PS: Chronicles through Time and Morality (Updated 01/27)

[fighgunners]

Episode II: Trials and Subterfuge

Chapter 1-1:

Reconstructed Past

Spoiler!

“Doctor! Come take a look at this!” a petite yet soothing feminine voice called out in the distance. A young Newman came wearing a strange outfit in response to the plea.

“Heh…heh…heh. Looks like we just stumbled into something very intriguing, Elenor. Good find” the eccentric man specified.

“Should I carry him back to lab with us?”

“Hmm…Yes, I have great plans for this man. Oh, the stories he could tell. Heh…heh…heh…”

[Give in Zachery…GIVE IN! Your despair and frustration fuels me! GIVE IN!]

Gasping for air, Zachery slowly came to. His eyes leisurely reacclimated themselves to the constant bombardment of sensory and visible light. Before his consciously completely regained itself, an all-consuming rage swept over him. Thoughts of immense hatred and quantitative portions of hyper-violent outbursts struggled to make themselves a natural tendency. Seething and unable to take it anymore; in an attempt to drown out the noise, Zachery lets out a blood-curdling scream. The source behind his incomprehensible rage was so unfathomably formidable that the air around him started to immolate. Within nanoseconds of the shout, his entire body combusts; the blaze shoots itself outwards in all directions as it encapsulates the entire chamber. Now standing, he glares at the ground, panting. Another wave of uncontrollable fury surges through him. His muscles tense and lock up, his body lurches back unknowingly as he emits another horrifying shriek; followed by more conflagration. With this outburst finished, Zachery steadily calmed himself and reclaimed control over his body, following a long set of deep and exasperated wheezes. Now fully in command of his corporeal form, Zach decided to take in his surroundings. Unbeknownst to him; he must have been previously bound to some form of chair; any evidence of it being there was hinted to by the smoldering pile of ash that lay in a neat little heap behind him. The entire room was enclosed in a nearly perfect cubic shape; neither exit nor entrance seemed feasible throughout. Various parts of the chamber glowed with a faint green ambience which periodically shone in wave-like formations about each even square that connected to the next to construct the basis of the residing cavity that he stood in. Looking down, he saw that every step he took instigated this phenomenon; almost like the pitter-patter of rain on a puddle. While investigating the ground beneath his feet, Zachery noticed something peculiar about them. Upon closer inspection, he noticed his entire body had completely altered shape and color! His brighter red colors were replaced with an even darker and heartless crimson; comparable to that of blood seeping from a freshly opened wound. The lighter tints of black that were familiar to his body alongside any suggestion of navy blue was completely removed from his body and was instead replaced with a black that seemed to be within spite with the midnight sky; attempting to drown it out in its colorless and soulless void. On his joints were the dark navy blue normally adorned themselves; remained a sheen less silver shade, much like the pigment of his hair. His entire body seemed like a combination of armor that somehow fixated itself to him like an exoskeleton. His legs were no longer bulky at all and remained completely streamline with his entire body. His muscles were clearly seen; veining out in every possible way from head to toe. From his kneecaps down: the pitch black coloration made its debut, spoiled in places by a red stripe that ran along just below his kneecap and on the top of each foot by the ankles; a white stripe running horizontally just above each ankle. The kneecaps themselves were vividly crimson. Just above them on his thighs was where his pistol remained holstered on top trapezoidal silver configurations that separated each other with a red stripe on either end; all surrounded in the colorless void. From his waist up, however; a more armored approach was taken. What looked like something out of a feudal oriental period; swordsman’s armor displayed itself boastfully. Resting itself on top of his body, this armor connected to two pauldrons that laid on his shoulders; the bracer combination ended itself there however. The bottom half of the chest piece was parted into a center piece and a wrapped band, both black and outlined with the bloody crimson. On top, the violent shade of red was the star of the show; the chest proudly showing off that it was there. Two red dagger-like obtrusions seemed to connect the bottom and top halves; both outlined in black. While turning around, he noticed that the back of the connected top piece remained silver, while the rest of the bottom half continued with the darker motif. His collar brace was red on the back while the curved sides were black; ending at with a space at the front of his neck. His pauldrons also followed the oriental armor theme: black on the outside and red on the inside; both sharing a light stripe of red that circled around the middle. His hands were no longer bright red as well, replaced by abyssal palms and red coverings with three black dots on the back. From his wrists to the shoulder pads was a combination of intricate work between red, silver and black. Every single fiber of every single muscle made an appearance with every motion he made with them. His attention turned back to the center of his chest. Curiously, on the top of his chest plate was a burgundy emblem that glowed fiercely.

The power he felt with his new body was exhilarating. Every part of his body was smooth yet jagged; he felt like he could both take on two dragons at once and at the same time be capable of sneaking past an army by walking straight through crowd without notice. However, he wasn’t done inspecting his body yet. Removing his helmet, it seemed to be identical to how it was before. He decided to put it back on it. Suddenly, the paneling on the back end near the ceiling of the room slowly began to open up to reveal a near see-through window pane. From behind the glass, Zachery could distinguish what looked like a humanistic silhouette, possibly Newman in nature.

“Oh good, you’re awake! How odd…From someone with your experience; I’d imagine you would have done so sooner” the shadow spoke through an intercom system that echoed greatly with a static-y reverberation. Wrath still seemed to be a general consensus in Zachery’s mind: “What are you talking about?! Who are you?! Show yourself immediately!”

“Relax, I’m a doctor. And I’m on your side” the voice retorted. The man stepped further into view, looking down at Zachery from his fortified perch. From the distance, Zach could indeed make out that he was a Newman; he was wearing strange clothing; most notable by a large orange and voluminous hat. “My name is Dr. Jean Carlo Montague. I’m what you could call a genius…heh…heh…heh. You’ve been through quite a lot through your short lifetime, judging from your sub memory alone.”

“What?! How dare you touch me! Where am I?! What is this place?! What year is it?” Zachery invectively barked.

“Whoa, slow down. I’ll explain everything in detail and in due time. For one, back down on Pioneer 1, you helped a colleague of mine. Dr. Grave. Not only was he a colleague, but he was also a good friend. I thank you for that. In return I plan to help you. As to your current location, you are back on Pioneer 2.”

“How do you know about Dr. Grave?! I want answers damn it!”

“Now look! If you are to go anywhere, you are to shut your smart little mouth and you’ll have to listen to mine for a change…heh…heh.” Struggling with confusion and rage, Zachery gave his best effort to calm himself.

“Anyway, like I said, we are on Pioneer 2. The chamber you are standing in is what we call the ‘Danger Room’. This room is designed to simulate almost anything we can program as we chose using virtual reality. It can replicate a variety of programs ranging from anything like battle simulations to environmental climate change predictions. Currently it is in stand-by mode; hence the blank green hue. Now, as for what I did to you, you should be thanking me; considering the condition we found you in.”

“What exactly did you do to me?”

“What exactly have I done for you? I’ve made much needed improvements. Your body is now a top of line prototype production model; exclusive designed, maintained, and produced by my intellectual genius. Why not give it for a spin?”

“What?”

“Here, I’ll activate a battle simulation for you while I explain exactly what I have done. I have to say, I’m quite proud of myself; your body is some of my finest work, even if I did alter and ‘borrow’ designs from your sub memory and your ship.”

“What?! How did you find the Landale?”

“You mean the giant ship you were grasping on to, lifelessly? Wasn’t too hard to notice. Don’t worry about that either, it is in a perfectly operable condition. We docked it secretly here near my lab.” Vibrations were felt throughout the danger room. Images flashed left and right and before Zachery knew it, he was on Coral again; on the snowfield he lived on. In the distance were two creatures he distinctly remember; wolves that attacked him relentlessly as he travelled with Sarisa. “Now, I’d imagine you already can feel how powerful your new body is. But I’m going to tell you that power isn’t even remotely tapped thanks to a design that I’ve patented and tested on you. Besides being incredibly powerful and lithe, your body can fully alter its composition into two different forms. I’ve labeled them as ‘Power and Speed Modes’. First, try focusing all of your might at once. The Power Mode process should trigger as you tense up. On cue, as soon as he tensed up, all of his muscles bulged enormously. The sheer weight and strength stored inside felt like he could break the entire facility with a single punch. “Try swinging your katana with Power Mode activated.” Dutifully removing his katana, he took a swing; the very air was visibly rent before the unbelievably quick and powerful slice! “Pretty cool huh? Now there is a draw back with your Power Mode. When you activate it, it exposes most of the weak points in the frame work of your armor, as well as exposing vital musculature formations, especially your ligaments. Why not test out this mode on the monsters?” Eager to try, he launches headlong at the holograms that stand before him. They each fell with a single blow; Zachery was unsure if it was because they weren’t real or if it was because he truly was this powerful.

“Perfect!” Dr. Montague exclaimed. “Now I know you are quite the capable swordsman, but I don’t think it is fair to have such a huge drawback with this design. This is why I designed a specific bracer for your left arm. I call it the ‘Kasami Bracer’. It even stylishly matches your new design.” The virtual reality distorted itself temporarily as a stand popped out of the ground, displaying the dubbed ‘Kasami Bracer’. Zachery grabbed it and fashioned it to his left arm; as he placed it on his arm, the stand retreated back into the ground and the virtually created environment returned to its normal state. The bracer was triangular in shape, with an oddly colored and small gem embedded in the tip; it had a faint blue hue that glowed occasionally inside it. The bracer itself looked like a winged-dagger once it was attached to his arm as the spiked end that extended past his elbow slowly receded back into itself before flattening out along his arm. “Using a Photon Line net, that bracer can take nearly anything thrown at it and absorb up to seventy-eight percent of the force. Now, how about we test the Speed Mode? As soon as you start running at full speed with all your might; it should kick in.” Sheathing his blade, Zachery began a running gallop. Everything became incredibly less strenuous soon; the muscles on his legs tensed up yet fortified; almost like they were completely elastic. As he sprinted as his blinding speed, most of the images inside the virtual reality started to blur out. Willing to stop, he was capable of doing so almost instantaneously. After running, he felt ridiculously exhausted however; ready to kneel over to gasp for breath. “Ah, there is the con to that pro. Using Speed Mode takes up a considerable amount of your stamina and using it for too long can cause long term problems; nothing that isn’t easily fixed though, but can be lethal in a combat situation. So be sure to use both of them sparingly. Now, this final feature I added to your body is completely innovative and ingenious in my personal opinion. You can actually use Techniques unlike other androids before you. Go ahead and try it out. Remember what your mysterious magician friend taught you.” Reaching back in his mind, Zachery thought of what Luntz told him. Concentrating hard, he focused on the temperature of his own body and then concentrated that on a single point: his hand. Within the next second, his hand slowly ignited. Confident, he thrust this energy forward as he reproduced the Foie Technique that he saw Sarisa do in the past.

