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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 22, 2006 11:51:40 GMT -5
The Principal dares to believe it true, Sojorian’s body falls to its knee’s for a brief moment it seems that it will claim him, yet slowly, he rises and lets out a scream, even though the display has no sound, the Principal still hears and feels the scream shake his very bones, cold sweat falls down his nose now.
“… The end has begun…”
~
An ear-piercing cry billows through the mines. Cranberry, Sage, Mewone and Samus stop their trek.
“What was that?”
Cranberry asks astonishment fills her small voice.
“Unknown voice source… Origin is unknown… Scanning… No traces of it can be found within a hundred mile radius”,
Samus says in his monotone voice, his scanners still whirring at top speed trying to identify the source of the noise.
Sage stops, his mind screaming with pain of another, he falls to his knees, the pain over sweeping him. His eyes close for a brief moment in pain, images flash before them. His eyes snap open, cold sweat envelops him,
“Sage, what is it?”
Every one turns to him, his eyes dart back and forth, as if his life was hanging in the balance.
“Something has been born… Something which the likes we have never encountered before has arisen…”
The others stare confused, baffled by what he could mean.
“What ever it is… It craves death and nothing more… Come, we must hurry and reach Colt before its too late.”
“But-But Sage, we are to far away, even when we make it to the teleporter, we still have to get access to Gal Da Val, you know it’s off limits. Also, the teleporter in the mines isn’t strong enough to get us to our destination.”
“Cran, I am not saying we have a choice in this, we must reach him in time. Or he will die.” “… I know some one who can help us, he should be on Gal Da Val as we speak, last I knew, he took a quest for the guild to investigate recent increases in creatures infested by altered DNA there.”
“Good, send him the message, tell him to look out for a HUmar with spiky brown hair and cyan eyes, also tell him… To try and not break him in half should he have to drag him to us.”
~
“A scream…”
“That was no scream Colt… It walks now…”
“What does...?”
“The birth of our end.”
My insides shake, I am cold now, I feel my throat tighten…
“Are you sure…? Maybe you’re wrong.”
“I fear in this Colt, I am not.”
His voice falls, no attempt to convince my otherwise is seen in his face. I fall silent, the only noise being that of the occasional shot fired off by HolyChaos from his Holy Ray to keep the guards busy. My insides twist,
“We have to kill it before it gets to Falz…”
“Even now Colt… I fear we may already be too late.”
“No one ever got anywhere by not trying.”
I rise, a fire burns in my eyes. I walk towards the door way,
“Stand aside, I will handle them, Colt…”
I ignore his cautioned tone, I push him gently out of the way, the fire of their weapons stops as I present myself in front of three guards left.
“Well, well, one of the rats came out to play no did he, Sona, show them how we treat those that kill one of our own.”
“With pleasure sir.”
The RAmarl aims her mechs at me, I stand, the Lavis within my right hand, I close my eyes momentarily, whispering softly too myself, “If what I am is true, if I am a weapon, let my hands guide this blade well.” I open my eyes, the world is so slow now, lost, and I see each bullet tug through the air struggling to reach me in time. I close my eyes again. So it is true… I am a weapon of the “taint.”
~
HolyChaos watches as Colt steps out into the open, knowing full well what Colt seeks out there.
“I am sad to say, you will find it Colt, and you will have to come to terms with it… You and I are weapons… Twins, of Chaos…”
He steps out from the door to watch the seen unfold, like Colt, the photon hail appears as slow glimmers in the air. He sees Colt step aside of the bullets moving to his target, slowly gliding between the bullets as he makes his way towards them, knowing full well now that he is a weapon, designed originally to kill, secondly to hold a great evil… He reaches the RAmarl first; her eyes go white, unable to even utter a scream before the blade is through her stomach, she lulls on to his shoulder, her body limp as he slowly lays it down upon the ground.
“What? What the?! Jeana? How in hell… You will pay for that! Die!”
The last RAmar charges towards Colt, a Galduis drawn and ready to strike, Colt merely turns to the advancing mad man, Colt’s eyes show remorse as he slices through the RAmar’s Galduis, straight through to his neck, Colt turns as two distinct thuds are heard behind him, he begins to walk away.
“Target sighted, termination imamate….”
The RAcast begins to charge his Guilty Light, HolyChaos quickly takes aim with his Holy Ray, he fires a single bolt of blue towards the intended target. The bullet bypassing Colt’s head by inches, true to its aim, strikes through the RAcast’s visor. The bolt travels through ripping out wires and other hardware as it lances through the metal impacting upon the far wall behind the RAcast. The RAcast’s body functions only a minute more before it shuts down, falling to the floor with an earth shaking bang.
~
I look upon the carnage as I continue on,
“We should go now…”
HolyChaos nods his head solemnly as we walk down the hall. “Colt!!!” I spin on my heels; a dark tentacle greets my face, slamming me up against the wall to my right as it grasps at my throat. The Lavis tumbles to the floor below me. HolyChaos whirls, his Holy Ray aimed towards the target, another tentacle of the same matter lashes out at him, flinging him into the far wall, knocking the wind out of him.
My eyes squint shut as I fight to draw breath into my lungs, I hear foot steps dance down the hall, they stop, I hear the breathing of another below me. I open my eyes, there is Mint, the hole, where I plunged the Lavis through her, still there.
“So you thought I would die so easily, heh I pity you fool.”
I look towards her, the hole in her chest pulsates with a cyan color oration around it.
“So, it uses the dead as well, to breathe new life into them… Such a worthless thing.”
She glares at me,
“Do not, call the great one worthless, for you will bond with him soon enough. I am to take you to him, your body shall become his new vessel.”
I look down at her and laugh, throwing my head back as I see so many flaws in her thoughts.
“What is so funny HUmar?”
Her voice not her own now, simply her masters, “
What is so funny you ask? Your lust for power is funny, your thoughts that you can win are funny. Heh, your own existence is funny, you worthless puppet.”
Mint screams in pure rage, the tentacle entwines around my neck tighter, her rage seeping through her. My eyes water as the pain increases,
“We will see who is laughing when I squeeze the very breath from your throat, for he shall have you body, with or without your life still beating in it.” “I have no intentions of becoming a worthless puppet to “it” like you have become.”
My words echo softly in my mind, the Lavis is below my feet now as I dangle in mid air, the tentacle still pulling the life from me as my airflow dies. I reach towards the Tears Partisan strapped to my back, I grasp its handle, I wrench the blade from its resting place and swing it forth, the photon blade activating, It slashes through her neck. The tentacle lets go; I slump to the floor, rubbing my neck where the veil thing had once been. Her body slumps to the floor, hopefully truly dead now. I grab the Lavis, strapping both weapons back to their respective holsters.
I walk towards HolyChaos, he stands now, brushing the dirt and dust from his robes. He returns the Holy Ray to its container and places it in his storage PDA. He begins to walk ahead of me, I follow suit being thankful for the silence besides the screaming alarm in the background. We reach the end of the hall, we turn towards the right and see at the end of it, a teleporter is set, its power not lost yet. I turn towards the left just to be sure, I notice a door slightly ajar. I walk towards it, my Lavis now drawn. I open the door it glides open smoothly. I stare inside, it is an office of some kind, the glossy desk and carpet beneath my feet make it seem as if it shouldn’t be a part of the dreary building it is contained within.
I walk towards the desk; upon it is a small Gauntlet PDA. I walk over and pick it up, strapping to where mine once was, it activates. Showing the name of its owner, which turns out to be me… I stare at the gauntlet and notice the slight teeth marks upon it where Sato bit down on it.
“Heh, I never knew she would come in so handy, especially when not here. Thanks Sato.”
I strap the gauntlet securely on and check the inventory, all my weapons are still there, along with one or two mates and fluids left.
I return to the hall, re-holstering my Lavis behind my back, HolyChaos is leaned up against a wall waiting for me. He lifts his head up,
“Come, we have to go-.”
A sudden shock quakes the building upon its foundation, steel groans, metal screeches, a laughter echoes from below us,
“What?”
HolyChaos rises from his position and steadies himself as the building continues to quake.
I look towards my feet as the building rocks. A sudden hole is ripped through the steel, there, floating in the air above us is Sojorian.
“Haha, like moths to the flame I see.”
He slowly descends to the ground, his feet making a small metallic thump as he lands. He walks towards us, his stride, arrogant, cocky, knowing he will win should we battle.
“I knew you would be here when I was through, with, that worthless creation of Osto’s… What a foolish experiment that was, a true waste of his efforts and he knew it. Still, it has served its purpose now. Hahaha.”
Sojorian walks forth, a dark aura encompasses him, cyan lights flicker in his skin, his blood thoroughly tainted now by “it”, and yet he is still in control…
“Colt, you have a choice now, two paths lay before you, one runs the road of power. The other runs the road of your death and ruin. Which do you choose? Remember, the lives upon Pioneer2 hang in the balance, you can either join me, and together we can rule. Or you can stand against me, and all shall suffer in the surf of darkness that follows you.”
I pause for a brief moment, unsure of how to answer. I think of all my friends, Cranberry, Sage, Mewone… Katt, Antherone, Eriror, Alexis…. I cannot simply throw their lives away for this…
“Colt, you know what you must choose… Either choice, either decision, it only holds death in its tide, you must choose which will better save the people and their future…”
I look towards HolyChaos, his demeanor, it shows that he has made the choice, that he is not going to be controlled by either side, that he will fight to his last breath to keep it so… I look in myself; it is only I now, I and my taint, my curse…. It wishes to be with its master, I can feel it yearn to join either of them… It sickens me; I wish to be rid of this evil within me…
Sadly, I know I cannot be rid of it though, it is a part of me, as I am a part of it now. I feel it stir again, suddenly I realize something that my mother was trying to teach me long ago. The memory comes back to me now, I can finally see what she meant by it
“Don’t ever lose who you are Colt.” I smile and thank her quietly, my taint becomes somber with the memory of our mother. I slowly open my eyes and stare towards Sojorian, he looks into my eyes and scoffs, his face contorts into a look of loathing, he knows my choice, and he wishes to kill me for it.
“Ha, that is no question. I choose the path of my death and ruin, I will not be controlled by you or by that worthless puppeteer, I choose my own path, the one that stops you. I will save Pioneer 2 from your ideals, you will not have these people to rule as your own. You will not succeed Sojorian, you will fail, just as Osto did. You can not control it, no matter what you believe, you will die before you succeed in that goal, you will not bring Pioneer to ruin either with this ideal you have. I will make sure of that… For all my friends…”
The fire in my soul burns, my eyes show it, HolyChaos comes to stand by my side. Sojorian looks towards the both of us.
“You both sicken me, I thought you two of all the creations I made would understand… You are both flawed, you will be purged from this earth before you cause any harm to my goals, Falz is not a threat, he is merely the final tool in my plans. Even if he does know of what I am trying to do, I shall still succeed where Osto failed.”
“Very well Colt, you shall both die then!”
Sojorian lifts an arm, energy collects at his fingertips, it softly hisses for release.
“Divine Punishment!”
I turn and run for the teleporter, HolyChaos upon my heels, I hear the crackle of the attack being released into the air, we reach the teleporter, a destination is already set, not thinking, I slam my hand upon the console, I feel the familiar weightless sensation and then, my sight goes dark.
~
Sojorian lets his arm wilt to his side. The room once containing the two is now merely a hole of burnt cinders…
“They got away it seems. It matters not, heh, they are already too ensnared in my web to escape.”
He touches the PDA upon his arm, an image comes up of a blue haired RAmar, his hair, a steely blue it’s slicked back to points, much like the FOmars.
“Damocles, are you in position?”
“Yes Sojorian, all is going well.”
“Good, when you find them, kill them both. They have chosen to die rather then join us.”
“How would you like them killed? I can simply put a bullet through their skulls, but… That won’t be much fun, heh.”
“Ha, quite agreed… Use your best judgment in this Damocles. I have, other matters to attend to.” “As you wish Sojorian.”
~
Cranberry is the first to step upon the teleporter pad, anxious to be off she bobs back and forth on the balls of her heels
“Come on you guys! Let’s go already!”
The other three continue to walk towards the teleporter pad, their smaller counter part’s hair bobs as she moves back and forth, anxious to be off it seems. A noise is heard, the others take it for a mere groan of steel that the mine is constructed of and pay it no mind, Samus turns from the teleporter and walks back a few feet, his distinct foot steps heard by all.
“What is it?”
Sage asks, slight frustration shown in his voice that they are not off yet, and that his headache is still present.
“Unknown sound source. Determining origin now.”
Samus states as his scanners begin their work, taking in all viable data from the mines.
“Heh, clever RAcast, very clever… For an old model, I must say… Very clever… Too bad it’s over for you now, ha-ha, you and your little entourage.”
Achrion throws a small orb down from his position in the shadows, with that he vanishes; nothing is left of his presence but the small orb that tumbles to the ground below.
The small tink of the orb catches the RAcast’s attention, the orb rolls towards an iron support beam, it touches the beam and rolls a few inches away, and there it stops. Seeming unimportant, Samus returns to re-check his scans once more before departing. An explosion rocks the ground he stands on, Samus whirls; his metal feet clanging against the steel floor as he turns, dust and rock start to fall from the ceiling. Turning to the metal support, he sees it begin to crumble, it topples over, Samus throws his hands up and locks his arm servos in place as the beam crashes into his palms.
His gears groan, his arms try to buckle on him. He grunts and forces his arm servos to lock up again. As the dust settles, he sees before him Sage, Mewone, and Cranberry, within the doorframe to the room of the teleporter, covering their mouths and eyes with hands or sleeves.
“Go, now before the mine collapses. My arms can only hold this weight for so long.”
Samus states, his voice monotone, as if he could choose to make it sound no other way. Cranberry looks at him and then towards Sage and Mewone. Both the other Forces look towards one another, and nod solemnly, it must be this way.
“Come on Samus you can make it! Just let go and run, you cam do it!”
Cranberry says, encouragement shows in her small eyes.
“Negative small one. I can not, my arm servos are locked in place, the moment I move them or the load becomes too much to bear, I shall be crushed. Go now hurry or I will have to kick you in to moving.”
Samus’ arm servos groan, his arms begin to buckle, his metal casing begins to shutter and crack under the pressure and weight of the derby.
“I said go.”
Cranberry looks towards Samus once more and then steps back into the teleporter, her feet on the pad, Sage press the button in for the coordinates, then in a flash of light they are off.
Steam hisses from his arms, his metal casing shatters, the weight slowly subdues the proud and strong RAcast, his knees slowly begin to buckle,
“It is now up to you all.”
The weight then crashes down upon Samus, his arms finally having given all they can, and taken all they could receive. Dust rises from the rubble, a single RAcast hand is seen jutting out from the derby, its circuitry still firing off signals as it at last looses power and falls into silence.
~
The teleportation ends, I step out of the teleporter onto soft sand. I look around me, the sun is out, I hear soft waves in the distance, the smell of the ocean fills my nostrils. Suddenly a buzz is heard, I turn on my heels, HolyChaos emerges from the teleporter then.
“Hurry, get down!”
He hollers at me, suddenly the teleporter explodes in a flash of dark energy, a piece of the metal sky rockets towards me, I throw my arms in front of me, the metal slams into my Purple Ring, the force sends me back slamming into a tree, I slump down and fall upon my face, the last thing I see before me is the sand and the sea as the sun sets.
~ Colt and HolyChaos have made it alive from the Seabed facility. Sojorian’s powers have increased and continue to multiply with each dark creature tainted by “it” that he claims as his own. The proud RAcast Samus, has fallen in battle, his sacrifice made to save the others and give Colt and HolyChaos a fighting chance. Yet, a new threat emerges in the shadows of an unknown figure of Damocles. Achrion is still stalking the other group, having been the causes of Samus’ death. A new player enters the field as well, a new ally unknown to Colt, yet he is already making his way to help him. The question remains, will Damocles allow Colt to live long enough to see this new ally?
Next Chapter:
Recollection on the Beach of Warfare
Cranberry: Oh, is this a hint to something?
Colt: Meh who knows, it very well could be, you will just have to wait to find out.
Cranberry: But I don’t want to! ;_;
Colt: … Damnit all, I hate when you make that sad face… I never win.
Cranberry: Hahaha, PWNED!
Colt: …. I give up…
Sage: You always lose to Cran, it can’t be helped, she is the fruit after all…. <_<
Cranberry: That’s right ^_^.
Colt: … v_v *Walks into Sato Farm.*
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 26, 2006 19:27:22 GMT -5
Chapter Fourteen Recollection on the Beach of Warfare
Gulls squawk and cull in the distance. The sound of soft rolling waves enters my hearing,
“Mmmh… Uhh, Where am I?”
I say to the ground. The waves continue their quite hum, rolling back and forth across the soft sand, a soft wind blows, the smell of salt enters my nostrils, I inhale the alluring scent, I always loved the ocean… My mind grows heavy, the few senses I am using now start to dull. The call of the gulls and the ocean become soft hiccups of what they once were. The smell of the ocean, slowly looses its intensity, soon, I fall asleep again to the rolling of the waves.
The skitter of something by my head brings my eyes open, I turn my head, feeling the grit of the soft sand go against my face. I see a small ocean crab hobble past me as fast as it’s side ways walk can go, I see the soft white sand below my face and hear the ocean again. I push myself up upon my arms, grains of sand stick to the side of my face, I brush them off absently as I rise to a sitting position facing the sound of the waves. I see the sun has just begun to set, the walker has begun to draw the curtain of night over the sky as he goes by. I rise to stand, brushing the sand off myself as I rise.
I look around myself, the beach is calm and quite, compared to where we just were… I look around remembering HolyChaos was behind me when the explosion of teleporter happened. I look back and see nothing of him, except footprints leading off to another section of the beach. My curiosity peaked; I follow them down the winding sands. The wind blows a soft cool breeze as I go, I ignore the slight cold that comes with it, just glad to know that I am still alive to feel it, knowing that I have barely escaped death, or worse… Entrapment by either one of those things…
I soon come to see a small prick of orange glow upon the beach. I see HolyChaos has started a small fire and is starring out at the ocean as well, I move closer to him, I move my hand and arm up to wave to him when I notice the somber look upon his face, his eyes are looking towards the horizon where the blue and purples meet. The sound of the waves and fire crackling fills my ears. I stop, he is lost in thought of something. I quietly turn from him and head down a small alcove within a rock face that looks out at the ocean. I travel into the small and winding notch; soon I come to a small local teleporter, not knowing where it leads and wishing to have my own place to think, I step upon the small pad.
I feel the all to well-known feeling of weightlessness, soon though, my feet touch the ground once again, instead of sand though, I hear the crackle of some leaves and small grasses. I open my eyes and look around myself. I look forward and notice I am upon a spire, I look out down towards the bay, I see the small speck of orange that is the fire HolyChaos is lost in thought at. I look towards the view again, the stars begin to come, showing their eagerness for the night to begin, I slowly sit down and just watch the stars appear as the ocean as always, continues its slow peaceful, alluring drum against the sands and rocks below…
~
“Heh, that’s right. Relax you two, it won’t be much longer now before I begin.”
Damocles whispers to himself, his hands grip the trigger and barrel of his sniper rifle. He trains the sights on Colt.
“He is the unknown of the two… His power is unchecked; he does not yet know how to tap into the taint like the others of us do… He will be the last to be my target.”
Damocles slowly rotates his sights, HolyChaos, the FOmar.
“Now he is a target worthy of my time, He knows the nature of his taint, how it manifests itself within him, how he can use it. How it evolves in him. Heh, he will be the, more fun of the two to kill… Haha.”
Damocles slowly pulls back the pin of the rifle, and loads a round within the rifles chamber. The clink of the metal entices him to go on with the act, to begin the blood shed and suffering.
His finger begins to squeeze on the trigger, the pressure builds, his left hand grips the barrel of the rifle harder, his knuckles become white. The butt of the rifle presses into his shoulder, his head lowers into the sight, the cross hairs become sharp in his eye, they fall to the back of HolyChaos’ skull. The trigger comes to the point where it stops, an ounce more of pressure and the bullet will be shot, an ounce less and it will remain in the barrel.
“Oh how easy it would be to do… Yet, I always did like to have my prey suffer. Hehe…”
Damocles releases the pressure on the trigger, it slowly pops back into place, the grip on the barrel becomes lax, his knuckles return to a normal color. The pressure on his shoulder from the end of the rifle wanes.
“Bah, you will both die soon enough, until then, enjoy the breaths you take this night. For they will soon be your last.”
Damocles slowly rises from his perch and walks back into the dense forest that surrounds the ocean. His footsteps are masked by the gulls and drifting of the waves.
~
He makes his way through the lush undergrowth. Branches break, leaves crackle all around, birds and local animals call out, and it all still doesn’t mask the clank, clank of his iron feet. The RAcast streaks into a brief glimpse of sunlight. He is bulky for his outline, pure iron cast muscle, tall for his out cropped shape. His colors are bland, a rust crimson, with blacks and low greens that match the undergrowth perfectly.
Looking to his weapons, he is a walking armory. Out now he holds a Yasminkov 2000H. Strapped to his back rests the monster of a Yasminkov 7000V, the huge gun is ready to plaster anything that looks at him the wrong way. He stops for a moment and surveys the surroundings, activating his scanners, thermo, sound, and all other manner of them.
“…Nothing detected… I don’t like this.”
Holstering his Yask 2000H, he unclips the monster frag fest of the Yask 7000V from his back.
Pumping a round into the chamber he presses on, speed is needed for this, but so is stealth. He remembers the urgency heard in the young FOnewearl’s voice all to well…
~
“Striker, Striker? Are you even there? Pick up now!”
“Gah, Cran? What is it? You know I am in the middle of hunting these things, what could be important enough to call me in the middle of a battle?!”
The RAcast says to his communications function of his PDA arm gauntlet. An upper cut to the jaw of an Ul Gibbon resounds through the dense undergrowth with a defiant snap of jaw bone. The creature falls on to its back howling in pain, only increasing its pain by screaming and moving its jaws.
The RAcast un-holsters his twin Yasminkov 9000Ms. The twin machine guns let loose a hail of metal shells on to the deranged creature. Holes riddle its body soon after the firing stops. The huge RAcast re-holsters the sub machine guns back into their rightful compartments, finds a nice log and sits down to begin talking with the tiny FOney.
“Now Cran, what is it you need?”
“Striker? Oh thank god you finally answered! I was beginning to think I lost the signal, or worse, that you hung up on me!”
A pouting Cranberry soon appears within the full view of his PDA’s display screen. Shaking his head, the RAcast simply remains quite and waits for her to answer him, or chew him out playfully a little more. Her facial expression becomes serious, he realizes she did not call him to discuss a small matter of how is he, or where his Fiancé was…
“Cran… What’s wrong?”
The small FOnewearl begins to choke up slightly, but quickly regains her self after fingering her blue ring.
“Striker… Do you remember an explosion that occurred about a week ago from yesterday aboard Pioneer 2?”
“Yes, I remember hearing about it from other Hunters and on the news… What does this have to do with you calling me though?”
“… I was in that explosion, it was caused by another Hunter so to speak…”
Striker remains quite, he had heard about the sudden explosion of an area besides the medical wing of Pioneer 2, he had merely thought it was an act of radicals opposing the Government’s delay in laying the ground works for Pioneer 2’s settlement plans. He never thought another Hunter could cause it. From what he could gather about it, it was huge, it had claimed 4-8 blocks of a residential area, and hundreds were reported dead or gravely injured.
“It was caused by another Hunter, and yet it wasn’t…”
“What do you mean?”
Cranberry falls silent for a moment, trying to think how to best explain the situation of it.
“Well… It turns out the Hunter is not just himself…? He had... Another soul within his body…”
“What is this soul you speak of Cranberry?”
Cranberry laughs a little, its uncertain if it’s from nerves or actually one of laughter. She regains herself and looks to Striker.
“A soul… It’s kind of like... Ones concise… I guess… Actually, you have one, it’s your personality. You know, how you always protect females and such.”
Cran giggles slightly at saying this, if RAcasts could blush one would say Striker was at this point.
“All right I understand now but… How could he have two within himself? You can only be one person… That one person is you.”
“We don’t know… Whenever this “other soul” came to the forefront though, his physical appearance always changed. He didn’t look like himself. He didn’t act like himself. It’s as if all traces of him disappeared, had been dragged down into a hole and buried there.”
