PrinnyJeans
May 26, 2011, 11:05 AM
Hello everyone~!
This is the rough draft of my fanfic :]
Just looking for some feedback
Note: This is unedited, and due to my lack of freetime I've been unable to work the kinks out properly. Excuse the hurried mess and minor typos - they'll get fixed!
**********
Prologue
**********
Khao stood outside of the building in a cool blue suit, pulling gingerly from a fat, fresh cigar. His mind was racing, reflecting on past hunts, past victories. Past friendships. The friendship and the pact that had led him to this day, to this school, for this person. Loki.
Not the Loki of his past, but his daughter. It had been nearly five years since the death of his old partner. They had risen through the military ranks together as friends before leaving the Pioneer Two defense force to take up the task of training as Hunters, together like brothers. They had been a force to be reckoned with. Well respected amongst their associates, and praised by most pioneer 2 civilians. But that was before everything had changed.
A young girl was pacing towards him in great strides with long, tanned legs. This was his adopted daughter. The girl who lost her mother in childbirth and her father providing for his child. The girl who Khao had promised to raise in her fathers stead; The girl who had taken her fathers name.
"You're looking more gruff than usual" she nonchalantly chimed as she approached, and it was true. Khao hadn't shaved in days, much less made anything of his shaggy, ash gray hair. The suit he wore looked fresh enough, but it smelled of smoke and liqour. It was easy to tell just how frequently and profienciently he drowned dreams and smoked out nightmares just by scent alone.
"It's a lot less important what a person looks like" he retorted, adding "It's more important what he does with his life that should make a difference"
Loki smiled, showing all of her teeth. She was well aware of the stress on this quiet mans shoulders. The days he had spent with her father wandering aimlessly in long forgotten corridors, waist deep in blood and photon. Yet in spite of all the darkness that surrounded him, he always proved capable of saying something worthwhile to enrich her life more than life had enriched his.
"I'm just teasing you Khao" she said as she wiped off her glasses "You know that"
He said nothing as they turned and walked away from the building marked as "GUARDIAN Headquarters"
"Do they treat you right here? I mean, does it pay well?" Khao asked, titling his head back at the establishment over his shoulders. The thought of becoming a GUARDIAN had never occured to Khao. He was of a different time, from a different breed of warrior. The same breed of killer his partner had been.
"The Guardians aren't too bad" Loki explained "It's a lot of small petty disputes we have to settle, and classes to sit in on. It's a lot different from the sort of work you and my father did. There's just as bit more investigation, with a lot less bloodshed"
Khao nodded. He had to admit, his days began and ended with the extermination of rampaging wildlife or the hunting of some despicable character who found themselves unlucky to be signed up at a target at the Hunters Guild.
After many quiet minutes, they arrived outside of their home. It was an indiscreet place like any other, aside from the fact a hunter with as much prestige as Khao lived there. He could have had his own private hunter quarters if he pleased, just as easily as Loki had gotten her own room in the guardian barracks, but nothing would have ever been as secure, or lonely.. Stepping into the shadowed entryway itself was enough to prove that.
Weapons lined both walls, along with assorted plaques and trophies. Medals from the past, as well as a glass display of various artifacts shined and gleamed bright in the light as Loki flipped them on. Khao put out his cigar on his boot, and the two changed into their battle gear as they descended through a concealed door leading to a private teleporter. The training hall.
"Is he already here?" Loki asked quietly. The air around them was tense, and questionably cold. Khao simply nodded as he checked his weaponry, walking the hallway as if his feet had paced the floor a thousand times before.
The hallway opened up into a very bare, very open room. Along the walls were suits of armor, shields, barriers, and photos of friends and family. The pictures of smiling faces helped brighten the place a bit, but both Khao and Lokis disposition changed entirely as they peered into the corner of the room.
From the darkness, two yellow lights peered out. Nothing more could be seen, but a voice, very dark and cruel, spoke out to them from the distance.
"I've been waiting all evening" it hissed, sending sharp chills down Lokis spine "You know I don't like to be kept waiting"
A blood red boot stepped out from the darkness, followed by the crimson body of a very tall, very battle battered body of a CAST. It's yellow eyes peered mercilessly at the two warm blooded creatures before it, and in the presence of such a large character, Loki quivered a bit. Yet Khao stood strong.