“Amazing!” Zachery yelled.

“I told you, I’m a genius. I’m sure you can cook up various tactics with these three gifts I bestowed on you” Dr. Montague gloated. Flashing with light, the simulation ended. “Now; back to business. I know what I saw in your sub memory, and as I’m sure you remember, what you saw on Pioneer 1. I’m not one hundred percent sure as why we are actually here on Ragol anymore, but I’m pretty sure there is something sinister planned with the Principal Government from the get-go. If I can ask for your help in this matter, would be willing to accept in uncovering exactly what happened down on Ragol?”

“Yes, absolutely. I want to know what the hell just happened the last time I was conscious” Zachery agreed.

“Now, what has happened may come as a shock to you, but there has been no contact from anyone back down there. Many people have gone down to the surface to check, but all public access has since been banned. The native creatures have become incredibly hostile, contradicting the reports we last received from Pioneer 1. To gain access to the surface, you will need to join the Hunter’s Guild and get a request from the current Principal. It shouldn’t be too hard; he has been requesting most of the new Hunters that join. I’d assume this wouldn’t be a problem, seeing you are already a member of the Hunter’s Guild back on Coral. Oh by the way, only a week has passed since you were last conscious.”

“Yes, I will do so. Thank you for everything Dr. Montague. I also apologize for snapping at you earlier, I have no idea what came over me. It was like something else was controlling my mind for a second.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now, my darling Elenor will guide you out of the facility and back on to the city streets of Pioneer 2. From there, I have already set you up with an apartment that you can stay at. I assume you can navigate around town henceforth. Now, I have to continue sifting through the massive amounts of data I received from both your sub memory and the test data. It is still inconceivable; most of what you’ve seen…” The wall to the right of Zachery opened up and a friendly face greeted him.

“Hello Zachery, my name is Elenor, Elenor Camuel. If you’d be so kind as to follow me right this way” her kindred voice beckoned from within the entryway. The voice was so familiar, almost like it was something he had heard in a dream. The sweet and gentle android was only a few inches smaller than Zachery’s new stature; the new one being not maybe half an inch taller than he was before, but he wouldn’t want anyone to think he could have been even smaller than he currently is. Elenor had a pink blouse and miniskirt with a relatively small bust. The skirt had to rectangular extensions that jugged out in opposite directions just slightly above her buttocks. The rest of her body, as well as the top of the chest, was mainly white. Her head was domed and made out to look like hair, but it still looked synthetic. The front of her calm and pleasant face was where a patch and frill that rested on the top of the forehead; all pink. Most of her joints were a dark grey. However, from her hands up to her elbows was pink again; almost like long gloves. Protective bracers ringed around her ankles just before her small feet that looks like tiny boots. Zachery’s attention turned to the top of her chest again; a similar emblem in comparison to his rested there; her’s was blue though.

“Say, what’s this emblem thing? I’ve got one on me just like you” Zachery asked.

“Oh, the Section ID? It’s an identification branch that is given to individuals here on Pioneer 2. Dr. Montague sorta already registered you here as a person that boarded Pioneer 2; he also already kinda registered you with the Hunter’s Guild. Oh speaking of which, here is your Guild Card. And here is mine. Using this, we can exchange information using the B.E.E. System” Elenor explained.

“B.E.E. System?”

“The B.E.E. System is a telecommunications network that was designed to work between Pioneer 1 on the surface and Pioneer 2 before it was going to land. It also has short range capabilities; it has proven to be incredibly reliable to us so far.”

“So are there different Section IDs? I mean, we have different colors after all.”

“Oh yeah, yours is from the Oran Section, mine is from Bluefull. I’m not entirely sure what they mean, the doc never told me.”

“I see…”

“Well here we are! This is your apartment you’ll be staying in” Elenor stated; they had already made it out of the facility and has arrived at his new residence where he would remain for his stay on Pioneer 2. “Let’s go inside!” In his new flat, which resided on the twenty-third floor, was three rooms: a bedroom, a washroom, and a kitchen. Everything was a lifeless and awfully bland grey tone with a splash of red here and there; Zach didn’t mind as he knew he wouldn’t be spending much time there. The bed laid incredibly close to the floor yet it seemed incredibly cozy to lay on from just looking at it. The kitchen was always visible from the bedroom, as chance would have it. “Well, I’m going to leave you alone now. If you need to get to the main town square, there is a shuttle train just a little down the street from here. Don’t forget to check your Guild Card often for any new messages from me or Dr. Montague. If I’m correct, you probably already have one from the Principal requesting to see you. Before I go, there is a terminal next to your bed; you should swipe your Guild Card in it. It will keep track of your progress on any accepted quests as well as keeping track of your messages using the B.E.E. System. Finally, I would suggest not using your ship. Even with the camouflage capabilities it has; it will be safer and more discreet to use the teleportation services that Principal allows the Hunters to use. I’ll see you soon Zach! Bye!” Elenor finalized with a smile, quickly taking her leave to probably do more duplicitous things for the eccentric doctor. Before he forgets, Zachery quickly swiped the card through the terminal; and sure enough, there was a request from the Principal. Making good use of his time, he left his apartment and took a shuttle to the main town square. Upon arrival, Zach is greeted by a carnival of light and sound. Various peoples of various races are seen hastily shuffling about the town square. Towards one of the ends of the town square, he can see the Hunter’s Guild. To his left appeared to be a medical center. Across the crowd was where an even more condensed group formed near what appeared to be a message board; it seemed to contain various pieces of information ranging from current events to stock pricing. In adjacency to the board was where the crowd dispersed. Four armed military members guarded a short hallway to a teleporter; that must have been the entrance to the Principal’s office, Zachery thought. Approaching the armed guards, he displayed the request from the Principal; after reviewing it, they let him in.

A grand hall greeted Zachery after traveling through the light of the teleporter. A full view of Pioneer 2 could be seen from the port window that stood behind three desks. Five people were waiting at the end of the hallway near and behind the desks. Quietly and respectfully, Zachery gradually made his way towards the man behind the big desk.

“Are you Zachery Steele, the Hunter? My name is Principal Colin Tyrell. We have a bad situation...We need to act quickly. Did you hear about the explosion on Ragol?” The Principal stated. He looked like an aged and worried man with greying brown hair. Most of his features couldn’t be made out past that due the large and elegant brown and purple robe he wore which had various insignias embroidered on it.

“I’m familiar with the explosion, yes” Zachery replied nonchalantly, masking any fact that he had experienced it first-hand.

“Very well. Pay attention and listen to me. We've lost contact with Pioneer 1. We have no idea what has happened. We've sent unmanned search units, but communication seems to cut off near the surface. What happened on Ragol? What occurred on Pioneer 1? Are the people on board alive? The council made a decision to send a manned search team. You are a skilled Hunter from what I’ve heard. We need your help. We have no choice... We need a place to settle on. Uh, could you...”

“Could I what?”

“No, it's nothing. Take care and good luck.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I didn't say anything. Go talk to my secretary. Irene will help you.” The Principal gestured to the woman standing behind the desk to the right of him. Moving over to the woman, the Principal went back to dealing with various amounts of paperwork. She had dirty blonde hair, a medium sized bust and was wearing a white and light green dress that had blue lines running around it in a wireframe pattern; most likely a uniform for work. She was busy typing away at the virtual keyboard behind her desk while muttering various commands on a wireless headset that rested on her head.

“Well, let me brief you on your mission. Once you're on the surface of Ragol, check the status of the residential area. Checking the status of the Central Dome is also a good idea. A transporter was launched earlier to allow direct access to Ragol from the city. It may be a little risky, so please be careful. That's all” Irene instructed. Zachery acknowledged it and turned around to leave when Irene spoke again: “…Um, excuse me...”

“What is it?” Zachery turned back around to see what else Irene had to inform him with.

"Oh, sorry..., No, it’s nothing. I wish you the best of luck.” Zachery stood there; slightly confused while giving her a weird look that was unnoticeable behind his helmet. After standing for a bit, a confession was finally given; she motioned him to come closer while she checked to see if anyone was looking as she whispered: “This is just between us, OK? The principal's daughter was on Pioneer 1. After that explosion, he's been constantly worrying about her. He can't even sleep. This is a personal request. If it's possible...Find out what happened to her. He isn't in a position to ask you such a personal favor. Red Ring Rico...A famous Hunter and a top scientist on Pioneer 1. Rico's his only daughter. Please, look for her!”
He nodded and left for the teleporter to the surface.

[Red Ring Rico again eh? I guess I’ll have to venture down to the surface myself to see just how far down this hole will go…]

[fighgunners]

Sorry for the lack of updates, a lot of personal stuff has happened last week. The next chapter is done and I just need to review it. It should be uploaded within the next two days.

[fighgunners]

Episode II: Trials and Subterfuge

Chapter 1-2:

Not All As It Seems

Spoiler!

With a restock filled and in order; Zachery returned from the shop at the end of the town square and headed for the main teleporter gate. Approaching the gate, two military personnel members glared at him with sightless elitism; Zachery felt as if his presence wasn’t warranted; they let him past regardless. The light from teleportation dissipated; once again, Zachery entered the lush forests that surrounded the Central Dome. He was quite a distance away from it; it couldn’t be less than a mile away but it was still clearly visibly seen protruding over and through the dense canopy that made up the horizon. Gathering his bearings; he realized that the residential blocks that were being built before the explosion couldn’t have been much further from his current position.