“Well what about him then?”
“Well when he found out he was like this… He ran, not wanting to be near anyone to endanger them, I went looking for him as well as Sage since he had saved my life when he did not need to.”
“He sounds like me a little no?”
“Hehe, I guess so Striker, except he just doesn’t favor the girls.”
Cranberry sticks her tongue out at Striker a little after the comment.
“We soon found him again, battered and broken, it seems he had a fight with a monster and lost horribly…”
Cranberry Re-tells the tale of how Colt revealed to them of his entire quest, of how it lead them to the mines and then utterly, to their own current situation.
“That is why we need you Striker… We know he is on that island. We need you to find him and watch over him… Please…”
Striker looks into Cranberry’s eyes. He sees this not just some random Hunter that she met by pure chance. This is a friend of hers… He sighs… He curses himself and his soft interior under his breath.
“Very well Cran, I will look for him, send me the stats on him.”
~
Shaking his head, he continues the on the jog, making up for time lost by reminiscing. A rumble catches his attention, he turns, his metal feet clanging against the dirt below; he cocks the huge shotgun and pumps another round into the chamber. Nothing stirs. “… Not, good…” He turns again and begins to walk on, suddenly a cackle begins, he whirls just in time to see a huge pink orb streak towards him, Striker dodges to the left of orb, rolling into a firing stance. He looks back to where he was, he sees the orb strike an unwary Zol Gibbon that had tried to launch an attack on him.
The attack burns through the Gibbon’s chest leaving a searing hole in the monster ape. The beast falls to the ground dead, its face white as new fallen snow. “… Standing still and taking it like a RAcast… Bad idea… Running around like a scared and blind FOmar… Ehh, sounds good!” Striker leaps to his feet and begins to run as he fires off round after round into the huge plant. The plant merely laughs as the bullets lodge themselves and fail to do any true damage to the plant. It shakes, what appears to be its ugly head, its pink blossoms waving back and forth in its movements.
Striker, continuing to run replaces the shotgun to his back, strapping it into place. The plant cackles again and fires off another pink orb, Striker dives behind a rock just as the orb slams into ground, dirt and rock fly on to the RAcast as he shields his visor. “This isn’t working…”
Striker pokes his head out from behind the rock to see the plant still looking for him. Touching the side of his visor he begins a scan of the plant, it appears in his database as a Meicoral, a carnivores plant with tendencies to like androids, and humans alike. Striker begins to think, analyzing its past tendencies in this battle and what he can tell from the data the guild has gathered, it is likely to charge him soon, suddenly a shuffle catches his hearing sensors.
Striker juts his head above the rock to see the Meicoral has begun its charge, like a mad bull seeing red, it charges the stone shield Striker is behind, diving for cover he rolls out of the way of the plant. Placing a freeze trap behind him as he dives out of the way, Striker dodges the initial charge of the plant. The rock explodes as the plant crashes into it, the plant chuckles and inhales, ready to launch another attack. The freeze trap goes off, incasing the monstrous plant in an ice tomb, reacting quickly, Striker reaches for a damage trap, taking five he throws them all toward the Meicoral.
The freeze tomb wears off, the plant shakes of the reminders of ice in a shower of water. It begins to cackle again, the five traps fall down its throat as it laughs, the Meicoral sputters and coughs… It waits, nothing happens, it begins to cackle again and readies to launch another attack at Striker, he moves to dodge only to see he has run into a rock face. “… Ahh Crud…” Striker Draws his Yask 7000V once again and loads a slug into the chamber, determined not to go down without a fight.
The plant lurches forward, its movements stop, it peers down towards its gullet. A small thump is heard from within it. Striker looks up towards the plant as it raises its head in pure horror. “Heh, bye-bye you over grown weed.” The plant tries to attack, to cut Striker down in two with its twin scythed arms. However it is far too late, Striker raises his arms in front of his face as the plant explodes.
Blood gushes on to Striker’s arms as the innards of the plant speared around him, landing upon his arms. As the sound of the explosion clears, sounds of the jungle slowly return, he slowly removes his arms from their protective stance. Turning them over to see the extent of the damage done to them, nothing significant, except maybe a new paint job will be needed after this, “Bah, and I just got waxed as well… Damn plant.”
Shaking his head, he shakes and rattles his arms to clear them of the gore, most of it falls off easily enough. Moving towards the sound of a small stream, he dips his metal arms into the slow moving water and washes off what blood and gore that he can. The small stream soon fills with greens and bits of plant parts. After clearing his arms of what he can, Striker rises and places the Yask 7000V back upon his back, feeling the familiar click and weight of it as it is returned.
“Got to move now…” With that Striker starts off on his slow jog once again. The familiar sounds of the jungle, only a silent whisper as the clanging of his metal boots echoes through out, for all to hear.
~
The sound of the warp activating and leaves crackling catches my attention, I turn my head to see who has come, HolyChaos walks forward and sits to my left. “I had a feeling you might have been up here.” He says to me, his voice soft, as he stares towards the ocean, the sun has set and the night fills with the glow of the stars high above us as they smile down.
“Hmm…” I say in response, my own voice a small whisper on the wind as a small breeze blows, I stare as it picks up some leaves and sends them to tumble down the cliff face, their fall, slow and uncertain. Just like mine is now… I turn to stare at HolyChaos, he has closed his eyes and is lost in thought once more. I slowly turn back to the ocean, I too close my eyes and let myself drift through the throngs of memories I now have. Seeing familiar faces, my friends, my home aboard Pioneer 2, all swirl in my mind.
My eyes sting a little, knowing much of what I had thought, as my past before now, was all mere illusion. I sift through the memories I have of my childhood. They are broken and incomplete, unable to truly decipher what I can from them now. “Still trying to discern what is real and what is illusion Colt?” I open my eyes, and turn to see HolyChaos starring out at the ocean.
“… Yes, I am…”
He simply nods his head a little. A cold breeze whips the small blades of grass and leaves forward, I curl a little tighter into myself, the sudden chill sending shivers down my spine, as if the hand of death was close by.
“I can only offer you one thing Colt, trust your heart. You seem to be rather skilled in that area from what I have seen. Do it now as well, do not let your mind cloud the judgment of your heart. Even though the mind may seem right, the heart never falters.”
“… What do you mean I seem rather good at thinking with my heart?”
“Do you remember when you first saw me, what was your initial thought Colt, what did your mind tell you to do.”
“It told me to kill you, that you were a threat to me, one that must be destroyed before it could act and endanger me.”
“And yet, you did no such thing, instead you let me live, talk to you, a grave mistake had I been against you, don’t you agree?”
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 26, 2006 19:28:32 GMT -5
“…. Yes, but, I knew… I just felt as if you would not attack, as if you were there to help…”
“And what pre-tell told you that Colt?” HolyChaos smiles a little as he says these last few words, his mouth curving into a grin, the kind of grin you give some one when they know you will give the right answer. I turn away from his gaze and look towards the ocean again, a small breeze picks up and makes my hair sway gently in it.
“… It was my heart that told me so…” My voice says as the wind carries it away.
“Heh, yes I believe it was Colt…”
HolyChaos then stands, his white robes swishing in the cool breeze, grass and leaves swirl around his form as the wind picks them up. A wave crashes against the rock face below us, a spray of surf comes up to our eyesight, he looks towards it as the spray falls to the pool below again.
“I take my leave now Colt. I have a feeling you have much to think on, I am afraid you must do it on your own though.”
HolyChaos steps on to the warp and is gone, I am alone upon the spire once again. Another cold breeze whips my hair around in it. I curl into myself for warmth, I wish to cry, or let tears come out, but none come. I learned long ago that tears solve nothing… I sigh and turn my attention again to the ocean below and ahead of me. The stars shine, small lights that twinkle as I stare at them. More memories float before my eyes, more of my mother… Anna… “I wonder… Did she know of this, thing growing in me…? Changing, evolving… If so, why did she care about me…? Why was I given the gift of having a parent? So many unanswered thoughts…” I speak only to the grass and lone tree on the spire. The wind answers in return, a low gentle breeze.
I stand, accessing my PDA arm gauntlet; I look in it to see what items I have in it. I see a few trimates, and trifluids left, as well as a couple of moon atomizers. Nothing special is seen there… I sigh and turn off the PDA. I look down towards my feet as the night envelopes me, gulls cull lowly, the sea simmers to a low whisper as low tide takes effect. “…What am I fighting for…”
~
HolyChaos turns from the warp and heads down the beach, his movement’s soft upon the sand, the ocean continues its low drum against the beach. He heads down the beach, letting the wind and the surf tie his thoughts up in their slow and enticing hum. He comes to stop on a strip of beach; he peers out to sea, watching the ocean roll back and forth as the stars shine down. He still sees those eyes, his mocking eyes, his veil voice has never left his ears.
“Ha! What a worthless fool you are! Your powers are no match for mine, we are in classes all our own your moronic FOmar, look at you! You can barely stand after that one injection and you wish to try and strike me down? Pathetic… Just like the rest… Take him away!”
“… I shall have my revenge on him… No matter the cost, he will die.” HolyChaos clenches his right hand into a fist, it shakes with fury, his knuckles turn white to match his robe.
His eyes snap open, he whirls and fires off a hail of Gibrata behind him, a single lone bullet clatters to the white sands below. HolyChaos bends down to look at it, the metal casing shines in the under glow of the stars. He turns the bullet over in his palm, looking at it, he notices one small thing about it, it has a cyan tinge… “… No… Damnit… He is here!”
~
His prey suddenly takes off, it runs for cover behind a stone spire, he quickly pulls back the pin, another round loads into the chamber, he squeezes the trigger, a silenced muffle goes off, the FOmar dives to the ground, the bullet flying over him as he lands on the sand. “Heh, got you now!” Damocles quickly loads another shell into the chamber, he brings the sights upon the FOmar, he is just starting to stand, “Heh, good bye you worthless failure.” Bullets pierce the air suddenly, a hail of metal descends upon him, he hears a distinctive ring behind him, the ring of a RAcast’s iron feet as they trod upon trees at a full blown charge…
~
Striker fires off another few rounds from his Yask 2000H at the form within in the trees. “Damn, I hope I am not to late.” The form suddenly breaks away from the trees and heads east, to a deserted part of the beach. “Damnit… I am tired of all this running, my joints need oil, and I hate this humidity… It does crap for my wax job!” He chases after the figure, branches crash against his armor as he dashes through the final bits of the jungle to reach the beach before him. He reaches the beach, his iron clad footsteps become soft in the sand. “I really hope I don’t sink in here.” Striker mumbles to himself as he places his first tentative foot steps on to the white sand.
“Oh, I doubt that is the worst of your problems old man.” Striker looks towards the figure, he is silhouetted by the moon, his face is obscure, his hair though is clearly seen, it is a steely blue…
“Allow me to introduce myself, the militaries, ex top sniper, and marksman, Damocles, also known as, WingsBane.”
“Heh, a hotshot rookie I take it.”
“We will see if your words hold water old man, now… Let us begin, I have better prey I must kill before the night is through.”
The young RAmar draws his sniper rifle and fires off a round, Striker dodges the initial shot, the bullet harmlessly penetrates the sand behind him. Striker fires off the last three rounds in his current clip for his Yask 2000H. Damocles dodges to the right and under, all three of his shots miss, two sending sand into the air as they impact the ground, the other one sending a small spray of water up as it disappears into a small tidal pool. He unloads the empty clip, and slides a new one into its stead, hearing the click as it is locked into place, he draws back the sleeve of the barrel and loads a bullet into the chamber. Striker looks up, he sees Damocles has gone behind a rock, Striker takes cover as well as he heads back into the tree line.
“Heh, it seems you are not as thick headed as some make you out to be old man.”
“I am not that old by RAcast standards boy.”
“Heh, it doesn’t matter, I will still win.”
“Still going on about being the military’s ex best sniper huh?”
“I was, of course, it was after your time, I was cut loose for my… Rather unconventional methods of killing my targets. Hehe, haha.”
“I now go to the highest bidder for my skills, I never miss my target.”
“Until just a few minutes ago with the FOmar and myself. If you are as skilled as you claim, you should have been able to pick us off easily, with a 98% success rate at killing us in one shot or incapacitating us.”
“You will pay for that remark tin can!”
The RAmar suddenly jumps out from behind the rocks, strapping his sniper rifle to his back he pulls out another weapon, the strange weapon seems to be colored orange and purple in the bright moonlight, it seems to be in similar shape to a Gi-Gue’s back side where it fires out its RAfoie.
“Are you ready?”
The RAmar fires off a shell from the odd weapon, it spins Towards Striker at a somewhat slow pace, even for a photon shell. Not wanting to know what it can do, Striker dodges out on to the beach, diving behind an outcropped rock face a few feet away. The jungle is suddenly engulfed in a huge explosion followed by an uproar of flames.
“What-What is that?!”
“Heh, like it old man? They didn’t have this back on Coral now did they? Haha, ahh the wonders Dr. Osto made out of his experiments here, this is just one of the many terrors he made and that we perfected.”
“… This could be the start of a bad day…” A shell impacts the rock Striker is behind, gravel and dust slowly descend on to him as it is nearly destroyed in the first shot from the monster of a weapon. “A really bad day…” Striker replaces his Yask 2000H into its holster on his right hip. Leg compartments hiss open and he draws forth his twin Yask 9000Ms.
~
“Gun fire? What the hell, I thought it was a lone sniper…” HolyChaos rises from his hiding place, just as an explosion goes off, a plume of red and orange flames streak into the night sky. “Not good…” HolyChaos draws his Holy Ray from its holster. “Not good at all…”
~
My arm Guantlet goes off with a ring, “What the…” I activate it and HolyChaos appears upon the display screen. “What is it-“
“Gun battle, some one is after us Colt, and it seems they were engaged by another… I don’t know which is which at this point. I suggest you get down here now, be sure to bring a ranged weapon, this guy is a good marksman. HolyChaos out.”
My gauntlet goes dead at that point; I hear a soft muffle and look towards the noise, a tower of orange and red sky rockets upward. “… What is happening…?” I rise and look towards my arm gauntlet, checking my weapons data stored in it. I quickly scan the initial data, and see I have a Suppressed Gun with me, I quickly activate it and a red box soon appears before me, I open the contents and draw forth the hand gun. I run to the teleporter and activate it, unsure of what awaits me on the battle field.
~
“What do you mean we can’t have access to Gal De Val?!?!?”
“I am sorry but you can not be granted access at this time to Gal De Val.”
“Oh, and why not?”
“… That is confidential information…”
“Confidential my tiny FOnewearl butt!”
“Cran… That’s enough…”
Sage states as he begins to slowly pull the small but, potent FOnewearl away from the principal’s desk.
“I am sorry sir, we are just looking for a friend and we are all rather worried about him, that’s all.”
“Apologies are not needed Sage, I can understand greatly.”
“Then why not give us access the island!”
“Cranberry! This is not going to get us anywhere if you keep biting his head off!”
As the three continue to bicker and try to apologize for the young FOney’s outbursts, one remains in the shadows.
“Tch, such a waste of time. I have other matters I need to attain to then this.”
Mewone quietly recites to himself. Brushing his thin gray locks of hair from his eyes, he rivets them back to the scene before him. “Such a waste this is…” With that, he slowly slips from the shadows and activates the teleporter to the city below, the other three never noticing his disappearance.
He walks through the back alley ways and deserted streets of Pioneer 2. “I will never understand people getting worked up over one another, he is just another Hunter.” Mewone continues on down the deserted alley ways, the air becoming cold as night soon sets in, “Damn these environment replication systems. Why do we need them in space?” Mewone shivers as these words leave his shivering lips. He soon comes to the spot he was looking for, an old building, not in need of repairs but, it could use a nice wash on the outside. He climbs the steps to the door and knocks, it slowly opens of its own accord and he steps in.
“What news do you bring?”
A female voice sounds from a banister atop a stair case just in front of him.
“Not much, it seems you were right though, the HUmar was in fact a vessel…”
“And… What of the experiment preformed on him, did it work?”
“As far as my observations went… It appears so, the taint has had no ill effects on him at all… As for the last few phases of it, I was not able to see if it worked for Sojorian when he was bonded with the other soul… Or if he was successful with the absorption of Olga.”
“There is no need to gather that data.”
“Pardon?”
“I have already seen proof that it worked.”
“How so?”
“The principal’s office feed we have, I saw as that damnation absorbed Olga and retained the original insanity he possessed, now only more power hungry then ever before… The fool will kill us all.”
“… What are your orders?”
“I have none for you, it is your call whether or not you choose to involve yourself, just know, if the time comes, you may have to kill the HUmar.”
“Wha-What? I told you he is unaffected by the taint, if the other soul has been removed then the taint must be as well, correct.”
“No… The purpose of the experiment was to make so a person could be touched by the taint directly, taking full use of its powers, regeneration, death and carnage, and not be controlled by Falz… That was the ultimate goal of the experiment… The soul was there to filter the dark influences of Falz, but allow the taint and its power to pass through to the carrier, the original intender of the taint… We do not know of what happens after that filter is removed… For all we know the taint could rise and re-take the person for Falz again.”
“… I-I don’t know what to do…”
“You must make the call on your own… It must be made now… Before it is to late young one.”
“… I will stay out of it… I have gotten to close to him… I know I could not kill him even if I had to… He is, my friend… I could not sacrifice his life, as he would not sacrifice mine.”
“…Very well, here is your next assignment. Get to it.”
“What of my disappearance though, I can not simply just be gone, it will seem… Rather odd to them all no?”
“… Agreed, I will arrange for it to be taken care of, do not worry.”
Mewone soon steps from the door way and out into the cold night air once again, his breath appears before his eyes, slowly curling into the night air. “… Good Luck Colt, I hope you are safe.” With that, he stalks off to achieve his next objective, hoping maybe one day by chance, his path will cross Colt’s once more.
~
“Grr… You are nothing more then a stingy old man! Meh!”
“Cran! I thought I asked you to stop that.”
Sage says coldly to the small Force as she sticks her tongue out at the principal. The old man simply puts his head into his hands and rubs his temple, “If only they knew.” He mutters, his eyes squinting shut.
“We shall take our leave now, come on Cran…. Cranberry…”
“Hmph!”
With that, the FOmar and FOnewearl slowly stride from his office to mingle again in the city of Pioneer 2. The principal folds his arms on his desk and lays his head on them. “I am sorry you two, but… For the future of our people… He must die… Please forgive me…Your friend will not be returning from Ragol this time.”
Below in the city streets Cranberry and Sage slowly walk towards the residential areas of Pioneer 2. “Grumpy old man…”
“Cranberry… We have been through this… There must be a reason for it, you know that.”
“It doesn’t matter! Colt is in trouble and Striker could be as well Sage!”
“Cranberry, I have no doubts in Colt’s or Striker’s abilities to live and handle whatever is thrown at them, do not worry, once they meet up, nothing will stop them.”
“… Very well… Oh look, there is Mewone, what is he doing over there?” The two begin to walk towards the FOmar, suddenly a gunshot rips through the throngs of people, the FOmar in a light blue suddenly slackens in his stance, he looks towards his chest, blood slowly begins to seep through his robes, he then collapses.
“Mewone!” Cranberry and Sage rush to his side as he falls, his body falls to the ground, cold and still. The crowds panic, screaming erupts, chaos ensues, people run, trying to get away and protect themselves or their loved ones. A lone Ranger remains, his rifle still smoking from bullet just fired from it.
“Why? Why did you kill him?!” Cranberry asks the ranger as he stands there, just looking at them.
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 26, 2006 19:31:14 GMT -5
“Orders, nothing more small one.”
“You killed some one on pure orders?! Nothing more?! Are you even human!?”
“… Heh, why does it matter. We all die at some point.”
“What do you mean what does it matter?! Of course it matters! Why would you take some ones life away before they had a chance to live it!”
“It doesn’t matter, that is all you need to know. Remember small one, some time in your life, you may have to make the choice to end some ones life before it is there time, either by their own choosing or by someone else’s, you have to think what is more important.”
With that, the Ranger walks off to collect his pay, none from the military stop him, matters involving Hunters are strictly left to the guild to deal with, unless they involve civilians or other non Hunter citizens.
Cranberry rushes back to Mewone’s side, he coughs up a blood bubble, she looks towards Sage who has already begun a Resta Technique upon him.
“Its no use Cran… Its too late, the bullet has ripped through his lungs and heart… He doesn’t have long.”
“No… Just no…”
The young Force says as she watches the life slip from his eyes. Mewone slowly lifts his arm up and his voice comes to them in a slow whisper.
“Listen to me you two… Tell Colt, that I am sorry I could not help him that much, tell him I hope he is safe… And… Good luck to you all…”
The FOmar groans a whisper and then loses the last beat of his heart to death. The two remaining Forces remain silent, giving prays and silent atonements to their lost friend. A lone figure peers down upon them from a roof top, he smiles as the wind catches his light blue robes and his bangs of gray hair, his eyes shine a little as he smiles, “Remember… your promise to tell Colt of what I said… Good bye… My friends.” With that he stalks off, his figure disappears in the night as he joins the shadows he now calls his home.
Cranberry looks up to the night sky, “We had best call the guild to inform them…” Sage nods his head and makes the call.
“They will be here in a bit, to take his body and prepare it for a proper burial.”
“We should go now… Its time we got some rest.”
“Yes… You’re right Cran. Let’s go to my home, its closer…”
Sage puts a comforting shoulder around the young Force and they begin the cold walk to his home. A home that will feel cold, with the loss of another friend, and the unknown fate of two more in the balance…
~
My feet touch down on the white sands, I rush towards the glow of orange and reds. My feet crunch the sands below me, my weapon drawn. I soon rush upon the scene, I hear gun fire hail all around, two figures dance as bullets rip apart the sands and ocean before them. A hand grabs my arm and pulls me down, I look towards the figure and see it is HolyChaos.
“How long has this been going on for?”
“Longer then I have been here… Look at all those bullet holes…”
“So many… So many shots…”
“Colt, do you know either of them.”
My eyes dance over the two opponents, neither registering within my mind, the RAmar, tall, young, brown camouflage paint spans part of his face, and his hair… It’s a steely blue… The RAcast, tall, of stocky build, a rust crimson color, greens and blacks, weapons adorn him as if he were a walking tank.
“No… Neither do…”
The RAcast fires off another burst from his machineguns towards the RAmar. The young RAmar doges to the right, evading the shots, they burrow harmlessly into the sands behind him. The RAcast’s clip empties, his gun clicks as it tries to fire bullets that are not there. He unloads the empty clips, fresh ones spring up from arm compartments, he grabs them in mid descent and snaps them into place, he hears the familiar click of the clip loaded and then runs to find cover.
“Getting tired yet old man?”
“Heh, Droids don’t get tired fleshy.”
“Heh, well said… For an older model”
The RAcast mentally conducts himself, and then, springs forth from his hiding spot. The RAmar does the same, both staring down at the others gun barrels, the RAcast with his Yask 9000 M, and the RAmar with his sniper rifle. Both take off in the opposite directions of one another and begin firing, The RAmar gets the first shot off at the RAcast. The RAcast bears his arm up before his visor, the bullet lances harmlessly into his arm.
The RAmar weaves in between the hail of gun fire from the RAcast’s machine guns, his movements fluid and undefined by logic and time. His back suddenly bends backwards as he dodges a bullet that flies over his head, he sees us both just watching the battle. His lips curve into a menacing smile, he whispers something, he suddenly straitens. The RAcast rushes towards him to finish him off with a snap of his neck, but stops, he looks towards me, he suddenly turns to his PDA and accesses it. The RAmar leers at us both, his eyes show loathing beyond compare.
“Ha, they make this too easy for me!” He suddenly turns his rifle upon us and fires, I dive to the sands as HolyChaos retreats to the rock face again. I rise again as he re-loads his rifle, I begin to run for the rock face, bullets rip open the sands before my feet.
“Now, now, cant have you living now can we Colt? Especially after you made it clear that you detested Sojorian’s ambitions.”
“I should have known… Who are you?”
“Me? I am but a simple mercenary employed to the highest bidder at the moment, my name is worth nothing, only my skill is.”
His sights are upon me again, “Now… Die Colt; wallow in the despair you wonder in!” Iron clad footsteps sound upon the beach suddenly. A dust cloud envelops me, I shield my eyes and cough as the sand and dust rise and enter my mouth and nose.