"Today was a special day" he said with his back to his female companion, staring the CAST in the face "Today, Loki inherited a gift from her father"
She barely had time to make a questioning glance before Khao had her hand by the wrist, placing an object into her hands. The heat of the object burned for a moment, until she realized what it was she possessed. Once the shock set in, no amount of pain could have shook her surprise.
The God hand. One of her fathers own weapons.
"Khao.." she began. But he didn't react. Instead, he helped her slip the glove on and stepped out of the line of sight between her and the cast. She could feel the strength of the artifact flow through her, setting his heart on fire. With a clenched fist, she turned her attention to the CAST, who was already on her before she could even swing a punch.
She rocketed back against the wall, and fell to her knees holding both sides with her arms. Khao merely stood by and watched, lightning up another cigar as the CAST paced again towards her defenceless body.
"It was a sucker punch, sure - but it was effective" he thought to himself, watching the small body of his pupil fall to the floor as the CAST struck her once more. Without any time to react, Loki hadn't a single moment to even think of fighting back. But perhaps it would teach her to keep on her feet.
"Really, newman" the CAST growled, peering down at the girls bowed head "Your father should have had a son"
The fist flew so fast, the ashes of Khaos cigar blew onto the floor as if blown by the wind itself. In the blink of an eye, Loki had gotten to her feet and swung her mechanized battle-glove towards the android in a blinding display of strength and agility. Electricity rippled through the air in a flash with the swing, but it wasn't quick or powerful enough to ward off her opponent. The android held her first within the palm of his hand, and stood resolute. It began to laugh.
"Insect.. Insect!" it roared "I am Alpha! The only strength you'll ever know - the strength you'll never possess!" and with that said, Loki was twisted, turned, and slammed to the ground before the Khaos feet. She didn't move. She couldn't.
Khao ran his fingers over the bags beneath his eyes, knelt by her side, and began to nurse her wounds with slow steady waves of resta. She was out cold. The CAST, Alpha, turned and sulked back into the darkness of the corner, laughing low, without mercy.
***********
Chapter 1
***********
"Every hunter needs a good mag" he explained, wrapping her wrists with fabric. Khao was a fairly successful mag farmer, in addition to being a government agent. The training the government provided was free, but the machinery and gear he used to get the jobs done were not. And it never hurt to have a bit of spending change, he would say, but Loki always responded as always..
"It's a bonding process. They're practically alive"
Khao snorted, and leaned back in his chair across from the girl.
"It is a bonding process. Take care of a good mag, and a good mag will take care of you" he muttered, "but they can switch owners, and thus loyalty, as easily as a handshake. They may be cute as a button, and you may have invested a lot of time and care into one of the things, but they are not alive.."
Their conversation ended there. Loki sat and stared out of the nearby window off into the galaxy. There was a shotglass for each of them, and a pair of yellow eyes peering from the darkness as well. Alpha had never cared for anything at his back, other than a wall, and so he rarely made use of furniture. Besides, he could shut down and rest anywhere and anytime he liked.
"One day" Loki began, barely louder than a whisper "When my training is over.. when the Holy Light finally descends upon my shoulders, the same way it does yours.."
She paused, and Khao raised his glass to his lips. The light from Alphas "eyes" shifted towards her voice.
"The three of us will go to the Ruins and find what my father lost. We'll go, and we'll find the Red Sword"
The nights on Pioneer 2 were always vivid, full of laughter and life. The streets were cramped, the talk was loud, and all around people were flaunting their advances in life by flaunting their advancements in technology. Thus, the sight of this battle seasoned trio walking through the alleys and turning street corners was almost barbaric. Alpha towered above the other two comrades. He was old, battered - beautifully, scornfully rustic. Excellent contrast to the bruised elegance Loki embodied, her black hair falling over a blackened eye. Which was opposite of Khaos edge and intensity. He looked just like he hunted - an animal.
Tonight, to celebrate Loki actually almost landing a blow on Alpha, they decided to spend some time visiting old friends and family. They had made plenty over the years. Most of Alphas associates were dead or dying, veterans of the hunt. The way they spoke was strictly business, in a military fashion. Clients of his past rarely kept his company, but he made great friends of people he worked with. If you had needed someone to help get the job done while watching your back, he had been the one you hired.
