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"What, why would I do that?" sparks started flying across the gauntlet and dancing against the walls. Jack felt a burning sensation in his arm and a painful tingle that bolted up and down his spine. Jack collapsed in pain. "I will do anything necessary to ensure your help" Jill replied in a cold and unfeeling voice. Jack gasped as he slowly regained control of his body and struggled to his knee.
"Owww, what did you do that for!? And what's this mission you were talking about?"
"My mission is to assassinate the namesake of Cadeyrn Bringing peace to the robotic and Neko races through any means necessary."
Oh, what am I going to do? I'm not a murderer I can’t kill someone but If I don't that crazy robot is going to kill me.
Jack wasn't sure what he was going to do, he couldn't anyone but if he didn't than Jill would kill him.
"You can't bring peace with chaos! Besides the war is over it ended more than a hundred years ago."
"While I do admit circumstances may have changed in my absence my programming remains the same I must destroy Cadeyrn."
"But if you kill him then wouldn't you be disturbing the very peace that you were trying to create?"
"An invalid argument, naive. Sometimes in war sacrifices must be made."
"My name isn't naive it's Jack."
"Get some rest Jack. Don't appear as though anything were out of the ordinary."
The light of the gauntlet flickered a little bit and then went out leaving only a soft glow and a gentle hum to goad him to sleep.

  Yokio awoke as bright and bushy as ever, She looked out the window, it was still dark out but she could tell that the sun was about to rise in a few hours. Yokio ran through the piles of papers and pieces of machinery on her desk and hugged the robot she had been building out of the various scraps she had collected.

.she quickly equipped her casual working clothes and raced over to Jack's house to see if he was ready for the day yet or if she would have to go and coach him through things like usual. She had grabbed a pale of water just in case. The streets of Nekoscopia were unusually crowded today as Yokio ducked bobbed and weaved past the various groups departing for the city gates. When Yokio finally reached Jacks house
  “I don’t care how much you may torture me, I’m never going to do it!” Jack shouted from within his room. “Ow stop that,” Jack yelled!
Jescal was outside relaxing in his chair and basking in the warm glow of the sun. Yokio slowly crept upon the aged man.
"If you're trying to surprise me your a few hundred years too young."
"Oh, you’re no fun." Yokio pouted, "Hey if you're down here then who is Jack talking to?" Yokio paused curiously
Jescal gave a wide grin and chuckled, "I think that he's talking to his imaginary friend."
"An imaginary friend, really? I suppose that he's creative enough but is he really crazy enough, nyu?"
"Oh yes, why in fact they've been bickering all morning"
"Hey, what's so funny, nyu?"
"Who would've expected jack to have an imaginary friend?" he belted back in laughter. Yokio didn't think it was that funny. She just proceeded to Jack's room to drag him outside.
"For the last time naive, you will do as I say and have eggs for breakfast! They are better for your body which I need to kill (guy)," Jill buzzed from inside of his head. Ever since she figured out how to tap into his nervous system, she has been a real pain. Jack pitied his ancestors who had to put up with this while he reached for another scrap of bacon.
Zap! His hand clenched and then released as the bacon fell back to his plate. This had been going on all morning and Jack was starving.
"Now look you, if I want to eat bacon then I am going to eat it! It's my body, and I chose what I feed it!"
"Not for so long as I have need of it, but do not despair little one for you will soon be disposable"
"Yeah, we'll see about that,”
Yokio poked her head around the corner "Jack, who're ya talking to?"
"Wha? Oh hi Yokio, is it time to go already?"
"Yeah, the people are already starting to move out of the city. Papa wants us to get there early so nobody can claim our dig."
"Right, I'll be right there." Jack took a loud crunch out of his breakfast bacon and ran with Yokio to the city gates. He saw Jill in the gauntlet whom wore a dissatisfied scowl across her face.
"So you really like it huh?"
"What, oh the gauntlet? Yeah it's great," Jack lied. After breakfast the two of them ran as fast as they could to the location of the pit. Eventually they arrived in the general area of the pit
Jack was about to call over to Yokio when he noticed a few guards moving over the dunes to them.
"Hey get away from there! Salvaging is closed today. There is a very dangerous Craate dragon nest over there." Jack looked on as the guards continued their pestering annoyance. "Leave now lest you forfeit your lives." Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he knew they had no other option
"Yokio, Jiraiya we need to get out of here these guys don't look like they're enjoying our company too much." It took the combined efforts of both Jack and Yokio with her beastly strength in order to move the confused man back to the city where they could contemplate what had happened.
“A Craate dragon, here, without a nearby source of water or its prey?" Jyscal shouted "You've got a better chance of seeing the guards handing out free gold than that!"
"I know but that's what they said." Jiraiya murmured
"You need to learn to stick up for yourself. This isn't even their nesting season."  Jyscal stomped angrily
Jack went upstairs as the adults bickered and battled, he'd had enough of this. Jack sat down by the window to clear his head, Yokio joined him. "Jack do you really think that there is a Craate Dragon Out there," she asked as moonlight reflected from her eyes
"To be honest no. It's too much of a coincidence after we were out there all morning and didn't even see a thing."
"So what I don't understand is why would they come here?"
"I don't know, but then why did those guards chase us away?" Yokio questioned
"They probably wanted our find for themselves"
"We can't let that happen, we were so close to getting our freedom back!"
"I know but what can we do?" Yokio lay back with a sigh as she contemplated the question.
"Let’s go back tonight."
"What? That’s crazy! The Scorpion Imps would catch us for sure."
"Oh come on Jack, you don't actually believe in them do you?"
"I don't need to believe in them to get killed by them."
Yokio sighed, "They're just a fairy tale. You shouldn't be so superstitious all the time." Jack gave a smug grim as he considered the irony.
"You're calling me superstitious when you're the one that keeps an acorn in your pocket to stop lightning?"
"Whether you're coming or not, I'm going. And besides it hasn't failed me yet."
Jack wasn't sure how to argue that, but he couldn't leave her alone in the dessert. He hates it when she gets like this
"Fine I'll go, after all some bodies gotta keep an eye on you." Jack let out a sigh of defeat
"That's all I wanted to hear," Yokio grinned broadly.


Later that night as the dessert sands sparkled in the light of the midnight moon two cloaked figures emerged from across the horizon they knew well of the danger their venture entailed but still they pressed on. It was not courage that pushed them so but rather it was need that sent them forth, unaware of the fate that loomed yet above their heads.
  The moon brightly lit their path letting them see most of the desert but it was only their ears that told them of the presence of their foe. A deadly tail stabbed at them from behind but with Jack's blade master training he was easily able to push Yokio out of its way and avoid it.
The scorpion imp hissed in madness and zigzagged in a path towards Jack jaws agape. Jack drew his blade but it was too late the imp had jack pinned to the ground. It laughed with a menacing hiss as it raised its deadly tail above Jack's chest. The creature was about to finish him off when Yokio lunged at the creature and grabbed the creature’s tail in mid air. She grunted under the force of the massive stinger as she started to grow furrier. It was the Nekopeople's own special power. Although they have strength speed and grace beyond that of any mere creature sometimes it just wasn’t enough. When that happened they used their ability to interrupt their balance between person and beast and become more beast than anything else. Yokio’s strength, speed and ferocity increased as more and more fur sprouted all over her body. Yokio let loose a savage growl as she threw the Scorpion imp by it’s tail. Jack got back up to his feet as he watched Yokio decimate the diabolical creature. Something stirred in the rocks behind Yokio, what was it? It was another Scorpion imp no doubt coming to check on the shrieking of the other imp. Yokio didn’t notice the creature lunging at her from behind as she beat the other one to a pulp. Jack dashed forward to stop the creature but he was too late. Jack watched in horror as the creature stabbed his unsuspecting friend. Jack slashed at the creature but his practice blade could only scratch and screech the carnivorous animals exoskeleton. The creatures both howled in pain as the screeching intensified, which gave Jill an idea. An earsplitting screeching noise emanated from Jack’s gauntlet. The creatures doubled back in agony and ran from the horrible noise.
Yokio fell to the ground as both her ability and excess fur wore off.