“Damnit! Why do you persist in stopping me?!”
“Because I was sent to protect him, we have a mutual friend who is fond of wearing a bright red and rather large bow in her hair.”
I open my eyes and remove my arm from my mouth, I stare into the RAcast’s visor as he turns his head to look at me, I can not tell if he gives me a wink or a smile but, it feels as such when I look upon him. I smile a little, knowing full well who he is referring to, my heart lightens a little, knowing that she is safe and unhurt, that they all are safe and unhurt.
“Hell Fire Judgment!” The RAmar turns to the source of the voice, his eyes pale as a blue bolt covered in flames lances towards him, he dodges to the right, just barely escaping the impact of it into his chest, the heat from the attack however singes his Ranger suit considerably.
“Damn you!” He whirls aiming his rifle towards HolyChaos, he fires off three rounds, the FOmar dodges each with grace, as if they were moving slowly through time, his movements fluid and precise.
“Tch, I should have known, you have mastered your taint as well.”
“Enough talk, I suggest you give up, you are out numbered and out skilled at this point.”
The RAcast states as he advances upon the cocky RAmar. “Hehe, AHahaha! You just don’t know what you are getting yourself into, do you old man? Here, let me show you!” The RAmar suddenly jumps backwards, landing on his feet, he draws forth two normal Yask 2000 Hs, “Now, are you ready for the pain?” He fires off two shots, the RAcast blocks both with his arms, the bullets ingraining themselves within his metal plates,
“Heh, you just don’t learn do you? Bullets are useless against a guy who is metal.”
“I think you will find these bullets of a different degree then your average bullet, Striker.”
Striker suddenly stiffens, his arm servos lock up.
“Gah, what is this?!”
“Heh, enjoy the electro bullets old man? Sure they may act like normal a bullet, that is, until they contact another piece of metal, and then the real fun begins. They send out a small electronic signal once embed into the host metal, rendering all systems attached to that sheet of metal useless.”
The RAmar stands and slowly aims his weapon at Striker’s temple, “And you thought I was a hot shot. How sad it must be for you to face a successor at such an old age.” He pulls back on the trigger, his face plays out like a deranged jackal going in for the neck of its victim, “Heh, see you, Old man.”
I stand, unsure of what I am doing; I draw my Suppressed Hand Gun, aim and fire. I hear the muffled shot; I see the photon streak towards its target.
“Ahhh! Damn!”
The RAmar grips his hand as he looks to the ground, his Yask 2000 H destroyed, by a single photon shot. He looks to me, his eyes go out of focus, his mouth mutates into a deranged smile, his laughter begins, cold and inhuman, his eyes become glazed as he looks to me. He flashes me a toothy grin, one a wolf would give to the lamb just before it slaughters them.
“… It seems he is progressing faster then expected… I will have to kill him now before it is too late and he learns how to control it.” The RAmar draws forth his sniper rifle again. He aims for me, I am unable to move, my body freezes, I can’t move, fear shows it self to me, it laughs at me, laughs at me in a low cackling voice.
“Good bye, you failed weapon. Gah!”
He grabs his left shoulder, I see a blue bolt imbedded in it. I turn and see HolyChaos, his Holy Ray drawn, his mouth is in a thin grimace, and his eyes betray a feeling of hatred I have never felt or seen before. He fires another bolt from his weapon, it impales his right shoulder blade, the RAmar hollers in pain, he drops his weapon it falls to the soft sand and embeds it self as the surf comes ever closer.
HolyChaos rushes the man, as he comes, he fires three more shots from his Holy Ray, two hit the RAmar’s knees, the third hits him in the chest, puncturing a lung, he begins to gurgle as he falls to the ground, he collapses to his knees first, he tries to speak, to breath, only blood comes up into his mouth, it begins to fall down and stain the white sand below him. Before he falls to his face, HolyChaos reaches him and grasps the man’s neck,
“I shall kill you all… All those working for him, you shall all die at my hands, Sojorian shall pay for what he has done, what he wants to accomplish, his dream, is nothing more then a sick and a twisted ambition of power that has encompassed him so that he is blind to the truth.”
HolyChaos’ voice comes in a low whisper to the RAmar, his voice, is filled with venom, malice beyond compare, he is truly lost in his dark lust for revenge. HolyChaos then wrenches his hands from either side of the man’s neck. A crack fills the air, the man falls face first into the white sand, his body unmoving…
Striker rises finally, checking his arm servos and diagnostics.
“All systems green and go. No trace of foreign components detected.”
I smile as he looks towards me, I slowly begin to walk forward, only to have my knees buckle under me, Striker and HolyChaos are the in an instant to catch me before I fall.
“Come on Colt, Let’s get you back home. Let’s go back to Pioneer 2.”
Striker looks towards me as he says this; a smile of sorts I would gather plays underneath his visor as well.
“I happen to know a certain FOney that will be more then pleased to see you are well again.”
I shake my head and smile,
“Yes, I believe I know of her as well. Let’s just hope she doesn’t want to kill me first after seeing me safe.”
HolyChaos smiles a little at the last comment and Striker begins to laugh a little, a small click catches my attention, I turn and see the body of the RAmar begin to move again, aiming one of its Yask 2000 H at HolyChaos’ back, I shove the FOmar out of the way. A pain surges through my lower left rib cage. I cringe and run towards the RAmar, I draw forth my Lavis, just as it begins to aim at me again, I reach the body and slash its head off.
The head rolls along the beach for a few inches before it stops, dark purple blood seeps from the severed head and neck wound… The blood of Falz… The body collapses’ a holler is heard from far below, one of rage and hatred, it shakes the ground we stand upon, then it subsides just as easily, leaving no trace of its being around. The RAmar remains still, his body truly gone of the taint. I gasp to catch my breath again, suddenly the pain of the bullet wound forces me to my knees. Striker and HolyChaos rush to me, HolyChaos places his hand upon the wound and begins to cast a Resta technique.
“Will that happen to us once we die as well…? Will we be forced to kill our own friends again…?”
Neither answers me, Striker more then likely computing an appropriate answer.
“Like I said, you think more with your heart then your head.”
“Bah, shut it already…”
I reply weakly to HolyChaos’ taunt, my face shows a very small grin as he finishes with the tech.
“That should be good enough until we arrive, once back aboard Pioneer 2, I will have to do more work but you will live.”
“And here I was worried about that.”
“Let’s get going, I don’t need Cran biting off my head anymore then she is going to for not keeping you from harm.”
I merely smile, knowing what the FOneweral can do when mad or displeased. HolyChaos parts from us and stands a few feet to my right, his eyes close, his mouth moves soundlessly, suddenly a light envelopes him, a telepipe soon appears around him. He looks towards me and Striker.
“You know this only works if you’re in it right?”
I shake my head and with Striker’s aid, I hobble into the glowing ring, I soon feel the all too well known feeling of weightlessness, then my vision goes dark.
~
“It” stirs now, twice it has failed to rid it self of him, twice it has been unable to do so, and the other draws near as well. Its extent into the world grows ever stronger though as the tides of power slowly shift, it hungers for release, hungers to be free, to feed, to kill…
Olga is gone, its own spawn, dead and cold to its touch, it is a part of the other now. Then there is the HUmar, his power grows as he comes closer and closer, closer to the time of it all. It yearns to walk among them all again, to walk among them, and kill all in its wake… It wishes to feed, for this one soul it has had for so long grows stale and cold… The gate shall be open soon, and all shall fade to black, until then, it shall wait, its hunger ever growing, its power ever dormant until the time is at hand, when all shall perish before it. The feast begins shortly…
~
Cranberry slowly steps out of the shower, wrapping a large towel around her lithe form, the room, fogged and mist filled. The shower matt feeling soft against her feet, she slowly makes her way to the mirror that hangs upon the far wall of the room. Standing upon her tip toes, she wipes the condensate water off the mirror to look at herself. Her hair is loosely hung back around her head; it comes down past her shoulders without the bow holding it in place. She smiles slightly to her self as she runs her slender fingers through her dark hair, the shower having given her a much needed energy boost and bathe. As she stares into the mirror, she sighs softly to herself, “What are we going to do now…?”
She shakes her head back and forth, not only to rid herself of these thoughts at the moment, but also just for fun to see her hair bounce back and forth. Drying herself off, she quickly dresses, opting to comb her hair before blow drying it. She turns on the hair dryer and looses herself to the noise of it, she does not hear Sage yelling to her to hurry up, since it is his apartment and he would like a shower within the next day.
Cranberry soon steps out of the room, her hair still down to her shoulders, and her ever present red bow in her hands.
“Finally, it’s been what two hours now?”
“Oh be quiet Sage, or I will have Sato munch on you.”
“… I am going to take my shower now…”
“Hehehe.”
Cranberry slowly walks into the living room and plops herself down into the couch, sinking into the rather squishy thing she almost looses herself in it. Quickly recovering she sits there watching as the environment replication systems activate outside and rain begins to fall unto the city. Her eyes glaze over a little, as she remembers the first time she truly got to know Colt.
“It was raining just like this, a soft mist…”
She quietly says to herself, her voice carrying a weight of sorrow upon it. Her eyes become slightly tear stained, she forces herself not to cry though, she still grasps to the hope that he is alive and well, and that they will find him soon. A knock at the door brings her thoughts back to her, Sage screams from the bathroom, “Can you get that Cran? I am in the middle of drying off.”
“I didn’t need to know the last part!”
“Haha, funny little one aren’t we.”
Cranberry giggles slightly as she goes to open the door, she turns the knob slowly, something keeps her from opening it at first, a feeling as if she doesn’t want to open the door… As if it were asking her, “Are you ready…?”
“… What’s wrong with me…”
She slowly rubs the blue ring upon her left arm, she slowly opens the door, three figures stand in the door way, two humans and one droid, two in white and one crimson rust colored, she looks into the eyes of the middle one. Her hands go up to her small mouth, her red bow slowly glides to the floor, the young HUmar bends down and picks it up as it touches the ground. He kneels to her eye level and looks at her.
Colt stares into Cranberry’s eyes, a smile plays across his battle worn face, his eyes show a gleam of cheer and rejoice upon seeing her standing in one piece. “Here, I think you dropped this Cran.” He holds the bow out to her, she shakily takes the bow in her hands and clutches it to her heart. “Is it… Colt, are you really here?”
Clot slowly takes her hand and puts it to his chest, Cranberry feels his low and steady heart beat. Up and down, a slow steady pace, a comforting one that all people wish to feel and hear.
“Can you feel that Cran?”
“… Yes…”
“Heh, well then, I guess I really am here… I really am home.”
Cranberry looks to the young Hunter, tears slowly stream down her face, she wraps her arms around his neck and squeezes tight.
“Ack! Cran! Cran!!! You’re chocking me!”
Colt gasps for air as the FOney clamps her small arms around his neck in a vice of friend ship.
“Cranberry, who was at the… Door…”
Sage steps out of the bathroom, drying off his glasses of steam as he enters the room, his eyes fall upon the scene, his mouth opens to speak, his eyes wander over the group. His glasses fall to the floor, thankfully it is carpeted. The glasses harmlessly bounce off the rug and settle by his feet.
“It’s been awhile Sage.”
“Indeed it has Striker, indeed it has… Welcome home.”
“Sage! Look! He is alive, Colt is alive!”
Cranberry says to Sage, her voice filled with happiness and joy. Sage turns to stare at the HUmar now, he looks to his face and laughs.
“What’s so funny?! He just came back after we thought he was dead! How can that be funny?”
“Because Cran, he really will be dead if you don’t let him have some air soon again.”
“Huh? What do you mean- OH! Ooops! Sorry Colt.”
Cranberry release the struggling HUmar from her death grip as he gasps for air.
“No place like home I guess.” He breathes wordlessly. Cranberry laughs, then her eyes show a hint of anger in them, small tears well up, and then without warning, she strikes out at Colt, slapping him across the face. Colt’s head whips to the left, her palm print upon his cheek, red and stinging.
“Don’t you ever make us worry like that again you meanie! We thought we would never find you! Don’t ever do that again!”
Colt checks his jaw to make sure it will still work after a hit like that, seeing as he can move it with no pain; he answers her with a small smile across his face.
“All right Cran, I promise not to do it again.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah, promise…”
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 26, 2006 19:48:12 GMT -5
Chapter Fifteen Return to The Silent Home
I smile upon my two friends, Sage, picking up his glasses as he stares at us, Cranberry with her small smile, has now moved on to pester Striker for a bit. Yet our number is small… “What happened to Mewone and Samus?” I ask Sage and Cranberry, their eyes reveal what I do not want to hear or see…
“No… They can’t be… Not both of them…”
“I am sorry Colt, but they both are…”
“… Tell me… How…”
“Samus… He went out like any Hunter would want to, glorious and for the sake of others. An explosion was set off just as we reached the teleporter back to Pioneer 2, it damaged the supports for that local area, if not for Samus… We all would have been dead, crushed beneath the tons of rubble that now marks his place of rest.”
“What of Mewone…?”
Cranberry begins to speak, her voice filling with a distant tint to it, as if she is reliving this moment from a mirror, where she can only see what happens and not change it, no matter how much she wishes other wise.
“Mewone was killed, by another hunter, a Ranger. He says he was just doing orders, I asked how he could do such a thing and have no remorse or question if he was human anymore…”
“What did he say to answer?”
“All he said was it is death. And, to remember that I may have to kill some one close to me, and if I have to… I must decide which is more important, their life or the lives of mine and others… I-I don’t think I could do it.”
Small tears form under her eyes, a sob escapes her small frame, I gently put my hands upon each of her shoulders and turn her to look at me,
“Cran, you will not have to do that. Do not worry; you are not losing anymore of us… Understand?”
She smiles a little at my reassurance, she then turns towards HolyChaos and looks at him thoughtfully for the first time.
“Who is he? His fashion sense is horrid.” I cringe and laugh at the same time as I look towards HolyChaos, he merely looks to the FOney and shakes his head,
“What can I say…? I was not born with a fashion gene… So sue me.”
“This, is HolyChaos, were it not for him. I would be dead as of now.”
The FOmar looks around and stares into the eyes of all those gathered, his gaze settles on each one, as if looking through their soul, testing, gauging if they are worthy of his trust. His eyes move towards the window, it still lightly rains outside. His eyes glass over a little, his emotions slip just for an instant, and I believe to see the beginnings of a tear form, however, it is quickly gone, replaced with his cold exterior once again, devoid of emotion.
Cranberry, walks up to the young FOmar, she looks into his eyes, she smiles, extending her small hand to him. He looks at her, from her hand to her eyes. He merely smirks a little. He extends his own hand and takes it in hers, she smiles to him, he returns it, if only for an instant. Suddenly, the throb of the bullet wound rips through me once again.
“Oww… Oh yeah, still a little sore.”
“Ooh…. I forgot, I needed to finish healing that up didn’t I?”
HolyChaos takes his hand and places it behind his head, his face looks towards the ground as he remembers. He looks up, shakes his head and walks over to me, placing his hands over the wound; he finishes the casting of Resta upon it.
“You will still be sore, but it should be fully healed now, the bullet went right through which is why we didn’t need to visit the medical area. You got lucky I guess.”
“Yeah, lucky by taking your bullet.”
“Heh.”
I stretch, testing out my side, I run a hand gently over it, no hole is felt besides the one in my suit. I see Cranberry suddenly looking to my right wrist, I look. It is the one wearing the Purple Ring on it. She looks up to me, her eyes show curiosity in them.
“Colt, where did you get that Purple Ring from?”
I look towards the small ring upon my wrist. A small smile comes to my face, I gently rub the purple tainted ring. Remembering her, my mother…
“An old friend Cran… No one else, just an old friend.”
She looks at me, and smiles a little, I look at her eyes, they portray something there, understanding? Does she know? Did she guess? I do not know but merely give her a small smile. She looks at me, her head moves to her left shoulder and she returns my smile.
“I had best head back to my own home, as well.”
I rise and slowly head for the door, I feel a tug on my arm. I turn to look and see it is Cranberry, I see HolyChaos has begun to stride to the door as well, probably to join me. I see Sage has crossed the threshold and has now entered the living room, Striker moves towards the living room as well.
“What? Why do you need to head home? Especially in this weather. Stay here, I am sure Sage wouldn’t mind.”
“She is right, I would not mind the company, plus you have just barely gotten back, and healed, do you really need to put yourself in a position to become sick?”
“I thank you both for the kind offer, but I need to be alone for a bit. I will return in the morning, do not worry. HolyChaos, would you be willing to stay here and tell them of what has happened.”
“…. Very well… It is going to be a long night you three, I suggest you get some food and coffee…”
Cranberry’s grip wanes upon my arm, I gently remove her hand from my arm. I turn back look towards her, I put a reassuring hand upon her shoulder. She looks to it then to my eyes.
“Don’t worry, I will be fine.”
With that I take my leave, entering the cold, wet, wind torn night. I begin the slow walk home. I look around, almost unfamiliar with the area. I soon come to know landmarks and buildings I pass. The rain continues to come down upon me, the rainwater mingles with my small tears that fall from my eyes to become one with the sea of tears below my feet.
“Why did they have to die…? Why?”
I look towards the sky, seeing if it will give me an answer, other then the cold wet tears it drips on to me now. I get nothing; I stop and stare as the rain continues to fall. I sigh, knowing nothing will bring them back, I begin walking again, putting my feet one in front of the other, slowly through the water that slogs at my feet.
Few people are out this night, I pass a few, mainly droids or other Hunters, either going home, or enjoying the company of friends or a loved one. I pass a couple underneath an umbrella, they seem content, I walk by knowing I will never have the comfort they know. I continue walking, I soon come to my house, I grab my Hunter’s licenses and swipe it through the reader, it clicks and buzzes acknowledging my return. I grab the doorknob, wishing to be out of this rain, when I look at it, my heart stops. The door is already open, it stands slightly ajar as my hand lays upon the knob… I never needed to use my license to get in. I slowly open the door, I see a single light on, it is coming from my living room.
I slowly enter, I soon come to the fringe of the light, waning on the light and shadow as I look towards the couch, I see a young HUnewarl lying down on the couch. She is clothed in yellow; her hair is up in a stylish ponytail, right besides her lays a Black King Bar and a Panzer Tail mag.
“Katt…? Why is she here…?”
Katt stirs at the sound of my voice, I sigh and slowly step into the light. She slowly sits and rubs the sleep from her eyes, she looks to me and then turns away slightly. Her head then snaps back to me, her mouth opens as if to say something but nothing comes from it, she then gets up and slowly walks to me, she then envelops me in a hug and I begin to hear small sobs escape her.
“Heh, Hi Katt… Its good to see you as well.”
She looks up to me, she smiles, small tears appear in her eyes. She slowly steps away and looks up to me, just then her hand comes across my face. I step back a few feet as I stead myself and stars appear before my eyes. I shake my head and check to make sure my jaw isn’t broken. I look back to her as she begins to cry again. She looks at me with sad and angry eyes, a rather odd combination.
“Don’t you ever do something so, so stupid as you did again!”
“Uhh, Katt… What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean what am I talking about?! Have you even looked at the news yet?!”
She flicks on the television and I stare as the halo screen display turns on. I see pictures of my battles I have only just begun to wish would fade, I see the collapse of the mines once again upon Cranberry. I see myself upon that damned device, then I see Sojorian, my heart runs cold, I step back from the screen a few feet, cold sweat breaks upon my brow.
Katt turns up the volume and I hear his message for the first time.
“Citizens of Pioneer 2, I come to you with this one offer only. Join me, or die. Before you in the lower right corner you see a small video playing of one who defied me, you see his anger, his pain, his sorrow, his despair. You see the price he paid for not joining me… It was his life that is my price. I see you all now, starring, wondering, how I can make these demands of you, it is quite simple really. It is because I have continued the Pioneer 1 project… Yes, many of you think it was a mere immigration plan, one of a divine aspect to find a new home, one where we could all begin again and not destroy our home. Oh, how wrong you all are, how wrong indeed. It was more then a mere immigration project, it was one of war, of power, of control…”
~
“QUICK! TAKE HIM OFF THE AIR WAVES!!! DO IT NOW!”
“We cant sir! He is jamming all our attempts, we are hopeless.”
“WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! I SAID TAKE HIM OFF, NOW! HE WILL RUIN ALL WE HAVE STRIVED FOR! HE WILL DESTROY IT IN A MATTER OF MERE MOMENTS!”
“Sir! We cant…. We have already tried and continue to do so… We can not do anything to stop it though…”
Principal Tyrell shakes his fists, his head moves back and forth between all his aides, a wild and desperate look appears in his eyes. He soon sees though, they are trying all means possible, and there truly is nothing they can do. He slowly comes to sit down and he slowly begins to weep.
“He will bring Civil war upon us again. Mother against Daughter, Father against Son, Brother against Brother… Is the peace we strived for all in vain, was it a mistake to come here… Are we all destined to rot in space for the rest of our days…? Maybe it is our fate that we would come to such an end…”
He turns back to the monitors and begins to watch the end of what they all had strived for, they begin to watch the beginnings of the torment all shall face, they begin to see the beginnings of war, chaos, and death, for unknown to them, within this man, they see the birth, of the Arkz…
~
“One of a project to create the ultimate weapon, the ultimate biological being, one we could harness and control, one with unfathomable power. I am the apex of this project. I am the key; I am the heir to this research… You soon now come to ask, how can this be? This mere mortal of a man, how can he hold such power? As many of you may have heard, the rumors, the inklings of truths, the conversations between Hunters. There is more to Ragol then you know… For below the mining area of where Pioneer 1 mined its minerals and photons, there lays a vast expanse of ruins, something created long before we came to think of this planet as home. Within this tomb of darkness and silence, there lurked a power, one we never dreamed of… One of which when discovered was a new light to those lost here, and to those touched by it… Pure madness.”
“Do not be fooled though, this power was guarded, not by barriers or forces we know nothing of, but of nightmares… These things walked, and breathed, they came to know, to want, to crave the flesh of human, newman and android alike… I will visit upon you now, one of these horrors…”
Sojorian steps out of the camera’s focus, it shows a display area before the views, 5 soldiers stand at ready within the field, suddenly a viscous creature warps in, blue neon lights glow about its exterior, its arms dangle by its sides, spiked protrusions of pure black show around its head, its red eyes gleam within the light suddenly, it bears its right hand to its face, a hole is within the center of the overgrown hand, it glows a sickly red within that hole, it stares at its hand, turning it over. Watching as it, looks upon it, its left arm comes into view, a lethal pinkish blade gleams in the light as it rises.
The soldiers stare at the hideous creature. Some visibly shake, the clatter of their weapons barring no heed to it. The terrified men shake and quiver before the thing, it takes notice of them finally, and slowly begins to walk towards them, and its footsteps are light, quite, as if it is made of the air, suddenly, the men open fire upon the monstrosity. Photon shells sizzle through the air, cutting it apart as the travel to their target. The shells striker the creature, holes riddle its black and neon blue body, purple blood is thrown against the far wall of the display area, soon the creature falls forward to the ground. Its blood, purple and discolored begins to slowly seep from it.
“This is a Delsaber, do not be fooled by the fact it is lying there, seemingly dead. As many of the Hunters who see this now have come to know of it, this enemy is one worth making sure you kill before your back is to it.”
The men turn from the grizzly scene, they begin to move, unknown to them the Delsaber slowly stands, the holes in its body close. It is soon back to as it was, clean, fresh, and ready to taste blood. It hunches down, its legs tighten, then in a blur of black, it clears over the men and lands softly in front of them, the five well trained mercenaries do not have a chance. The creature slices into them as if stuck pigs. Hollers are heard, the Delsaber slices open one of the men as if mere paper while slamming its hand through another’s stomach, taking his internals to the outside of his body through his back. The other three turn and fire upon the creature, it swings its arms in front of it, using the other two men as a shields, the other soldiers stop as their comrades cry out in pain and death as the photons rip apart their mangled bodies.
