all directions. Nearly a thousand espers exited the woods, led by the other five gang leaders. Neo crossed his arms while grinning. ”So, Asian boy thinks he can just leave after using us as cannon fodder the last few days, huh?” He rose his hand to his neck and made a cutting motion. ”But who says we're going to allow it?”
Tai frowned. ”Do you really want to do this? You barely outnumber us, and we have Ed and Carlos.”
”Ptui.” Thur spit on the ground as he stepped forward. ”Ed and Carlos ain't shit out here. There's no manullium giving them the edge this time!”
Rubi stepped forward, towering over most of the other espers. ”Just come out with it! What do you really want here? You wouldn't come throw away your forces without a reason.”
”Heh.” Nao chuckled as she slammed a fist into her palm. ”I guess she isn't as stupid as she looks. I'll happily tell you. We made a deal with the President to kill or capture you all in exchange for pardons. It's a good deal for us, right?”
”Are you mad?!” Tai yelled. ”There's no way he'll keep his word!”
”You're wrong.” Ed sighed as he interrupted the conversation. ”From what I know, the President is a man that keeps his word. If he said he'll grant them pardons, then he'll really do it.”
”What?!” Tai's eyes widened in shock. ”But why would they do that?”
”Simple.” Ed replied. ”He doesn't want to see China strengthened by the cage's forces. Plus, it would be nearly impossible to track all of the escaped espers on such short notice. This kills both birds with a single stone.”