"Yeah I'm fine" Yokio smiled as she staggered back and fell to the ground.
"Yokio!" Jack ran to her side and examined her wound. There was a single gruesome gash along the back of her spine; left untreated it was enough to kill a person. There was a strange green tint to the wound, poison.
"What are we going to do?" Jack screamed in a panic, although Jericho had taught him how to treat poison the herb was very hard to find. The Sekkai crystal could only be found where the creature had killed something and not eaten it first making them extremely rare..
"Don't give up Jack. Have faith," Yokio gasped through labored breaths. "If anyone can save me, it's you." Jack was stuck between a hard place and a wall. If he stayed here Yokio would die of poisoning, but if he left then another Scorpion Imp might come. It was a tough choice but he knew what he had to do.
"Yokio, stay calm. I'm going to be right back," Jack said with a firm tone.
"There is a high concentration of Sekkai energy to the west," Jill stated. Jack was impressed that she had adapted to his way of speaking so quickly but there wasn't time for that now.
Jack spun around to face the west and with Jill as his guide started the race against time. Jack had been running for five minutes and saw no cave; he was beginning to lose faith in Jill's navigational abilities.
"Are you sure you know where you are going?" Jack asked.
"Of course, my navigational abilities are top of the line as are my detection and stealth." Jack was about to begin his rebuttal but just as his very next foot fell Jill screamed out in alarm.
"She's moving!"
"What, Who's moving?"
"Yokio, she's moving at almost forty miles an hour."
"WHAT! HOW?" Jack stammered back in pure amazement, how could anyone go that fast?
"She seems to be with other people in a vehicle."
"The desert raiders"
"Desert raiders?" this time it was Jill's turn to be confused.
  "They’re a group of bandits whom live outside of the city stealing our salvage and in general wreaking havoc. This is the first time they have ever kidnapped anyone."
"Jack, you're going the wrong way. She's headed to the south." Jack ran in the other direction and stopped. There it was a tiny Sekkai crystal sprouting in the sand. He ran over to pick it up and then continued on his way.
"Jill this is no god at the speed that were going we'll never catch up to them."
"Hold on I've got something to show you."
Sparks flew from the gauntlet as Jacks muscles started carrying him faster than he had ever imagined.
"Wow, what did you do?" Jack asked in amazement
"While you were asleep I was studying your genetics. I discovered that by pulsing enough electricity through your system I can stimulate your muscles and make them grow stronger." Jill elaborated, but Jack was barely listening. He was too busy dodging and weaving around the boulders
That increased in both size and number as he pressed forward.

Jack searched desperately as he wound through the jagged maze of boulder and stone using all of his senses to try to find Yokio. He was searching for her so hard that he barely noticed the tire tracks leading to the entrance to the cave he had just ran past. Jack ground to a halt as the gauntlet stopped its frenzied glow and Jack returned to normal only to discover how dizzy and numb he had just become. Jack staggered into the depths of the cave chasing the dancing light of candles thrown upon the walls. As Jack wandered deeper in the bandit lair, he heard a ruckus of people stomping and yelling to an unknown beat.
"It's almost as though they're dancing," Jill whispered from inside Jack's head. Jack crept up to a nearby crevice and peered around the corner. Like the rest of the cave, this portion was filled with sand. He moved on further down the cave, as the sounds of the festivities grew louder. Jack faintly heard the beating of a drum. Jack ran down the passage and hooked to the left following both the beat of the drums and Jill's own directions. Jack stopped, somebody was coming, he hooked left around a stalactite and hid.
"Man, I can't wait to stir up some trouble again."
"Yeah, we've been waiting forever I almost thought we were just going to sit and rot in this cave for an eternity," the other man's voice trailed off.
A few bandits nonchalantly walked by and continued their patrol with an awkward ease. Jack waited until they were gone before he chased further down the cave eventually coming to an absolutely gigantic gallery the size of a ball room and apparently being used as such. He hid behind another stalactite and surveyed the area, there was somewhere between a thousand and five thousand men dancing around a fire. A few men in the back were pounding away on their drums with a tactical precision.
"So this is what organics do all day?" Jill inquired as she watched with a meticulous intensity.
"Not quite," Jack corrected, "They're celebrating something" Jack pulled out the Monocle that Jescal had given him and lifted it to his eye. True to Jescal's word, the monocle allowed him to see things more clearly but also up close, he found that if he concentrated he could even see what was in everyone's pockets an ability he could use to find Yokio much more quickly. He quickly surveyed the room but Yokio was nowhere to be seen.
"Their leader is the guy in the black trench coat to the left," Jill whispered.
"How do you know that?" Jack asked, as he was a little bit taken aback by Jill's intimate knowledge of the group.
"I'm an assassin, it comes with the programming," Jill stated grimly
The Bandit leader was now moving into a room off the southern side of the cavern. This was his chance; he slowly and cautiously crept around the oblivious group of dancing people. If anyone of them saw them, it would be trouble even if they did all appear to be a little bit out of it. Shadows dancing upon the walls provided the perfect cover as he skittered along. The next cave was dead ahead. Jack braced himself and boldly stepped forward.
Light from the many candles in the room bounced off the various piles of treasure and made a pleasant glow for the room.
"I see that our little mouse has joined the part," the voice echoed. Jack turned around and locked eyes with Shura.
"What have you done with Yokio?" Jack paused, how'd he known that he was coming?
"Yokio? I'm afraid that I'm a little confused. Do you mean that nekogirl that we found in the desert?"  Jack drew his practice blade in frustration
"I will not repeat myself. Where is she!?" He demanded, his muscles tensing.
"Now, now calm down boy let’s not be hasty."
"I don't have time for haste. Tell me or it will be the end of you."
"Okay, Okay calm down, she is in the next room having her wound dressed. I was just going to check on her when you popped into the room."
Jack sprinted into the room startling a few doctors whom had been working on her. Yokio was panting heavily with sweat beading on her forehead; the poison was giving her a bad fever. Jack assumed that the Doctors hadn't been able to cure the poison and removed the Sekkai crystal from his pack. Holding the tiny crystal gently he placed it in her mouth. She swallowed the crystal with a gluttonous desire. A bright blue shade of Teal began to swoop over her body and then stopped leaving her with a peaceful slumber.
"What did you do?" asked the healers.
"I used the Sekkai stone."
"But only Jescal the sage knows of that stones existence."
"Jescal is the name of my Blade master."
"You're Jescal's apprentice?" there was allot of oohing and aahing going on in the room.
"We would be honored if you would help us retake Nekoscopia."
"Why don't we already have it?"
"No Jack the robots have it."
"The Robots?"
"Jack we are still fighting the war"
"The war has been over for a long time."
"That is not true Jack."
"Then why haven’t we been attacked since then? I haven't even seen a robot besides from That K-30 unit," Jill gave Jack a sharp zap.
"K-30?"
"Yes that was the name of the robot I salvaged yesterday."