The Delsaber spies its opening, tossing the other two bodies of its arm and blade, it lunges for the remaining three. It stabs its pink blade through two at once, slamming them up against the display wall. The last remaining man opens fire on the creature with no aim. His fire sprays everywhere, hoping to hit it, praying that the hail of gun fire will stop the beast or slow it down until he can find a way out. For him though, there is no way out… The Delsaber throws the two bodies off of its blade, they land upon the floor with a wet thud, red seeps out from their bodies and mingles with already larger pool. The man opens fire upon the creature, the Delsaber waves its hand in front of itself, a red glow appears from within its hollow hand, the bullets disappear, never touching the creature, the soldier turns stunned, his weapon falls to the ground, his face white, he has lost the will to fight, a grave miss fortune, the Delsaber leaps again, its sword crashes down into the man, he stand still for a moment, seeming as if he dodge or the creature missed, the soldier then slowly begins to split in two… The Delsaber stands, it surveys the damage it has caused, then it lifts its pink blade into the air, a defiant act of victory, red blood slowly drips from the blade covering the creature as it silently celebrates…
“As you can see, this is one of the many nightmares that await those that tread on that shadowed ground. You may ask why I keep such creatures, or how I can even capture them, since they seem to be impervious. I will tell you what makes them so, it is the will of their master that makes it. I am sure the Hunters will know when I speak this name, they are controlled by Falz. For from Falz these creatures and any touched by him receives what we call… The D-cell. The D-cell, an infectious agent, only able to be spread from origin to host. Once the cell has infected the body, the soul of that person bends to Falz’s will and control. For this though, the host gains new found strength, his body can regenerate almost any wound, his speed, reflexes, strength and endurance all increase twenty fold. All with just a simple touch, a mere contact from Falz or its taint.”
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 26, 2006 19:50:08 GMT -5
“You ask how I can know all this; I know all this for Pioneer 1 did as well… Yes, the supposed immigration plan was merely a biological experiment. Your government has been hiding the truth from you all this time, they never had the inklings of what to do with this D-cell. Or with this planet, they only knew one thing, they wanted power. The power to control… I can sense some you must still be wondering how I can make such demands of you to join me or fall. Look upon my arm, for this will show you the reason why!”
Sojorian slowly rolls the sleeve of his black robe down his right arm, the lights dim, behind him, the Delsaber’s body lights up, its neon body glows in the dark, Sojorian’s arm slowly does the same…
“For, I also contain the D-cell containment, and I do not bend to Falz’s will…”
The transmission shuts off.
~
I stare in mock silence, unable to speak, unable to move, horrors race back to my mind. I remember, bits and pieces of that day, so long ago, the day it touched me… I slowly back away from the screen, my face must be white, for Katt looks at me concern mirrored in her eyes.
“Colt… What is it? What is going on…?”
“I-I don’t know… All I know is he is trying to kill us all… Damn him, damn him and his twisted mind… I just wish this would all end.”
“Colt, what do you mean? What are you hiding from me?”
“It’s nothing… I have just had a long day, you can remain here for the night if you wish, take the bed, I will be out here most of the night anyways. I am not in the mood for sleep.”
With that said, I slowly walk out of living room and head to my terrace. I step out from the sliding glass door to stare out into the night; the rain begins to grow heavier as the minutes pass. I let them come down upon me, not caring whether I am soaked, cold, and shivering. I just want it all to go away, I just want it all to end, this entire heart ache, all this pain, all this about me. I am afraid for once in my life, truly afraid of what I should do… The rain continues down in small patters, I soon ignore them, being soaked I no longer feel the strange sensation as the rain falls unto me.
I can not plan out my next move; I am too terrified to do so, what if I make the wrong choice? What if I fail? What if I just make things worse and condemn all by my bluntness… What if I can’t make the right choice…? What if I do make the right choice? What if instead of him killing us all, it is I…? What if I lose control, what if I become what I fear…? What if… I am nothing more then a weapon designed from the moment of my creation to kill, what if all is pending on this one answer, this one choice I make…? “WHAT DO I FIGHT FOR NOW!?”
My voice fills the dead night, only to be drowned out by the rain, my heart beats intensify, my eyes water. I look towards the fake sky above, hoping, praying for an answer, an intervention of some kind to be given to me, by anyone or thing. I slowly lower my head and look to the streets below, no one heard my cry, my plea…
I hear the glass door slide open, I turn, Katt is standing under an umbrella in the cool night air, she looks a little shaken, I wonder, did she hear my scream at all? Or is it fear of me catching a cold if I stand out here much longer. She walks over to me and holds the umbrella up over the both of us, she leans her head on to my left arm, we stand there, just watching the rain. Minutes go by, neither speaks, we just watch as life slowly passes by, these last few moments of freedom we may ever have…
Her head moves away from my arm, I feel her concerned eyes staring at me, I turn to her and stare into her blue eyes, her mouth opens and barely a whisper above the rain comes out.
“Colt… What has happened to you?”
“Uh….” “…”
I remain silent, unable to bring myself to let her heft the burden of what I have learned be upon her shoulders as well. She looks to me, her eyes fill with small tears.
“We have known each other for years, we have been through many of the same trials, we are friends, close friends, and yet… You, you can not even tell me what happened to you?! What happened to you while down there with that twisted mad man! What happened Colt! Answer me please!!!”
I turn away from her unable to answer, although she can not see it through her own tears, I have mine as well. I can not tell her of what happened, nor of what I am planning to do, it is my taint, my curse, my burden. I will not risk her life in this in anyway at all, if that means I must remain silent, then so be it, I would rather she hate me from now until my heart stops beating then for her to be hurt by my own foolishness…
“Colt… Please, tell me… Please…?”
“…”
She looks away from me, her eyes cloud over, I turn to her now.
“Katt, I”
“No. Don’t speak to me again… If you can’t trust me now, then there is no need for me to be here, take back your key, I wont be coming back!” With that she runs out of my sight.
“Katt! Katt, wait!”
It is too late, I hear the door slam and she is gone, my head lowers my eyes squint shut. All those times we had all the fun we shared, all the secrets, all the joy and pain… And yet, I couldn’t even tell her this, I couldn’t just tell her what she wanted to hear, something so simple. Yet, so deadly… Tears fill my eyes, I look to where she last stood and notice two small items left behind, the key to my apartment I had made for her, she tended to stop by randomly, and seemed to live here half the time, so I figured she would like a key. I slowly pick it up and twirl it in my fingers, it slips through them, clinking to the floor below, slipping through my wet fingers, just like my friendship with her… I grasp it again and put it in my data storage. No sense in throwing it away, a spare key was always useful… I turn to look at the second item, I notice it is a wrapped small box. Curious as to what it is, I look it over, I notice on one side of it, it reads, “To: Colt, From Your Friend: Katt” I look over the object, unable to figure out why she would have this on her, my birthday was in November, that was still months away…
The small box suddenly activates and a halo screen appears from it, Katt’s image appears and it begins to speak.
“Hi Colt! Incase you forgot, today is the anniversary of when we first met! You remember that day right? You were getting banged up badly by some monsters and I had just chanced upon you! Hehe, of course we deiced to press on together, and soon enough you ended up saving me, returning the favor. I still remember what we said to one another after you saved me.”
“Wow, I guess we are even now, huh?”
I slowly smile and mouth the words that I know as well as she says them to me.
“Heh, it was my pleasure.”
I remember that day so well, I had been off that day, recovering from a previous injury on another quest, I had just taken off all my bandages and thought I should stretch and test myself. I went into the forest for a general sweep of the area, nothing to be thought of as dangerous. How wrong I was, for a Hidlet surprised me that day, I had been paying attention to a Tollaw, my movements and actions had been slow and off since my injuries were still sore, so I needed extra time and concentration to deal with each threat.
The Tollaw had just fallen, its body slowly seeping out its green blood, when a roar sounded behind me; I whirled only to have the fist of the massive ape slam into my upraised shield. I flew back a good five feet, skidding along the dirt and leave trodden earth for another three. I looked to my shield and noticed it was cracked and worthless, I threw it off my arm and then, a sound of feet slamming into the ground sounded, I look up to see the Hildet has just landed in front of me, if Katt had not been there and stopped it from slamming its fist into me, I would not be here, and maybe this whole nightmare would never have begun…
“I just wanted to thank you for all the fun, memories and times we had together. I hope you like it, and I know you don’t remember this day, but you show it to me everyday that we are friends that you don’t need to remember this day at all… I hope you like it, and well, I am glad that you are my friend…”
The image fades and the screen disappears, I slowly remove the wrapping from the small container, it is a small back velvet box, quite rare to see in this day and age… I slowly open the box and look inside it, I notice a small pendent, about the size of my Hunter’s ID that I wear upon my chest. I take the small pendent out and look at it. It is a new Hunter’s ID, it is still Skyly, that can never change, yet there is something different about it, I flip it on to its back, sure enough on the back is a combination of the Skyly and Yelloboze IDs, interwoven near perfectly.
“Katt…”
I remove my old ID and place it within the velvet box, in its stead I place this new ID. It snaps into place. I then stand as the rain slowly continues on with its down pour.
“… I guess its time…”
I slowly turn from the tear soaked city and retreat into my silent home. As I cross the thresh hold, I look around myself, seeing memories pass before my eyes. All my friends, now lost because of what has happened, all those times, never to be relived again…
I slowly sink against the corner of a far wall, curl my legs up to my face and silently weep in my mind, tears never coming to my eyes, yet, the water works in my head, break… And the on flow of emotions that ensues, sending me into a dark, quiet, dreamless sleep…
~
The others stare at the young FOmar, his hair a striking cyan to their eyes; he slowly sips the drink from his mug. He sets the cup down, his eyes open and he stares at each one, thinking if they can handle what he will tell them, wondering if they will think him mad…
“As you may have guessed by now, as I am sure Striker has… Colt is not what he seems.”
“What do you mean? He is just Colt.”
“… I think you miss my point, not in personality or soul, but in physical aspects…”
“… I still don’t get it?”
“Hmm, I am intrigued as well, from what I have seen of Colt, he is a normal HUmar by standards, although he does seem to boast a heightened display of MST and reflexes.”
“It is much more then that… Colt… He is the part of the Pioneer 1 project’s final stages, yet he broke the rules of the experiment…”
“What do you mean experiment? Pioneer 1 was just an immigration plan and to discover about the photons.”
“No, I am afraid it was not. For as you know, Dr. Osto and the Graves were on board that ship, both being top researchers in Bio engineering.”
“Yeah, that is common knowledge, they went with Pioneer 1 to study the local environment and see if it was suitable for our habitation.”
“… I am afraid that was not their only reason. For unknown to the citizens of Coral, they were planning something, a giant bio weapons project, their goal was to design a bio-form to take advantage of the new photon energy that had been discovered upon that meteor.”
“So, they were looking for guinea pigs when they went with Pioneer 1?”
“I am afraid so, and they found them… With local animals… And worse yet… Their own soldiers.”
The other three fall silent, remembering Olga flow, each had seen him at least once, either in person or on screen, they had all read the files on him though, after being mortally wounded by Falz, he had agreed to undergo a research project to try and stop Falz… It ended with him becoming the monster he is now…
“Heath cliff Flowen… He was only the beginning, the beta stages of the project… They soon moved on, trying to figure out what went wrong when they had to dump his mangled body with its deranged mind down that disposal shaft. Soon after that, the explosion upon Ragol occurred and all personal was lost… We never found out what happened to them… Nothing remains besides their research notes… Nothing more.”
“That is where Colt comes into play…For Pioneer 1 sent back its research notes to Pioneer 2 and Coral as it made progress in each step of the phases… Sojorian, was the head of the research on Coral and soon, on Pioneer 2 once it took off and headed to Ragol with the rest of the population. Sojorian soon took on a similar approach yet different tactic upon learning of the D-Cells on Ragol, and what they did to the host body, how the host’s will was bent to Falz’s when it touched them. He started with a few samplings of the D-Cell he received from Pioneer 1, the samples not being enough, he deiced to synthetically create more. Having the same affects as the original D-Cells, all the same promises… All the same curse…”
“I carry D-Cell factors in my body… As strange as that may seem… I was also a part of that horrid project, I believe my time of coming into this was a test phase to see if injecting the synthetic D-Cells would be as useful as having them passed to you directly by Falz. It wasn’t, the synthetic ones took a complete detour from the data suggested, they did not increase all things, they instead took on a will of their own once within the host body, either by their own choice or at random, began infecting areas they saw fit, in my case, my strength, speed and mst were increased… As for who I was before all this… I remember nothing of my past, or my family, or if I ever was born, I only remember from my time that I was injected with the D-Cells and on… I have not succumbed to the will of Falz, my guess is because the D-Cells were synthetic in nature. Not being touched by the origin, it gave me no mental link to it when my body was introduced to this monstrosity that courses through my veins.”
“I still don’t see how we can believe that you have D-Cells coursing through you, and how does this all pertain to Colt?”
“… I can see why he wished me to tell you now…”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
All three ask the question at once, Sage in his curiosity-spiked voice, Striker in his monotone, and Cranberry, concern in her voice more then anything else.
“…Colt… He was one of the final stages of the project… He was, however not supposed to live in the final process he was needed for…. Yet, he did… This threw the variables of the project off…”
“Meaning what exactly.”
Sage looks into the FOmar’s eyes, trying to discern if this is the truth or merely a huge lie. So far he has been convinced of it being true.
“…Meaning, Colt is now an unknown form of life, he has been touched directly by Falz and yet he is not under the creature’s control… This is because of one of the things he was created… No, born with… He was born, with two souls in his body…”
“How can that be possible… It just doesn’t make logical sense at all from a human stand point or a data logical one…”
Striker puzzles over this, unsure if he believes it, Cran had told him of this but he still didn’t believe it, he had merely thought it was a personality disorder, but now… He wasn’t so sure, if the D-Cell was involved… Almost anything could be plausible…
“… This is strange, but we all know the power of Falz, although none of us have been deep enough in the ruins to find his tomb, all can feel his presence once they step into the ruins…”
“I do not know how it worked though, but, the taint of Falz, his will to control, it was passed only to that one soul, not Colt’s, instead the soul acted as a filter, anything having to do with on the soul level, such as personality or, will, the soul took on those aspects from Falz. While everything else, the power of the taint it self, was given to Colt’s body, where it lays there… Dormant until it is called.”
“… What do you mean Colt is now the unknown factor in this?”
Cranberry’s eyes remain keen on HolyChaos, he looks to her and sees a determination in her few could match, save for Colt. His eyes remain on hers for a moment, her blue eyes, challenging him not to speak about it.
“… Colt was not supposed to live through the process of his “filter” being removed from his body… All the data, all the test before him, all the subjects, all died. All within a mere matter of minutes after the process was done; all save, for him… He lived through it, they all thought it a mere fluke, he would soon die within the hour… He was still in pain beyond compare, yet not dead, then they said he would die within the night. He didn’t, his pain only growing, they ran a few diagnostics and said he would be killed from his pain within the next day… It never came to be, after that first night, something changed in Colt, something we could never guess at… He changed, his pain lessened…”
The rain continues on outside as his story progresses, all of them sit, watching waiting, interjecting when they feel its right. Soon though, all become aware of what it is they now face, what the possibility is of what Colt might be, he might be a flawed design, or a new step in the process of Pioneer 2’s fate. His fate, is tied with what happens next… Feeling the need to break up the drown of the rain, Sage decides they all need a break and gets some more coffee, HolyChaos merely sits back and watches the rain outside. Cranberry, curls into a small ball on the couch and tries to get some shut eye, Striker being a cast and not needing sleep, turns on the halo screen to catch some of the news.
“…I contain the D-Cell contaminate within me as well, and I do not bend to Falz’s will. You have all heard of Olga Flow I am sure, the hideous mutation discovered on Gal De Val. What you do not know is that it is a more then a mere mutation created by pure chance by our scientists or the planet it self, he was a part of an experiment, Dr. Osto’s experiment, my experiment… As the Hunters and officials at the labs know, Osto needed a test subject for this, he found the perfect candidate, a battered and dying soldier, but no, not just any soldier would do, it had to be one who had come back from the ruins, he found his match in a mortally wounded Heath cliff Flowen. Heath cliff had gone down into the ruins with more then half of Pioneer 1’s army after Red Ring Rico had not returned from her exploration of it….”
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 26, 2006 19:56:09 GMT -5
“They soon made it to the bottom of the ruins and discovered Falz. The soldiers may have fought bravely, no records say so, ha-ha. Heath cliff returned to the entrance, mortally wounded and the D-Cells growing within him, infecting, leeching out his life and will. Osto, taking this keen opportunity to test out a new theory on how to control a creature of the taint, he tried to use an advance AI he had developed with the help of another, its name was Claus. This however, failed; its only result was creating far worse then death for Flowen…”
“Having studied these repercussions from their failed designs, I have come up with the answer. I have challenged Olga Flow, I have fought him to the death where upon only Hunters know, he regenerates, he lies dormant until the next brave soul to challenge him appears, before he could though, I absorbed his essence into my body. Hehe- Ahaha! And Now! It course through my veins! I surge with power none of you could dream to compare to! And that is why I demand of you to become my subjects, or die! There is no alternative, no sitting on the side lines! Your government has forsaken you, hoping to use you in its witless experimental bumbling! YOU EITHER JOIN OR FALL! THERE IS NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER!”
With that the Halo screen is shut off, the home remains dead silent for the next five minutes… Time slowly ticks by, the rain slowly hits the windows, making small noises as it drips down on to the tear soaked city below. Striker turns to look around, Sage is just looking towards a wall, his eyes have a distant feel to them, almost soulless in appearance, he looks to HolyChaos, his gaze never drifted from the window, his eyes though, they burn with a fire of loathing and hatred none will ever match. He then lets his steely gaze fall upon the FOnweral by his side, she is staring out into the rain as well, hoping it seems to stop soon. He looks out the window as well, not seeing how the rain could affect people so differently, to him it was merely water, only another rust factor… then again, he never had many emotions that humans and newer models had… He had very few, yet the few he had, he never wanted to be without.
“… You have all heard his ramblings now, you now know the enemy we face in this, Colt will have surely seen this or a form of it by now… It seems he has it on every station… The bastard, the psychopathic bastard. You know what we face, you now have a calling, all Hunters have this same calling now, they either join him, or fight against him, either way, many will die in this civil war. What we see before us, is only the beginning of the death and violence that will stem from this for years to come. Many who join him will not see the truth of it, they only via for power in a hopeful new world order they wish to take control in, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain, they will turn their backs on the ones they love, their friends, their own life, just to taste a sampling of that power…”
“What would you have us do then?”
Sage turns to stare at the young FOmar, his eyes burn now with a passion that has not been there for a long while, a fire has started within him, and it burns now, feeding on whatever it finds.
“What could we do to stop this mass slaughter of life? What can we do to make it less then what is destined to happen, how can we end it before more then is nessacry are a part of the blood shed.”
“We must kill Sojorian… There is no other way, he must be killed. If he reaches Falz, all hope is lost.”
“What do you mean if he reaches Falz?”
Cranberry’s head turns from the rain, her hand upon the Blue ring around her wrist, she rubs it unconsciously.
“What do you mean if he reaches Falz, that all hope will be lost?”
“He plans to become one with Falz, be the dominate soul, he truly believes this will happen since he was able to absorb Olga…”
“Do you know if he can?”
It is now Striker’s turn to stare at the cyan haired youth, his few emotions coming into play now, fear for a loved one, it kindles in his eyes that lie behind his visor.
“I do not truly know… If he does succeed we are no worse off then if he fails. For him to fail is to kill us, for him to absorb Falz is for him to win and kill us. Either way, if he lives by our hands, we shall die…”
“I wonder… If this was the time that RAmar was talking of, if it was now that he said I must deiced to kill another being even if I know almost nothing of him…”
The group’s eyes fall to Cranberry, the tiny FOnweral continues to rub her blue ring, no tears are in her eyes, her voice is devoid of all emotion besides questions. She does not know if this is the time this RAmar spoke of, although, she feels it is not and that time has yet to come.
“Are we all in then? Will we stand before him and challenge his call?”
HolyChaos looks into the eyes of each one. Sage, the FOmar, his eyes stead fast in his gaze, he merely nods his head, his voice is not needed for his answer, Striker the RAcast, his visor hides his face, yet his stance does not mask his answer, he to nods his head in agreement to stand with them, his mind on his love, and the fear he has if he should fail… Cranberry, she looks back towards the window, another thought has entered her mind, she begins to speak.
“I will also stand against him… I just hope I have the strength to do so…”
“Don’t worry Cran, I am sure Dark Force would join you if she were here to. You know she is still on assignment down on Ragol, I am sure once she hears of this she will come and join us.”
“Thank you Striker…”
Cranberry removes her hand from the Blue Ring and faces the young FOmar dressed in white.
“Yes, I shall join you as well.”
“The only one left to ask is Colt… I just hope he doesn’t do something stupid.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Sage looks at the FOmar once again, a puzzling look over shadows his face.
“I mean I hope he does not take this as his burden alone and try to solve it… He is known for something like that, it is just who he is I guess…”
A sudden noise rocks the building, smoke plumes from the ground below, the four rush to the window to see what has happened. They all silently gasp in dread and horror. Before them lays the wastes of residential buildings, Hunters are in the streets killing innocent civilians, other Hunters are defending the people as the deranged Hunters try to kill all. Friend is against friend, brother against brother… The slaughter goes on, neither side gaining or losing ground, only the body count rises. A young Hunter is stabbed in the back by a Deranged HUcaseal, she begins to scream something about the glory of Sojorian, she is instantly cut off by a RAmar’s bullet. The photon shell severs her mechanical throat and she falls dead to the ground. The RAmar is dressed in gray, his hair yellow slicked back into spikes, his blue eyes moving on to the next target, he begins to yell to the others to fall back and defend the innocent.
“It seems the slaughter has already begun…”
HolyChaos tares away from the window, he moves towards the door, stopping for just an instant, he removes his Holy Ray from its data storage compartment, he opens up the gun and checks its schematics; all are green and good to go.
“What the hell are you planning to do?”
“What do you think? I am going down there to help defend the innocents caught up in this battle, and slaughter as many followers of Sojorian’s as I can.”
With that HolyChaos tares out of the building his soft footsteps quickly leave their ears as he goes to join the blood bath out side the complex. Sage, Cranberry and Striker look at one another, all nod in agreement, this is just the beginning, it is as he said, they will join as long as the power is offered… They all check their weapons and descend the stairs to the blood and rain soaked street below, bracing themselves for the chaos and destruction they will face once beyond the door…
~
My eyes open, my head uncurls from my legs, I look out the window, how much time has passed since I entered my dreamless sleep. It is still raining out, dark clouds still cover the sky and tears still fall from it. I slowly rise to my feet; I know now what I must do. I go to my room and move towards a far wall. I press a button; the wall slides back and reveals my weapons cash… All the items I had found. I look them all over, thinking, deciding which I will need and which will hinder me in what I plan to do.
I look over each weapon, checking its weight, its feel, its color, anything that may hamper me. I finally decide on four… the Tears Partisan, a Holy Ray I had kept in here for a long while, a pair of Red Daggers, and finally my Chain Sawd… I do not relish choosing this weapon to be at my side once again, yet I know it is needed, as are the slender Daggers… I strap them all on to me, I feel the weight on myself grow. I ignore it and put a few in data storage, only keeping my Red Daggers and Holy Ray out at the moment. I cross my home once again and stop at the door, I turn the knob. My hand reaches to the ID at my chest, I feel a pain, knowing I may have just ended a friend ship I had always loved… If it saves her though, I would do it again, just to make sure she was still alive come the next sunrise. I turn the knob and step outside to be greeted by the rain… I step forth, my feet splash into a waiting puddle, my heart freezes, I see green, metal feet before me, I slowly lift my head up to stare into the face of a deranged HUcast I know only to well.
“Hehe, we meet again Colt, it seems WingsBane was all mere talk after all. Haha.”
“What do you want Achrion…”
“Oh nothing, only to warn you if you should try and stay out of this fight.”
His hands slowly lift a figure up from by his feet. I look towards the limp figure, my eyes widen, my heart stops, no… It cant be… Katt…
“Haha, it seems you know her, I figured as much when I spotted her leaving here in tears, what did you say to her Colt? You know you shouldn’t treat women like that, your mother raised you better then that, of course with her dead, I could see how those teaching would fade, haha.”
My blood boils, my hands instantly grab the Daggers from either side of my waist, I bring them up into an offense stance, body leans down, ready to launch an attack, my legs haunch, demanding to be let loose to slit his metal throat.