[These narrow passageways of the forest will provide for poor maneuverability in combat…]

Keeping his blade hand on his blade at all times, he slowly progressed down the leaf laden trail until a fork in the road presented itself just a few paces away amongst a small clearing; a decaying and fallen log stood in the middle of the crossroads. Within close proximity to the log, Zachery noticed a peculiar disk shaped object lying on the ground next to the displaced timber. Moving closer to examine it further; the object seemed to turn on and emit a yellow light that rayed out in a conical form. Attempting once more to thoroughly inspect it, the object spoke to him: “Ah, testing, testing... Cough! I'm Rico, Rico Tyrell. I'm a Hunter. This capsule is for anyone who has come here looking for me. I hope this helps you. I don't know who you are, but you must know that there's something unusual about Ragol. This is important. Pay attention to everything around you if you want to survive.”

[Hmm…That is definitely the same girl that tried to interrogate me earlier. What is she doing leaving messages around? Did she already uncover something that I didn’t while I was in that seabed laboratory?]

With the message relayed, the capsule turned itself off. Curious to see what else could be lying in wait, Zachery took the left and more heavily wooded path. Growling from pack animals rumbled its way down the path with Zachery’s stride; the beasts creating it refused to show themselves. Another clearing; the beasts leapt forth: a pack of five wolves; four of them were beige. Taking a dominating stance over the others, the remaining blue one stood out over the rest; the alpha Zachery thought to himself. They began to circle around him as he silently stood there with his hand still resting on the hilt of his sheathed blade. Almost nonchalantly, Zach took a battle stance as the circle tightened. One wolf sprung off its feet with its jowls widened; ready to take a chunk out of him. Lightning fast reflexes that were too quick for the naked eye to detect felled the beast before it could even reach the ground. Without hesitation, the alpha male vaulted past the others but was equivalently slain in the same fashion as its lackey. The remaining three backed down and retreated for cover, demoralized. A beast with purple fur and an impressively large mohawk managed to sneak directly behind Zachery. With a loud roar, it slammed its drill like claws down onto him. Reeling, Zach turned around to block the next swipe with his bracer; reciprocating the slash with a stab. He sliced straight through its stomach, raising his blade through its head. The goofy mess fell down to the floor where it bubbled and frothed into nothingness, similarly to the two wolves that he just had slayed as well.

[These creatures have spunk and higher intelligence than that of the creatures on Coral. I shouldn’t let my arrogance get the better of me again like that.]

Finally, he reached the entrance to the residential district. The entrance was still being constructed from when Zachery was here previously; no evidence of progress was obviously made. Next to another tree to the left of the entrance was another capsule. As he activated it, it also spoke; another capsule from Rico: “What made the animals become so violent all of a sudden? They weren't before. They were very quiet and friendly... There must be some cause. I'll find it. I know I'm a fool. This won't make me any richer. Perhaps that's why I'm exalted by them... Red Ring Rico, ha, ha. But I'm not really the great Hunter citizens say I am. They needed a hero. And I just happened to fill that position.” It was a ghost town inside the residential district; no noise uttered from any annex. Cluttered remains that pointed to life being here was still present: clothes in random heaps, various weapons and equipment, sundries, and many others were strewn and scattered about. No evidence of physical life was to be seen however, the only exception being the hostile native life clearly. A chill rattled at the back of Zachery’s mind as he sat there observing the eclectic disarray.

[This place can’t be the same place I was in when I spent my time down here. Where did they all go? Where is the evidence of the explosion?]

The dead silence was abruptly interrupted: a disturbance stemmed around the corner of an unfinished edifice. Cautiously, Zachery crept towards its origin. Upon chancing its creation, a group of yellow fat and fluffy yellow birds jumped out and fled the nearby vicinity with all haste in all directions.

Satisfied, Zachery left the area, moving further into the woodland. Drag marks were etched into the ground here, heading deeper inside the next region. Looking in the opposite direction of the scars displayed displaced and cracked trees. Following the marks led to a probe-like shuttle.

[This must be one of the surveillance probes that were sent to the surface.]

The machine didn’t really seem to respond to any input Zachery put in; the console on it didn’t eve light up to indicate function. Only with a few more button presses did the device finally begin to short-circuited and smoke.

[Something in the atmosphere must be interfering with these probes from landing correctly. They must be crashing too hard to survive the fall.]

Confident there was nothing more he could he about the probes, Zachery continued into the direction of the Central Dome. An irritating buzzing noise pestered the air inside Zachery’s auditory nerves as he progressed in the general direction of the shining white marvel; he couldn’t pinpoint its origin unfortunately. With each step further traveled in, the louder the reverberations became; the source couldn’t be much farther ahead. Finally, the grotesque progenitor of the awful racket became apparent. A fleshy pink sac that had large and mossy webbings for kick stands was vibrating and undulating rhythmically inside the following mossy expanse that boisterously broke free from the dense treetop canopy. An imprecise judgment of footwork, Zachery trampled a twig underneath one of his feet; the corpulent orb unleashed a swarm of blood-thirsty insects. Unwilling to deal with such any form of arthropod getting that close to him with a harmful warrant, Zachery loosed off Rafoie; incinerating all of the pests inside the orb of combustion. It wasn’t even remotely finished with him yet, more of the mindless flies continued to discharge from its spiky orifice. Zachery had to react quickly before he was overrun. He fired off Foie straight at the sac which tumbled over on its side in response. Grappling the Master Raven, Zach shot down each oncoming creature with perfect precision. Before the sac could propagate any more bugs, Zachery rushed forth and shot another fireball straight inside its insect-housing cavity; it slowly melted and frothed away into nothing but a pile of red ooze. Enduring to move onwards, Zachery was presented with yet another obstacle; this one seemed currently impossible to hurdle. A large cylinder blocked any further access into the forest towards the Central Dome. The cylinder was incredibly bulky and was used to act as a blast door of sorts, preventing any creatures, harmful or not; from entering inside. Despite trying to access the controls or physically attempting to move it himself; even with his newfound strength, he could not open the door. Next to the door was a heap of animal carcasses; next to that another message from Rico: “Wow... bodies of dead animals... We Hunters sometimes use firearms, but this... They were killed by firearms that are much stronger than ours!” Unable to advance, Zachery returned back to Pioneer 2 to alert what has happened so far to the Principal.

“So, you didn’t come across any survivors yet? Maybe they took shelter in the Central Dome” The Principal ruminated.

“Also, I do believe there is something in the atmosphere, be it a wave of interference or some creature. One of the probes I found was all but completely destroyed. I wouldn’t doubt the others had met with the same fate” Zachery continued.

“I see, so what of the Central Dome? Did you get to check there?”

“No, that is why I returned. There is a large blast door that seems to be completely inoperable and immovable, even with my level of power.”

“Hmm…I’ll get a team to try and move that for you. It will take a while; you should see if there are any requests available at the Hunter’s Guild to help pass the time.”

“Understood.” After ending the conversation, the Principal began to work with his visiphone furiously on his desk. Making sure he couldn’t hear him, Zachery moved over to Irene to tell her about the messages: “I found messages from Rico down on the surface, she was trying to uncover what happened to Pioneer 1 as well as chance would have it.”

“Really? None of the other Hunters reported finding such messages…” Irene responded with a certain level of intrigue that equally mixed into a congealed form of bewilderment.

“That’s weird, they weren’t necessarily hidden. Maybe it was because of a timed reaction for them turning on?”

“I’m not sure…Anyway, Rico is still missing. Please continue your investigation.”
Deciding to heed the Principal’s advice, Zachery removed himself from the sanctified halls of the office and descended back to the hustle and bustle of the town square once more. Wading his way through the tide of rush hour in the expansive sea of people, he finally made his way to the relatively quiet halls of the Hunter’s Guild. Various macho tough guys were speaking with various needy people that all had various individual requests for the guild; normally not enough to be worth listening too, but the clientele had the monetary means to justify an audience. Searching through the slightly less compressed crowd in comparison to the city streets, Zachery spotted a guild receptionist sitting behind a desk. Making his way over to the counter, the woman in the blue and light blue outfit greeted Zachery with a smile.

“Enrich your life! This is the Hunter’s Guild, welcome! We can assist you in finding a job if you’re registered. These are our recommendations right now; there aren’t many as we have a lot of Hunters accepting the mass influx of jobs we have had lately” the receptionist detailed. A holographic list popped up in front of Zachery with a total of two jobs, one of which involved helping a man reclaim some capsules. The other was so much more appealing to Zachery however; the job asked to help find a man that was lost in the forest back down on Ragol.

“I’ll take this job” Zachery said, handing the woman his Guild Card to prove he was a member.

“Alright then; your client is a Mr. Zidd Canaan. He is waiting for you near the back of the guild” the cheery administrator stated, pointing towards the left end of the guild; less people appeared to gather there. Sifting through yet another crowd for a whole entire minute, Zach finally managed to reach the end of the guild. A shorter gentleman wearing a purple jacket and orange cap was standing, waiting; glaring down at the planet. As soon as Zachery entered the lobby, the man turned around and hurriedly took huge strides to reach Zachery without directly running towards him. His face was rugged and appeared as if he hasn’t shaved in a while, his expression was one of great worry.

“Zachery Steele?” he asked.

“Yes, that is me. What seems to be the problem, Mr. Canaan?”

“Well, I need you to go back down to the surface and look for a Hunter named Ash. He was gathering research data down on Ragol until we lost contact with him recently. He only just became a Hunter a few weeks ago, so he isn’t as experienced as someone like yourself or your partner” Zidd articulated.

“Partner?” Zachery questioned. A man that was leaning against the wall with his arms folded lurched forward at the query; on his feet, he moved towards them.

“Yes; you see, I need someone to take care of Ash if he is wounded and I’ll need a second to acquire the research data. So you’ll have to work with another person for this request. Don’t worry; the advertised reward still stands; you two aren’t splitting it or anything.”