Whether you believe us or not we are the resistance to the robot menace and we could use your help.
“Resistance?”
“Yes we are the decedents of the brave warriors who faced down the robot menace the first time. It is our job to make sure that they stay dead but according to our informants there is one robot remaining. The name of that robot is Cadeyrn. He is currently acting as the leader of your city and has been rebuilding his fallen army so that he can take the city,” Shura answered very seriously.
“So you want me to help you a group of bandits, attack my home because of a hypothetical robot infestation?”
“Yes, I’m sure that it sounds pretty out there but it’s the truth.”
“I’m going to have to pass up on you’re offer but you know, thanks for being considerate and all. But, I’ve really got to get going now.”
"I'm afraid that we cannot allow you to do that now that you know of our plan."
"Look alright it's been a long night. Yokio and I still have stuff to do so we're leaving."
  “We’ll see about that.” Shura sneered
Their swords clashed in a flash of light. A fury of metal clangs and sparks exploded from their weapons leading to Jack's temporary retreat.
“He's good, but I have to be better,” Jack thought to himself as he raised his sword into a high stance. Lunging into battle, he swooped downward while Shura slashed upward overpowering Jack and forcing his weapon aside. Shura was clearly the stronger of the two and he knew it. Shura Slashed at Jack's neck and barely missed giving Jack an opening. With all of his strength, Jack swung his blade straight into Shura's gut.
"What was that supposed to accomplish?" Shura chuckled as he reached and grabbed Jack by the neck.
"Jack, if you want to get Yokio back you will have to kill him," Jill nagged from within his head. He knew that she was right but how could he bring himself to murdering him? Shura's grip slowly tightened around Jack's neck, one of their stories would end today, but little did Jack know it wouldn't be his. A spearhead plunged through Shura's unguarded body. Shura's grip loosened as Jack crawled back, coming to the horrifying conclusion that the spearhead was the grappling hook. As blood started pouring out of his wound, he let his last words be known. "Those robot’s they'll be the death of us all."
Tears streamed down his face, Jack didn't even know how that had happened. Surgeons appeared to carry Shura away as the bloodied blade slowly retracted into the gauntlet. Jack was horrified by what had just happened but he couldn't stop now. Hesitation would mean certain death.
Jack Picked up Yokio's unconscious body and pulling his cloak tightly around the two of them he snuck out of the cave and into the ballroom. Being careful not to stand out too much Jack walked to the end of the ballroom. Surprisingly enough, it worked However, Jill was unsatisfied.
"Just a minute Jack, we cannot let things continue as they are."
"What do you mean?"
"My mission is to prevent as many fatality's as possible"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Jack, we can't let these people live"
"What are you talking about?"
"I may not know if the war is over or not but I do know that they are going to attack the city and my programming won’t allow that."
"If your programming is to stop death, how can you even suggest killing all of these people?"
"Because these people are going to kill people"
"So they're still people and they are still alive."
"If all of them kill someone then just as many people will die but they will be innocent and we have no guarantee that they won’t kill more."
"I'm not going to let you hurt them"
"On the contrary Jack you have no choice." Jill gave Jack a strange series of shocks and somehow forced him to raise the stone that
Jiraiya had given him. As he clenched the pebble there was a flash of light and a deafening explosion. The stalagmites were falling.
Jack ran as fast as he could while carrying Yokio to the exit, while doing his best to avoid the falling javelin like rocks.

The raiders panicked and screamed as their central chamber came crashing down however from what Jack could see none of them were hurt too badly before they fled deeper into the cave.
  Jack ran with Yokio’s limp snoring body for almost an hour before he noticed a large cloud along the horizon. The cloud was immense and racing right for them like some ravenous animal after it’s meal. With in seconds the sand storm was upon them.
This is bad, this is all really bad! There aren't many things worse than being caught in a sand storm but if there were, any he couldn't think of them.
Normally under such circumstances, he'd use the monocle that Jescal gave him but he didn't want to lose it. For as much as he hated it, he'd have to rely on Jill, for now at least.
As the three of them pressed forward the storm grew worse and it felt like Yokio was getting heavier, but he couldn’t retire. The pit was just ahead and all of this would've been in vain in they didn't see what was in there. Jack wandered to the sinkhole that they had made when they first found the cave and peered inside. It was too dark to see anything, even with his eyes but just then, Jill began to glow again. Jack panicked until the glow was concentrated into a beam of light and he understood what was happening. Jack aimed the light into the cave where naught was left but sand and the scratched up walls of the cave. Against Jack's better judgment, he stopped for a second to rest, the sand quickly piling up against him. His rest would be short lived however as sand fell like a waterfall from the dark silhouette he quickly changed his mind. It was an ageless relic from time that had come back to haunt him. He couldn't see it clearly through the sand but he could see it's big bright red eye rolling around to meet his.
"Primary target located, Execute."
"What in the world?" Jack looked back to see the unpleasant red light and a walking incarnation of metal and death.
"Jack, what is that thing? What does it mean by primary target?" Jill buzzed
"I don't know. But this is definitely that thing from my dream."
The robot grinded against its gears to take an awkward step towards Jack whom was now running at as close to the speed of light as his legs could carry him. He could hear a whirring sound from some sinister device getting ready behind them. Ducking as quickly as he could it wasn't enough and a huge metal boomerang tore into his shoulder. It skirted across the sand for a ways beyond him, leaving him crippled. If there wasn't some sort of miracle, he was sure that they would all die. Another sound caught his attention; he recognized it as the retracting of a heavy wire. Wide eyed he realized his danger that thing was coming back. Jack struggle back to his feet and staggered away with Yokio's awkward weight. Jack hopped into the air just as the blade retracted with a big boom. Flashing sparks began to radiate from the gauntlet as Jack ran even faster leaving the nightmare somewhere behind them. Jack ran as hard and fast as he could into the wind. By the time he reached the city gates, he was exhausted. Jack slouched against the huge stone doors for a moment as he rested to regain his strength. His mind wandered back to the incident in the cave but he snapped himself out of it with a shudder.
"Jill, how did you do that in the cave?"
"Do what Jack?" was she playing dumb?
"What was that burst of light?" Jack shouted angrily. Jill a little bit taken aback by the sudden hostility but then again she knew she deserved it.
"It was the Codo stone, it is an ancient elven stone used to concentrate magic in young elves." It suddenly made sense to Jack why that flash had left him so tired but it only made him madder. He was being used. Before Jack could again voice his frustrations with Jill, he saw a big red dot in the storm. Jack panicked as his arm rose almost involuntarily and shot the grappling hook over the wall. Jack's shoulder was bleeding deeply as he began scaling the wall. The robot knew his prey was getting away but he couldn't let it happen. The sinister shadow raised its arm towards Jack, shooting a long tongue of liquid flames at him. Jack couldn't move, his body was frozen in fear of the fire until his Legs swung him away from the fire. Jack was now stuck swinging against the wall like a pendulum, as his body was grinded against the wall. Jack did his best to protect Yokio but in the end, it seemed almost futile. A hatch opened on the robot as Jack reached the top of the wall. Bullets exploded into the rock around Jack and Yokio as He somehow found the strength to climb over. Jack wondered if he might have the strength to stand but collapsed as a sharp pain tore throughout his leg. Jack squinted in pain and checked his leg, there was a bullet wound the size of his thumb. Jack sat back and considered leaving Yokio here, she was on top of a large stone structure where that thing couldn't get her and she would be found by the guards and taken care of, but then Jack realized that there was no guarantee that thing wasn't after Yokio and not him. The entire gate shook knocking Jack over painfully. The robot was doing something and Jack had to know what. With fumbling fingers, he searched his now tattered clothes for the monocle.
With shaking hands brought the smooth glass to his eye. The robot was pounding away furiously at the stone doors chipping away at the rock chunk by chunk. There wasn't much time before the robot broke through and destroyed this city like the one in his dreams. Only Yokio had enough of knowledge of machines to think of a way to beat that thing.
"Wake up!" Jack screamed as he savagely shook the unconscious girl. It was no use the robot was almost through the wall and the walls guards were fearfully approaching the wall.

It was no use Jack would have to try his last resort. Just like when he was back in the cave, He checked his gear for a canteen but when he didn't find one he realized that he would have to improvise. Jack leaned over Yokio's unconscious body and puckered up his lips to let a small drop of drool fall onto her forehead, it was the closest he could get to water. However; Yokio woke up before the droplet ever even fell and rolled away blushing.
"What were you doing just now?!" she demanded with rosy cheeks.
"Yokio, I need your help. There is..."
"You need a good smack on the head is what you need."
There was a deafening boom as the wall crumbled. Yokio ran to the edge, looking to see what was going on. She put her hands over her mouth as she witnessed the gruesome display below.
"Jack, we have to do something."
"I don't know what we can do."
"Well we have to do something..."
"If you can get me in close enough then I can neuro hack it and shut it down." Jill chimed in mid-sentence
"I've got it, Yokio you wait here." feeling his energy returning to him Jack leaped off the tower and into the dismal fray of burning soldiers.
He shot the grappling hook to break his fall.
"No! Jack, please wait! Don't leave me...,” she whispered in despair