“Ah-ah-ah-a Hunter… I wouldn’t try that, you know how fast I am, what if I accidentally put her in front of me as you attacked, you wouldn’t want to kill her now would you?”
My blood runs cold, my arms lose the taught ness, my legs become weak. What was I thinking, I could have killed her, oh dear god, what if I had struck before he said that? My eyes widen with the realizations of my horrors of what I could have done.
“what have you come to warn me of, you worthless pile of rust.”
“Oh, such vulgar words to use towards the one in control. Haha, it is simple really, you will fight in this battle, and you will come for Sojorian. I know this, you know this, Sojorian knows this, do not disappoint him.”
“What if I refuse to come fight, what if I decide this is not my battle, not my curse to deal with, not my responsibility.”
“Ahaha! Do not fool yourself Colt! You already know you have taken this as your burden, do not try and fool me, I taught you the art of battle. I know that stance, you are going to fight, you have already put this burden on your shoulders and will not relinquish or lessen it. Which is why I was able to capture her, for if you had lessened it, you would have told her, guess I am lucky that you did listen to your mothers prays to remain who you are…”
My hands tighten on the handles of my Red Daggers, I feel the engravings of the small letter t cut into my palms.
“I cam to give you this warning, if you do not fight in this battle, she will die.”
“She has nothing to do with this! This is my fate, my curse! My battle, she does not need to be involved!”
“Oh how wrong you truly are Colt. This is more then a simple battle to kill you and attain the power of Falz, this is so much more then that… It is one of power, the power to control the destiny of the people of Coral. You will come to see it in time, remember, her life hangs in the balance Colt, haha…”
With that Achrion disappears, he is gone with the fog that rolls in suddenly, Katt is gone as well. I rush over to try and catch them; I look frantically and see nothing as the fog lifts. I fall to my knees, cursing myself for causing as all this… I notice something on the ground, it is a small Yelloboze ID… Katt’s ID… I slowly pick it up and place it in my hand.
“I promise Katt… I will save you… Promise…”
I stand and turn, a sudden explosion rocks my feet, smoke billows from one of the residential areas where Hunters and civilians live.
“The war has started… With it, nothing will ever be the same… I should press on.”
I slowly jog as the rain continues on down, my feet splash in puddles as I go on, coming ever closer to the battle field, soon shots and shouts reach my ears. Cries of pain, sorrow, torment and rage seep into them. I come upon the scene, another explosion rocks my feet, I sway as the floor below me moves. I look to my right and see a small child under an over hang, out of the rain and scared, looking for their mother or father. I hear a crack, suddenly a piece of build high above the child’s head breaks away from it. I run towards the child, I notice it is a little girl, she is crying, I race towards her, scoop her up in my arms and roll out of the way of the collapsing derby.
I rise to a sitting position and look into my arms; the small bundle is shaking and cold, but still alive. I sigh; at least one life was saved. She looks to me a little, she whimpers but smiles as I look towards her, I soon see to people running towards us, civilians, the little girl moves around in my arms, I let her go and she goes to meet her parents, the family embraces, I rise, glad to see at least one finally happy moment before the blood shed reaches its apex. I hear a battle cry and look over the family, a Hunter wielding a Dragon slayer charges towards them, “For the glory of Sojorian! You will all DIE-ah!” My Red Daggers slam home into the mans stomach, I wrench them out, he falls on to his back, the young Hunter’s eyes roll into the back of his head, blood slips from the wound as he dies. I look towards the family, I quickly reach into my data storage gauntlet and pull out my spare key to my home.
“Here take this, go down the road a quarter mile and turn right on to the drive, you will come to my home, it isn’t much but it will keep you safe, lock the doors once in, the security system will then activate, it has enough food, and water and other supplies to last you for months.”
“Ahh… How can we ever thank you?”
“You don’t have to, just live and be there for one another, I know what its like to be on my own with no family, she does not deserve the same.”
I stare at the young child as I say this, I smile to her and she smiles back at me. Before the mother and father can argue again, I rush towards the foray, heading straight into death’s path, challenging him with each step I take. I soon come upon the battle field and see two sides of Hunter’s one vastly out numbered by the other, the smaller Hunter group is around something. I jump up onto a pile of derby to see what it is. My mouth drops in horror; it is a small child and his mother they are protecting.
“Join us fools, or die! There is no other way, join with Sojorian, cant you see? The government is using you!”
A HUmar adorned in a purple battle suit stands before the family, another HUmar also stand at his side, this one is gray and red, his ice blue hair cascades down to his shoulders. The first HUmar, his eyes a piercing green, his hair a dark purple, he stands ready in a battle position.
“Heh, you say we are being used huh? What makes you think you are not the ones being toyed with, manipulated to do what this great Sojorian wants? To me, you are the puppets, not us.”
“You will pay for such Mockery Torak!”
“Heh, tell that to Eyce, myself, Rain, and Sophia here. I doubt they will agree with you.”
The enraged HUcast charges at Torak, he suddenly stops, Torak kicks the hunk of metal from his blade, the HUcast falls to the ground, his visor dead and cold to the world. A hallow hole is seen in the center of his chest. The dark purple warrior readies his twin blades once again.
“Well, are the rest of you going to just stand there? Or do you truly believe in what you speak. If so, come and kill us!”
The others charge him, they will be over whelmed. Unthinking I jump down from the pile I stand upon; I draw forth my daggers and rush the closets two. I slash the first, slitting his throat from behind, he lets out a gurgled cry as blood is released from his body, he falls to the water soaked ground with a sick wet thud. I side step the attack of the next one, I slam my blade home into her stomach and then rip it out of her, delivering a round house kick to her chest. The HUnewarl lands on the ground and tries to move, I jump back and slam my blades into her, she screeches in pain, she reaches, trying to claw me with her Photon Claw. She dies in the effort, only half making it to me. I stand up and rush to the gap left by the two fallen, I soon join the small circle of Hunters and defend the mother and child.
“Just who in the hell are you?”
Torak asks me, he bears his shield up to block the strike of an Agito replica, he thrusts his sword into the stomach of his attacker and then wrenches it out, the attacker falls to the ground, his blood draining out from his body.
“No one, other then a lone wolf coming to defend those not meant to be in this battle.”
“Heh, a self proclaimed hero huh?”
“No… Just doing what I feel is right.”
“Well, well, its few that I trust what they tell me… You are now one of those few. What is your name by chance?”
I block a blow with my purple ring of another photon claw, its blue glow hisses in the rain as water strikes the hot photons, I drive home one of my daggers into the assailants arm, he rears back in pain, only to be replaced by another.
“Its Colt, Colt Legenda.”
“Well Colt, I am Torak, to your right is Eyce.”
The blue haired HUmar turns to me, smiles and gives me a nod, his arm comes up to deliver an upper cut to an advancing FOmar, the force is driven back, falling in to the water below, his nose bleeds and he hollers in pain, his nose must be broken I assume.
“To my left is twin terror, Rain, the small HUcast and then to his left, you see our little hot shot, Sophia.”
I turn to look at both, Rain turns his head as he hurls a Damage Trap into the group, he nods in my direction and gives me a smile, rather rare on a HUcast. Sophia also turns, she smiles to me and waves, shot rings out, Sophia dodges to the right, takes aim and fires with her Rifle. A scream is heard and a small figure falls from a pile of derby.
The other Hunters attacking us speard out and retreat a little, Rangers and Forces step into the fore front of the battle.
“This, is not exactly what I wanted….”
Torak mutters to us, I think, we cant possibly out maneuver these shots and protect the mother and child, then it hits me.
“Rain! Throw a Damage and Freeze trap at the same time!”
The HUcast stares at me, a face that says “Just who in hell are you to order me around.” Appears on his face, then realization dons into his eyes, he takes both and hurls them towards the advancing horde of Rangers and Forces. The traps exploded simultaneously, release a freezeing mist and a damaging explosion within the area. Hunters scream as body parts are racked with shrapnel, and they are encased in a tomb of ice. I turn to the other four Hunters,
“Get them out of here while they are still confused and in pain! Do it!”
I take off running towards the horde of deranged Hunters as a cloud of smoke and mist spreads across the ground from the extreme temperature difference of the traps.
“Just what the hell are you going to do then?!”
Eyce screeches at me, I turn my head to answer never stopping my feet from moving, I draw forth my daggers once again and ready them to taste Hunter blood.
“I am going to stop this!”
“Are you mad? You can’t take on those numbers you dumb hero!”
“I told you before! I am not a hero! I am only setting things right that began with my curse! My burden!”
I race through the crowd of confused Hunters, slashing any that try to stop me, five lay dead or dying in my path as I finally break from the chaotic group, I spin around and jump on to a pile of a crumpled building to see what happened to the others. I see they escaped in the confusion I caused.
“Good… No more should die for my curse…”
I hop down off the rubble and head towards the teleporter, running head on to face what is in store for me. Unthinking of the consequences of my actions anymore, my fear and doubt left in the wake of those slain by my blade. The cause of this was my doing, even if it was only because I was created… I will stop it, if not for my own feelings of responsibility, for all those caught in the middle of something they could never hope to understand anymore…
~
“…. So, the time has come… Battle ensues on Pioneer 2, the masses have begun to fight against one another, chaos, death, power… All intertwine now, all that is left is for a leader to arise and lead them… It is time; let’s start what we came here to do Serena.”
“Sojorian… What of the girl that Achrion brought back? What shall we do with her?”
“What do you think, we have to have a test dummy before I enter Falz’s realm don’t we? We need some one to awaken it and weaken it do we not? Besides, we need her alive anyways for the time being, she is the bait that leads him to us. We will dispose of her when ready, do not worry, she will only be a burden to those that take care of her, not you.”
Sojorian turns and heads down into the entrance of the ruins, soldiers, mercenaries, aides, techs and Hunters loyal to his calling soon follow, Serena stares at the mindless drones as they follow their master down into that death trap, she shutters, faint metallic foot steps are heard behind her, she turns her head and meets the eyes of Achrion.
“Humans… Such pathetic things are they not?”
“You are talking to one Achrion, or did you forget that?”
“Heh, humans have a soul, they have feelings, they also can show remorse even when they are in the throng of a blood lust, last time I checked… You held none of these in that fake chest of yours, although I am sure the pathetic humans like to stare at its ampleness.”
Achrion slowly descends down the stairs as well, his soft footsteps soon fading into the blackness below.
“I was human at one point… Now, I am nothing more then what he is… A shell of something I never liked… It will be over soon, soon… All shall die. Ha-ha- the fool, he knows nothing of what I have planned, Sojorian shall die… The power hungry fool, if only he knew…”
Colt has begun his journey to end what he started if only by default of being created… The others also come to the conclusion that Sojorian must be stopped, for some, it is the fear of a loved one, that will be injured or caught in the cross fire, for others, it is a case of revenge and personal vendetta that has yet to be relieved of them. As the five race to the ruins to stop the threat coming to pass, the power stirs far below the surface, waiting for its time to arise again…
As all the pieces and pawns fall into place, the battle for the fate of Pioneer 2 and all its lives hangs in the balance, with Hunter against Hunter, and the beginning of civil war, its seeds already forming roots in the minds of some Hunters, the mere death of the head will not be enough to stop the body now that it is in motion… Yet, there are fates far worse then civil war…
Next chapter;
Chapter Sixteen Destiny’s Challenge…
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 26, 2006 20:05:35 GMT -5
Chapter Sixteen Destiny’s Challenge
“Will you arise to your Calling? If only by mere default that you were chosen for it, will you still rise to it? Will you rise to accept the challenge? Are you sure of this…?”
“………”
“Only one question remains then…”
“Are… You, Ready?”
My mind races, screams of the dead and dying surround me; it has only been mere hours since the message from Sojorian, yet… I have already come across the fields of battle five times. Each time, it shows the same gruesome faces… Death, Chaos, Brutality… No one is safe from this mindless slaughter… Not Hunters, not civilians, not even children…
I cruse myself for not acting sooner, no time to regret the past now though… I continue on, not looking at the bodies of the fallen as I pass them. I soon spy the teleporter in sight, as it comes into clearer focus, shapes form, screams begin to erupt. Another battle is being waged in my path. I look for an alternate way to the surface; the hangars are too far away and just increase the chance of me running into more battles that I do not have the time for. The emergency teleporter is also the way I came back from, through all those battles again… Another route that will cost me too much time.
I draw my blades once again and rush into the thick of battle, I need to get to the teleporter at any cost before even more lives become thrown to the way side. A RAcast suddenly stands in front of my advance. His arms out held blocking me, I charge on.
“Let me pass!”
“For whom do you fight for?!”
“I said let me pass!”
“For who do you fight for?!”
“I fight for my own, and my friends!”
“With who do you side then in this battle?”
“I side with no one! I will take all who stand in my path, be they fight for the innocents and the Principal, or Sojorian’s bastard ambition!”
The RAcast stands as I press on, blocking my path, ready to move in my way should I change course… I think quickly, only a few more yards till I run into him, it comes to me then. Re-strapping my Red Daggers into place, I brandish my Tears Partisan, I hold it like a javelin, charging the RAcast. He braces for impact, two feet before it strikes him, I bring the blade into the ground. Using the weapon as a pole vault, I clear the startled fighter and land four feet behind him, re-strapping my Partisan to my back and drawing out my daggers again, I press on, ignoring the clanking footsteps behind me as he tries to catch up.
~
The RAcast watches as the HUmar clad in white pole vaults over him, he stares in shock and disbelief, the Hunter had the chance, the chance to end his life. If he had been with Sojorian, he would have killed him right then… Ramiel, soon charges after him, trying to catch up, he however was not built for speed, and soon looses the HUmar as he dashes on into the thick of the melee. He stops and flips open his arm communicator.
“Listen to me! All of you, you will all soon see a HUmar dressed in white charge into battle, do not, I repeat, do not engage him! He just pole-vaulted over me with a Partisan. I say again, he is heading towards all of you, do not engage him!”
“What? Are you crazy?! Ramiel, we were told to allow no one to enter the teleporter, no one!”
“I know Eriror! But, do not engage him! I repeat do not, he is still loyal to Pioneer 2.”
“How do you know?!”
“I just do Tian! Damnit! Can’t either of you just accept orders for once!”
“No!”
A resounding No is emitted from all. Ramiel sighs, his circuits are going into over drive trying to make sense of how he can be so sure the Hunter is not part of Sojorian’s followers…
“Listen, just be wary of him if you do not believe me! He is a HUmar, white clad battle armor, cyan eyes, brown spiked up hair, Skyly ID by the looks of it but I could be wrong,”
“Wait!”
“What now Eriror and Alexis?!”
“Did you just say, cyan eyes, Spiked brown hair and Skyly ID?”
“No! I said tomato colored hair, Pink Eyes and a BlackFull ID… Of course I said cyan eyes spiked brown hair and Skyly ID Damnit!!!”
“Never mind, I will not engage him, the rest of you do the same, Ramiel speaks the truth, I know this Hunter personally, his name is Colt. Trust me, if he is running as Ramiel said, you do not want to engage you, he will give you the chance to pass. I suggest you all take it.”
A battle cry is over heard Eriror’s communicator, he dodges to the right as a blade sweeps by him, lashing out, he strikes with his Zanba, slicing the disarranged RAcaseal in half, sending her upper torso five feet to the left and her legs five feet to the right. He twirls the massive blade in his hand, throwing it up into the air and grabbing it by the hilt before he places in back on to its straps upon his back.
“We are done here, the follower’s are dead in this area, I am heading to help others at the moment.”
“… Fine, be careful though, we don’t need you taking out your own legs with that huge sword of yours.”
“Heh, will do.”
“Lets go Alexis! We are through here!”
“You got it hunny!”
“Oy… Don’t call me that here! We are in battle!”
“So?”
“Ugh…. Women…”
“I heard that!”
“Ahh crud…”
~
A blue blot lances through a HUmar’s neck, sprouting a hole on either side of it, blood gushes from the mortal wound, he falls to the ground gurgling words of hate and blood into his mouth. HolyChaos soon stands upon a rock right beside the fallen body, he takes a rifle stance, aims and fires another hot blue lance of photons at his next target, the spear missies by a good two feet. He curses and readies his sights again, he aims, the target, a HUnewarl’s head is in his line of fire, he goes to pull the trigger. The target suddenly drops from his sights, he looks down with his rifle sights and sees the target crumpled to the ground, he turns to his right and spies Striker with his Yask 3000R out and smoking.
“I thought you might like a hand in aiming.”
“Heh.”
HolyChaos dismounts from the rock and begins to sprint ahead once again, clearing a path towards the small patch of Hunters slowly being pushed into a demolished building complex.
“Wait! Come on! Some of us aren’t as tall as the rest of you damnit!”
HolyChaos, Striker and Sage suddenly stop, hearing a cruse fly from Cranberry’s mouth puts them all in small state of shock.
“Huff-Huff. Thank you!”
The young FOnewral smiles up at them as she catches her breath and casts a new wave of Shifta, Deband, and Resta upon the group. Her black hair bobs up and down as she presses on ahead of them.
“Well, what are you waiting for? We got to go!”
The others shake their heads and press on, keeping mind now that Cranberry is setting the pace. Sage draws forth Red Handgun and checks the photon readings of it, still warm and ready to go, it shows no dysfunctions, its in perfect condition, just the way he received from his old mentor so many years ago…
~
“Fall back damnit! Don’t get caught up in one on one battles, they will overwhelm you and tare you apart!”
Anetheron screams to the small band of Hunters slowly backing away from the throng of deranged followers.
“There is just no end to them!”
A young HUmar screams to him as he fires a well-aimed shot to a HUcast’s head. The metal warrior falls to the ground with a wet clang, his body is soon trampled upon by another five Hunter’s none caring whether he had been still alive.
“This isn’t working… We are going to be over run soon… We need to stop this, and now…”
“Look! Up on the rise!”
Anetheron turns to where a young HUcaseal is pointing, he follows her black gloved hand to the rise and catches sight of four Hunters coming down the slope, he sees one fire a lance of blue into the throng before them, So, they saw them and are trying to help… Wouldn’t do much good and unless he could have time to finish repairing his Branza launcher… If he could just make the necessary adjustments, this all would have been over by now…
~
“We are never going to reach them in time if we take out this mass one by one!”
HolyChaos screams towards the other two, the sounds of battle nearly overwhelming his voice in its fight to be heard over the dull roar of the mob.
“What do we do then!?”
Sage answers back, his Red Handgun trained on its next target all ready, he fires, the FOnewman crumples to the ground, his death going unnoticed by his comrades. HolyChaos does not answer at first, he thinks, then realizes, it’s the only way.
“Give me some space…”
His voice, cold and distant, no emotion racks through his voice as he utters those words, the other three stare soundlessly at him, they soon part though and the distance between them and him grows. HolyChaos places his left hand upon his temples, his eyes cringe shut, he concentrates, summoning up the power required for this attack.
His blue eyes snap open, his hand fires out and points toward the middle of the black mass, his hand glows with an intense orange and red glow for just a brief moment. The others stare in the direction his hand is aimed… Nothing happens for the first few seconds, then, a distinctive ring cries out through the battle, it pierces the screams of rage, and death, it drowns out all, suddenly a huge explosion occurs within the throng of people, a Rafoie, on a scale like none of the others has ever seen envelopes the horde… The orange glow blinds them all, shielding their eyes they wait for the attack to be done.
The smell of burnt flesh greets their nostrils before their eyes open, as their eyes stare into the distance below once more, they see two small pockets of Hunters left, one, the group that was being pushed back, the other, what is left of the horde. The others stare down at the carnage in horror and shock. Cranberry brings her hands to her mouth.
“Oh God…”
She mumbles, her hands tremble as she stares into the wastes of those human lives. Striker stares indifferently at them, to him; they are just another deactivated body cavity, one that must be taken care of before the stench overwhelms the living. Sage stares at them in shock as well, although his reaction is much less noticeable then Cran’s, he still asks himself in a small voice.
“Is this the price? Is this the price we must pay to stop him…? Is it to steep? Or is it just the beginning of taxation if we do nothing…”
HolyChaos stares down at the mass death that he caused, no remorse, no sorrow, no guilt, no tears flow from him. He is cold and emotionless to those that have died under Sojorian’s command.
“They deserved nothing less, and oh so much more then what I could have ever given them…”
With that, HolyChaos turns from the fields of battle and heads towards the office of the Principal once more.
“Come, we have matters to attend to… Such as securing our route to Ragol before it is too late…”
His feet slowly start towards the destined teleporter, his feet disturbing bits and pieces of gravel and derby as he makes his way, Striker soon follows, his metal feet clanking as he goes, Sage and Cranberry remain silent for a few minutes more.
“Do you think…? We will ever truly know if this was the price we had to pay to stop a madman?”
“… I do not know Sage…”
“…”
“I just hope their lives were not merely lost for the sake of nothing.”
Cranberry turns and slowly heads to catch up with the other two, Sage continues to stare down at the last two groups fighting, the Hunters that were being pushed back to defend civilians now have the advantage, without the huge horde determining their movements, the last small pocket of Hunter’s are just mindless fools now, cut off from their great leader…
“Hmm… If only…”
Sage turns as well and heads with the rest of the group to gain access to the teleporter then need.
Anetheron looks up to the rise again, and see the last figure depart from the scene. He smiles slightly, a grin plays across his face.
“Thank you friends…”
His eyes return to the emotionless holes they once were as he looks upon the final knot of Hunters that refuse to surrender.
“What should we do with them sir?”
His eyes remain on them, knowing that they will never come to. They are lost in a fit of madness and rage brought forth by this sudden radical’s appearance, all hold a grudge, now released, will never be quelled until they rule or they have drawn their final breath…
“Kill them…”
Anetheron turns from his silent squad of Hunters, he turns towards the very civilians they were protecting, all lived. He breathes a sigh of relief, they all look up to him and gesture kind words of thank you and nods of acknowledgment. He tells them to head to shelters set up around the city, the closest being the Medical area, all of the civilians head towards the Medical area. Soon they are all out of eyeshot and earshot, Anetheron turns back towards his squad.
“I thought I told you to kill them!”
He shrieks at the other Hunters as they stare at the small throng that remains. Soon one of his Hunters fires upon one, the others soon follow, soon the deed is done…
“We were just waiting for the innocent to clear the area before we began this merciless killing sir...”
“… I understand… Good work then, come on, we move out now and head up with Torak.”
The group moves out as the bodies slowly begin to seep out blood. The group soon disappears into the rain. Their footsteps disappearing into the sound of the rain splashing upon the blood stained ground by their feet.
~
I charge on, bodies of those in my way falling as I pass if they do not heed my warning, so far, a few Hunters have let me pass, all smiling as I went by them… The ones, who would not move, were the believers in Sojorian. My heart races, my head pounds, I see the teleporter in front of me, only a few more yards. A young FOnweral steps into my path, she holds her arms out.
“None are allowed access to the surface by order of the Principal government!”
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 26, 2006 20:08:36 GMT -5
“Let me pass!”
“No! None are allowed to enter!”
“I said let me pass! I do not wish to hurt you!”
The young FOnweral does not move, instead she fires a Barta attack in my direction, I dodge to the right, getting into a low crouch, my right hand dagger held out in front of me, ready to strike her down. She fires off a Zonde tech this time, I roll to the right and rise to my feet before the attack has fully singed the ground. Sulfur burns into my nostrils, my eyes peer straight towards hers. My feet move forward, I press on, she fires a Foie tech at me, I dodge to the right, she fires off another fire ball, I cast a Gibarta into the tech, both collide, a dense fog envelopes us as the techs crush upon one another.
My eyes see through the fog, she is staring into it blindly, watching waiting… She is scared; her eyes show desperation in them, scared eyes of some one who has not killed before. I pull back and redraw a little, I go around her instead, the fog lifts, I am already behind her and on my way.
“H-Hey! Stop!”
I turn, stopping in my tracks, I look towards her, we are only twenty feet apart, an easily traversed area if she proves she will try to stop me… We look at each other, my eyes not wavering for a moment, my right hand dagger held before her, meant as both a warning and threat…
“If you wish to stop me, then do so. If you want to live, let me do what must be done for all to live…”
~
“His eyes… They are just like his…”
“What?”