“Oh good, as long as this guy won’t be a liability then…won’t you Zach…” the CAST retorted. Standing nearly twice as tall as Zachery, the man was mainly purple and white in coloration with black around the back and sides of his torso and legs. His frame didn’t look that much different in comparison to Zachery’s; the main exception is that his looked like armor, not so much like an exoskeleton. His shoulders also didn’t have the padding either as well as their helmets being completely different; if what he was wearing was a helmet at all that is. This man had a rounded head with a pointed chin. On the top, it was mainly purple with all but three white dots that would form an upright equilateral triangle if they were drawn to connect. Still encasing the rest of the head, the purple and white pattern made up for a dagger-like intrusion that would make up the bottom and chin while more purple extended upwards to look like fangs on the sides of where his jaw and cheeks would be. A white layered line gave his helmet at look of permanent anger by displaying a comprehensive lowered brow motif. Waiting, just below that brow; were sharp, piercing and soulless yellow eyes with a shadowy outline. It also came to Zachery’s attention that he had a Bluefull Section ID as well.

“This is Kireek, a pro hunter. Zachery, perhaps you can learn a lot from him. Kireek, I know you are unhappy, but I need two Hunters for this. Please understand, Ash is my cousin and I would be beside myself if anything were to happen to him” Zidd spoke with expressed concern.

“…I guess I have no choice. Come on Zachery, let’s get this over with” Kireek sighed. Both him and Zachery left the guild and proceeded to the forest once again. The teleporter placed them on a different end of the forest than where Zachery was last; he wasn’t as familiar the woods of these parts. Reluctantly, he allowed the arrogant CAST to take the lead. Dusk soon beset the wild green zone; while daylight was yet upon them; they hurried. It didn’t take long for the monsters that lurked in shadows to show themselves once more. “Here come the wild native creatures, get ready” Kireek said, stating the obvious; he was clearly trying to get under Zach’s skin. Kireek was wielding a wicked Photon bladed scythe that cut cleanly through each kill he made. Zachery couldn’t help but notice that while he was fighting that Kireek seemed to get a real kick out of every monster that came close to attacking him as well as each drop of the animal’s blood reached Kireek’s body; the feeling that he felt was somehow infectiously mutual. As they progressed, neither of them said a word to each other; like they were both patiently anticipating what the other was going to do or say. Each of the deranged creatures that stood before them was cut down and utterly destroyed without discrimination, the two of them proved to be incredibly powerful and in complete dominion of the field; was rather unfair for the beasts that opposed them really. In a clearing up ahead, a mountain stream made its way through the undergrowth and moss on one end and through the opposing other. Kireek paused to tilt his head to the air above him; Zachery stopped and watched him. “This way…” Kireek uttered silently, flagging Zachery to follow him down a less trodden path to their far right. Zachery thought it would be silly go this way, any logical person would know to take a more travelled path if they know they are too much of a greenhorn. Sure enough though, they found Ash, wounded in a secluded grove.

“Careful…they are still out there…” Ash whispered under his exasperated breaths. A peculiar object glinted in the distance from the little sunlight that managed to escape through the treetops.

[That must be the research data…]

Upon approaching the capsule, another large wolf pack leapt forth from the trees; they were using both Ash and the capsule as bait. There couldn’t have been less than twenty of them; undeterred, Kireek and Zachery slayed the lot of them. Zachery grabbed the data disc and both he and Kireek rushed over to Ash to help him up.

“Thank you…What? Zidd asked you to come help me? Damn it to hell, he always keeps treating me like a kid! I had completed everything that was required but I got ambushed; it wasn’t my fault! When they attacked me I ended up dropping the data disc.” Ash vented both in anger and in lack of breath. After fully standing up, Ash appeared to be just as young and inexperienced as Zidd claimed him to be. He had a slightly messy yet even brown short-haircut with vibrant blue eyes. His eyes clearly portrayed his ambition for greatness, but his plain face and lack of skill proved otherwise; he still had a long way to go. He was wearing an orange and red jumpsuit; his left arm was incredibly more armored than the right. The bulky arm was red and was shaped like a pill with an orange lock motif connecting the two pieces on the outer end. Around his left elbow, armpits, and legs up to his ankles; were all black. His right arm was streamline and completely red. His torso had various orange embellishments alongside scattered but symmetrical grey nodes near the collar bones and thighs. His boots were orange and red in a similar pattern to his jumpsuit. He had the dark green section ID: Viridia.

“An experienced Hunter wouldn’t allow an ambush to stop them though…” Kireek stated bluntly, his arms folded. Ash looked down at the ground in shame to the comment. “Zachery! I’m going to take the boy with me; you can take the data disc to Zidd. Zachery nodded and turned around towards the direction of Pioneer 2. Before he left the grove, Kireek had one final parting statement: “…Zachery…Train yourself. You’ll have to become much stronger to have any hopes of impressing me…Hahaha…” Zachery stared at them, infuriated, as they used a personal teleportation device to return to Pioneer 2. The device remained there; a rising column of bright red light. Deciding to not waste any more time, he entered the light and transported himself back to Pioneer 2 alongside them. The teleporter brought him to the far southern end of the town square, adjacent to the shopping area. Heading back to the Hunter’s Guild, Ash was already waiting alongside Zidd; Kireek was nowhere to be seen.

“Here is your data disc” Zachery said, handing it over.

“Thank you so very much. Ash is fine; he refuses to see a doctor, he’d rather endure the pain. I have to say though…that man, Kireek. I’ve never seen someone so intimidating before in all of my life…It was like he was built for battle…” Zidd huffed in disbelief.

“…Yeah…” Zach enunciated, seemingly lost in thought. Nothing more to say, Zachery collected his meager reward from the guild receptionist and elected to call it a day. Arriving at his apartment, he unhinged his equipment from his body and fell face first into his bed; it was just as comfortable as it looked. It took a while, but, he finally succeeded to capture the process of unconsciousness over his normal over-active mental state.

[GIVE IN ZACHERY! YOU KNOW YOU CANNOT RESIST THIS POWER!]

The nameless but obvious force that haunted him made it clear it wasn’t leaving him. The nightmare he managed to subsist through only continued to plague him through the rest of the night. After six hours, he finally gave up and went outside his apartment to walk around. It would seem that the ship had a corresponding internal clock similar to the day cycles of Ragol, the city streets were no longer occupied and a certain level of shadow subdued its entirety in an eerie twilight. Out of the corner of his eye, Zachery thought he saw the shadows dance rapidly away from; almost like the silhouette of a person running. Quickly rubbing his eyes, it would appear that it was all but an illusion; a thought that someone was watching him still stained his mind regardless. Dawn soon approached over the artificially blue horizon; a speedy yet steady swarm of people flocked to the streets into the direction of the town square as the cycle began anew. The following day demonstrated to be completely uneventful. No new jobs or requests were available at the guild and there was no news from the Principal about the obstruction being handled. Somehow, Zachery managed to stave off his near infinite boredom for a whole sixteen hours; doing random things about the town square, restocking his materials at the shop, getting friendly with some locals; he got especially friendly with a Tekker: a person who acted as a weapon smith and overall expert on most things unidentifiable. The tekker he spoke to said that his blade, Agito as Rico called it, was incredibly powerful but it had not tapped into its full potential yet; whatever that meant.

The next day provided for something more along the lines of Zachery’s interest as an intriguing request caught his eye at the guild. Apparently, a local entrepreneur by the name of Gallon had found a very valuable commodity that an android stole from him down on Ragol. Meeting up with the shop keeper, he made off to be completely furious.

“Are you Zachery Steele? I need you to go down to Ragol and go recover some materials that I found down there. That useless Ranger outside said he saw some android take them, go ask him and all of his incompetence for any more information” Gallon spat. Thoroughly disgusted by the materialistic merchant, Zachery left the guild for the Ranger he spoke of so lowly; hopefully he wasn’t as dumb nor half as rude as the merchant. Sure enough, the Ranger was waiting outside the guild; he looked as if he was mumbling to himself or was lost in thought.

“Excuse me, are you the Ranger in question that Gallon spoke of?” inquired to the brown suited Ranger.

“What? Oh yes …Hello. If you wanted to know about his commodity he valued so highly; they are just Mags. He found out that they were capable of being found on the ground, so he employed me to…gather them…yeah. Anyway, I managed to gather enough to make everyone on Pioneer 2 happy, but then…I mean…they are just equipment are given to us right? Everyone gets one, so why would anyone else need one, it was almost like a tradition to get one as a Hunter…the android was right though…They shouldn’t be traded off for Meseta…” he ruminated and trailed off again. Unsatisfied, Zachery left for the surface in search of this mysterious android. Dew had stained the all-encompassing viridian wilderness; its entirety was wet and saturated with a refreshing smell upon arrival. An intensification of sunlight was also another result from the nightly rain; everything became more visible and illuminated, no shadows were hiding anything today. Up ahead in the distance through the shimmering light, a familiar figure rested on a log upon an elevated ridge that was currently unreachable from the clearing that Zach was observing from. Disseminating the topography between them, Zachery made his move to a route to his left to reach the mystery person. Boomas, as Rico called them in one of her messages; the angry red burrowing creatures that have plagued him before, were busy scavenging in the proceeding area. Swiftly dealing with them before more of the native creatures and the anonymous individual were alerted, Zachery advanced with a deafened haste. As he thought, the next area bent around to escalate up to the ridge that the figure was residing on; slowly and quietly, he crept into the next clearing.

[So it was Elenor!]

“Elenor?” he called out to her.

“Well one is still missing…! ...I was surprised…Hello Zachery! Fancy meeting you here!” she replied, it would appear she was talking to herself the entire time while sitting on the log; she seemed to be caressing something in her hands while doing so.

“I could say the same thing to you. Were you the one responsible for the missing Mags being taken?”

“What? No no, I didn’t mean to take them from the Ranger! Honest!…They all looked so lonely so I started talking to them…then they all looked so happy and they didn’t want to leave me, so they chased after me…all of them have gone back to their masters except one, but I lost him…Say, how is your Mag holding up Zachery?” It almost completely didn’t occur to him that his Mag that he received back on Coral was still there, levitating patiently above his shoulders. “When we found you lying on the surface, your Mag came to me to point me out to your location, I wouldn’t have found you otherwise. I guess you can say that your little friend saved your life! Mags don’t look like it, but they are alive and intelligent; they like a master that cares for them.”