Even after lightening his impact, he hit the robot with jarring force. He was about to slam Jill into the robot when it swung its heavy arm back at Jack effectively knocking him away. But, Jack could not be dissuaded. He got back up to his feet, his shoulder sent flashes of excruciating pain through his body but he didn’t care. He didn’t even care about the gunshots he had taken. He stood tall showing no pain or fear. This had gone on long enough he didn't care if he lived or died in this battle so long as Yokio and the others would be safe from this rampage.
All that mattered was that he put an end to the one whom threatened his family. He stood because he didn’t care about it all. He did not abide by pain anymore he was more than that he had a purpose.
"Target reacquired, new mission statement: destroy all sentient life." The bot stated.
"This game of cat and mouse has gone on for long enough" Jack growled.
The thing raised its arm towards and let loose a belt of flame. Jack rolled forward beneath the flames and with a solid cut of his practice sword he destroyed its fuel line. Oil gushed out of the robot and to his genuine surprise all over himself. Jack dashed forward to the robot and slammed Jill into it's armor plating. Nothing happened. "Jill what are you doing? Hack into the thing."
"It can't be from just anywhere it has to be beneath the armor on this model."
The robot raised its foot and kicked Jack back several feet as hatch on its arm opened revealing its Gattling gun. A shadow fell over Jack as he was engulfed in a barrage of bullets although to his utter amazement none of them hit him. when he opened his eyes he was shocked to see a familiar face smiling over him.
"Jiraiya, what are you doing!?"
"Jack, It wont do anybody any good if you let yourself die here. We need you to live." Jiraiya whispered as he coughed up some blood and fell silent.
"We?"
"That's right Jack, We." A figure with a tattered black trench coat walked forth nonchalantly. He stared down the machine with a stare unlike that of any man. The machine renewed its barrage of bullets, as the figure drew his blade and in one swift motion deflected them. The machine reached back and began spinning it's bladed boomerang, lunging forth the machine tossed it slicing into nothing but air and smoke. The man had disappeared, in confusion the machine surveyed the area and returned it's attention to Jack. Earth quaked as the machine stepped toward the traumatized elve but before it could get any further Jack noticed something falling from above it. It was the man who now appeared almost as though he were ignited with a mystifying blue flame. Taking advantage of the situation he twisted his body in mid flight giving the monstrosity a slash from above. There was no clang, no spark and no sound only a clean cut as the sand exploded from underneath it reducing the area to a small crater and sending Jack spiraling into a nearby fire. The oil was ignited and his vision blurred. The last thing he saw was a dark silhouette through the fire and the flames with one searing red eye splitting in half and collapsing as someone screamed his name out in terror.
When Jack woke up he was in bed, more bandaged up then a mummy. His vision was a little blurred but he had gotten his childhood memory's back. The first thing he saw was a big tan and green colored blob. The blob moved and slowly came into focus, it was Yokio.
"Jack! are you all right? You shouldn't be moving with your injury's."
"My injuries?"
"I don't really know how but you've almost torn off your shoulder. You also got yourself shot up pretty good and then as if that weren't enough you lit yourself on fire. You should be dead right now." Yokio sniveled "Jack, please don't let yourself get beat up like that again. I don't want to lose you too," Yokio cried as tears streamed down her face. Jack had almost forgotten that Jiraiya had died for him.
"Don't worry Yokio, I'm not going anywhere," Jack promised. A small smile stretched across her face.
"Oh thank you Jack!" Despite his injury's she gave Jack a warm hug and then left to get Jack some breakfast. Jack tried sitting up again although he found it to be a strained effort.
"The two of you shouldn't have even fought to begin with." Jack heard a familiar voice.
"Well Jescal, if this is where you lecture me about being a gentleman than you should know that I left Yokio out of it."
"I'm not talking about her." Jescal shouted from across the room. Jack looked over to him in confusion. he was facing the window in a big black trench coat. "I'm talking about you and that gauntlet!" he pointed menacingly at them.
"How did you," Jack started.
"I saw her face in the gauntlet at the party. From there it was obvious. At first I thought it was funny and that the two of you could work together to become more mature but clearly I was mistaken."
The gauntlet started to glow a little bit as Jill emerged from within its depths.
"But we had a plan," Jill was getting defensive.
"To die? If I hadn't of been there it would've worked!" In his heart Jack knew that he was right

"Perhaps you’re right, but then what was I supposed to do let that thing chase and kill us? What about all the people it would have killed looking for us?"
"...I don't know, but I can't go around looking for a new apprentice," Jiscal sighed.
“Well sorry to interrupt your plans but I've got a job for you."
removed something from one of his pockets and held it in front of Jack, It was a sekkai stone.
Jack was consumed by it's radiant light, as his wounds began to heal themselves and the stone was reduced to ash.
  first of all I need you to analyze this disk from the robot I destroyed the other day. when you're finished let me know and i will tell you what your next task is.
Jack picked up the memory disk and held it over the V on the lens of the gauntlet.
"Now this is interesting," Jill commented. "According to this the robot was destroyed and rebuilt." a large glowing rectange appeared and showed Cadeyrn in a dark stone room, walls lined with dark lumps of mass. "Listen well unit C-18, I have replaced your batterypack and brought you back. Somebody has discovered one of our storage facilities and has come dangerously close to discovering the truth. Your new mission is to wait in the desert above our fine facility and execute whomever comes close to our facility, understood?"
"Mission Acknowledged."
"Excellent." the video ended.
  "Wait what were those things he had by the wall?"
"lets find out." Jill waved her arm a little as the video was rewinded and then enhanced. The dark and hulking form of several more partially built robots, extending into the horizon.
  "Those guys were right?"
"It appears so."
"Then that must mean that Cadeyrn really is a robot."
"Hold on, what are you two talking about?"
Jack and Jill did their best to fill him in on the details.
"Oh so you met Shura then?"
"We may have accidentally hurt him."
"I shot him with my grappling hook"
"You killed him?"
"No, technically the blood loss and internal bleeding should have."
"No, I avoided his vitals."
"That's good, but if that's the truth that means that the entire city is in danger. We have to stop him as blade masters."
"Jack does his being a robot make it easier for you to kill him?"
"No It's the fact that he is a psychotic robot who has killed someone cloe to me that makes me want to kill him."
"And that he is going to hurt more people?"
"That too."
"Then you finally understand why I had to do what I did back in the cave."
The next day the three of them met outside of the city gates as they started their quest for the pit and beyond. When they reached the pit they were rather shocked to find it unguarded.
"Good, that means he's not expecting company," Jack said.
"Or that he is and we're walking into a trap," Jill stated.
"Either way we're going in, you two stay close." Jack shot out the grappling hook as they descended into the cave's gloomy depths. After awhile of searching Jill was able to detect the entrance to the underground area. It was buried under the sand. With one swipe of his sword Jescal blew the sand away to uncover a small hatch. They opened it to find a ladder, which took them into the same room that they had seen on the video.
"Where is the coward?" Jack wondered.
"My scans are useless here," there is too much static interference.
"That's probably what has been causing the animals to be so wild lately," Jescal murmured. Jack took out his Monocle and looked around, after a few moments of searching he found him in a small room off to the left. The group gathered around the door, which exploded open.
"You've done well to make it this far,” Cadeyrn buzzed. "But you will not go any further." Cadeyrn began to glow abit as an intense fight sequence took place between him and Jescal. The fight was short lived however as he ran out of batteries and was finally destroyed.
"Jack you get out of here while I destroy this abominable factory."
"Right," Jack ran out of the burning building to the clearly marked exit. He made it out just as the building exploded in a fiery blaze. Nobody really understood what had happened in that day but what everybody knew was that Jack and Jescal had killed Cadeyrn. Yokio eventually learned the truth on her own but Jack had to leave, nobody had liked him much in the first place but now that people think he murdered a highly respected politician. Things could only get worse if he stayed. Jack collected his things and got ready to leave the city as quickly as he could. When he got to the door to leave something stopped him. Yokio was standing in the doorway.
"Jack don't you remember what you told me?!" Yokio screamed "You promised that you would never leave me and I'm holding you to it."
"But Yokio I'd only bring you grief if I stayed, and the mobs will be here any minute."
"And that's why I'm going with you Jack, whether you like it or not." A smile stretched across their faces, maybe this would be a good ending after all?
"Oh, hold on a sec I forgot something." Jack ran back into his house where he noticed a strange long package on the table with a tag. He checked the tag it was for him.
"Dear, jack" The tag read. "I've heard that you’re going on a journey, congratulations. However, I think that you will be needing this. I hope that it comes in handy as you continue your training. Sincerely yours, Blade Master, Jescal."
"Jescals alive?" Jack wondered as he unwrapped the package to reveal a beautiful sword. With it he and Yokio set out to face the world.