Colt says to her, yet Tian is lost in thought now, she is lost in his eyes. Those eyes, so similar to his… Colt not waiting for a reaction turns and heads towards the teleporter, wishing to shed less blood then has already been spilled.
“Wha?! Hey, Stop!”
Its to late, Colt punches in the coordinates that he only knows can be right. Soon he is gone in a flash with a small hum as the teleporter activates.
“So much like his… Torak’s…”
A small wind blows and ruffles the young FOnewarl’s blue hair. She brushes the loose strands from her eyes, as she recalls the first day her and Torak met, his eyes shone just like that HUmar’s did…
“Tian… Tian! Tian, answer already!”
“Oh! Sorry! Lost in thought!”
“*Sigh*…. Did that HUmar pass by your area?”
She stops and thinks… She looks across at the two bodies that lie twenty feet from her, some of Sojorian’s followers… Both had been dead before she got here… The HUmar was right… She had never killed before…
“No… He hasn’t…”
“Very well, Ramiel out.”
“His eyes… So much like Torak’s…”
~ “No. I cannot give you access to the ruins. It is not allowed!”
“Arrgh! And why the hell not?!”
The Principal gives the cyan haired youth no answer. He simply stares and wonders why these other three SS class Hunters are with him, he is rash, bold, uncaring, and unemotional about the loss of life they are now facing.
“Why do you wish to go down there?”
“Isn’t it obvious old man? Sojorian is down there! Unless of course you want this little revolution to continue taking all those lives you claim to wish to save!”
“HolyChaos! That is enough! This will get us no where.”
Sage whispers harshly to the young FOmar, his spectacles falling slightly down the bridge of his nose. He pushes his glasses back up his eyes showing slight agitation behind a mask of worry.
“We are not going to get any where if we badger him with our claims, he doesn’t even know who we are yet and what are reasons are for asking this!”
“On the contrary… Mr. Jonas Sage… I do know more then you believe…”
“Huh? What now?”
“I know you are looking for access to the Ruins, my only guess would be to find the only other person who has used the teleporter in the last twenty minutes… That being a young HUmar, cyan eyes, brown Spiked Hair, Hunters ID being Skyly, a registered Colt Legenda, am I correct?”
The others stand in shock silence. Colt had already left and been planet side for twenty minutes, who knows how far ahead he was of them, he had done what they had all feared he would do… It seems he has taken the responsibility on to himself to stop this mad man’s dreams…
“Well, am I right?”
The Principal stares at them calmly, his eyes showing a slight glow as he looks upon each face. The teleporter activates, the all to common noise is heard, followed by two pairs of light footsteps entering the room.
“I see my two contract Hunters have returned. So, how did it go ladies?”
Both of the Hunters step forth to speak, as they do, three heads turn in surprise and shock as their voices travel through the small room. Recognition traverses all three of their faces, relief, happiness, and joy spread on each one.
“It was just as you thought sir, he has already garnished a huge following, bigger then we have initially thought able to by him and this simple transmission…”
“DF? Is it you?”
A Young FOnewral, no taller then Cranberry turns to the startled force and looks into her brown eyes with her own deep blue. Her red hair in twin ponytails bobs back forth as her head turns and smiles to the startled Cranberry.
“Of course it is, who else would it be?”
Cranberry, over come with joy embraces her friend. The other steps forth, a small HUcaseal, taller then the two forces yet short then HolyChaos steps into the light. Her metallic ponytail bobs in the light as it shines off her black and purple hued finish.
“Also, the increase in D-Cellular activity is also in conjunction with Sojorian… You were right sir… He has increasingly created types of… “Things” using D-Cells… Not just that, he also has been taking more and more D-Cell life forms for study in the past five months prior to this…”
“Kitten? What is going on here?”
Striker asks the striking HUcaseal. She turns to him, looks him over for a second, strides over to him. Her long legs and high-heeled battle shoes strike the floor with a soft, sharp click. She gets up to him, stands on the tips of feet and looks him in the eyes.
“Have you been doing anything dangerous?”
Her eyes grow inquisitive, they have the look of a lost puppy asking to be let in from the rain. Striker grows apprehensive at answering… If RAcasts could sweat… He would be up to his knees already.
“No…”
“… You’re lying…”
Her voice grows deep and angered… Striker backs away slowly from the HUcaseal. His feet noting the sound of his re-treat from the little perturbed woman.
“Now Raiden…”
“What Strikey?”
“You do not want to do anything foolish now do you?”
“Oh no of course I won’t you know me.”
Cranberry and Dark Force look towards Striker and Raiden. Both slowly back away a little as well. HolyChaos taking note of this turns to Sage to see he has taken cover behind a pillar.
“This isn’t going to end well is it DF?”
“Nope… She tried calling him a couple of times while we were planet side… His communicator to BEE was off…”
“… He is going to get it…”
“Yep, you could say that.”
HolyChaos stares, as the hulking RAcast slowly backs away from the HUcaseal less then twice his size, he turns to Sage, who by now, is sending a small prayer for Striker to remain in one piece at the end of it all.
“HolyChaos… I suggest you find some place to hide unless you want to become a live target when she throws him…”
“… Right…”
Striker is backed into a corner finally and Raiden closes the gap between them. HolyChaos watches this, Cranberry and Dark Force Take refuge behind a pillar like Sage, although both a laughing silently to themselves as they watch the out come of this. Raiden looks at Striker and then, jumps up into his arms that catch her as she falls. She looks into his face and smiles sweetly.
“Don’t ever do it again okay?”
“All right Kitten, I wont….”
HolyChaos turns towards the Principal again who is looking over the data Dark Force and Raiden brought to his attention. His eyes grow dark as he reads the data on and on. The more he looks at it, the more he sees how such a fool he was to allow that man the freedom he had.
“Look at me sir.”
The Principal stares at HolyChaos, unsure why this young man has asked him to do so.
“Do you notice anything about me as odd, or different?”
“No, not really… Well, just your hair color but that must be the new fashion this season, I hear cyan is well liked this year…”
“Did Sojorian ever tell you of any side effects from his experiments on Hunters and the D-Cells?”
“How do you know of this…?”
“That isn’t important right now! What did he tell you of the side effects of it!”
“He said he didn’t know truly, only that, with each passing day the taint is introduced into the body, a part of it will change, whether it be the hosts blood, eyes or even hair. It would change color to show Falz’s power, its curse resides in them.”
“Did he ever mention the color?”
“Yes at one point he said he found it to be…!”
The Principal’s eyes snap back to the young FOmar’s hair. His eyes grow wide in horror, he voice falters. Sweat forms on his brow, he cringes slightly, thoughts race through his mind, all a jumble, yet one rings above the rest as he comes to ask himself it. Another has been used as well… Just how many did he make for this grotesque dream of his…
“He said… it, the color was… Cyan…” HolyChaos merely nods his head and turns towards Cranberry, Sage, and Striker. Striker slowly lets Raiden down from his arms and steps forward with the other two. The principal looks from each one to the next, their eyes showing determination, a bond they share with that one Hunter. A bound, which will not break… He sighs, how many more lives will it cost him to end this he wonders.
“Very well… You will be allowed to head down to the surface, only you four, none else.”
“Wait! That’s not fair. Striker! You jus promised you wouldn’t do anything dangerous!”
Striker Remains silent, his eyes not leaving the Principal’s desk, unable to look Raiden in the eye. Dark Force looks to Cranberry. Their eyes meet for a brief moment. An understanding passes between them, one that does not need words, or gestures to convey, just a simple look in her eyes is all it takes.
“Let them go Raiden… We will not be able to stop them even if we tried…”
“But… DF…. Fine… Striker, you better come back in one piece! That goes for every one, except for the weird hair colored guy, because I don’t know ya yet! Hi! I’m Black Raiden!”
HolyChaos stares at the HUcaseal. His eyes look at her own, unmoving they seem to her, as if they are passing right through her and looking at what is beyond the display of circuitry and metal… As if for one of the few times in her life, she is being looked upon as human.
“Hi Raiden… I am HolyChaos, pleased to meet you…”
He smiles slightly to her, his eyes revealing that he trusts her now, and that he is unsure if she will give hers to him. She returns the smile and looks to Striker again.
“Okay, ALL of you come back in one piece! Including the other FOmar!”
“Well, shall you all leave now? You can use the private teleporter behind my desk in the back room; the coordinates are set for the entrance to the Ruins… Be warned though, once down there, you will have to return to the original spot from which you entered the area… There is no warping to or from the ship. Once down there, you are on your own… Are you still sure you want to do this, is it worth risking your lives to say this one’s, is it worth throwing your lives away down there to stop one man? The odds are in his favor, more then half of the Hunter population has sided with him… Are you sure those odds are worth it all?”
HolyChaos looks at the others in the group, they turn to him. All have the same look in their eyes, the same feeling; even if they do not find Colt, they know what they must do… Even if they loose their lives in the act, it must be done, or all hope is lost, all the dreams that may have come to pass tomorrow will never shine again in the eyes of those they fight for… The dream of a new home, a new hope…
“Yes… It is all worth fighting for…”
~
“Arrgh! They just don’t end!” I holler in rage as another Arlan falls before my feet, it’s purple blood spills on to the floor below before its body disappears in a hiss and black haze. Another two advance on me, I dodge the first swipe, I counter, thrusting my Red Dagger into the right of its chest, the beast hollows and tries to lob off my arms. Releasing my Daggers, my hands drop from their handles, the beast’s twin scythes catch nothing but air. I soon slam the sole of my foot into the creature’s chest, sending it to the ground, as it falls I run towards it and jump on top of it. My feet land on its chest, I wrench my Red Daggers from its body, purple blood spurts from the twin holes as the blades are wrenched free.
The other lets out a hollow as its brethren dies, I turn my head to stare at the D-Cell infested creature, and its skin is a mix of purples, blues, grays and yellows. It stands a towering two feet above me, and I was just barely as tall as the Arlan. The beast roars and comes towards me, I back away quickly, gathering myself as the body of the Arlan disappears with a putrid hiss. I scan my arm gauntlet, seeing if any data exists on this creature. One hit comes up; I quickly scan the diagnostics of the horrid thing.
Del-D, D-Cell mutation. Unknown strength, abilities, and behaviors, extreme caution deemed necessary when encountering it.
“Great, another unknown in, an unknown dungeon, in an unexplored area of Ruins in an, unknown location! God damnit! I am sick of all these unknowns!”
The beast charges me, I block the first strike of its yellow neon claws with my Purple Ring. It strikes again, lunging for my chest cavity, I block the blow with my right hand Dagger. It strikers again, sending its claws ever closer to my body, I block the blow with my left Dagger this time. The beast brings its other claw down, I intercept the blow with my right Dagger, we grapple, the beast roars in its eerie human growl, its low and distant tone… It sounds too human to my ears. I slam my right foot into the beast’s chest, the grapple breaks and the Del-D staggers back.
I trudge back as well, one foot going slowly behind the other, my eyes never leaving the horrid sight of D-Cells and creature, my foot suddenly hits something hard, I whirl around. My eyes meet a wall of purplish, green, and pink hues… I hear the almost human roar emit from the Del-D, I turn to see its claw come raking down towards me, I roll out of the way just as the claw rakes along the wall, causing sparks to come forth from its claws. I roll into a low battle stance, my Daggers held forth and ready to strike, yearning for its purple blood to be let loose upon them.
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 26, 2006 20:15:38 GMT -5
I barrel forward, rushing the Del-D, it knows no fear and slashes at me as I charge, I weave between the twin claws that, moments ago seemed fast now, seem slower then in water… The claws rake air, I dodge in between them, I now stand before the Del-D, between his claws and body, reaching up, I slam my blades home into its waiting chest, the beast hollows in a distant and human voice, it falls… Its arms moving to either side of me, its body soon falls to the ground and soon disappears in the all to common hiss of a black haze with a only a pool of purple blood to signify it was there…
My Daggers clatter to the floor as the body disappears from around and under them. I reach down and pick them up slowly. I strap the Daggers back into their holsters and look upon the room again… I notice blood, the smell of it… I look, I see small patches of red within the purple pools and ponds… I look over the walls and notice scorch marks, marks made from photon weapons, a few bullet holes and shells line the walls and floor as well… Broken weapons lie on the ground, their photons not far away, dead and cold to the world.
I turn back and notice in the reflection of an odd crystalline structure, that the Del-D got a piece of me, or more accurately, my hair… I sigh and stare at it as one side is now uneven in its row of spikes from the other…
“Well, I have been looking for an excuse to not have to use gel every morning…” I quietly sigh and head out the door at the far right of the room. I continue down the long hall, the traces of human blood line the walls, there are injured among them… I do not know how many, but enough it seems to be far ahead of me with no sign of slowing down. The sound of rushing water enters my ears, I stop. The doors before me slowly slide away to reveal a giant hall. I step into the room, light is in poor retrospect here but it is the best in the area so far. The sound of the water grows louder as my feet echo softly in the dank and lifeless room.
I turn to my right and see the water descend from a huge hole above, into a dark abyss before my feet. I access my PDA upon my gauntlet, searching for anything to give me insight to where I am… I have it soon out ten miles, soon a hundred, 300 hundred, then I stop, my mouth drops open, I look from the crater to my digital read out on my PDA… I recheck the stats, check the longitude and latitude lines; I re-check to make sure my arm gauntlet is not in need of a recharge… It’s in pristine working order… Sadly, it is, for what it gives my for an area of the planet, is right below the Central Dome…
“What caused all this to occur… What could have done this…?”
A low cackle emits from the dark abyss below.
“Senile humansss… Such, weak and pathetic creaturesss.”
My heart stops cold, my lungs close off from my air ways, I know that voice. My taint reacts in me, it comes alive, eager, wanting, lusting to go to the voice, to join with it and become one. The sensation is so void of warmth and life, I crawl back from the hole, water soon splashes on to my head and shoulders as I walk away from the edge. The sudden cold snaps me back to reality. My breathing is labored, my hand is to my chest. I feel the taint in me subside its eagerness as the last remains of the voice crawl back down into the dark hole… My breathing softens, I close my eyes. Resting, the water continues to pour down on me, I slowly slide down and come to rest in a sitting position… I let the water slide over me, taking away my fright, and uncertainty with it.
Soon, my hair falls before my eyes, well at least the left side of it does, I groan, remembering my hair was now uneven… I look around and notice nothing that can help me. I improvise and take a strip of dark red cloth, pushing all my hair back into a long pony tail, I place the braid in my hair and stand. I walk back towards the edge of the hole. I sense life down below… Life…
I sigh, I turn away from the hole and continue on.
“You will fail human… Thisss hasss been preordained.”
“Who is there?!”
I whirl on my heels dust kicking up from the floor as I spin to face the omnibus abyss once more. The voice subsides; a low hiss is ushered from below me… I approach the crater once more…
“You will fail in thisss… Human… You will fail.”
“What are you?!”
“Sssomething you know to well… Ssomething that growsss inside you.”
My taint reacts again within me. I feel its pull, its yearning to be united with its master. The pull is alluring… Yet it is also disgusting at the same time, it feels as if I am covered in filth just by having it year to return to its master.
“Turn back from whence you came HUmar… Or she shall suffer, like nothing you can imagine.”
“Her..? ….! Katt?! What have you done to her!”
“Nothing ass of yet Hunter. But, the misguided one brings her closer to me, as we speak… Once he lets her go in my domain… Hehe, it will not be pretty.”
The voice slouches back into the dark depths. Silence fills the room, my heart runs cold, my body shakes. I bring my hand up to my eyes, realization snaps in me. This all could have been avoided, all this pain, all this heart ache, just if I had failed to pass the very first test of time, the first question I was asked… If only I had failed…
“Far away, far away, our thoughts are ceaseless If we can go back to those days Of when we laughed innocently together...”
The words to a song I have heard before repeat in my head… If only we could go back… I cringe tightening my fist. I look towards the hole once more; I turn from it and head for the door. My blood boils, it courses through my veins like hot metal. My anger rises. I grip the hilts of my Daggers, my knuckles under my gloves turn a ghostly white. My footsteps silently echo as I leave the grave like room, continuing to follow the trial of human blood once more.
“Far away, far away, our thoughts are ceaseless For those days of when we laughed innocently together Please, please stop the time And carve your silhouette onto my heart If, if it's allowed It's okay, I sacrificed everything For that smiling face once more... Once more...”
~
They group slowly descends down the stairs of the Ruins, their feet sounding silently as they enter. HolyChaos is last, as he descends the stairs; he looks one last time to his back… He feels a strange feeling grow in his chest, is it worry, fright, anxiety? He cannot tell and slowly shakes his head. His hair soon disappears down into the Ruins with the rest of them….
~
“Hmm…”
“What is it Sojorian..?”
Achrion turns towards the FOmar, the human’s eyes give off a distant look.
“Nothing… Nothing at all Achrion… Where is Serena?”
“Behind us a little ways Sojorian. Why?”
“Keep an eye on her… She has grown… Distrust worthy…”
“Yes…”
Achrion disappears into the shadows once more, his form slinking, bending in with the light and dark, to show he was never there… Sojorian turns his eyes to the front as his followers march on. The new test subjects, the new breed of Hunters to rule, his new army stands before him, unquestioning, uncaring at what they are doing, the perfect followers for his ideals. A hiss from down below sounds again, Sojorian silently laughs.
“Heh, it seems you are displeased with a rivalry in your power. Do not worry, for soon you will have no rival, for you will be mine.”
“Lets move!”
Sojorian shouts to his army, the wounded numbers rise as each new room they transpire through presents more difficult enemies and more traps… Their numbers dwindle, yet they do not care, they only lust for one thing now… That thing, is power…
A teleporter comes into view and all take it, Sojorian is the last to go in.
“Heh, he comes, as expected… Both come…”
Sojorian silently chuckles to himself, a deep cold laugh that is not heard more then felt.
“Heh, if only they knew, if only they knew… All is for not… Heh, the fools, if they wish to die this day then let them come. It will bring a relief to me to know I am through with them both, both of them, both of those failed experiments… One meant to die after the extraction process, the other, meant to be controlled… Tch, looks like I underestimated the human soul, even if it is created… Haha.”
He walks into the teleporter and activates it, soon his body is gone. A shadowed figure appears from the walls. It stares at the teleporter, then turns its head to the hallway, as if watching a distant figure move forward, slowly, yet surely towards its goal. The figure cackles silently as it disappears once more into the wall, its presence marked by the sudden chill of coldness that rushes through the ruins and touches all there…
“… Hey… Hey! What are you doing with me! Put me down!”
“Quiet you little HUnewarl whore! Or I will shut you up!”
“Oh is that a fact you puny little man? Not my fault your mother was right when she told the doctor you are small, in all areas!”
“I said shut up!”
“Ahh!”
The HUmar turns around and slams his fist into Katt’s stomach, knocking the wind from her lithe body. She crumples forward, her hands to her stomach, the air gone from her lungs.
“Get the hell up you filthy who- Ugh!”
The HUmar falls to the ground, his face pitched into the cold tiles below, his partner, another HUmar turns and sees a lone HUcast stand above the other’s body, his hand drawn into a fist.
“Achrion, Sir!”
The young HUmar gives the HUcast a crisp salute and stands at attention.
“What were you and your… Accomplice going to do to this young woman?”
“Nothing she didn’t deserver sir!”
“Really now… You do realize why we are keeping her alive right?”
“Yes sir! To offer to Falz so Sojorian can then absorb Falz while it is weak!”
“Idiot, you also missed the other part.”
“Sir?”
The HUcast’s green hand back hands the soldier across his lower jaw slamming him into the far wall on his left. The young man slumps down the wall, when he comes to a rest he wipes his mouth, blood forms at the corners of it.
“Pathetic humans… Again and again you show your idiocy to me. It disgusts me to no end… We are keeping her alive and in perfect shape to lure him to us.”
“Who is him?”
“… Fool, did you not pay attention at all to the transmission aboard Pioneer 2 before you decided to join Sojorian. No, probably not because that would have required you to actually use that mass of lard you call a brain.”
“…”
The young Hunter remains silent, shame falling into his eyes at how easily this mere android has shamed him. With just a few simple words and phrases…
“Fool, we keep her alive to lure him to us, now think, what do you think this person would do if he found out she was dead, or violated in the way your… Pathetic and moronic counter part wanted to do? … Well. I will tell you, he would have slit all our throats, if he knows she is dead, he will not look for her, instead he will kill us all in a swift movement when his rage takes him, because unlike your pathetic self. This human actually has a brain, he knows what to do, he knows there is something unnatural about him, he knows that Falz taints him. The only thing is, he doesn’t know how it works, once he enters a rage though, his taint will come forth, drawn by his hunger for blood and vengeance.”
He walks over to the slouched Hunter, grabs his collar and lifts him up to eye level.”
“I will be taking the girl off your hands and personally watching her, if I hear one word, one breath from you two about her, even if you leer at her ass once, I will cut your throats out and feed them to you. Do you understand flesh bag.”
The young HUmar can do nothing but slowly nod his head, his voice lost with Achrion’s threats.
“Good…”
Achrion throws the timid Hunter to the far wall, his body slamming into it. A groan is heard and he collapses to the ground unconscious like the other, Achrion walks over to Katt the wind still knocked from her, picks her up and carries her over his shoulder like a bag of flour. Soon he disappears into the shadows.
The two hunters do not stir, sounds slowly emit from the shadows, eyes and neon lights flash in the dark. Soon, a group of Arlans, Merlans, Del-D’s and Bulclaws descend on to the unmoving hunters… Soon the blood bath of ravaging their bodies begins. As the twisted creatures devour their bodies, the two Hunter’s souls drift to their new master… Falz.
~
“What the…”
I step into the solitude of the hallway, the smell enters my nostrils first, followed by the colors and finally, the bodies themselves come into my eyesight. The bodies of two hunters lay on the ground, or what could have been called bodies at one point… I slowly approach them, both HUmars it seems. A scraping catches my attention, I twirl on the balls of my feet, I draw my Red Daggers forth in an instant, a low and high pitched, almost human howl follows, a lone Merlan steps into the light. Its pink neon lights and skin glow, I ready my Daggers, the beast charges, a clumsy mistake, it tries to gut me with a single strike of its sickle like arm, I roll to the right, plunging my left hand Dagger into its side, beast gives off a silent gasp, followed by a low, almost human moan as it falls to the floor.
Purple blood spills from the wound for a moment before the body disappears in a hiss of black fog. I re equip my Daggers to their holsters. I look around the bloody floor, looking for any signs of what they were and what happened here. I notice no burn or singe marks on the walls at all, this wasn’t a battle, it was a slaughter… Suddenly, a gleaming ID catches my sight; I walk to it and bend down. My heat stops, it is Katt’s ID… I look up and down the hall again, only seeing the two HUmar bodies littering the serene scene. I breathe a sigh of relief, she is not here… She is alive… for the moment, I pick up the ID and place it upon my own, the two merging together, a brief flash emits from my Hunter’s ID and soon subsides, I start off down the hall again, my Daggers drawn, the final battle approaches, I feel the weight of it grow on me… I also feel my taint active more as we approach the lower levels of the Ruins, closer to it….
My feet echo, soon, faint footsteps sound behind me, I turn in time to notice a huge arm coming towards me, I dive for the floor. The arm passes over me with a hiss and slams into the far wall. I turn onto my back and look behind me, my eyes widen in shock, an Indi Berla. The rock like monster readies another shot from its left arm, it fires, I roll to my left as the arm impacts. Blasts of tile and rock rain down upon me, I shield my eyes as the dust and rocks fall. I move my arm as the dust settles, some of it gets into my eyes, I squint, trying to clear it of the dirt and rock bits. I watch as the Berla readies another arm to fire.
I jump to my feet, looking, desperately seeking to find cover; I see the hallway I just came from. It’s to far away though, Indi Berla would be able to tear my body apart, long before I made it; I hear the groan of its arm as it readies its next volley. I look around, my eyes searching desperately for anything that could help, they soon land upon another odd crystalline alter of sorts. Not think if its integrity could hold against the beast’s strength, I run for it. The screech of the arm shoots through the room, piercing the dead air with its whine and holler as it streaks towards me.