“How do you know all of this? It’s almost like you can actually communicate with them.”

“That’s because I can, silly!”

“Wait, what? How?”

“Well because…Umm…I’m sorry, I actually don’t know; I just can.”

“How very interesting…Well I can’t very well finish this request for Gallon without anything to show for it.”

“Hmm…Well, why not help me look for the Mag that went missing? He couldn’t have gotten far.”

“Fair enough.” Elenor removed herself from her earthly chair and joined Zachery in an hour long search through the forest for the absent Mag. A few creatures challenged their advancement, but they weren’t any problem, especially with the long distance capabilities that Elenor possessed on the field of battle with her rifle. In a small alcove, the missing Mag was flittering about aimlessly; as soon as Elenor walked inside, it flew to her immediately.

“The Mag went to its ex-master to say bye-bye. He wants to have a new master now, Zachery! Make sure you find him a good one now, okay?” Elenor testified spritely, handing over the Mag. “I’m sorry if I caused any trouble. The doc says that you should be careful once you get near the Central Dome, tougher monsters lurk there. Be sure to keep investigating, we’re trying as hard as we can on our end. I guess this is goodbye for now…so…see ya!” Elenor shouted as she skipped out of the room with his rifle swinging back and forth behind her neck. Chuckling, Zachery pondered over what the girl’s intentions were; more so of the puppet master Montague’s. It really didn’t seem to matter, their agenda seemed positive, albeit highly secretive; he is still alive after all.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! You only brought back one?! All of the others’ masters were already…dead……Anyway, I guess you completed your quest…Go and collect your reward…” Gallon gloomily specified. Collecting another meager reward, he went to the shop and bought some “grinding equipment”. The tekker he became friendly with told him that these “grinders” increase the quality and output each of his weapons could perform based on strength that similar to the levels of strength the liquid health mates did; something he couldn’t pass up on. Returning to his apartment, a message from the Principal said that the obstruction had been resolved and that he was free to investigate the area around the Central Dome. A quick bite to eat later, Zachery gathered his things and returned back to the wild expanse to investigate what had become of the Central Dome.

The sun had begun to set over the horizon; it was still clearly visible even through the light drizzle that had overwhelmed the now less dense woodland around the gleaming white edifice. Despite it only being a week and a half after the explosion, the Central Dome appeared to have suffered through a significant amount of age; various pieces of it where chipped off and it lost most of its radiant luster. It was still quite a ways away from Zachery’s current location; the trek resumed. Not far ahead; another message from Rico: “A disaster occurred. Things were shaking, then something broke through the surface. And then it exploded in the Central Dome! I don't know what to say... For seven years, we've tried to adjust and improve the environment. What was it? Was it related to the accidents we've had recently?” The same thought had ran through his head for a second before he came to a more sinister conclusion, fully remembering what happened down at that laboratory. Whatever was on Ragol, it wasn’t friendly and it was waiting patiently until now. Elenor wasn’t kidding about the monsters it would either; the purple variants of those Boomas appeared quite often, all of them were fiercely territorial. The beauty of the expansive forest in contrast with stark lighting would have captivated many a tourist, had the they time to stop and savor it; only the mission of finding Rico stirred Zachery’s mind to continue through the seemingly never-ending onslaught of native creatures. Suddenly, the monsters let up in their assault in the next area; fleeing just at the sight of Zachery’s blade.

[No, it can’t be just that, something is waiting up ahead…]

Without warning, a giant ape descended from the sky before Zachery’s feet. It stood well over three times his height; every muscle was fit to fight on its purple and reddish body. Raising its arms and head to the sky, it smacked its chest while shouting to intimidate him; Zachery took the opportunity to slash at its abdomen during its raucous boasting. Only managing to enrage the creature further, it winded up its left fist which sprung forth and cracked across Zach’s side, sending him tumbling across the ground; he quickly regained his footing before the following double fisted jumping slam attack could make its mark on his head. Swinging around wildly, it attempted to slash him with the sharp horns that were adorned on its head as they curved towards its back. Performing a back-flip and landing roughly five feet away, Zachery adjusted himself to launch a powerful fireball at the beast’s back; nothing really seemed to have an obvious effect on this creature. Turning around, it grabbed Zachery and took its other arm to grasp him as well; probably trying to see if he could pop out anything edible from the humanoid-canister. His wits about him, Zachery quickly activated his power mode, but also tried to do something new with his Technical prowess. Concentrating around his entire body, flame arose from his feet and to his face in a swirling fashion, singeing the ape’s hands into small stubs. Released from its monstrous vice-grip, Zachery took a mighty skyward slash to its face that cleaved in two; he jumped back before the lifeless body fell on top of him. A sudden exhilaration surged within Zachery; the thrill of defeating and fighting a challenging opponent seemed to excite him immensely. He rushed through the rest of the remaining timberland in hopes of finding more of these giant apes to fight. It didn’t take long either before two more descended from the sky, both just as angry as all hell as the last one. As before, he set himself alight and charged headlong at the first. With a series of three rapid slashes, he removed and fileted the first’s arms and body. Exhaustion rapidly set in before he could attack the second; his fiery shield dropped as well as his stance to a single knee. The second approached him; Zachery regained his composure enough to block the flying punch that the beast hurdled at him with his bracer. He kept blocking its unrelenting blows until he managed to sustain enough stamina to reactive power mode to end the brawl.

[I guess the doc wasn’t kidding when he said this depletes stamina quickly, I’ll have to be more careful from now on.]

Acquiring his second wind, Zachery took the time to investigate his surroundings. His attention turned to cluster of draped vines that were towards the end of the region he was residing in; something was visible behind it. Even though the prickly overgrowth would have warned others to stay away, Zach felt compelled to see what lay hidden behind it. A quick slash and sheath; the vines were rent and a large stone obelisk stood erect beside another message from Rico: “I heard that this tall column was built to commemorate the immigration of Pioneer 1. But... it may just be me, but it doesn't look very new. And these patterns... aren't they characters?” Curiously, Zachery couldn’t help but put his arm out to touch the strange stone. His hand finally touched the obelisk; it reacted violently, every crack and character lit up with an amber hue as the very earth around the monument resonated with its vibration. Retracting his arm while taking a few steps back, he observed the statue for some time. Shaking his head to unlock his fixation on the object, Zachery turned around and looked upon the Central Dome; it was time to return to the task at hand. The Central Dome was right in front of him now; next to the staircase that would take him to the main floor of the docking bay was another message: “Pioneer 1 may have damaged the ecological system of Ragol before we were aware of it. So, the native creatures tried to remove the invaders. That's one supposition. But what about the explosion?! I need more information. I have to go do some research.” A vast emptiness surrounded the docking area, not even a single native creature mucked about. Meandering about the floors of the ruins, he found the main entrance to the dome; it was completely destroyed and sealed, accompanied by another message that stated the obvious from Rico. Once again at an impasse and nightfall imminent; Zachery returned back to Pioneer 2 to relay this new setback to the Principal.

“Hmm…I’ll see what our task force can do about this one. I have nothing else to say other than to take on any more jobs you see fit until we can work around this new dead end. Your work is greatly appreciated, keep it up” the Principal addressed. Bowing, Zachery left and returned to his apartment to sleep for the night. Unsurprisingly, a quick fix wasn’t in order; Zachery sought for salvation from boredom in the guild once more. Thankfully, a new job was posted worth his interest: a female Newman by the name of Nol Rinale wanted to find out what actually was happening down on Ragol. Accepting the quest, he moves himself to a private room where she is waiting. Her neat and dirty blonde hair alongside her mismatched outfit made it for a poorly convincing disguise as a Hunter; her intentions were immediately known to Zachery but he decided to hear her plea anyway.

“So, you’re Mr. Steele right? I asked the guild in secret for this request. If you couldn’t tell from my attire, I’m a journalist. We’ve made it to Ragol, yet there has been no news about Pioneer 1 or anything at all for that matter to be made public. The government has been trying to restrict everything; they are even on to me, hence the disguise and asking the guild. So, will you help me uncover the truth?” she begged.

“…I agree, but you won’t like what you’ll find…” Zachery morbidly replied.

“Great! Well, I know there is the teleporter that has restricted access to the surface, let’s quickly go through there before anyone catches on to my disguise.” In the spur of the moment, Zachery made it seem a little too suspicious trying to get her past the guards that waited ever vigilantly at the gate.

“Hey, Zachery!” one of them called out; Zachery cringed slightly as he turned around conspicuously.

“…Yes?” he returned reticently.

“Be on the look-out for a journalist; she’s a Newman who has been trying to reach the surface. Let us know if you see anything.”

“Will do.” Arriving on the lush landscape, it didn’t take long for more creatures to make another theatrical appearance. Instinctively, Nol retreated behind Zachery as he swiftly dealt with these new foes.

“This isn’t right, why are these animals so vicious? Where are the people that would greet us? Can you take us to the residential district? There has to be people there right?” Nol squealed. Zachery glanced back to her direction only to return his gaze forward; silently nodding. Revisiting the residential area only heightened her worry and fear. “This doesn’t make any sense. Where did all the people go? Where is the evidence of the explosion that everyone saw? ...I know! There has to be some recorded data at the Central Dome! Let’s go there.” Fierce resistance from the wolves and Boomas hindered their progress towards the Central Dome through recurrence; they sustained to proceed through the designated route however. “Hey, over there, across that pond, isn’t that a terminal?” she pointed out as Zachery was busy dealing with another large ape. Its defeat allowed access to the far off terminal. After going through the data logs; all of them end right at the time of the explosion. “Zachery…You’re done, I don’t want to see anymore. This is terrifying, the public doesn’t need to know about this…Please…just take me back to Pioneer 2.” Conflicted about what is actually going on himself; Zachery received his reward and returned to his apartment to contemplate what had transpired.

[What did happen on Ragol? What was that strange silhouette I saw coming out of the dome? Those monsters in the laboratory…were they real too? Why do these answers escape me? What happened on Ragol? If only I hadn’t lost my memory to Mother Trinity, maybe…just maybe I would have more insight...]