Khao didn't have any friends. Not since his partner had died. Since that time he had only been absorbed in envisioning what he called "the perfect shot" - a shot to save a life by instantly ending another. It had to be perfect, each and every time. It shone so clearly in his head, his day dreams, his fighting. Right on mark - bang. Right on target - bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
The shots resonated through his head as he stood nearby, watching Loki in a diner with a few of her friends from the guardian Colony. The smoke of his cigar clouded his sight, but the resemblance between father and daughter was clear.
She sat rigid. Tense and stiff, out of agony. All of her body ached from days of training, both with and without Alpha. Her mind was exhausted and drained from TECHNIC studies, attempting to understand how to course the energy through her own body without the assistance of an imbued weapon. It was a forgotten art. One Khao never invested much importance into, and one her father would never be around to teach her properly though Khao had expressed many times "he was a natural at it".
It was apparent she wasn't in a mood to talk, so her friends left her alone and exhausted inside. She got up after a few minutes, finishing her water, and walked up to Khao. Alpha came by mere moments later, and the three of them quietly returned home for the night.
It was the first time he had taken her to Ragol in months. The wildlife had caught them unexpectedly the previous time, and had it not been for Alpha being in the right place at the right time, they would have been overwhelmed and possibly killed. The enemies were growing stronger. Fiercer.
Khao had noticed the change first when it was brought to his attention by Loki Sr. He had been investigating the topside of the planet when he was met in the setting sun by strange mutations of native wildlife. These creatures were faster, stronger, and Loki had been hard pressed to defend himself and make it out alive. Khaos heart pumped faster just thinking about the first time he himself had encountered such a creature. It was as if Ragol had taken a horrifying turn for the worst, with no signs of warning. He and Loki Sr. had started training much harder and frequently since then. He died those days, and came back to Gurhal as a creature born to kill.
But they were all together now, and all well equipped with weapons worthy enough to stand against the mutants, and the natives. And their assignment today was to enter the forest, and find the biggest one of all. It was the first step to finding the Red Sword.
Alpha led the group, scanning the area for any signs of traps or trouble. The amount of plant growth was unsettling - it was already overtaking the machinery Pioneer 1 &2 had both placed in hopes of keeping the area contained. All around though were signs of destruction. Claw marks scarred nearby trees, booma and rappy parts littered the floor. Khao slowed a few paces and matched his stride with Lokis, as Alpha continued silently ahead. He had never cared much with conversing with them, Loki in particular. In fact, Loki was convinced he had only agreed to train her out of some steady standing of respect Alpha had shared with her father.
"They're more aggressive now" Khao began, nudging his pupil in the arm "It's as though something got into their heads and made a mess of everything right inside"
Loki nodded and said nothing. Khao usually didn't come to the forest as prepared as he had that day. His Red Handgun glowed in his grip, radiating strong photon energy from the barrel. Even Alpha far ahead seemed more menacing than usual. She sensed they were both edgier than usual, and concluded it was because they had actually brought her along this time. She clenched her gloved fist and was overcome again with the sense of dignity and strength the God Hand gave her.
"Khao, yesterday at training.." she started, before being cut short by Alpha who had stopped and raised his fist. The rest of the group followed the order, turning in their spots to analyze the area. There was loud rustlings moving through the undergrowth. Something was stalking them.
And then there was silence.
The group all exchanged glances. Alpha nodded at Loki as their gaze met, which between the two of them meant "if you don't watch your back, I'll teach you to" - and another painful training session spent kissing the floor was the last thing Loki wanted at the end of the day. They continued, and Khao cooly told Loki to "Please, continue"
"It's about the.. the techniques, Khao" she explained "My father and Alpha were both strong. Physically. It's impossible for me to keep up with the same kind of damage they're capable of dishing out"
"Nothing is impossible, child" Khao commented "But continue anyway"
Loki sighed, and muttered "forget about it". She knew there was no way she would ever successfully overcome Alpha in a sparring session if she had to rely on strength alone, and in terms of fighting experience she was simply no match. If anything her training was teaching her, it was how to take a hit and evade a few. But something else simply had to be done.
And in an instant they were attacked. From the bushes, a pack of gulgus sprang to action, roaring and growling with passionate fury. They circled the intruders, stared them down. Khao braced his back against Lokis, and Alpha stood with his arms crossed off to the side - locking a gulgus-gue in his sight.