As the object becomes mere feet from me, I dive behind it, curling into a small ball and defend myself as best as I can. I hear the wail of the weapon streak towards me… Sudden silence envelopes the room suddenly. I stay hunkered down, my face covered by my arms, waiting, waiting for the object to my back to hold, or crush me with the impact of the arm… The whistling begins again, soon a crash is heard, the force of a mini explosion rocks my back, rubble and dust fly on to me, I shield myself as best as I can, all goes black in the thick cloud, time spans indefinitely, waiting, I feel the seconds slow, the world come to a halt as I wait for the rubble to stop falling, for the dust to settle, to see if I can keep the silent promise I made to Katt… I will get her back, no matter what, no matter the actions and consequences, I will get her back.
~
Destiny now has called each of them to rise to the challenge. Each has chosen to rise to it. Yet, it is still uncertain if they will meet this challenge… The fight to end all begins shortly. Only one thing remains. Destiny’s choice in who shall win…
Some say, destiny is predetermined, that you can not rise against it. That you must follow its set path, which even if you try it will still keep you on its own course. Others believe you set your own destiny, carving your own path as you trudge ahead, each day brings a new branch to choose in its forks, each day, a chance to change fate, each day, a chance to undo time…
Next Chapter:
Chapter Seventeen
Rematch, Colt vs. Achrion
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 29, 2006 22:12:54 GMT -5
Chapter Seventeen Rematch Colt vs. Achrion
*Note to readers. In this chapter, like all others, I listened to some music to set the mood. In this chapter, I will include the names of the songs and lyrics if they have them at the end of this chapter. I will insert a special bullet or something to let you know when I switched songs in the writing process, hopefully this can help you with the feeling of the story at the moment.*
*Lake Shrine Theme of Alundra*
The darkness envelopes me, noise is not an object here, I hear nothing. Then, I hear the silent patter of feet, an all to common sound I have heard before, I open my eyes, the dust has begun to settle, I turn towards my back and look. The object has held, if only for a brief moment, I sigh, my relief is cut short however, I soon hear the whine of the monster once more as it readies its next volley. I hear the arm fire, unsure of the objects integrity, I roll to the right just as the arm collides with the object, it soon crumples, its mass falling onto the ground I was at only moments ago.
I rise and draw forth my daggers; both shine a small red hue in the small under glow of the room. The Berla slowly turns, its head, its yellow hollow eyes coming to rest on me. It stares at me for a moment; its arm slowly rises once more. It draws ether from the air and charges its attack.
“Heh, do you think I will be that easy to kill?”
*Undo by Cool Joke*
I stare at the Berla, its arm readies to fire, the unmistakable whine as the ether reaches its max within the creatures body. As it is about ready to fire, I whip my Red Dagger forth; I throw the blade towards the creature. The red tinted knife slams into the creature’s right eye, the Berla hollows in pain brining its arms up to shield its face, purple blood slowly inks from its damaged eye. The beast whines in enragement and pain.
I watch as the creature never stops charging energy for its arm shot, I suddenly hear the whine once more from its arm, the room goes silent, only the distinct horse, rock like whine of the Berla is heard, then the ring of its arm being fired off, followed by an explosion as its arm impacts its head. Bits of rock, gore and blood spray the wall behind it and the room, I bring my arms up to shield my face, small bits of rock and gore hit my arms, either making a small bruise or a sick wet thud as they impact.
A crash emits, I remove my arms from my face, a thin layer of dust has encased the room. It soon begins to settle, I see the Berla’s body, it lies dead and cold to the world, its head is not seen, only a stump from the neck up remains. I walk over to it; its neck bleeds its purple blood out slowly. Its body begins to hiss, a black haze soon rises from its body. The haze consumes the body of rock and flesh, soon, nothing is left where it once was, other then a small pool of its purple blood and my Dagger, laying in the floor, embed from its sudden fall from the within the Berla’s eye.
I grab the hilt of my Dagger and yank from the floor; I twirl my daggers upon my fingers and then place into place on either side of my waist. I slowly move towards the far door of the room. The haunting image of the remains of the two Hunter’s enters my mind, my pace hastens, from a walk, to a slow jog to a full run. My heart pounds in my chest, it slams into it over, over, and over again. I race on through the ruins, soon I enter another room with a layout almost identical to each of the rooms in here, I feel like I am heading in one giant never ending circle. I step forward from the hall, the doors slide soundlessly behind me and lock. I turn only to notice it too late. A low bellow emits from the room, I turn to stare down a group of Arlans.
“This just gets better and better…”
A photonic ring ushers into the room, as I draw forth my Tears Partisan. Its photons activate, its tap into my mental strength establishes a link as well, for me to call upon should the need arise instead of the constant draining it once held over me. The Arlans below in a low almost human tone, the cry sends shivers through my bones; the creatures begin their frantic and unorganized scramble towards me.
I ready my Partisan for its first swing, the blade is angled behind my head as I hold the extended hilt within both hands and ready in an offensive stance, my left foot placed out before my right, my body crouched low, ready to deliver a swing to the mid section of the group.
The Arlans advance, their neon green claws arch towards the low pink lights as they come closer, like a rain of sickles they descend upon me…
~
The group slowly descends into the ruins, each one feeling the dark apprehensions that flow through the air as if water. They enter a huge a room, a crater is lodge in the far right of it, Striker looks down the hole, his scanners can not penetrate the deep hole more then four hundred meters down.
“Negative, it seems to go on beyond my sensors can detect.”
“Wow that is a big hole.”
Cranberry says with astonishment as she peers down into the black abyss. The sound of the waterfall behind them drowns out their voices before they ever have a chance to echo to the hole below.
“I wonder how it was made though.”
Sage’s voice rings out over the waterfall as he too looks at the pit. HolyChaos turns from it, paling as he does, the others do not hear it, yet he hears it loud and clear, that damned thing. It speaks to him now, his heart races; sweat plasters his face, his complexion pales.
“Why are you here fake, for what reasonsss, do you distort this hollowed ground with your kind!”
“To rid you of this planet and, to kill the one responsible for my being like this.”
“Oh, iss that so? Pathetic creation, even though you are not one of my true off springsss, your reaction is still the same. You recoil, your face paling, your insides turning; it shows that the taint is real enough, that it wants to be with me, to be as one…”
“Heh, that may be so, but it will never happen, this is my body, my body that carries my curse. I will fight it to the bitter end, living with its pains and sorrows.”
“You have no idea, the extent to which my power growsss, the more I infect, the more I gain, the more of my creatures die, the more that are born to take their stead, the more power I gather. With each breath you take, I grow stronger, with each step you make, I become something more then your nightmares could spawn…”
“Heh, you claim such big talk, and yet, yet, if what you say is true about my curse, my taint, then why can you not control me, or for that matter, why can you not control the one of us that was directly touched by you. Heh, that’s right, your power is not as great as you claim it is, you pathetic thing, its only as grand as one’s mind allows it to be so.”
“You will come to know in dear time young Force, that you will wish the day that you made these claimsss, never came to be, for when you enter my domain, you will finally know what a true nightmare is, not the fake onesss that you can awake from… But, a true nightmare, which shall haunt you for all eternity…”
The voice of It slinks back into the hole, descending into the blackness as it goes; a cold chill fills the room as its presence leaves, leaving all a dread of cold. HolyChaos shudders one final time as the echoes of the voice drift from him, his skin crawls, his eyes water slightly, his mouth turns into a mock grin.
“I see you have no intention of letting this be easy… I should have known though…”
“Is something wrong?”
HolyChaos turns to see the collective stares of the others as his breathing begins to even out. Their eyes show concern, while; his, own blue eyes show nothing to them.
“Its nothing, lets go, we have to move soon. Before they get too far ahead.”
The noise of the waterfall penetrates the silence, HolyChaos looks towards it, then his robes, and all the others…
“… We have time for a rest, if any of you wants, I suggest getting cleaned by that waterfall, the rest of us will wait in the hall if need be.”
Cranberry jumps to the idea of a chance to bathe and she is the first to take the offer. The other three go and wait in the hall as disrobes and cleans. Soon, she returns, her black hair not in its stylish ponytail but let loose, cascading down her small shoulders as she enters the hall looking refreshed.
Sage soon goes next, his shower, if you can call it that, is far less time consuming. He soon re-enters the hall. HolyChaos is the last to take his turn under the solitary fall. He disrobes and goes under it, the cold water hits his skin. He cringes for a moment, before the water begins to numb his flesh and he relaxes as the water washes over him.
“… I feel it coming…”
He speaks softly to himself, though if he were to try and yell to the others, it would do no good, the fall would have drowned out his voice long before it reached them. As the water falls over his head, his mind drifts. Soon, having his fill of the water, HolyChaos steps out from under it and puts on his robes once more. As he ties his head band around his head once more to keep his hair from his eyes, he looks towards the abyss once more, he feels Its breath rise and fall, its life, its power, only growing as time goes on.
“…”
He enters the hall. The other three stand, he nods to them and they trudge ahead, looking for what they seek. The young cyan haired youth turns back and stares at that hole as the doors slowly slide close behind him. With them closing, he feels the foreshadowing of things to come…
~
“Heh, I see the grunts did not listen to well then.”
“No, they did not, wretched humans.”
“Quite agreed Achrion, but what can you do? They are all deluding themselves, why should I bother to set things right?”
“Quite agreed.”
“What of the girl?”
“She is fine, the wind was knocked out of her once I got to her but nothing more so then that… Filthy, stupid humans, they do not think ahead…”
“How right you are… Soon though, oh so soon, they will all be under my rule, in this revelation they think I am leading them into, how far from the truth they are… They have even given us a name, the soldiers call themselves the Arkz now.”
“It never pays to disillusion them to early. Heh”
“No, it never does… If only they knew what awaits them, heh, it would be a true joy to hear their screams…”
“What of our “guest” though?”
“Oh, her… Hmm, give her to me, I will take of it.”
“Very well.”
Achrion lifts the unconscious Katt from his body and gives her to Sojorian, who, despite his FOmar training, easily lifts Katt onto his shoulders and continues walking.
The small group, having been cut down from numerous battles with the tainted creatures, now makes its way towards another level within the Ruins, another teleporter comes into view, Sojorian laughs as the first of the group descends to the lowest sanctums.
“Heh, what fools they are, blindly following this cause, that not one hint of truth has revealed itself to them yet.”
Sojorian stops for a moment, his smile turns to a small look of agitation, then, the look quickly fades into a grin. He looks over his shoulders; a small laugh plays across his lips. His eyes stare into the distance, watching.
“It seems he is here, and faster then I thought as well… This could prove to be a problem.”
“Heh, do not worry, he will not get past me.”
“Very well Achrion, if you insist. You are intending to fight him are you not?”
“Heh, as I have said, he is the only one to ever present me with a challenge… A challenge worth fighting.”
“I see… If that is what you wish, just remember, you may have trained him, you may have beaten him before, now is different.”
“How so, he is still the Hunter I last faced.”
“This time, he has something worth fighting for.”
Sojorian lifts Katt a little higher onto his shoulder and steps towards the teleporter, also knowing that Colt has grown in skill since last those two battled, he will not be as easy as Achrion thinks…
“I leave this battle to you, do not disappoint me Achrion.”
“Heh, since when have I?”
“When you were not able to bring Colt back the first time…”
Sojorian slowly stalks towards the teleporter, his form soon disappears, Achrion, remembering that day slowly grins to him self.
“The only thing that saved him was that other soul and his taint… With out it, he is nothing more then what he is… A human Hunter.”
Achrion slowly slides into the shadows, his green metallic body disappearing as rapidly as it enters the shadows grip, the last to leave the light is his eyes. As he stares into the hall his eyes stay fixated towards the hall, watching, waiting…
~
*Idola, have the immortal feather*
“How many are there?”
I ask as another Arlan falls beneath my blade, its body slashed in half, its purple blood spraying as my Partisan cuts through it. My upper torso is covered in the veil creatures’ blood. Another one descends upon me, slashing wildly with its twin scythe arms, I dodge to the right, the blade catching nothing but empty space, I put my Partisan back into it’s place upon my back and draw my Daggers forth, their low photonic ring ushers through out the room, their red glow dances in the low pink neon lights.
The Arlan hollows, its low, almost human howl. It wishes to taste my blood upon its hands, the thing charges in blindly, filled with loathing and rage. It slashes at my head, I duck and twirl on the balls of my heels, slamming both blades into the creature’s stomach. I yank the blades out, I hear the creature moan at first, then the thud of its dead body as it falls to the floor. I look up, no more appear, all around me surround small pools of purple, soon the last of the two bodies disappear in a black haze.
“I know you are there… Pulling these invisible strings to these puppets… For each puppet I kill, two more arise within the next room, hall, or level… I know by my killing it only makes you stronger… I will, I will find you though, and I will write the wrongs you have committed, and that I have had a hand in, if only by surviving those, atrocities.”
I turn towards the far walls of the room and see a door slowly slide opens, I jog to it, being careful not to slip on the pools of purple blood left in the wake of my battle. I enter the hall, I come to another room, no enemies await me, only the smells of battle, I see small red blotches in between the vast expanses of purple. I step to the closest one, kneel and place my hand in it…
“Still wet…”
I rise and run towards the door, I enter a hall, a long narrow hall, soon, I appear in a room, the door closes behind me, the lights dim. I walk towards the center; a sound catches my attention if for a brief moment… Suddenly, a small gust of wind rushes across the back of my neck. I tense, my hands resting on the hilts to my Red Daggers.
“Heh, Welcome Hunter, welcome, to your final battle.”
The whistle steel catches my ears, I roll to the left, my feet soon finding solid ground, I stand ready into a low crouch, my twin Red Daggers drawn forth, their photons hum to life as their red glow intensifies. I see the HUcast in front of me; his green armor shines almost black in the low pink lights, his eyes though, they burn with the ferocity of a small sun. He draws his Yasha back up into an offense stance, he holds it out right, horizontal to his head, his arms stationed to deliver a severing upward cut to the stomach of his opponent.
“Where is she Achrion?”
“Heh, can you not tell. She isn’t with me.”
“Where is she…”
“I do believe with Sojorian at this point, although I could not tell for she was out of it when I last left her with him.”
Rage boils inside of me; my hands tighten their grip upon my red blades. The photons increase in noise as my anger rises, to signal they are just as ready to kill. I stand a little taller, and re-ready my Daggers, the twin blades held out in front of me now. I breathe slowly, counting off the seconds before I make my move, in a small whisper I begin.
“One… Two… Three… Four…”
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 29, 2006 22:19:16 GMT -5
Achrion steadies in his stance, his arms, legs, and body, unmoving, his eyes intensify if that were possible… They glow a darker yellow then before, his body sways a little as he readies to charge.
“Five… Six… Seven… Eight…”
A sudden chill fills the room. Nothing moves, nothing blinks, nothing stirs, death walks through the door and waits beside it, waiting to collect its due rewards from this fight. His fingers rhythmically tap upon his scythe.
“Nine… And it is Ten…”
*Legend of Zelda Wind Waker: Battle with Puppet Ganon.*
~
Achrion charges the HUmar, his blade whips through the air in a small streak of silver, the HUmar blocks the attack with his twin Red Daggers, each Dagger lands upon a different side of the blade, pinning it in between them, forcing it stop from slamming into the Hunter’s stomach.
“Heh, so you have improved, still, it’s not going to be good enough!”
Achrion rips the Yasha from the hold of the Red Daggers, forcing the blades away from his own katana, he slashes horizontally, the HUmar dodges backwards, jumping back two feet and landing, drawn into another defense position.
~
*Tales of Symphonia Final Destination*
I crouch and ready myself for the next attack Achrion stands waiting, his katana drawn into a defensive position.
“Well, what are you waiting for Hunter? If you want her back, come and claim her!”
I charge him, my Daggers ready to strike, I swing my right blade to try and sever his neck, he blocks the blade with his Yasha, I send the second blade towards his mid section, he stops the blade in mid swing with his hand, grabbing my wrist. He lifts me up, still having my blade and his crossed.
“Heh, just as before, pathetic.”
“If you want to believe that then fine, but I will stop you and write the wrongs I have helped commit!”
I draw my right foot back and slam it into his chest, his blade arm drops a little, my blade is free, I slam it into his upper chest plate, Achrion screams in anger, I feel the grip on my left hand lax, I then rip my right handed dagger out, taking wires and bits of hot molten metal with it and slam it upon his left arm, his circuits malfunction for a brief moment, a spasm is sent to his hand, it opens letting me go, I yank the blade from its hole in his arm and fall down on to the ground. I soon slam the back of my right foot into his chest; the Android falls back stumbling two feet before his balance is regained.
He stops, the two small pinpricks in his body, soon become alive, moving, recovering, and soon, they are no longer there. He laughs coldly, his left hand brushes his chest.
“Heh, so you have improved a deal have you now?”
I say nothing, I re-enter a defensive stance, watching, waiting… He readies himself again, his blade held out, the light gleams off the sharpened silver edge, even in the low pink light, his sword gleams like in the morning sun.
“Well now Hunter… Time to die.”
~ *Nightmare Zero Battle: Mega Man X5
Achrion charges the Hunter again; his blade slashes towards the young HUmar’s right arm. The Hunter blocks it with his right hand dagger, Achrion soon whips from his side another katana, Sange. He brings the blade to bore into the HUmar’s chest, the young Hunter blocks the blow with his small shield, a Purple Ring, Achrion brings his left knee to bear into the Hunter’s chest. His knee slams into the chest cavity of his young opponent. Drawing his knee back, he slams it up against his torso, again, again and again. Each time, the strike increasing in ferocity and power, every time his knee rises and slams into the Hunter’s ribs, each time he hits the bone, the power of the strike multiplies. “Gahuh!”
The young HUmar gurgles blood, his body unable to take the beating. In last-ditch attempt he tries to bring his own knee to bear against Achrion, the HUcast just laughs, and instead slams his left foot into the Hunter’s chest. Colt slams into the floor hard, he coughs, more blood rises from his mouth to greet the stale air of the room. Colt’s labored breaths are the only sound of the dead room, his eyes closed, his mouth tasting of iron, his body aching, he concentrates though, using what tech energy he has and begins the slow process of his Resta tech.
Achrion advances upon the young Hunter, his steps, masked by Colt’s labored breathing as the tech energy slowly mends the cracked ribs of his torso. His twin katanas rest by either side of his lithe dark green body, his yellow eyes bore down on the Hunter as his breathing settles only slightly. “Is this the best you have to offer me in a challenge Colt? Do you not truly care if she lives or dies?”
Achrion asks, pointing Yasha down at the fallen HUmar. He waits, time stops, nothing else moves, the world stops as the question is asked. The HUmar slowly opens his eyes; his cyan eyes show a rage of fire in them, one that will not be quelled so easily.
“No Achrion… Before this is through you shall die.”
~
*Tales of Symphonia: The end of a Thought
I slam my foot into his lower blade, sending sailing through the air to land on the ground. It clatters to the floor, a noise in the empty void, I spring to my feet, the dull ache of broken ribs still hangs on my body. The HUcast looks to me and laughs and readies his other katana yet again.
“So you think you can win? Do you honestly think you will beat me? If so, then come and see how wrong you are!”
Achrion charges again, his blade slashes, cutting through the air to sever my right arm. I dodge to the right, twirling my body out of the way as his blade slams into the hard tiles below. I turn to slash at him with my left hand dagger, he ducks, evading my slash, my blade sings through the air, Achrion slams his fist against my right side, punching my sore ribs, I stagger back.
I catch my breath, I stand ready, going into a defensive stance once again, the Hucast laughs.
“Just give in Colt, you know you can not win!”
“We will see…”
“Heh, yes you shall see by the end of this fight that you could never have won.”
Achrion disappears into the shadows once more, his feet echo in the empty room, I spin my head around, trying to discern where the sound is coming from. It seems to be coming from the front, left, right, and even behind me. I hear a blade sing through the air, its metallic song sings of death.
I bear my right hand dagger to my right, steel clashes upon photon. Hot sparks emit from the crashing blades, dancing to the ground below us. I stare into his yellow hollows; he looks back, his eyes mocking me.
“Heh, you have indeed improved, its till not enough.”
Another silver streak slices through the arm, its rips its way down my right arm, I holler in pain as the blood rises to greet the air. I yank my right hand dagger back from its stalemate; I clutch the wound with my left hand. Blood seeps through my clutched fingers, it trickles down my arm until it comes to the tip of my blade, where it slowly drips to the floor to collect into a small pool of red.
I take my arm away from the wound and ready into an offensive stance. My arms bob with the intake of my breath, my right arm, drips with blood still, the wound sore and aching as I ready for the next assault. I charge, the blood drips from my arm onto the tiles below, I lash out with my twin daggers slicing the air with a low photonic hum, as I spin around and the HUcast ducks under my daggers, I bring my foot up, low to the ground and slam the side of it into his face plate. His head snaps back, his eyes shut for a moment as he slams into the ground two feet away, dust rises from the impact, his body stutters from the blow.
Achrion then pushes himself up with his arms and laughs, shaking the dust off from his green exterior.
“Well done Colt, you still have a long way to go though!”
~
*MegaMan X4 MegaMan’s intro Theme:
Achrion rises from his spot, his blade stand ready on either side of his body, he rushes the young HUmar then. His blades in a wild frenzy of steel, they clash time and time again, each strike, each thrush, each slash brings a rain of sparks to the ground from the photon and steel blades.
The dance continues, each warrior lashing out at the other, neither gaining or loosing ground, just an endless display of stalemate versus stalmate. Achrion charges again, his left handed blade, Sange, clashes with Colt’s outstretched Purple Ring, he brings Yasha down, intent upon crashing it against Colt’s skull, the young Hunter though blocks the attack with his right handed dagger, once more they stare into each others eyes.
“Heh, so, we meet again in this situation. Which will be the first to make the mistake this time though? Who will be the first to break away?”
Colt remains silent, concentrating on keeping the HUcast’s strength at bay, his arms already waning under the strength of the Cast fighter; his right arm begins to lax even more. Its wound howling in pain to him, tell him to stop this madness.
Colt’s arm twitches, his right arm falls, Achrion goes to push his blade through the Hunter’s arm. Colt’s right leg snaps out, he spins, his leg slam into the ankles of the Cast Hunter. Achrion stumbles, his push on both Yasha and Sange wane, Colt seeing this drops his right arm, Yasha falls over his shoulder, Achrion’s arm drapes on to his shoulder blade, Colt then slams his Red Dagger through the Android’s arm socket.
The blade pushes through metal and wire, oil and other fluids spurt out of the ruptured wires as the dagger works its way through this arm. The Dagger comes out suddenly and Achrion’s arm drops to the floor, dead, twitching as electrical circuits still fire off. Colt twirls away from the injured HUcast, he then rakes his Dagger across the lower half of Achrion’s chest plate. His Red Dagger burns a searing mark through the androids armor.
Achrion jumps back, his left hand coming to clutch the stump he now wields for a right arm, his mid section also glows red from the searing photons that have just raked upon it. The scratch on his armor soon heals though, going over it as if nothing had ever happened.
Achrion laughs, a cold metallic laugh, his voice chip falters, his emotion conduit shuts off, his voice sounds off through the halls, each word, each letter, spoken, in that cold android voice.
“Hehe, so you think you have won, simply by severing my arm? No matter, I can simply allow it time to re-grow, soon I will be able to attach it back on to me as if nothing ever happened, you should know by now, you can not defeat me Hunter!”
~
*Bolero of Fire, Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time:
“… We have to hurry.”
“Agreed, but where exactly are we going?”
HolyChaos and the others stop, the low pink neon lights glow erratically as they enter the room and look around themselves. Unsure of which doorway to enter within the ruins, or where they are within this maze of low lights and monsters, the group remains still, trying to think of where the next warp to the lower levels could be. Cranberry steps a little away from the group and looks around the large room, she notices one of the doors is locked, she presses her ear up to it and listens, she can hear murmuring. Also, the clash of steel, a battle is taking place…
She backs away from the door and heads to another, she ventures towards it, as her body heat comes into view of its scanners the door opens up into a hall. Striker, seeing this goes along behind her; she soon hears the RAcast’s footsteps and is relieved to know he is there, the door behind them slides closed soundlessly. The hall’s lights tinge a little, becoming darker as they progress down the narrow walk way of grated steel.
The other end of the hall comes into view, as they approach the door, it slowly slides open, detecting their movements. The door opens to reveal a low red glowing warp. Cranberry thrilled jumps up and down, her feet making more then enough noise for her voice. HolyChaos and Sage, hearing the small racket come into the hall and soon see what the noise was about. As they enter the warp one by one, Cranberry looks back over her shoulder, puzzlement contorts her features.