Description
"What, why would I do that?" sparks started flying across the gauntlet and dancing against the walls. Jack felt a burning sensation in his arm and a painful tingle that bolted up and down his spine. Jack collapsed in pain. "I will do anything necessary to ensure your help" Jill replied in a cold and unfeeling voice. Jack gasped as he slowly regained control of his body and struggled to his knee.
"Owww, what did you do that for!? And what's this mission you were talking about?"
"My mission is to assassinate the namesake of Cadeyrn Bringing peace to the robotic and Neko races through any means necessary."
Oh, what am I going to do? I'm not a murderer I can’t kill someone but If I don't that crazy robot is going to kill me.
Jack wasn't sure what he was going to do, he couldn't anyone but if he didn't than Jill would kill him.
"You can't bring peace with chaos! Besides the war is over it ended more than a hundred years ago."
"While I do admit circumstances may have changed in my absence my programming remains the same I must destroy Cadeyrn."
"But if you kill him then wouldn't you be disturbing the very peace that you were trying to create?"
"An invalid argument, naive. Sometimes in war sacrifices must be made."
"My name isn't naive it's Jack."
"Get some rest Jack. Don't appear as though anything were out of the ordinary."
The light of the gauntlet flickered a little bit and then went out leaving only a soft glow and a gentle hum to goad him to sleep.

  Yokio awoke as bright and bushy as ever, She looked out the window, it was still dark out but she could tell that the sun was about to rise in a few hours. Yokio ran through the piles of papers and pieces of machinery on her desk and hugged the robot she had been building out of the various scraps she had collected.

.she quickly equipped her casual working clothes and raced over to Jack's house to see if he was ready for the day yet or if she would have to go and coach him through things like usual. She had grabbed a pale of water just in case. The streets of Nekoscopia were unusually crowded today as Yokio ducked bobbed and weaved past the various groups departing for the city gates. When Yokio finally reached Jacks house
  “I don’t care how much you may torture me, I’m never going to do it!” Jack shouted from within his room. “Ow stop that,” Jack yelled!
Jescal was outside relaxing in his chair and basking in the warm glow of the sun. Yokio slowly crept upon the aged man.
"If you're trying to surprise me your a few hundred years too young."
"Oh, you’re no fun." Yokio pouted, "Hey if you're down here then who is Jack talking to?" Yokio paused curiously
Jescal gave a wide grin and chuckled, "I think that he's talking to his imaginary friend."
"An imaginary friend, really? I suppose that he's creative enough but is he really crazy enough, nyu?"
"Oh yes, why in fact they've been bickering all morning"
"Hey, what's so funny, nyu?"
"Who would've expected jack to have an imaginary friend?" he belted back in laughter. Yokio didn't think it was that funny. She just proceeded to Jack's room to drag him outside.
"For the last time naive, you will do as I say and have eggs for breakfast! They are better for your body which I need to kill (guy)," Jill buzzed from inside of his head. Ever since she figured out how to tap into his nervous system, she has been a real pain. Jack pitied his ancestors who had to put up with this while he reached for another scrap of bacon.
Zap! His hand clenched and then released as the bacon fell back to his plate. This had been going on all morning and Jack was starving.
"Now look you, if I want to eat bacon then I am going to eat it! It's my body, and I chose what I feed it!"
"Not for so long as I have need of it, but do not despair little one for you will soon be disposable"
"Yeah, we'll see about that,”
Yokio poked her head around the corner "Jack, who're ya talking to?"
"Wha? Oh hi Yokio, is it time to go already?"
"Yeah, the people are already starting to move out of the city. Papa wants us to get there early so nobody can claim our dig."
"Right, I'll be right there." Jack took a loud crunch out of his breakfast bacon and ran with Yokio to the city gates. He saw Jill in the gauntlet whom wore a dissatisfied scowl across her face.
"So you really like it huh?"
"What, oh the gauntlet? Yeah it's great," Jack lied. After breakfast the two of them ran as fast as they could to the location of the pit. Eventually they arrived in the general area of the pit
Jack was about to call over to Yokio when he noticed a few guards moving over the dunes to them.
"Hey get away from there! Salvaging is closed today. There is a very dangerous Craate dragon nest over there." Jack looked on as the guards continued their pestering annoyance. "Leave now lest you forfeit your lives." Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he knew they had no other option
"Yokio, Jiraiya we need to get out of here these guys don't look like they're enjoying our company too much." It took the combined efforts of both Jack and Yokio with her beastly strength in order to move the confused man back to the city where they could contemplate what had happened.
“A Craate dragon, here, without a nearby source of water or its prey?" Jyscal shouted "You've got a better chance of seeing the guards handing out free gold than that!"
"I know but that's what they said." Jiraiya murmured
"You need to learn to stick up for yourself. This isn't even their nesting season."  Jyscal stomped angrily
Jack went upstairs as the adults bickered and battled, he'd had enough of this. Jack sat down by the window to clear his head, Yokio joined him. "Jack do you really think that there is a Craate Dragon Out there," she asked as moonlight reflected from her eyes
"To be honest no. It's too much of a coincidence after we were out there all morning and didn't even see a thing."
"So what I don't understand is why would they come here?"
"I don't know, but then why did those guards chase us away?" Yokio questioned
"They probably wanted our find for themselves"
"We can't let that happen, we were so close to getting our freedom back!"
"I know but what can we do?" Yokio lay back with a sigh as she contemplated the question.
"Let’s go back tonight."
"What? That’s crazy! The Scorpion Imps would catch us for sure."
"Oh come on Jack, you don't actually believe in them do you?"
"I don't need to believe in them to get killed by them."
Yokio sighed, "They're just a fairy tale. You shouldn't be so superstitious all the time." Jack gave a smug grim as he considered the irony.
"You're calling me superstitious when you're the one that keeps an acorn in your pocket to stop lightning?"
"Whether you're coming or not, I'm going. And besides it hasn't failed me yet."
Jack wasn't sure how to argue that, but he couldn't leave her alone in the dessert. He hates it when she gets like this
"Fine I'll go, after all some bodies gotta keep an eye on you." Jack let out a sigh of defeat
"That's all I wanted to hear," Yokio grinned broadly.


Later that night as the dessert sands sparkled in the light of the midnight moon two cloaked figures emerged from across the horizon they knew well of the danger their venture entailed but still they pressed on. It was not courage that pushed them so but rather it was need that sent them forth, unaware of the fate that loomed yet above their heads.
  The moon brightly lit their path letting them see most of the desert but it was only their ears that told them of the presence of their foe. A deadly tail stabbed at them from behind but with Jack's blade master training he was easily able to push Yokio out of its way and avoid it.
The scorpion imp hissed in madness and zigzagged in a path towards Jack jaws agape. Jack drew his blade but it was too late the imp had jack pinned to the ground. It laughed with a menacing hiss as it raised its deadly tail above Jack's chest. The creature was about to finish him off when Yokio lunged at the creature and grabbed the creature’s tail in mid air. She grunted under the force of the massive stinger as she started to grow furrier. It was the Nekopeople's own special power. Although they have strength speed and grace beyond that of any mere creature sometimes it just wasn’t enough. When that happened they used their ability to interrupt their balance between person and beast and become more beast than anything else. Yokio’s strength, speed and ferocity increased as more and more fur sprouted all over her body. Yokio let loose a savage growl as she threw the Scorpion imp by it’s tail. Jack got back up to his feet as he watched Yokio decimate the diabolical creature. Something stirred in the rocks behind Yokio, what was it? It was another Scorpion imp no doubt coming to check on the shrieking of the other imp. Yokio didn’t notice the creature lunging at her from behind as she beat the other one to a pulp. Jack dashed forward to stop the creature but he was too late. Jack watched in horror as the creature stabbed his unsuspecting friend. Jack slashed at the creature but his practice blade could only scratch and screech the carnivorous animals exoskeleton. The creatures both howled in pain as the screeching intensified, which gave Jill an idea. An earsplitting screeching noise emanated from Jack’s gauntlet. The creatures doubled back in agony and ran from the horrible noise.
Yokio fell to the ground as both her ability and excess fur wore off.