Loki was sweating. Her breathing was intensified. These creatures were nothing like the savage wolves she was used to encountering. They weren't afraid, nor sluggish in the actions. The way they ran and circled her and her mentor was like watching waves of quicksilver wash through the air. They were dark voids, absorbing and warping all the light around their bodies. It was unreal to watch, and terrifying to realize just how many there were.
The gulgus-gue growled lower. Its muscled bulged bigger. It was the obvious leader of the pack, flaunting its confidence as it inched closer and closer to Alphas unarmed body. The tension between the two of them was thick enough to make a person nauseous, but it was broken in an instant.
Alpha charged the beast, and the beast charged back - but in vain. The CASTs cold, steady grip grabbed the monster by it's throat and slammed it into a tree, crushing its ribs with his bodyweight. As the animal fell to the ground, Alpha turned his back to it and stamped its head into the forest floor with his heel. There was a loud, sharp whimper of pain, the crack of a skull, and then a few moments of silence before Alpha raised his hand and revealed to the watching, snarling pack his keepsake - The stag cutlerly.
The animals howled, and it was on. Khao didn't hesitate for a moment, locking three of the creatures in his sight firing a hailstorm of photon bullets from his shotgun. His opponents rolled along the ground, attempting to rub out the burning photons on their flesh, and ran every which way. But his range was too wide and his attacks were too aggressive - even faster than their movements. They couldn't escape, and he would never allow it. After reducing their bodies to nothing more than ash and bone, he turned his head to see Alpha decapitating two of the gulgus in a single swing. The androids uncanny ability to end dispute swiftly never ceased to amaze him.
Loki had broken away from her mentor at the sound of the first shot fired. She swung, and swung, and swung at a single gulgus but the animal had a keen advantage in terms of speed. It dodged every attack, and had even managed to dig its claws into her leg momentarily. As if teasing her, it lept further and further away from her group and into the underbrush. Soon, Loki found she was seperated from her group. And no longer was she confronted with one gulgus - but two.
She had no time to lose. If she was too uncoordinated and weak to make proper use of her fathers weapon, she'd have to resort to the gift inherited from her mother - a natural and instinctive ability to use technics. She summoned her wand, and raised it in the air only to find that before she had an opportunity to cast a single spell, one beast had her by the waist. The other by the shoulder. They pulled and dragged her around so violently she was unable to concentrate. The world around her spun.
But would her father have given up and given in? The countless tales of Lokis bravery as told by Khao flooded back to her. The immense sense of respect Alpha carried for the dead man swelled within her own chest, and suddenly she felt resolute. She couldn't lose. Not now! Not after so many foes before these had fallen to her fathers hands.
The was a loud explosion, followed by a second and a third. Khao and Alpha sped off towards the sound, and came to a clearing. Smoke rose from the ground, carrying the sent of charred fat and muscle with it. In the middle was Loki, dropped upon one knee in a pool of her own blood. She looked up panting at her two comrades, smiled faintly, and remarked
"It's just a flesh wound"
They collected the meat, and Khao prepared it for dinner that evening. Tomorrow they would continue their hunt, but for now they would rest.
(The following morning...)
Loki gazed at her glove. It had been a miserable night spent on the cold ground with only the base of a tree and a bed of tall grass to warm up to. She and Khao had worked in unison to nurse her deeper wounds. It hadn't taken long, but the tension was still having a troubling time working itself out of the muscles. The fact she had yet to successfully do anything with her fathers treasure didn't help her morale much either. She sighed heavily and turned her attention upward. Khao and Alpha stood facing eachother, weapons raised.
The dust flared upward into the air as Alpha took an amazing, forceful leap, low to the ground, twirling his double saber like a saw blade before his body towards Khao. He landed in empty space however - and with three single shots from his Red Handgun, Khao effectively landed blows behinds Alphas left knee, right shoulder, and the base of his headpiece. The android stumbled forward but for a second, turned and lept again at Khao.
The ranger fired a foie blast from his palm directly towards the oncoming CAST, but had to dodge expertly out of the way. The blast did nothing to stop Alpha - he cut through the fireball with a quick change of weaponry, switching from his former weapon to a razor sharp claw. He turned and faced his opponent, only to be met by the dual barrels of Khao's mechguns. The M&A60 Vise his old partner had given to him as a gift.
"You got me, human" Alpha spat, standing down "You've been hunting hard"
Khao reached into the breast pocket of his gear, pulled out a cigar, and lit it just as it started to pour rain.