The same recurrent macabre dreams torment his evening routine; he once again leaves his apartment to wander the streets at night. Another shadow, same size and stature as the last; this one was closer. Again, it fled as soon as Zachery tried to scrutinize more detail from it. Daybreak; Zachery visited the Hunter’s Guild to see what new quests could be genuinely worth his time. There was chatter around and about the guild relating to “Great Sword Zoke”, something about his android not accompanying him but a Ranger instead. Only one job seemed to be available, but multiple participants were taking it actively; apparently a pleasure boat called the Gran Squall left before the explosion, and unoriginally, went missing. The client was some generic travel agency; they didn’t even mention an actual name other than “travel agency”.

[What possible travel agency would travel with a ship that was designed to colonize a new planet?]

Accepting the job, Zachery was relayed to not tell other Hunters about the job, even though a massive search effort was produced from this request. Soldiers also accompanied the travel agency’s “clientele representative”; they belittled Zachery with words of discouragement to make sure he wouldn’t talk to anyone. General consensus linked to the last sightings of the ship being around the Central Dome; Zachery was to look for any survivors around there; highly unlikely he thought. On the surface, various Hunters of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and colors were busy looking about the forest for the ship; hardly the “secretive” operation that the “travel agency” was asking for. Nothing made any sense; a habitual theme that this planet gave the impression of being smitten with. After a good hour of pointless searching, Zachery came across a Ranger that was shuffling through the leaves and shrubbery not that much further up ahead. The man turned around slowly to look at Zachery who was also gazing at him. He had blonde hair and fierce blue eyes; the kind of eyes that display a level of seriousness to a point that you felt intimidated just being in the general vicinity of them. He had some tough looking greyish-blue head gear that raised his otherwise clean haircut up a bit. The left side of his chest displayed an orange colored Oran section ID. His blue and white jumpsuit was in the formation of a shell on the back; it ended with an armored collar that extended around the sides and back of his neck with a single red line in the center. Various blue, black, and white straps and knobs garlanded the suit in the front; most of it didn’t serve and tactical purpose. What really caught Zachery’s attention though was the oversized blue and white gun that he wielded. It had a large orange iron sight and a rod lengthening to be equal to the size but perpendicular to the muzzle; most likely for extra gripping support. It had a large yet spindly handle that make it look like one was carrying a suitcase, less so a gun.

“Looking for the Gran Squall right?” the man asked.

“…Uh-huh…” Zachery answered with a certain level of suspicion.

“You don’t actually believe that crap about the cruise do you?”

“…I’m paid to do so…”

“Hahahahahahaha! You’re interesting. Tell you what, I’ll join you and I’ll let you know some good pieces of information.” The man led the way through a route Zachery was unaware of through some trees that would otherwise perfectly hide the path. “You don’t think it is the least bit strange that a pleasure boat would leave even before the council made contact with Pioneer 1?”

“Like I said, I only follow what I hear, I’m not paid to think otherwise” Zachery continued; he didn’t want to let on to anything, in compliance with the client’s request.

“Hahaha…You’re really something you know that?” Not much further ahead, a security door with no lock refused to open; barring further access forward. “Eh? The door won’t open? Give me a second, I’ll handle it.” He placed his gun on the ground and opened a panel on the left side of the door’s operation mechanism. A few seconds and sparks later, the door opened. “See? I have the knack.” After grabbing his gun and standing on his feet, a horde of Boomas and their various colorful variants awaited them. His gun proved to be just as powerful as it was big; it unleashed huge fireballs that emitted powerful shockwaves once they hit their targets at blinding speeds. It didn’t take long before the Central Dome was available to them; much quicker than the normal route that Zachery was familiar with.

“Didn’t you say you were going to give me information?”

“Eh, what? Oh right, the information. Can you keep a secret? Who am I kidding, of course you can; you barely talk as it is! Right, so the Gran Squall did crash here you see; but it was no pleasure boat, it was a secret military ship. A good source of mine on another quest confirms this alongside the fact that there is a survivor. I’m using the quest by the ‘travel agency’ to mask what I’m actually doing here. My actual quest is get a little lady who was related to the Gran Squall crash. There was a chip implanted in her, so I can track her; my gun here has a marking system for it. She isn’t that much further from the Central Dome. C’mon!” The two began to pick up their pace; wolves demonstrated little power to stop them despite attacking en masse. Again, the man entitled Zachery to more knowledge that he was oblivious to: another route above and around and inside the Central Dome. In the distance was a frail girl who appeared to be bleeding rather profusely; four of the giant apes were looming around, one of them seemed different thought. The different one apparently was their leader; blue in color and its horns were reversed in front of instead of being behind. The leader was sitting down, munching on some strange fruit when it noticed the two of them. It stood up and howled as it beat its chest; the other three leapt the massive distance that was between them and engaged Zachery and the mystery man in battle. Always eager in battle, Zachery took a spin on a dark Technique this time; unleashing a dark ball of purplish energy known as Megid. The ball traveled slower than most of the Techniques before it, but the force behind it was enormous; striking the first ape it sent it flying as its body began to contort even beyond the potency of the shockwave. The man seemed a tad surprised from the fact that Zachery could use Techniques; his surprise soon vanished as he was struck by a blow from one of the gargantuan simians. The one ape refused to get up after taking Zachery’s blast; it must have been dead which only served to anger the leader, it stood up and began to attack with its compatriots in response. A flare from the man’s gun sent the another assailant flying while ablaze as well; Zachery took advantage of it and leapt on to its hapless form as he began to impale it repetitively, vaulting off of it before it went too far from the fray. With his power mode engaged, Zachery finished off the last one; all that was left was the leader. Akin to its icy coloration, the beast spewed a cryonic gas that instantly froze both of them in their tracks. Slowly, it stepped over and picked up the man and raised him above its head. Discontent with possibly losing an ally, Zachery boiled over until his body was aflame again; thawing the ice that encased him. Focusing the conflagrant energy towards his hand, he loosed Foie at the beast which combusted on impact; the ice surrounding the man also began to melt enough that it shattered instead of himself when he hit the ground. While dancing about on fire, the beast misplaced its footing and fell a good twenty feet over the side of the platform into some rather sharp rocks below.

“Thanks for the help back there” the man said. “Well, that little girl here is what I was looking for; she’s banged up pretty good, so I’m going to go get her some medical attention. Don’t worry about what happened for the request; when you get back, everything should be fine.” He threw down a portable teleporter. “Say what is your name?”

“Zachery” Zach said.

“Well then Zach, you fought with me through the thick of it, I won’t turn my back on an ally in a time of need…Till we meet again!” He waved as he entered the light with the girl over his right shoulder; the light disappeared not soon after he did. A strange buzzing sound came from Zachery’s guild card at that exact same moment.

“Zachery? This is Irene from the Principal’s office. I’ve noted that you are near the Central Dome at this moment. Our men have found a teleporter that should enter a lower level previously not disclosed to the public, deep inside the Central Dome. However, the task force we sent to investigate it haven’t answered or returned to us. I’m sending you the coordinates to it right now, it should appear in the portable map attached to your card” the card spoke. A hologram of the Central Dome appeared soon after from the card; a blinking red arrow indicated Zachery’s position and yellow circle not far from him must have marked the location of the teleporter. Around a corner and through an enclosed room, not that different to how he got to the seabed laboratory; laid the teleporter. It seemed to be on the fritz as it short-circuited infrequently. Not one to care for obvious danger, Zachery advanced through it regardless. What awaited his eyes afterwards would have been a shock to anyone. He must have been inside the Central Dome, but something was terribly wrong; everything inside it was completely missing. It was literally a hollow shell of its former self; very volcanic in design now. Suddenly, a growl echoed from within the depths of the earth beneath him. A trail of rock elevated and descended like a snake in motion in front of him until a large orange and red draconic reptile burst forth from the ground with a twirl. It landed and turned around as it stood at least twenty times the size of Zachery.

“Now we are getting somewhere!!” he shouted at the wyvern. In response, the wyvern roared and charged straight for him with its large horn coming out of its head aimed straight for his abdomen. Taking full of advantage of its evidently primitive intelligence, Zachery evaded the attack with ease; the horn got stuck inside the wall that once stood proudly behind him. Scaling its back, Zachery attempted to stab any place that his blade could penetrate through its thick skin. Daring and brimming with guile from the heat of battle, Zachery leapt from its back to its head; successfully gouging out one of its eyes. The wyvern shook off Zachery and inhaled greatly. Running at top speed, Zachery looked back as the area he was previously standing in was completely immolated. Inside the small cage, the beast tried its luck at flight; unfortunately for Zachery, there was just enough room in the cavern for it to do this effectively. It launched more fire balls at Zachery from the air before it used its massive horn to spiral and drill itself into the earth that it arose from.

[There is no way it is leaving after just that…What is it planning?]

The rows of undulating earth made center stage again, this time it was charging for Zach. Using speed mode again sparingly, he darted away from the creature as it rushed at him left and right. Snaking its way out of view, Zachery predicted the magnitude of its movements through chance guessing. Positioning himself just right, he took a random slice at the air just in time to slice a nice gaping hole in its throat as it emerged from the ground once more. A viscous liquid gushed forth from the wound as the wyvern tried to breathe its fire again; it appeared to be choking on it as well. His triumph imminent, Zachery used another dark Technique; Ramegid. Concentrated rays of dark light daggered through the wyvern’s left foot. Crippled, it couldn’t react other than to fall on its side. Sheathing his blade, he walked casually over to its wretched form and un-holstered his gun. Aiming straight at its wounded eye, Zachery fired directly into the gash until it ceased to draw breath; its dark crimson blood splattered over Zachery generously. Satisfied it was dead; he holstered his gun once more, tightening his fist in ecstasy over another opponent slain. The seismic commotion disturbed a fragment of the wall that he teleported from; a hallway that looked man-made descended into the newly fashioned hole. Peering inside revealed a vast network of cavernous tunnels; this discovery had to be reported.

“What?! A dragon?! Inside the Central Dome? And you are sure there were no survivors? And what about these caves you speak of? No…I implore you Zachery, please keep searching. You from here on out have our full support and our undivided attention. Please keep up the good work. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” the Principal stated in a shock.