“What is it?”
“Back there, in the large room, one of the doors was locked, I heard a battle beyond the doors…”
“Did you hear anything else at all?”
“No, just the clashes of steel on photons, their voices were too muffled by the door and the size of the room I gather, to make them out clearly.”
HolyChaos turns his head to look back over his shoulder as well, Cranberry soon enters the warp and is gone, an uneasy feeling settles in Chaos.
“This is to easy… I don’t like this.”
He too enters the warp. As his form re-appears on the other side, he sees the others in offensive stances, Cranberry, her hands a dark glow of orange and red, Striker, his twin Yask 9000 M’s trained on a single target, and Sage, his own hands glowing a yellow as he charges a Gizonde tech. HolyChaos stares into the darkness. A low click of feet enters the consciousness of the room, the swish of a black and blood red robe appears, then the mid section and finally, his face.
“Heh, well done all of you, to think I was worried you wouldn’t arrive in time.”
“Sojorian…”
“Ahh, yes, how could I forget you? One of our first experiments on synthetic D-Cells, well one of the ones that actually lived through the process I should say.”
“….”
“You remember that don’t you? How could you forget it, the agony, and the torture. The losing of your memory and who you were. It’s of no matter though; you didn’t need those things, for you were our first true success, our first step towards the goal.”
*Live and Learn Sonic Adventure 2 Battle Theme*
“Are you through with mindless lectures of the past? If not continue on so I can cut your throat out without a hassle.”
“My, my, so anxious to test your abilities once again are we pup? Heh, fine then, let us see how far you have truly come!”
Sojorian draws from his side a katana, an Agito model by the looks and shine of the rust colored blade.
“Well come on then, lets see what the young one has learned!”
“Enough of this! Out of our way!”
Sage launches his Gizonde tech, it hurtles towards the unflinching force, his eyes turn a fierce yellow with the approach of the tech. Twirling his blade, the Gizonde tech lances into its steel, only to be redirected into a the wall to his right, unaffecting him at all.
“But, but how?! The blade should have served as a conductor and caused the electric flow to pass along into you!”
“Foolish, foolish Force, do you even know what you are up against, you are no longer up against one of your own class, I am more then you could ever dream to see in your nightmares!”
Sojorian then whips a Zonde tech from his finger tips towards the unsuspecting Hunter, the energy crackles from above and slams into Sage’s being. The force of the contact drives all the wind from his lungs, unable to scream or breath for that brief instant, he collapses to the ground, his world having gone black the instant the energy connected to his body.
Striker’s visors momentarily goes array with the amount of electrical energy within the area, as his vision clears, the sight of a giant orange and red ball appears, unable to move out of the way, he braces for the impact, shielding his face with both his huge metal arms. The tech slams into them, dragging Striker along the ground, the fire ball never losing speed as it slams into him and then finally into the far wall behind them.
“Striker!”
Both Cranberry and HolyChaos yell to the armored RAcast as his body impacts the far wall. A resounding braking of steel and rock ensues; the force of an explosion rocks the ruins as the fire ball extinguishes upon impact. Rubble immediately cascades on to the RAcast’s unmoving form, his system’s shutdown to protect his major processor’s and circuits.
“All right! Now you have done it!”
Cranberry yells to the un-nervous Force.
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 29, 2006 22:20:38 GMT -5
“Well then little one, if you have the guts to strike me down, show me now!”
Cranberry flinches at his voice, but as he says the words, she unleashes a Foie tech of her own. The orange and red ball glows on the ends of her fingers if for but a brief moment, then the attack is launched, the bright mass of fire streaks towards the black and blood robed force like a comet, its tail leaving a wake of smoke behind it, as it approaches, the FOmar merely laughs.
“Such a simple tech, although granted it is of high caliber for one of your training, I wonder how you were able to master it to such a degree… No matter, I will know soon enough.”
Sojorian out stretches his hand and waits the tech collides with his palm and stops, it continues to try and push forward, trying to burn away his flesh to no avail. The tech singes and pops, hissing as it slowly dies. The fire extinguishes within his palm.
“Such a clever attack tech, but here, try this!”
Sojorian hurls an icy blast of Gibarta forward to the unsuspecting Cranberry, unable to dodge or brace for the shot, the blast of ice takes her in it’s cold grip, and floors her, slamming her head against the hard ground, she falls into unconsciousness.
“Cran!”
“Heh, what’s the matter, can’t fight on your own? Or is it that you are scared now, scared that you will loose again. No matter, you will fall today, but not by my hands alone.”
“What do you know? You are foolish to think this plan will work, to think this foolish and coincided Idea will prevail!”
“Fool! Ignorant Fool! It already has! Look around you! All the pieces are in place, all the pawns I need are at my disposal! I am one small step away from my goals and you claim it will never come true… Such a worthless and unseeing fool you are!”
HolyChaos looks around him, he sees the bodies of countless Hunters and Soldiers, all slaughtered in battle; he sees the all too common purple splotches of blood in the sea of red as well.
“How many of them have died for your misguided ideals Sojorian, how many lives are now shattered because of your foolish greed! How many more will die?! Huh?! Can you answer me that!”
“As many as it takes you fool, I will not give up till my goals are reached… Now prepare for battle, I want to see what the pup has learned after all these years…”
HolyChaos looks around at the fallen Hunters, looking through their weapons, drawing blade, after gun, after wand, until finally, he spots something worth while, he draws the blade, a Durandal, from the cold unmoving hands of a dead Hunter, his stomach sliced open and gutted.
“I am sorry, please forgive me.”
“Heh, I see you would prefer to keep this a mix of techs and melee, a favorite of yours, even back when you were barely used in the experiments.”
“…”
“Heh, fine then let us begin this little duel.”
“No… Let’s end this drawn out battle!”
HolyChaos charges Sojorian, his Durandal held forth, ready to slice the FOmar in half. Sojorian stands ready, his Agtio model held and ready to attack as well, both come closer to one another. HolyChaos launches a Grants Attack, the bright light engulfs Sojorian, he grunts not suspecting the attack, before the pain over takes him for a brief moment though, he launches a Zonde tech of his own at the Force, the lighting attack crackles and then falls to the earth…
~ *Tales of Symphonia: Last Decision
“So the boss said just to place her in there?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said before leaving…”
The two surprised Hunter’s, a HUcast and a RAcast, place the unconscious body of Katt upon the teleporter. Watching, waiting for something to happen… Seconds tick by, soon minutes, still nothing changes, the red rings still slowly flow by and around her nimble body as her breathing continues at an easy pace.
“…”
“Uhh, you do realize you have to press the button right?”
“I do?”
“Idiots, both of you idiots.”
The click of Serena’s high heels signals her entrance to the cold room. Stalking past the two under programmed Hunter’s, she places her hand upon the console to the door, activating the warp. As the noise picks up, and the red glow intensifies with the sound, Katt comes awake once more.
“Hey, what, wait where am I? Answer me you hag!”
Before Serena can answer her, Katt is gone in a flash of red light.
“Heh, good riddens to a noisy hostage.”
Katt’s eyes slowly open once again; her vision is brought forth by the bright colors of flowers, a small green field, the horizon of mountains and blues dancing across the sky. Slowly rising to her weary feet, Katt begins to walk towards the center of the field of flowers and grasses. Soon, as she approaches a stark, bland tan motor tower springs into her view with a few stone tablets before in it.
“What is this place?”
As her feet descend upon the stone steps leading to the altar, her feet disturb the silence of the field. Her hand touches the altar upon the stone pillar. Nothing happens. A sudden odd sound rings her ears; the bright blue skies change to a dark and lifeless yonder with no clouds to gaze upon. She looks towards the ground, no longer the site of a beautiful field filled with flowers of all shades, from red, blue, to orange and purple, now just a desolate wasteland. As the ground below her becomes clearer and clearer, she sees something, moving, twitching just below the surface of earth, a face soon appears, followed by a hundred more, all flat against the ground.
Hollowed eyes stare towards her, mouths open, then, they all silently move, laughing? Or moaning in pain, she can not tell which, she becomes afraid and steps closer towards the tower. A shadow over passes her, the tower disappears, she looks towards the ground and shrieks as she stands upon the countless faces, laughing, mocking her. The shadow grows bigger, catching her attention, she turns and stares into “It’s” eyes. She tries to scream to draw a breath of air, to ready her Black King Bar for battle, anything. No wind sound comes from her throat, no air is felt by her lungs, and her hand does not move towards the weapon. “It” looks down upon her now, its hollows of eyes stare down upon her now, piercing her soul.
“Welcome to my plane, worthless child…”
~
*Open Your Heart: Sonic Adventure
“Honestly Hunter, do you think you can win? Do you believe that I will be killed by you? You, a failed project, a worthless human maggot.”
I say nothing; my hands grip the handles of my Daggers ever tighter. Sweat beads out of my skin and slowly slides down my nose and face. A trickle drips into my eyes, I squint to close them, as my eyes close, I feel the impact of a fist slam directly into my abdomen. The force of the blow knocks the wind out of me and forces my back to land on my back a good two feet away.
I slowly push myself up, catching my breath as my air starved lungs demeaned its sweet touch. Slowly I inhale and I can breath once more, a dull ache resides at the bottom of my rib cage where the attack landed. I cringe as I try to stand, only to have the pain keep me down a few moments more. I watch as Achrion strides over to his disembodied arm, looks at it then as he brings it to its stump, the wires slowly take on a life of their own, intertwining, lengthening as they reach for one another. Soon the wires reconnect, the metal molds together and the arm is whole once more, he flexes it and his fingers testing it for kinks or malfunctions.
“You see Hunter, you can not win. You foolish belief that you can is merely a dream, a whim on the winds of fate!”
I slowly rise to my feet, the pain slowly subsiding within my abdomen. I stare at Achrion now, his words flowing into my ears and mind. His twin blades twirl in his palms as their blades reflect the low pink light.
“Do you know why you had the title of Chain Sawd knight upon your head Hunter?”
“….”
“Heh, I didn’t think so, tell me, how it feels when you hold that blade in your hands, what rushes through your very fiber as you grip its hilt.”
“…”
“Speechless I see, you don’t remember those battles do you? All those times you used that blade, all those lives you slaughtered with it.”
“…”
“The reason you were given that name is because of the grace you held with that blade, the grace you had, to kill with it. Tell me, do you remember any battle where, you suddenly can not determine the middle of it? Can you only recall the beginning and ends of some battles?”
“And if I can, what does that prove; memories fade with each day, easily, so those memories that mean nothing to us fade.”
“Heh, spoken well, for the blind and ignorant fool, do you honestly believe those own words that come from your mouth. Do you truly believe them at all?”
“…”
“Heh, your first battle, was with a HUcast called KillOut, you remember it don’t you, well at least the end and beginning well enough right?”
“And if so? That still proves nothing to which you claim.”
“Oh, on the contrary you moronic fool! It proves all I need! Now die!”
Achrion charges, he shoves his left hand blade towards my chest I spin left, a tearing sound catches my ears, I look towards him. He smiles, and with draws his blade from the side of my battle suit, I quickly feel by the tear, I don’t feel anything other then the wet fabric. I bring my hand up to my face, fearing the wetness was my own slick blood sliding down my sides. I discover that my glove, is still snow white, and that the wetness was nothing more then sweat.
He smiles and his blades lance up to gut me, I slam my twin daggers down upon his blades, once more we become deadlocked.
“There are other battles too, are there not, ones from your beginning days as a Hunter, I think you recall something called the Central Dome Massacre?”
My eyes pale in color, I had remembered reading about that and hearing about it weeks on end. How four Hunters, three Female and one Male and one civilian, the charge they were protecting were all slaughtered. The pictures were almost too graphic to show the public, even in this day and age… The pictures they did release though, they were only a fraction of what was there. They never found the last male Hunter; he had seemed to vanish, as if he was air.
I remember being there, as if part of the mission, my job was to protect some one that day, three others accompanied my to the Central Dome, we were to gather research data… I don’t remember anything after that except at the end, seeing their bodies, mangled, distorted and torn apart, and my blade bloodied.
“….”
“Haha, see, I am correct, you truly know almost nothing of your own abilities to fight, all the hard fighting, all those battles that would have made you grow, all those were fought by that soul before it was ripped from you! You do not know anything of combat, all you remember is what is imprinted on your body’s physical memory, you do not know how to use the techniques and skills given to you! You are nothing! You know nothing! For that, you shall fall this day!”
“Now die, die you pathetic and worthless shell!”
*Tales of Symphonia: Like a Glint of Light
The HUcast charges, sending his destructive twin blades forth, both lance towards me, he slashes first with his right hand sword, I dodge the slash, a tear is heard, the front of my battle suit opens to reveal my armor. He strikes with his left hand blade sending it forth, I block the blow with my Purple Ring, it vibrates against the strike of his Yasha, as he rears back from the defensive blow, I scream, putting all my heart and soul into the yell, I drive home my twin blades into his chest plate. Achrion screams in pure rage and pain, I rip the twin red blades, now covered in wires and oil, from his damaged chest, sparks fly from the twin holes, I drop to the ground and slam my right foot hard into his left ankle, I hear steel snap, his body collapses as the steel supports in his ankles break from the impact of my foot. As he falls, I spin around turning on the balls of my heels, then, as his body clatters to the floor, I arrive at his head, using my twin daggers, I act as a guillotine, slamming my blades home down, on his neck.
Silence envelopes the room as his body lands on the floor, soon my breathing is heard in the room, followed by the off shooting of damaged circuits and wires in the HUcast’s steel shell. I breathe heavily, as I lift my two short blades from the HUcast’s neck, his head slowly rolls and comes to a resting place, his dark eye sensors, staring at his now headless metal body.
I rise slowly as my breathing returns to a normal pace; my pulse also slows down as I stare at the now beheaded HUcast. I wait, seeing if his body will reattach his head, watching, waiting, to see if this battle would ever end, to see if he could be beaten. I wait, five minutes, ten minutes soon pass, nothing moves in the silent room, only the low pink neon lights pulsate in time with my slow breathing and pulse.
Nothing happens, his eye sensors remain a cold metallic black, his body soon quite as the last of the internal power drains from his wires and circuitry. The room is truly quite now, I hear a small click, I turn back and notice the door behind me is now, once again open. I look towards the door and slowly begin to walk towards it, the click of my shoes are the only thing transcending the desolate room. I turn back, to see the metal body is truly dead, as my feet continue to carry me out of the room, I notice no movement from the shell.
As I step out of the room, the door behind me clicks closed and locks, the red beacon in its center turns red, indicating that I can not pass. I slowly sigh and look around the room, it is clear, and all doors are locked save one to my left… I turn towards that way and begin to walk.
A cold chill sweeps my being as I pass through the door that leads to a darkening hall. I shiver and wrap my arms around myself as the chill passes and subsides. I come to the next set of twin doors, as I approach them, the cold feeling of death drifts into the pit of my stomach, my feet stop moving, my heart races. Why do I have these sudden feelings of ill things? Why am I suddenly afraid of what I will find upon the other side of this door? I question myself, I soon will my feet to go forward against the warning and omens of my body, the door slides open to reveal the transport down to the finally level of ruins.
“Where it all began… And hopefully where it will all end again...”
I step into the soft glowing light of the warp, as I stand ready, I give myself a final note of reassurance and then the warp activates, taking me to the start of this long and over slept nightmare.
~
As the HUmars blades strike into my chest, I feel it is over; his blades have hit my central processing unit, the very unit with my own version of the synthetic taint with in it. Once damaged, it will take time to repair, sadly not enough time I need to win this fight, I was wrong about the Hunter. Apparently he was a true grace in battle, even if what all the data said was true, it was still wrong.
He has progressed father then we could have anticipated, even without the other soul he would have been a hassle to control and make use of. As his blades descend upon my neck, I see nothing else, and only wish luck to Sojorian and that his Ideals may be realized today, and that this Hunter, this skilled and worthless at the same time, flesh bag, fall this day…
~
His blade crashes to the ground and implants itself there, its yellow photons hum loudly as he leans upon the blade for support. Sojorian walks towards the weakened FOmar, and with a gesture of his hand, sends the FOmar with his weapon still gripped into his hand, slamming into the far wall. A scream of pain is ripped from the cyan haired youth’s lungs as his body collides with the cold cinder of the ruins.
“I must admit, you have improved since we last fought, yet you severely over estimated your chances of winning this battle.”
“Have I really? Heh, just look at yourself, even with a full powered Resta, you will still be weakened considerably then what you should be at had we not fought, I knew I would not be the one to beat you, although it is my right to kill you, it is not my place.”
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 29, 2006 22:24:39 GMT -5
“And you think the failed one can beat me? Hah! How pathetic you really are, he is dead by now, dead and within the cold metallic hands of Achrion now, his neck being broken by those cold steel fingers.”
“Hah, just as you claimed I over estimated myself, it is you who underestimates Colt. His appearance is deceiving, as much as you would like to believe, all his talent, all his power, disappeared with the ripping of the other soul from his body, you are wrong, you are so far from the truth you are blinded by the darkness that hides it.”
With that HolyChaos collapses into a state of unconsciousness, his body unable to take the severity of the blows and keep him awake, it forces him to rest, to repair itself of its wounds. Sojorian looks around him; he looks at the other three Hunters, as they lay crumpled and out cold as well. He snaps his pale white fingers, as the sound travels and echoes through the rooms and halls of this ruinous dungeon, two HUcasts come into the light and stand before Sojorian.
“Take these four and place them in the teleporter to Dark Falz. I will be there shortly, they should all be awakened soon, and fight it as the first tried to, of course, like the first, they will fail and only weaken it to my needs. They will never know they were all a part of this final grand step.”
“By your will our lord.”
The two HUcasts rise and stride towards the fallen bodies of the four. Placing each one on a shoulder, having difficulty with Striker, they soon manage and begin to take them towards the teleporter. They soon disappear into the shadows, Sojorian stands in the center of the room, thinking, the low green neon lights pulsate as his taint grows more powerful with each battle, each step he takes closer to Falz. The click of a door at the far end of the room catches his hearing, yet he does not give it much thought, only as another grunt.
*Mega Man Zero: Arcadia Theme
“I thought I told you to wait for my orders.”
“Heh, maybe if I was one of your pathetic underlings, I would listen, but last time I checked, I wasn’t.”
Sojorian turns, he stares into the cyan eyes of Colt, his pulse races, his heart beats louder and faster, he wets his lips and a cruel smile appears across his ghost white face. He slowly walks towards Colt, clapping as he does, the sound filling the room as he shortens the gap between him and his creation.
“Well done, my creation, well done, you have proven each statistical fact wrong, I would expect nothing less of you, or your friends.”
“What? What do you mean my friends?”
“Oh? You didn’t know? They came down here as well; we had a little run in, as you can tell by the broken wall.”
Sojorian points to the impact site where Striker’s body had once slammed into the wall and laid buried in the rubble.
“Do not worry too much, I didn’t kill them, I have no need to do that, they still need to perform one final role.”
“….”
“Speechless as always are we? You always were quite. I wonder why, was it a defect in your genetics, or was a teaching brought on to you by that worthless surrogate mother of yours.”
The young HUmar says nothing but, draws his twin red blades forth once more from their respective sheathes as he readies for another battle. Sojorian laughs as he too readies his katana once more.
“So then Colt, are you ready, do you have what it takes to beat the one that created you? The one that breathed life and a soul into you. Are you ready to fall into the hands of death this day?”
“No. I never will be when facing you, you have taken from me which could never be replaced, you have taken my mother, you have taken my friends, and now you wish to take my life as well? You will not succeed in this. You will not live to see the dreams of your supposed Ideal. I will not allow it, even if it means I must die, I will right the wrongs I have made merely by living through that initial touch of that damned being!”
~
The final battle has started with the war of creator versus creation. Colt charges him self with full responsibility on all that has been brought to the people of Pioneer 2 as his own doing, even if it only means he lived. As the two combatants prepare for the final duel between them, the struggle for life and death lies in their hands, will Colt over come this duel with the one that gave life into his synthetic heart. Or will it be the creator, Sojorian who wins this duel. Will the horrid nightmare be ended before it has time to prosper, or will it only gain strength and gain new terrors that none could have imagined…
Next Chapter:
Deity vs. Prototype The tides that bind shall exist no more… And now, the lyrics to some of the songs I used. Undo By Cool Joke: Far away, far away, our thoughts are ceaseless If we can go back to those days Of when we laughed innocently together... It broke into pieces It's like a work of glass I'm gathering up pieces of my memory You realize those important to you After whenever you lose them The world without you Is just like a jigsaw puzzle It's still eternally missing pieces and incomplete Because it's impossible For anyone to replace you Please, please stop the time And carve your silhouette onto my chest If, if it's allowed It's okay even if I sacrificed everything For that smiling face once more... By the chain that's called "reality" We are connected Even though we aren't granted to dream Nevertheless, we'll keep on searching For the light that illuminates darkness Far away, far away, our thoughts are ceaseless For those days of when we laughed innocently together Please, please stop the time And carve your silhouette onto my chest If, if it's allowed It's okay even if I sacrificed everything For that smiling face once more... Once more... Live and Learn Sonic Adventure 2 Battle Theme: Can you feel life movin' through your mind, Ooh, looks like it came back for more! Yeah yeah yeah! Can you feel time slippin' down your spine, Ooooooh, You try and try to ignore! Yeah! But you can hardly swallow, Your fears and pain. When you can't help but follow, It puts you right back where you came. Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow, Live and learn! From the works of yesterday. Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow, Live and learn! You may never find your way. Whooooa, yeah! Can you feel life tangle you up inside? Yeah, now you're face down on the floor! Oh! But you can't save your sorrow, You've paid in trade! When you can't help but follow, It puts you right back where you came. Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow, Live and learn! From the works of yesterday. Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow, Live and learn! You may never find your way. Hey, whoa, whoa, Oh yeeeeeeeeeeeah! SIDE NOTE: Feel free to choke after the "yeeeeeeeeeeah!" -INSTRUMENTAL- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! -INSTRUMENTAL- There's a face searching far, so far and wide. There's a place where you dream you'd never find. Hold on to what if? Hold on to what if? Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow, Live and learn! From the works of yesterday. Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow, Live and learn! You may never find your way. Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow, Live and learn! From the works of yesterday. Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow, Live and learn! You may never find your way. Open Your Heart Sonic Adventure Theme: Thunder, rain, and lightning Danger, water rising Clamour, sirens wailing It's such a bad sign Shadows of dark creatures Steel clouds floating in the air People run for shelter What's gonna happen to us!? All the steps we take, all the moves we make, all the pain at stake I see the chaos for everyone who are we what can we do You and I are same in the way that we have our own styles that we won't change Yours is filled with evil and mine's not there is no way I can lose * Can't hold on much longer - But I will never let go I know it's a one way track - Tell me now how long this'll last I'm not gonna think this way - Nor will I count on others Close my eyes and feel it burn - Now I see what I've gotta do OPEN YOUR HEART, IT'S GONNA BE ALLRIGHT Ancient city blazing Shadows keep attacking Little children crying Confusion, hopeless anger I don't know what it can be but you drive me crazy All your cunning tricks make me sick, you won't have it your own way * Repeat OPEN YOUR HEART...AND YOU'LL SEE... (Guitar Solo) If it won't stop, there will be no future for us Its heart is tied down by all the hate, gotta set him free I know it's a one way track - Tell me now how long this'll last Close my eyes and feel it burn - Now I see what I've gotta do GOTTA OPEN YOUR HEART, DUDE! Repeat OPEN YOUR HEART, IT'S GONNA BE ALLRIGHT For all the other songs and musical pieces I used for inspiration to get into the mood for, I suggest looking at vgmusic.com, a little know site that contains MIDIs of all the songs that I used, although not as high a quality as their musical counterparts, the MIDIs still do an awesome job of portraying the rhythm and sounds of the music, and if you want, you can listen to them as you read, maybe heightening the experience and making this more enjoyable and fun all the more so.
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Post by HunterColt22 on Jun 29, 2006 22:26:45 GMT -5
Thus, there is chapter Seventeen. Just a few more and this is over. To all who read this, it has been a great run. At least, I hope some one reads this. <___<; If not, I need a bigger fan base badly ; ;.
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