This is the rough draft of my fanfic :]
Just looking for some feedback
Note: This is unedited, and due to my lack of freetime I've been unable to work the kinks out properly. Excuse the hurried mess and minor typos - they'll get fixed!
**********
Prologue
**********
Khao stood outside of the building in a cool blue suit, pulling gingerly from a fat, fresh cigar. His mind was racing, reflecting on past hunts, past victories. Past friendships. The friendship and the pact that had led him to this day, to this school, for this person. Loki.
Not the Loki of his past, but his daughter. It had been nearly five years since the death of his old partner. They had risen through the military ranks together as friends before leaving the Pioneer Two defense force to take up the task of training as Hunters, together like brothers. They had been a force to be reckoned with. Well respected amongst their associates, and praised by most pioneer 2 civilians. But that was before everything had changed.
A young girl was pacing towards him in great strides with long, tanned legs. This was his adopted daughter. The girl who lost her mother in childbirth and her father providing for his child. The girl who Khao had promised to raise in her fathers stead; The girl who had taken her fathers name.
"You're looking more gruff than usual" she nonchalantly chimed as she approached, and it was true. Khao hadn't shaved in days, much less made anything of his shaggy, ash gray hair. The suit he wore looked fresh enough, but it smelled of smoke and liqour. It was easy to tell just how frequently and profienciently he drowned dreams and smoked out nightmares just by scent alone.
"It's a lot less important what a person looks like" he retorted, adding "It's more important what he does with his life that should make a difference"
Loki smiled, showing all of her teeth. She was well aware of the stress on this quiet mans shoulders. The days he had spent with her father wandering aimlessly in long forgotten corridors, waist deep in blood and photon. Yet in spite of all the darkness that surrounded him, he always proved capable of saying something worthwhile to enrich her life more than life had enriched his.
"I'm just teasing you Khao" she said as she wiped off her glasses "You know that"
He said nothing as they turned and walked away from the building marked as "GUARDIAN Headquarters"
"Do they treat you right here? I mean, does it pay well?" Khao asked, titling his head back at the establishment over his shoulders. The thought of becoming a GUARDIAN had never occured to Khao. He was of a different time, from a different breed of warrior. The same breed of killer his partner had been.
"The Guardians aren't too bad" Loki explained "It's a lot of small petty disputes we have to settle, and classes to sit in on. It's a lot different from the sort of work you and my father did. There's just as bit more investigation, with a lot less bloodshed"
Khao nodded. He had to admit, his days began and ended with the extermination of rampaging wildlife or the hunting of some despicable character who found themselves unlucky to be signed up at a target at the Hunters Guild.
After many quiet minutes, they arrived outside of their home. It was an indiscreet place like any other, aside from the fact a hunter with as much prestige as Khao lived there. He could have had his own private hunter quarters if he pleased, just as easily as Loki had gotten her own room in the guardian barracks, but nothing would have ever been as secure, or lonely.. Stepping into the shadowed entryway itself was enough to prove that.
Weapons lined both walls, along with assorted plaques and trophies. Medals from the past, as well as a glass display of various artifacts shined and gleamed bright in the light as Loki flipped them on. Khao put out his cigar on his boot, and the two changed into their battle gear as they descended through a concealed door leading to a private teleporter. The training hall.
"Is he already here?" Loki asked quietly. The air around them was tense, and questionably cold. Khao simply nodded as he checked his weaponry, walking the hallway as if his feet had paced the floor a thousand times before.
The hallway opened up into a very bare, very open room. Along the walls were suits of armor, shields, barriers, and photos of friends and family. The pictures of smiling faces helped brighten the place a bit, but both Khao and Lokis disposition changed entirely as they peered into the corner of the room.
From the darkness, two yellow lights peered out. Nothing more could be seen, but a voice, very dark and cruel, spoke out to them from the distance.
"I've been waiting all evening" it hissed, sending sharp chills down Lokis spine "You know I don't like to be kept waiting"
A blood red boot stepped out from the darkness, followed by the crimson body of a very tall, very battle battered body of a CAST. It's yellow eyes peered mercilessly at the two warm blooded creatures before it, and in the presence of such a large character, Loki quivered a bit. Yet Khao stood strong.