[He collected himself rather quickly. I guess he isn’t totally worthless then as a leader…]

Returning to the guild to get his reward, the agent from the travel agency was unrevealing and unsurprising.

“So, you and Bernie are the only ones who know about the survivor?” he asked.

“Bernie?” Zachery inquired.

“Oh right, that is the man you worked with; it’s a nickname he goes by. Anyway, I assume you have completed your job, good work. You can go and accept your pay.”

“…Uh…huh…”

[Well, that certainly livened things up quite a bit. I wonder what these caves will hold?]

[fighgunners]

I would say this story is on hiatus for the time being. Work and classes have killed my motivation for the time being. Most likely I'll have more up and ready by mid May.

[Zorafim]

I was just about to ask you why you haven't put anything up in a while. It seems like you were cranking out these chapters.
It's a shame that this kind of work requires a certain mindset. You can't just sit down and do it. You need motivation, and that's not always easy to get.

[fighgunners]

Yeah, a bunch of personal crap hit me like an avalanche. I coped like I normally do by playing a ton of games. The motivation to continue hasn't struck me perfectly yet. I'm not one to give up though. This won't be done until it is done.

[fighgunners]

And I'm back.

Episode II: Trials and Subterfuge

Chapter 1-3:

Another Kink in the Way

Spoiler!

A storm of olfactory visions blew past Zachery as he entered the magma-filled chambers of the underground network of caves. Various smells of molten ferrous materials along with a certain pungent sulfur-y odor occupied his head. The sweltering heat would have been too much for any normal person to stand for more than a minute, but it didn’t bother the native creatures that wandered the rocky halls; nor Zachery. Speaking of which, the ecosystem shouldn’t have allowed for the existence of such creatures, but yet they stood; thriving. Something also seemed rather off about them, they looked like the normal monsters up on the surface that Zach was accustomed to; yet, somehow different.

It really didn’t matter to Zachery; if something stood in his way, he wouldn’t let it stop him from focusing on the task at hand. Up ahead in the inevitably endless and fiery hell-scape, a gathering of these “altered” creatures was taking place. They stood tall like the Boomas, but they were green; almost aquatic looking in biological design. Throughout all of the noise from the volcanic activity in the underground cavern, one of them was alerted to Zachery’s presence.

[They must have an acute sense of smell.]

Despite looking different, they were just as mindless and just as easy to slay as those on the surface; albeit a little tougher to cut through. Further still, even in this sweltering fire-field, more messages from Rico were hiding amongst the rubble and dirt; one was directly ahead: “Wow... this cave is a treasure trove of discoveries. Creatures that have never been seen by people. Completely unknown animals. They look like mutant forms of the native animals... Perhaps the government has kept this a secret...? It's possible... but for what purpose?”

[How did she manage to get down here? She also seems to be investigating and coming up with the same conclusions that I am.]

Determined to see if she left anymore messages and to help give a better insight about these caverns, Zachery progressed through the volcanic tunnels. More mutated life impeded his travels; vicious poison-spitting plants and deadly bladed giant blue insects harangued him at his every turn. Strangely, during each confrontation, Zachery swore he saw a Newman leaving in a hurry from one of the ends of the current enclosed cell of the cave Zachery was fighting in. Uniformity in these red walls was broken as a huge room opened up with larges founts of gushing magma poured in on either side of a central stage comprised of metal; it couldn’t have formed naturally. A huge wave of monsters stood in his path in the new room. Before Zachery drew his blade, a massive laser completely disintegrated half of group; turning to its origin revealed a blue draconic reptile with greenish holes on its shoulders that glinted faintly; it appeared to growing larger by the second. Once it stopped growing its attention turned to Zachery; the other monsters were still encroaching around him as well. The wyvern was charging a similar laser that it did fired before; quickly hurdling over the wave of mutants, Zachery dodged the laser that vaporized what was left of them. The wyvern began to grow in size again; he won’t let him get a third chance to fire his laser. Running as fast as he could, Zachery buried his blade into the creature’s neck as blood started to shower forth; thoroughly drenching Zachery with the green ooze. Twisting the blade, he ran it through its course and completely cleaved its head off its body; the head and body slowly melted away into the ground shortly after. A tingling sensation bubbled through Zachery, a strange smell also emitted from him; the sensation turned into a burning one.

[Shit! The blood is eating through my armor!]

Quickly, he rapidly endeavored to produce a wind Technique; the air around him moved towards him and most of the blood managed to fall off of him as he was sent spiraling like a top from his own Technique; the burning didn’t stop there. Drastically and dizzily, Zachery stood up again and decided to put up the fire shield he used earlier in an attempt to singe off the acidic body fluid. Surprisingly, it worked, but a severe burning pain replaced it on his right arm; it must have eaten through his armor enough to reach his actual skin. Zachery grasped his bicep and screamed in pain not soon after the wisp of flame that he surrounded with himself dispersed. Manning up, he ventilated the rest of his anguish and anger and proceeded through the next end of the cave. The following end resulted in an empty room; devoid of everything but a single hole in the center. A breeze of damp and cool air rose slowly from within its shadowy depths. Without anywhere else to advance through, Zachery took a leap of faith and descended further into the darkness. It went on for what seemed like a good twenty feet before Zachery collided with more ground; he barely managed to sustain the fall without injury as he hit the ground on all fours.

All of the heat from the volcanic streams dissipated and was instead replaced with a moldy and moist air. The ground was smothered with a thin spread of a slimy substance must have been a combination of cave water and the filament from mossy flora that also coated the length of the room. A faint bioluminescence gave off from various microorganisms that remained in the viscous matrix on the floor; everything was still vibrantly visible as a result despite the lack of any natural light source. Before Zachery could continue into this new domain, his guild card reverberated: “Zachery? Are you still there? We lost any type of communication for a bit there? Is everything alright?” Irene said; a hint of worry weighed down her words.

“I’m fine, just a long fall must of disrupted any communications we had…Wait, are you tracking my location?” Zachery asked.

“Yes, we are. We need to see exactly where it is you are going.”

“You guys aren’t really the trusting-type huh?”

“Never mind that, we need you come back; we think we might have found something and we want to confirm it with you after you look around our data that we have recently mined.”

“Understood, I’m on my way back now.” Zachery removed a personal teleportation device, or Telepipe, and used it to return back to Pioneer 2.

“Is this the obelisk you encountered in the forest?” Irene questioned with a picture of the pillar from the forest displayed from the console at her desk.

“Yes, why?” Zachery replied with a question of his own.

“I see; we may have located another one like it in the caves strangely. Give us a bit and we will triangulate its location and upload its coordinates to you. In the meantime, we ask you bide your time by doing a quest from the guild.”

“Fair enough.” Only a single request from the guild was available; from a laboratory assistant named Simons Olo. A choice without options, he took the request and went through the back of the guild in search of the assistant. An incredibly nervous looking man in a greenish jumpsuit with white pants with a yellow stripe running down the sides was busily pacing back and forth; he was surrounded by several armed and vigilant guards. When he noticed that Zachery had entered the room, he rushed towards him.

“Zachery Steele, right? I need you to quickly deliver this box down to the caves down in Ragol!” he said rather quickly, thrusting a large and rather heavy box into Zachery’s chest while doing so; Zach managed to grapple it before it fell.

“Whoa, slow down. Why do you need me bring this down there?” Zachery wondered aloud.

“…Well, you’ve seen the altered native creatures in the caves right? Well…I work in the lab…yeah…It will help study the creatures down there!” he continued until he then started to mutter under his breath. “If Dr. Montague discovers what I’ve done…”

“Wait, Dr. Montague? What does this have to do with him?” Zachery inquired, fully well hearing what he said.

“Oh, you know him? Uhh…Never mind that, just take the box to YN-0117 down there; place it right on it. That way you can contribute to the mission…err…the study! Yes, the study…Now go!” Simons ushered with a hurried motion, shooing Zachery on his way; only stern looks were exchanged from the guards to him.

[YN-0117? What is this guy talking about? What is his relation to Dr. Montague?]

Many thoughts continued to rush through Zachery’s mind as he proceeded deep within the molten caverns; dispatching various creatures in the wake of his new venture. A firefight was underway not much further into the horridly humid and brimstone-pungent tunnels from where Zachery currently was; apparently it was between another Hunter and the local denizens of the deep. Entering the room, the Hunter finished off what was left of them; it was “Bernie”.

“Oh hey, fancy meeting you here. How are things Zachery?” he asked casually, as if there wasn’t any actual danger nearby.

“Sorry, I’m kinda in a hurry. Do you know what this is or what YN-0117 is?” Zachery abruptly quizzed at him while displaying the large and heavy box.

“Eh? This box? Looks like an energy pack of some sort. Says EM-05 on it. I have no idea what YN-0117 is though, didn’t know there were other Hunters working solo down beside myself to be honest” he answered.

“Damn…So what are you doing down here?”

“Oh you know; the usual secret stuff I can’t tell you. Hehe. Anyway, a transmission from a girl was lost somewhere around here; I’m trying to track it.”

“I see. Well, I’m in a hurry, so I’m going to head off, best of luck to you then, Bernie.”

“Same to you Zachery.” Without haste, Zachery charged ahead of Bernie to make up for squandered time. Familiarity set in; Zachery had definitely been in this area of the caves before, the entrance to the next section couldn’t have been much further ahead. Something was different; a door that he could have sworn wasn’t there the last time now stood on the end of the room; he must have missed it while fighting the first time. It was incredibly dark inside the room it locked, save for a collection of banded bright rings of light at one end. The rings pulsated and gyrated around a humanoid object. Upon approaching the object, it spoke: “…Wait mode…Input command…”

“…Hello?” Zachery cried into the darkness; nothing happened nor responded.

[Hmm…Maybe if I use those the serial numbers that Simons said.]

“…YN-0117?”

“Transmission to YN-0117 is not available now. Bio-structure analysis is not available now…Wait mode…Input Command…” the object reiterated.

“EM-05?”