"Yeah I'm fine" Yokio smiled as she staggered back and fell to the ground.
"Yokio!" Jack ran to her side and examined her wound. There was a single gruesome gash along the back of her spine; left untreated it was enough to kill a person. There was a strange green tint to the wound, poison.
"What are we going to do?" Jack screamed in a panic, although Jericho had taught him how to treat poison the herb was very hard to find. The Sekkai crystal could only be found where the creature had killed something and not eaten it first making them extremely rare..
"Don't give up Jack. Have faith," Yokio gasped through labored breaths. "If anyone can save me, it's you." Jack was stuck between a hard place and a wall. If he stayed here Yokio would die of poisoning, but if he left then another Scorpion Imp might come. It was a tough choice but he knew what he had to do.
"Yokio, stay calm. I'm going to be right back," Jack said with a firm tone.
"There is a high concentration of Sekkai energy to the west," Jill stated. Jack was impressed that she had adapted to his way of speaking so quickly but there wasn't time for that now.
Jack spun around to face the west and with Jill as his guide started the race against time. Jack had been running for five minutes and saw no cave; he was beginning to lose faith in Jill's navigational abilities.
"Are you sure you know where you are going?" Jack asked.
"Of course, my navigational abilities are top of the line as are my detection and stealth." Jack was about to begin his rebuttal but just as his very next foot fell Jill screamed out in alarm.
"She's moving!"
"What, Who's moving?"
"Yokio, she's moving at almost forty miles an hour."
"WHAT! HOW?" Jack stammered back in pure amazement, how could anyone go that fast?
"She seems to be with other people in a vehicle."
"The desert raiders"
"Desert raiders?" this time it was Jill's turn to be confused.
  "They’re a group of bandits whom live outside of the city stealing our salvage and in general wreaking havoc. This is the first time they have ever kidnapped anyone."
"Jack, you're going the wrong way. She's headed to the south." Jack ran in the other direction and stopped. There it was a tiny Sekkai crystal sprouting in the sand. He ran over to pick it up and then continued on his way.
"Jill this is no god at the speed that were going we'll never catch up to them."
"Hold on I've got something to show you."
Sparks flew from the gauntlet as Jacks muscles started carrying him faster than he had ever imagined.
"Wow, what did you do?" Jack asked in amazement
"While you were asleep I was studying your genetics. I discovered that by pulsing enough electricity through your system I can stimulate your muscles and make them grow stronger." Jill elaborated, but Jack was barely listening. He was too busy dodging and weaving around the boulders
That increased in both size and number as he pressed forward.

Jack searched desperately as he wound through the jagged maze of boulder and stone using all of his senses to try to find Yokio. He was searching for her so hard that he barely noticed the tire tracks leading to the entrance to the cave he had just ran past. Jack ground to a halt as the gauntlet stopped its frenzied glow and Jack returned to normal only to discover how dizzy and numb he had just become. Jack staggered into the depths of the cave chasing the dancing light of candles thrown upon the walls. As Jack wandered deeper in the bandit lair, he heard a ruckus of people stomping and yelling to an unknown beat.
"It's almost as though they're dancing," Jill whispered from inside Jack's head. Jack crept up to a nearby crevice and peered around the corner. Like the rest of the cave, this portion was filled with sand. He moved on further down the cave, as the sounds of the festivities grew louder. Jack faintly heard the beating of a drum. Jack ran down the passage and hooked to the left following both the beat of the drums and Jill's own directions. Jack stopped, somebody was coming, he hooked left around a stalactite and hid.
"Man, I can't wait to stir up some trouble again."
"Yeah, we've been waiting forever I almost thought we were just going to sit and rot in this cave for an eternity," the other man's voice trailed off.
A few bandits nonchalantly walked by and continued their patrol with an awkward ease. Jack waited until they were gone before he chased further down the cave eventually coming to an absolutely gigantic gallery the size of a ball room and apparently being used as such. He hid behind another stalactite and surveyed the area, there was somewhere between a thousand and five thousand men dancing around a fire. A few men in the back were pounding away on their drums with a tactical precision.
"So this is what organics do all day?" Jill inquired as she watched with a meticulous intensity.
"Not quite," Jack corrected, "They're celebrating something" Jack pulled out the Monocle that Jescal had given him and lifted it to his eye. True to Jescal's word, the monocle allowed him to see things more clearly but also up close, he found that if he concentrated he could even see what was in everyone's pockets an ability he could use to find Yokio much more quickly. He quickly surveyed the room but Yokio was nowhere to be seen.
"Their leader is the guy in the black trench coat to the left," Jill whispered.
"How do you know that?" Jack asked, as he was a little bit taken aback by Jill's intimate knowledge of the group.
"I'm an assassin, it comes with the programming," Jill stated grimly
The Bandit leader was now moving into a room off the southern side of the cavern. This was his chance; he slowly and cautiously crept around the oblivious group of dancing people. If anyone of them saw them, it would be trouble even if they did all appear to be a little bit out of it. Shadows dancing upon the walls provided the perfect cover as he skittered along. The next cave was dead ahead. Jack braced himself and boldly stepped forward.
Light from the many candles in the room bounced off the various piles of treasure and made a pleasant glow for the room.
"I see that our little mouse has joined the part," the voice echoed. Jack turned around and locked eyes with Shura.
"What have you done with Yokio?" Jack paused, how'd he known that he was coming?
"Yokio? I'm afraid that I'm a little confused. Do you mean that nekogirl that we found in the desert?"  Jack drew his practice blade in frustration
"I will not repeat myself. Where is she!?" He demanded, his muscles tensing.
"Now, now calm down boy let’s not be hasty."
"I don't have time for haste. Tell me or it will be the end of you."
"Okay, Okay calm down, she is in the next room having her wound dressed. I was just going to check on her when you popped into the room."
Jack sprinted into the room startling a few doctors whom had been working on her. Yokio was panting heavily with sweat beading on her forehead; the poison was giving her a bad fever. Jack assumed that the Doctors hadn't been able to cure the poison and removed the Sekkai crystal from his pack. Holding the tiny crystal gently he placed it in her mouth. She swallowed the crystal with a gluttonous desire. A bright blue shade of Teal began to swoop over her body and then stopped leaving her with a peaceful slumber.
"What did you do?" asked the healers.
"I used the Sekkai stone."
"But only Jescal the sage knows of that stones existence."
"Jescal is the name of my Blade master."
"You're Jescal's apprentice?" there was allot of oohing and aahing going on in the room.
"We would be honored if you would help us retake Nekoscopia."
"Why don't we already have it?"
"No Jack the robots have it."
"The Robots?"
"Jack we are still fighting the war"
"The war has been over for a long time."
"That is not true Jack."
"Then why haven’t we been attacked since then? I haven't even seen a robot besides from That K-30 unit," Jill gave Jack a sharp zap.
"K-30?"
"Yes that was the name of the robot I salvaged yesterday."