"Today was a special day" he said with his back to his female companion, staring the CAST in the face "Today, Loki inherited a gift from her father"
She barely had time to make a questioning glance before Khao had her hand by the wrist, placing an object into her hands. The heat of the object burned for a moment, until she realized what it was she possessed. Once the shock set in, no amount of pain could have shook her surprise.
The God hand. One of her fathers own weapons.
"Khao.." she began. But he didn't react. Instead, he helped her slip the glove on and stepped out of the line of sight between her and the cast. She could feel the strength of the artifact flow through her, setting his heart on fire. With a clenched fist, she turned her attention to the CAST, who was already on her before she could even swing a punch.
She rocketed back against the wall, and fell to her knees holding both sides with her arms. Khao merely stood by and watched, lightning up another cigar as the CAST paced again towards her defenceless body.
"It was a sucker punch, sure - but it was effective" he thought to himself, watching the small body of his pupil fall to the floor as the CAST struck her once more. Without any time to react, Loki hadn't a single moment to even think of fighting back. But perhaps it would teach her to keep on her feet.
"Really, newman" the CAST growled, peering down at the girls bowed head "Your father should have had a son"
The fist flew so fast, the ashes of Khaos cigar blew onto the floor as if blown by the wind itself. In the blink of an eye, Loki had gotten to her feet and swung her mechanized battle-glove towards the android in a blinding display of strength and agility. Electricity rippled through the air in a flash with the swing, but it wasn't quick or powerful enough to ward off her opponent. The android held her first within the palm of his hand, and stood resolute. It began to laugh.
"Insect.. Insect!" it roared "I am Alpha! The only strength you'll ever know - the strength you'll never possess!" and with that said, Loki was twisted, turned, and slammed to the ground before the Khaos feet. She didn't move. She couldn't.
Khao ran his fingers over the bags beneath his eyes, knelt by her side, and began to nurse her wounds with slow steady waves of resta. She was out cold. The CAST, Alpha, turned and sulked back into the darkness of the corner, laughing low, without mercy.
***********
Chapter 1
***********
"Every hunter needs a good mag" he explained, wrapping her wrists with fabric. Khao was a fairly successful mag farmer, in addition to being a government agent. The training the government provided was free, but the machinery and gear he used to get the jobs done were not. And it never hurt to have a bit of spending change, he would say, but Loki always responded as always..
"It's a bonding process. They're practically alive"
Khao snorted, and leaned back in his chair across from the girl.
"It is a bonding process. Take care of a good mag, and a good mag will take care of you" he muttered, "but they can switch owners, and thus loyalty, as easily as a handshake. They may be cute as a button, and you may have invested a lot of time and care into one of the things, but they are not alive.."
Their conversation ended there. Loki sat and stared out of the nearby window off into the galaxy. There was a shotglass for each of them, and a pair of yellow eyes peering from the darkness as well. Alpha had never cared for anything at his back, other than a wall, and so he rarely made use of furniture. Besides, he could shut down and rest anywhere and anytime he liked.
"One day" Loki began, barely louder than a whisper "When my training is over.. when the Holy Light finally descends upon my shoulders, the same way it does yours.."
She paused, and Khao raised his glass to his lips. The light from Alphas "eyes" shifted towards her voice.
"The three of us will go to the Ruins and find what my father lost. We'll go, and we'll find the Red Sword"
The nights on Pioneer 2 were always vivid, full of laughter and life. The streets were cramped, the talk was loud, and all around people were flaunting their advances in life by flaunting their advancements in technology. Thus, the sight of this battle seasoned trio walking through the alleys and turning street corners was almost barbaric. Alpha towered above the other two comrades. He was old, battered - beautifully, scornfully rustic. Excellent contrast to the bruised elegance Loki embodied, her black hair falling over a blackened eye. Which was opposite of Khaos edge and intensity. He looked just like he hunted - an animal.
Tonight, to celebrate Loki actually almost landing a blow on Alpha, they decided to spend some time visiting old friends and family. They had made plenty over the years. Most of Alphas associates were dead or dying, veterans of the hunt. The way they spoke was strictly business, in a military fashion. Clients of his past rarely kept his company, but he made great friends of people he worked with. If you had needed someone to help get the job done while watching your back, he had been the one you hired.
Khao didn't have any friends. Not since his partner had died. Since that time he had only been absorbed in envisioning what he called "the perfect shot" - a shot to save a life by instantly ending another. It had to be perfect, each and every time. It shone so clearly in his head, his day dreams, his fighting. Right on mark - bang. Right on target - bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
The shots resonated through his head as he stood nearby, watching Loki in a diner with a few of her friends from the guardian Colony. The smoke of his cigar clouded his sight, but the resemblance between father and daughter was clear.
She sat rigid. Tense and stiff, out of agony. All of her body ached from days of training, both with and without Alpha. Her mind was exhausted and drained from TECHNIC studies, attempting to understand how to course the energy through her own body without the assistance of an imbued weapon. It was a forgotten art. One Khao never invested much importance into, and one her father would never be around to teach her properly though Khao had expressed many times "he was a natural at it".
It was apparent she wasn't in a mood to talk, so her friends left her alone and exhausted inside. She got up after a few minutes, finishing her water, and walked up to Khao. Alpha came by mere moments later, and the three of them quietly returned home for the night.
It was the first time he had taken her to Ragol in months. The wildlife had caught them unexpectedly the previous time, and had it not been for Alpha being in the right place at the right time, they would have been overwhelmed and possibly killed. The enemies were growing stronger. Fiercer.
Khao had noticed the change first when it was brought to his attention by Loki Sr. He had been investigating the topside of the planet when he was met in the setting sun by strange mutations of native wildlife. These creatures were faster, stronger, and Loki had been hard pressed to defend himself and make it out alive. Khaos heart pumped faster just thinking about the first time he himself had encountered such a creature. It was as if Ragol had taken a horrifying turn for the worst, with no signs of warning. He and Loki Sr. had started training much harder and frequently since then. He died those days, and came back to Gurhal as a creature born to kill.
But they were all together now, and all well equipped with weapons worthy enough to stand against the mutants, and the natives. And their assignment today was to enter the forest, and find the biggest one of all. It was the first step to finding the Red Sword.
Alpha led the group, scanning the area for any signs of traps or trouble. The amount of plant growth was unsettling - it was already overtaking the machinery Pioneer 1 &2 had both placed in hopes of keeping the area contained. All around though were signs of destruction. Claw marks scarred nearby trees, booma and rappy parts littered the floor. Khao slowed a few paces and matched his stride with Lokis, as Alpha continued silently ahead. He had never cared much with conversing with them, Loki in particular. In fact, Loki was convinced he had only agreed to train her out of some steady standing of respect Alpha had shared with her father.
"They're more aggressive now" Khao began, nudging his pupil in the arm "It's as though something got into their heads and made a mess of everything right inside"
Loki nodded and said nothing. Khao usually didn't come to the forest as prepared as he had that day. His Red Handgun glowed in his grip, radiating strong photon energy from the barrel. Even Alpha far ahead seemed more menacing than usual. She sensed they were both edgier than usual, and concluded it was because they had actually brought her along this time. She clenched her gloved fist and was overcome again with the sense of dignity and strength the God Hand gave her.
"Khao, yesterday at training.." she started, before being cut short by Alpha who had stopped and raised his fist. The rest of the group followed the order, turning in their spots to analyze the area. There was loud rustlings moving through the undergrowth. Something was stalking them.
And then there was silence.
The group all exchanged glances. Alpha nodded at Loki as their gaze met, which between the two of them meant "if you don't watch your back, I'll teach you to" - and another painful training session spent kissing the floor was the last thing Loki wanted at the end of the day. They continued, and Khao cooly told Loki to "Please, continue"
"It's about the.. the techniques, Khao" she explained "My father and Alpha were both strong. Physically. It's impossible for me to keep up with the same kind of damage they're capable of dishing out"
"Nothing is impossible, child" Khao commented "But continue anyway"
Loki sighed, and muttered "forget about it". She knew there was no way she would ever successfully overcome Alpha in a sparring session if she had to rely on strength alone, and in terms of fighting experience she was simply no match. If anything her training was teaching her, it was how to take a hit and evade a few. But something else simply had to be done.
And in an instant they were attacked. From the bushes, a pack of gulgus sprang to action, roaring and growling with passionate fury. They circled the intruders, stared them down. Khao braced his back against Lokis, and Alpha stood with his arms crossed off to the side - locking a gulgus-gue in his sight.