Whether you believe us or not we are the resistance to the robot menace and we could use your help.
“Resistance?”
“Yes we are the decedents of the brave warriors who faced down the robot menace the first time. It is our job to make sure that they stay dead but according to our informants there is one robot remaining. The name of that robot is Cadeyrn. He is currently acting as the leader of your city and has been rebuilding his fallen army so that he can take the city,” Shura answered very seriously.
“So you want me to help you a group of bandits, attack my home because of a hypothetical robot infestation?”
“Yes, I’m sure that it sounds pretty out there but it’s the truth.”
“I’m going to have to pass up on you’re offer but you know, thanks for being considerate and all. But, I’ve really got to get going now.”
"I'm afraid that we cannot allow you to do that now that you know of our plan."
"Look alright it's been a long night. Yokio and I still have stuff to do so we're leaving."
  “We’ll see about that.” Shura sneered
Their swords clashed in a flash of light. A fury of metal clangs and sparks exploded from their weapons leading to Jack's temporary retreat.
“He's good, but I have to be better,” Jack thought to himself as he raised his sword into a high stance. Lunging into battle, he swooped downward while Shura slashed upward overpowering Jack and forcing his weapon aside. Shura was clearly the stronger of the two and he knew it. Shura Slashed at Jack's neck and barely missed giving Jack an opening. With all of his strength, Jack swung his blade straight into Shura's gut.
"What was that supposed to accomplish?" Shura chuckled as he reached and grabbed Jack by the neck.
"Jack, if you want to get Yokio back you will have to kill him," Jill nagged from within his head. He knew that she was right but how could he bring himself to murdering him? Shura's grip slowly tightened around Jack's neck, one of their stories would end today, but little did Jack know it wouldn't be his. A spearhead plunged through Shura's unguarded body. Shura's grip loosened as Jack crawled back, coming to the horrifying conclusion that the spearhead was the grappling hook. As blood started pouring out of his wound, he let his last words be known. "Those robot’s they'll be the death of us all."
Tears streamed down his face, Jack didn't even know how that had happened. Surgeons appeared to carry Shura away as the bloodied blade slowly retracted into the gauntlet. Jack was horrified by what had just happened but he couldn't stop now. Hesitation would mean certain death.
Jack Picked up Yokio's unconscious body and pulling his cloak tightly around the two of them he snuck out of the cave and into the ballroom. Being careful not to stand out too much Jack walked to the end of the ballroom. Surprisingly enough, it worked However, Jill was unsatisfied.
"Just a minute Jack, we cannot let things continue as they are."
"What do you mean?"
"My mission is to prevent as many fatality's as possible"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Jack, we can't let these people live"
"What are you talking about?"
"I may not know if the war is over or not but I do know that they are going to attack the city and my programming won’t allow that."
"If your programming is to stop death, how can you even suggest killing all of these people?"
"Because these people are going to kill people"
"So they're still people and they are still alive."
"If all of them kill someone then just as many people will die but they will be innocent and we have no guarantee that they won’t kill more."
"I'm not going to let you hurt them"
"On the contrary Jack you have no choice." Jill gave Jack a strange series of shocks and somehow forced him to raise the stone that
Jiraiya had given him. As he clenched the pebble there was a flash of light and a deafening explosion. The stalagmites were falling.
Jack ran as fast as he could while carrying Yokio to the exit, while doing his best to avoid the falling javelin like rocks.

The raiders panicked and screamed as their central chamber came crashing down however from what Jack could see none of them were hurt too badly before they fled deeper into the cave.
  Jack ran with Yokio’s limp snoring body for almost an hour before he noticed a large cloud along the horizon. The cloud was immense and racing right for them like some ravenous animal after it’s meal. With in seconds the sand storm was upon them.
This is bad, this is all really bad! There aren't many things worse than being caught in a sand storm but if there were, any he couldn't think of them.
Normally under such circumstances, he'd use the monocle that Jescal gave him but he didn't want to lose it. For as much as he hated it, he'd have to rely on Jill, for now at least.
As the three of them pressed forward the storm grew worse and it felt like Yokio was getting heavier, but he couldn’t retire. The pit was just ahead and all of this would've been in vain in they didn't see what was in there. Jack wandered to the sinkhole that they had made when they first found the cave and peered inside. It was too dark to see anything, even with his eyes but just then, Jill began to glow again. Jack panicked until the glow was concentrated into a beam of light and he understood what was happening. Jack aimed the light into the cave where naught was left but sand and the scratched up walls of the cave. Against Jack's better judgment, he stopped for a second to rest, the sand quickly piling up against him. His rest would be short lived however as sand fell like a waterfall from the dark silhouette he quickly changed his mind. It was an ageless relic from time that had come back to haunt him. He couldn't see it clearly through the sand but he could see it's big bright red eye rolling around to meet his.
"Primary target located, Execute."
"What in the world?" Jack looked back to see the unpleasant red light and a walking incarnation of metal and death.
"Jack, what is that thing? What does it mean by primary target?" Jill buzzed
"I don't know. But this is definitely that thing from my dream."
The robot grinded against its gears to take an awkward step towards Jack whom was now running at as close to the speed of light as his legs could carry him. He could hear a whirring sound from some sinister device getting ready behind them. Ducking as quickly as he could it wasn't enough and a huge metal boomerang tore into his shoulder. It skirted across the sand for a ways beyond him, leaving him crippled. If there wasn't some sort of miracle, he was sure that they would all die. Another sound caught his attention; he recognized it as the retracting of a heavy wire. Wide eyed he realized his danger that thing was coming back. Jack struggle back to his feet and staggered away with Yokio's awkward weight. Jack hopped into the air just as the blade retracted with a big boom. Flashing sparks began to radiate from the gauntlet as Jack ran even faster leaving the nightmare somewhere behind them. Jack ran as hard and fast as he could into the wind. By the time he reached the city gates, he was exhausted. Jack slouched against the huge stone doors for a moment as he rested to regain his strength. His mind wandered back to the incident in the cave but he snapped himself out of it with a shudder.
"Jill, how did you do that in the cave?"
"Do what Jack?" was she playing dumb?
"What was that burst of light?" Jack shouted angrily. Jill a little bit taken aback by the sudden hostility but then again she knew she deserved it.
"It was the Codo stone, it is an ancient elven stone used to concentrate magic in young elves." It suddenly made sense to Jack why that flash had left him so tired but it only made him madder. He was being used. Before Jack could again voice his frustrations with Jill, he saw a big red dot in the storm. Jack panicked as his arm rose almost involuntarily and shot the grappling hook over the wall. Jack's shoulder was bleeding deeply as he began scaling the wall. The robot knew his prey was getting away but he couldn't let it happen. The sinister shadow raised its arm towards Jack, shooting a long tongue of liquid flames at him. Jack couldn't move, his body was frozen in fear of the fire until his Legs swung him away from the fire. Jack was now stuck swinging against the wall like a pendulum, as his body was grinded against the wall. Jack did his best to protect Yokio but in the end, it seemed almost futile. A hatch opened on the robot as Jack reached the top of the wall. Bullets exploded into the rock around Jack and Yokio as He somehow found the strength to climb over. Jack wondered if he might have the strength to stand but collapsed as a sharp pain tore throughout his leg. Jack squinted in pain and checked his leg, there was a bullet wound the size of his thumb. Jack sat back and considered leaving Yokio here, she was on top of a large stone structure where that thing couldn't get her and she would be found by the guards and taken care of, but then Jack realized that there was no guarantee that thing wasn't after Yokio and not him. The entire gate shook knocking Jack over painfully. The robot was doing something and Jack had to know what. With fumbling fingers, he searched his now tattered clothes for the monocle.
With shaking hands brought the smooth glass to his eye. The robot was pounding away furiously at the stone doors chipping away at the rock chunk by chunk. There wasn't much time before the robot broke through and destroyed this city like the one in his dreams. Only Yokio had enough of knowledge of machines to think of a way to beat that thing.
"Wake up!" Jack screamed as he savagely shook the unconscious girl. It was no use the robot was almost through the wall and the walls guards were fearfully approaching the wall.

It was no use Jack would have to try his last resort. Just like when he was back in the cave, He checked his gear for a canteen but when he didn't find one he realized that he would have to improvise. Jack leaned over Yokio's unconscious body and puckered up his lips to let a small drop of drool fall onto her forehead, it was the closest he could get to water. However; Yokio woke up before the droplet ever even fell and rolled away blushing.
"What were you doing just now?!" she demanded with rosy cheeks.
"Yokio, I need your help. There is..."
"You need a good smack on the head is what you need."
There was a deafening boom as the wall crumbled. Yokio ran to the edge, looking to see what was going on. She put her hands over her mouth as she witnessed the gruesome display below.
"Jack, we have to do something."
"I don't know what we can do."
"Well we have to do something..."
"If you can get me in close enough then I can neuro hack it and shut it down." Jill chimed in mid-sentence
"I've got it, Yokio you wait here." feeling his energy returning to him Jack leaped off the tower and into the dismal fray of burning soldiers.
He shot the grappling hook to break his fall.
"No! Jack, please wait! Don't leave me...,” she whispered in despair