Loki was sweating. Her breathing was intensified. These creatures were nothing like the savage wolves she was used to encountering. They weren't afraid, nor sluggish in the actions. The way they ran and circled her and her mentor was like watching waves of quicksilver wash through the air. They were dark voids, absorbing and warping all the light around their bodies. It was unreal to watch, and terrifying to realize just how many there were.
The gulgus-gue growled lower. Its muscled bulged bigger. It was the obvious leader of the pack, flaunting its confidence as it inched closer and closer to Alphas unarmed body. The tension between the two of them was thick enough to make a person nauseous, but it was broken in an instant.
Alpha charged the beast, and the beast charged back - but in vain. The CASTs cold, steady grip grabbed the monster by it's throat and slammed it into a tree, crushing its ribs with his bodyweight. As the animal fell to the ground, Alpha turned his back to it and stamped its head into the forest floor with his heel. There was a loud, sharp whimper of pain, the crack of a skull, and then a few moments of silence before Alpha raised his hand and revealed to the watching, snarling pack his keepsake - The stag cutlerly.
The animals howled, and it was on. Khao didn't hesitate for a moment, locking three of the creatures in his sight firing a hailstorm of photon bullets from his shotgun. His opponents rolled along the ground, attempting to rub out the burning photons on their flesh, and ran every which way. But his range was too wide and his attacks were too aggressive - even faster than their movements. They couldn't escape, and he would never allow it. After reducing their bodies to nothing more than ash and bone, he turned his head to see Alpha decapitating two of the gulgus in a single swing. The androids uncanny ability to end dispute swiftly never ceased to amaze him.
Loki had broken away from her mentor at the sound of the first shot fired. She swung, and swung, and swung at a single gulgus but the animal had a keen advantage in terms of speed. It dodged every attack, and had even managed to dig its claws into her leg momentarily. As if teasing her, it lept further and further away from her group and into the underbrush. Soon, Loki found she was seperated from her group. And no longer was she confronted with one gulgus - but two.
She had no time to lose. If she was too uncoordinated and weak to make proper use of her fathers weapon, she'd have to resort to the gift inherited from her mother - a natural and instinctive ability to use technics. She summoned her wand, and raised it in the air only to find that before she had an opportunity to cast a single spell, one beast had her by the waist. The other by the shoulder. They pulled and dragged her around so violently she was unable to concentrate. The world around her spun.
But would her father have given up and given in? The countless tales of Lokis bravery as told by Khao flooded back to her. The immense sense of respect Alpha carried for the dead man swelled within her own chest, and suddenly she felt resolute. She couldn't lose. Not now! Not after so many foes before these had fallen to her fathers hands.
The was a loud explosion, followed by a second and a third. Khao and Alpha sped off towards the sound, and came to a clearing. Smoke rose from the ground, carrying the sent of charred fat and muscle with it. In the middle was Loki, dropped upon one knee in a pool of her own blood. She looked up panting at her two comrades, smiled faintly, and remarked
"It's just a flesh wound"
They collected the meat, and Khao prepared it for dinner that evening. Tomorrow they would continue their hunt, but for now they would rest.
(The following morning...)
Loki gazed at her glove. It had been a miserable night spent on the cold ground with only the base of a tree and a bed of tall grass to warm up to. She and Khao had worked in unison to nurse her deeper wounds. It hadn't taken long, but the tension was still having a troubling time working itself out of the muscles. The fact she had yet to successfully do anything with her fathers treasure didn't help her morale much either. She sighed heavily and turned her attention upward. Khao and Alpha stood facing eachother, weapons raised.
The dust flared upward into the air as Alpha took an amazing, forceful leap, low to the ground, twirling his double saber like a saw blade before his body towards Khao. He landed in empty space however - and with three single shots from his Red Handgun, Khao effectively landed blows behinds Alphas left knee, right shoulder, and the base of his headpiece. The android stumbled forward but for a second, turned and lept again at Khao.
The ranger fired a foie blast from his palm directly towards the oncoming CAST, but had to dodge expertly out of the way. The blast did nothing to stop Alpha - he cut through the fireball with a quick change of weaponry, switching from his former weapon to a razor sharp claw. He turned and faced his opponent, only to be met by the dual barrels of Khao's mechguns. The M&A60 Vise his old partner had given to him as a gift.
"You got me, human" Alpha spat, standing down "You've been hunting hard"
Khao reached into the breast pocket of his gear, pulled out a cigar, and lit it just as it started to pour rain.