Even after lightening his impact, he hit the robot with jarring force. He was about to slam Jill into the robot when it swung its heavy arm back at Jack effectively knocking him away. But, Jack could not be dissuaded. He got back up to his feet, his shoulder sent flashes of excruciating pain through his body but he didn’t care. He didn’t even care about the gunshots he had taken. He stood tall showing no pain or fear. This had gone on long enough he didn't care if he lived or died in this battle so long as Yokio and the others would be safe from this rampage.
All that mattered was that he put an end to the one whom threatened his family. He stood because he didn’t care about it all. He did not abide by pain anymore he was more than that he had a purpose.
"Target reacquired, new mission statement: destroy all sentient life." The bot stated.
"This game of cat and mouse has gone on for long enough" Jack growled.
The thing raised its arm towards and let loose a belt of flame. Jack rolled forward beneath the flames and with a solid cut of his practice sword he destroyed its fuel line. Oil gushed out of the robot and to his genuine surprise all over himself. Jack dashed forward to the robot and slammed Jill into it's armor plating. Nothing happened. "Jill what are you doing? Hack into the thing."
"It can't be from just anywhere it has to be beneath the armor on this model."
The robot raised its foot and kicked Jack back several feet as hatch on its arm opened revealing its Gattling gun. A shadow fell over Jack as he was engulfed in a barrage of bullets although to his utter amazement none of them hit him. when he opened his eyes he was shocked to see a familiar face smiling over him.
"Jiraiya, what are you doing!?"
"Jack, It wont do anybody any good if you let yourself die here. We need you to live." Jiraiya whispered as he coughed up some blood and fell silent.
"We?"
"That's right Jack, We." A figure with a tattered black trench coat walked forth nonchalantly. He stared down the machine with a stare unlike that of any man. The machine renewed its barrage of bullets, as the figure drew his blade and in one swift motion deflected them. The machine reached back and began spinning it's bladed boomerang, lunging forth the machine tossed it slicing into nothing but air and smoke. The man had disappeared, in confusion the machine surveyed the area and returned it's attention to Jack. Earth quaked as the machine stepped toward the traumatized elve but before it could get any further Jack noticed something falling from above it. It was the man who now appeared almost as though he were ignited with a mystifying blue flame. Taking advantage of the situation he twisted his body in mid flight giving the monstrosity a slash from above. There was no clang, no spark and no sound only a clean cut as the sand exploded from underneath it reducing the area to a small crater and sending Jack spiraling into a nearby fire. The oil was ignited and his vision blurred. The last thing he saw was a dark silhouette through the fire and the flames with one searing red eye splitting in half and collapsing as someone screamed his name out in terror.
When Jack woke up he was in bed, more bandaged up then a mummy. His vision was a little blurred but he had gotten his childhood memory's back. The first thing he saw was a big tan and green colored blob. The blob moved and slowly came into focus, it was Yokio.
"Jack! are you all right? You shouldn't be moving with your injury's."
"My injuries?"
"I don't really know how but you've almost torn off your shoulder. You also got yourself shot up pretty good and then as if that weren't enough you lit yourself on fire. You should be dead right now." Yokio sniveled "Jack, please don't let yourself get beat up like that again. I don't want to lose you too," Yokio cried as tears streamed down her face. Jack had almost forgotten that Jiraiya had died for him.
"Don't worry Yokio, I'm not going anywhere," Jack promised. A small smile stretched across her face.
"Oh thank you Jack!" Despite his injury's she gave Jack a warm hug and then left to get Jack some breakfast. Jack tried sitting up again although he found it to be a strained effort.
"The two of you shouldn't have even fought to begin with." Jack heard a familiar voice.
"Well Jescal, if this is where you lecture me about being a gentleman than you should know that I left Yokio out of it."
"I'm not talking about her." Jescal shouted from across the room. Jack looked over to him in confusion. he was facing the window in a big black trench coat. "I'm talking about you and that gauntlet!" he pointed menacingly at them.
"How did you," Jack started.
"I saw her face in the gauntlet at the party. From there it was obvious. At first I thought it was funny and that the two of you could work together to become more mature but clearly I was mistaken."
The gauntlet started to glow a little bit as Jill emerged from within its depths.
"But we had a plan," Jill was getting defensive.
"To die? If I hadn't of been there it would've worked!" In his heart Jack knew that he was right

"Perhaps you’re right, but then what was I supposed to do let that thing chase and kill us? What about all the people it would have killed looking for us?"
"...I don't know, but I can't go around looking for a new apprentice," Jiscal sighed.
“Well sorry to interrupt your plans but I've got a job for you."
removed something from one of his pockets and held it in front of Jack, It was a sekkai stone.
Jack was consumed by it's radiant light, as his wounds began to heal themselves and the stone was reduced to ash.
  first of all I need you to analyze this disk from the robot I destroyed the other day. when you're finished let me know and i will tell you what your next task is.
Jack picked up the memory disk and held it over the V on the lens of the gauntlet.
"Now this is interesting," Jill commented. "According to this the robot was destroyed and rebuilt." a large glowing rectange appeared and showed Cadeyrn in a dark stone room, walls lined with dark lumps of mass. "Listen well unit C-18, I have replaced your batterypack and brought you back. Somebody has discovered one of our storage facilities and has come dangerously close to discovering the truth. Your new mission is to wait in the desert above our fine facility and execute whomever comes close to our facility, understood?"
"Mission Acknowledged."
"Excellent." the video ended.
  "Wait what were those things he had by the wall?"
"lets find out." Jill waved her arm a little as the video was rewinded and then enhanced. The dark and hulking form of several more partially built robots, extending into the horizon.
  "Those guys were right?"
"It appears so."
"Then that must mean that Cadeyrn really is a robot."
"Hold on, what are you two talking about?"
Jack and Jill did their best to fill him in on the details.
"Oh so you met Shura then?"
"We may have accidentally hurt him."
"I shot him with my grappling hook"
"You killed him?"
"No, technically the blood loss and internal bleeding should have."
"No, I avoided his vitals."
"That's good, but if that's the truth that means that the entire city is in danger. We have to stop him as blade masters."
"Jack does his being a robot make it easier for you to kill him?"
"No It's the fact that he is a psychotic robot who has killed someone cloe to me that makes me want to kill him."
"And that he is going to hurt more people?"
"That too."
"Then you finally understand why I had to do what I did back in the cave."
The next day the three of them met outside of the city gates as they started their quest for the pit and beyond. When they reached the pit they were rather shocked to find it unguarded.
"Good, that means he's not expecting company," Jack said.
"Or that he is and we're walking into a trap," Jill stated.
"Either way we're going in, you two stay close." Jack shot out the grappling hook as they descended into the cave's gloomy depths. After awhile of searching Jill was able to detect the entrance to the underground area. It was buried under the sand. With one swipe of his sword Jescal blew the sand away to uncover a small hatch. They opened it to find a ladder, which took them into the same room that they had seen on the video.
"Where is the coward?" Jack wondered.
"My scans are useless here," there is too much static interference.
"That's probably what has been causing the animals to be so wild lately," Jescal murmured. Jack took out his Monocle and looked around, after a few moments of searching he found him in a small room off to the left. The group gathered around the door, which exploded open.
"You've done well to make it this far,” Cadeyrn buzzed. "But you will not go any further." Cadeyrn began to glow abit as an intense fight sequence took place between him and Jescal. The fight was short lived however as he ran out of batteries and was finally destroyed.
"Jack you get out of here while I destroy this abominable factory."
"Right," Jack ran out of the burning building to the clearly marked exit. He made it out just as the building exploded in a fiery blaze. Nobody really understood what had happened in that day but what everybody knew was that Jack and Jescal had killed Cadeyrn. Yokio eventually learned the truth on her own but Jack had to leave, nobody had liked him much in the first place but now that people think he murdered a highly respected politician. Things could only get worse if he stayed. Jack collected his things and got ready to leave the city as quickly as he could. When he got to the door to leave something stopped him. Yokio was standing in the doorway.
"Jack don't you remember what you told me?!" Yokio screamed "You promised that you would never leave me and I'm holding you to it."
"But Yokio I'd only bring you grief if I stayed, and the mobs will be here any minute."
"And that's why I'm going with you Jack, whether you like it or not." A smile stretched across their faces, maybe this would be a good ending after all?
"Oh, hold on a sec I forgot something." Jack ran back into his house where he noticed a strange long package on the table with a tag. He checked the tag it was for him.
"Dear, jack" The tag read. "I've heard that you’re going on a journey, congratulations. However, I think that you will be needing this. I hope that it comes in handy as you continue your training. Sincerely yours, Blade Master, Jescal."
"Jescals alive?" Jack wondered as he unwrapped the package to reveal a beautiful sword. With it he and Yokio set out to face the world.