“…Error…Exclude mode” it said with a more violence-inclined tone. The rings vanished and the humanoid object attacked Zachery with a rifle. One single shot echoed through the halls as it went straight into his chest; Zachery slowly fell down on one knee as he clutched where his heart would be. A small portion of his lifeblood started to pour onto the floor; a gelatinous yet translucent orange mass hit it; illuminating his attacker. The gleaming white android was advancing deliberately towards him as he aimed his rifle for the kill: straight for his head. Zachery mustered his strength and made a single mad dash at his enemy, knocking it to the ground and off its feet. He unsheathed his blade and buried it into its chest.

“Unlocking procedure for Door Lock A…” it iterated before its eyes went dark as the room lit up. With the chamber alight, the severity of Zachery’s wound became apparent. Completely rent on his chest, the bullet only managed to create minor tissue damage; nothing major. Descending into the cooler and damper section, another darkened room wasn’t much further in; another set of three gyrating rings presented another ominous presence.

“EM-05” Zachery stated confidently, his blade at the ready.

“…Error….Exclude Mode” the new object said. It fired off its rifle but Zachery deflected the bullet; he charged forward and rapidly slashed the next one down. “To unlock Gate B…In…”

[What? Gate B? What are they talking about?]

After defeating this new rogue android, Zachery turned around to see a shadow swiftly jump around the corner at the end of the room he came in from.

“Who goes there?!” Zachery demanded in a shout; the silhouette either ignored him or it couldn’t hear him as it disappeared from view. Quickly giving chase, Zachery ended up in yet another dark room with even more rings orbiting another humanoid object. The light from the rings was oddly missing from the center of the room, as if something was waiting there besides another psychotic android. “Is there someone there?”

“Maybe, what’s it to you?” a voice called out. It sounded incredibly recognizable; he definitely heard it before. “Look, if you are going to hurt that unconscious android like these ones, I’m afraid I won’t be letting you leave this place alive.”

“Wait what? Are you kidding me? These androids are attacking me! I have no idea what is causing them to even act like this, it is like they are just robots without any thought to them; here, I’ll prove it to you” Zachery snapped. “EM-05!”

“…Error…Exclude mode” the final object stated as it walked forward, free from its bindings; apparently this one had a shotgun. Firing off a burst, its shelling speared its way through the air and nearly hit both Zachery and the mystery person. A sudden flash of light surged towards the location of where the man would be, revealing his face for a split second. The man appeared to be a Newman; identical in size to the man that Zachery thought he saw in upper levels earlier. Crackling, the flash of light formed a steady arc of electricity. Without warning, it flew straight at the android; it fell to the ground and room lit up. A full disclosure of the mystery man was now possible and it was obvious why his voice seemed so familiar.

“…L-Luntz? Is that you?” Zachery questioned, almost rhetorically but still audible enough for the man to hear him.

“Eh? How do you know my name?” Luntz replied.

“Wait…You’re Luntz Bohgad right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Oh…I could explain how I know you, but I don’t think you’ll understand if I tell you…”

“Right…Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to deliver this box to an YN-0117, you wouldn’t happen to know what this is about do you?”

“No clue what that is, so what is the deal with the androids in the rings then?”

“I have no idea either, I thought that if I used the codes that I know, it would help, they all seem to react like that when I talk about the box I’m carrying. It has the serial name EM-05 on it. You said something about an unconscious android before right?”

“Yes I did. There is a small and frail android that is unconscious on down here. I can’t reach her though, she is on the opposite end of a rather large chasm; the door that I think leads to her has been locked though. I’ve been trying to search for a way to her the entire time.”

“I see, can you lead me to her?”

“I guess, but don’t try anything suspicious you hear?”

“I promise, I have no malevolent intentions here.” Luntz looked considerably younger than he did before. He was also wearing a standard looking suit in comparison to the robes he wore. Additionally, another odd fact about him is that his hair was brown, not the whitish blue that it was before; he must have dyed it. More of the blue wyverns were skulking about in the following room; the two of them made short work of them with a paired quick combo of Zonde and shots fired from the Master Raven.

[This unconscious android…I wonder if it could be Elenor again?]

“She shouldn’t be much further ahead from here, I think only…” Luntz droned on before Zachery interrupted him.

“Look out!” he warned as a gelatinous mass briskly took form behind Luntz. Without thinking, Zachery loosed off Foie on the creature as Luntz turned around to witness it explode all over the room, including on himself. The mass sizzled as it fell to the floor while evaporating into nothingness.

“A Technique? Since when could androids cast Techniques? Where did you learn to do that?” Luntz solicited for a response. A brief pause as Zachery then finally answered: “…I learned how to use my Techniques from you. My body has been altered from the events here. I was on this planet when that explosion happened. I’m actually from Coral. I guess I somehow travelled back in time to somehow stop what was going on here from happening. I’m not entirely sure what is I’m actually doing. I’ve already have seen innumerable terrible things and I’ve done quite a bit I’m not proud of in my short time that I have been in proximity of Ragol. I’m not entirely sure why I’m telling you this, you probably have no idea what I’ve been through nor will you believe me. Anyway, in the future, or rather my past; no this future’s past, you come to me to tell me of the plight relating to Dark Falz that enshrouds the universe; I agreed to help stop it. Actually now that I think of it, you are missing something. A rod, the one you are using currently isn’t the same.”

“Hold up…So you are saying you are from the future, and you managed to get here without being part of the Pioneer Project?”

“Yes.”

“So this rod, would it happen to be the Psycho Wand?”

“I believe it that is what you called it, yes. If I remember correctly, you even said I would help you find it.”

“How interesting. That is actually why I joined in on the Pioneer Project. I can’t say I can believe you, but I’m not in a position to totally disbelieve you either. For now, let’s just say that our interests are mutually shared. I don’t know exactly what you are searching for could be down here, but I do know that the Psycho Wand is here on Ragol. I’ll explain more to you what I know later, but as for now, let’s focus on saving the unconscious girl.”

“Agreed.” Sure enough, in the next area was a large chasm between them and a pink that was lying face down in a puddle; a small rapid of water cascading off the end of her residing ledge with a single door leading from it.

[That has to be Elenor!]

“Would you look at that, that door is unlocked now! Those androids must have locked the door somehow…I think I know why” Luntz contemplated verbally.

“We don’t have time to think about it, let’s move!” Zachery specified. Nodding in agreement, Luntz moved forward as they ran through the now unlocked door and into the next area. A pair of blue and white giant insects awaited them; the first of them spewed a thick webbing from its mouth that froze Zachery’s feet firmly to the ground. He took out his Master Raven and attempted to shoot at it while it continued to spray this webbing over him. The second one managed to knock Luntz’s rod out of his hands; he took out a saber and struggled to keep its bladed arms from reaching his body. Before Zachery was completely ensnared, he ignited the web by setting himself on fire as he continued to shoot at the beast. Finally, one of the shots made purchase on its mandible; holstering his firearm, he unsheathed his blade and cut off one of its arms and one of its legs with a single slash. Submerging Agito into its forehead, the arthropod was surely deceased. Turning to see that the other insect had burnt to a crisp and lay twitching in a corner, Zachery stood up and looked back at Luntz who was motioning them to hurry along.

“C’mon, this way!” Luntz shouted while continuing to beckon Zach. The proceeding narrow hallway became slimmer and slimmer until they had to shimmy their way between the moist and slippery walls. Just barely getting through the cracks, they successfully got to the unconscious android.

“Elenor! Elenor…Are you alright? Wake up Elenor!” Zachery yelled, hopefully trying to rouse her from her sleep.

“…Sleep mode…Input command…” she droned on in a monotone voice.

“What the hell is this crap? EM-05! C’mon, cut the crap out Elenor and wake up!” No response came from her however. “…YN-0117?”

“Yes master! YN-0117 is waiting for your…Huh? Where am I? I…can’t move…” Elenor said, regaining her normal happy and chipper tone now.

“I have this package from Simons Olo, will it help you?”

“From Master Olo? Perfect! Can you just bring to my back?” Dutifully, he lugged the box next to her and it started to glow and vibrate. Steadily, it grew dull and it felt slightly lighter than it did before; Elenor managed to get up and stand on her own. “Thank you, I must have run out of energy and I got stuck here…Oh, Zachery it’s you!”

“What are you doing down here Elenor? I think it is time for the secrets to end, don’t you?” Zachery addressed.

“I don’t think…You’re injured…”

“What this? It’s nothing.”

“No, we need to go see Dr. Montague; I think we should talk to him about this. Who’s your friend?”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be leaving. Zachery, let’s exchange guild cards so we could contact each other if need be. I’ll definitely be seeing you” Luntz said in a rather monotonous voice; as if he was both hiding something and that he rather didn’t want to be seen with Elenor. After the exchange was complete, he left without uttering another word. Returning to Pioneer 2, Zachery and Elenor headed to the guild to let Simons know that the quest was a success.

“Oh wonderful! You made it in time! Now I won’t get scolded so much” Olo said with an awkward amount of jubilee; like he had just won a lottery.

“Is the doctor currently in the lab right now?” Elenor asked, a certain gravity was behind her words, a certain gravity that Zachery hadn’t heard before.

“Yes, he is, why?”

“We need to see him, thank you for letting us know.” Grabbing Zachery’s hand, they rushed off to a tram that took them far, far inside the depths of Pioneer 2. Eventually, the tram stopped as they reached a high-end facility with tons of security; none of them seemed to pay any mind to them however.

[She must have a lot of clearance to just be allowed to move freely around such a secure area.]

This laboratory became a labyrinth of testing rooms, offices, stock rooms, and conference halls that all gave off the impression of going on infinitely. Finally, everything started to seem a bit more familiar; the walls were the same design and color as around that place called “The Danger Room”. Noise and a lot of chatter reverberated throughout the corridors up ahead; a few turns away the chatter became more memorable. At the end of the winding hallway was a single office; the door was emblazoned with the words “DR. MONTAGUE”. The office was slightly ajar and his voice could be heard coming from inside it. Upon opening, Zachery was finally able to get a close look at the man who operated on him. He had just finished conversing with someone over his personal visiphone. Turning to his new guests, he smirked confidently. The doctor had large and wide ears; they were perfectly parallel to his face which was something Zachery hadn’t seen on a Newman yet. Despite being so well-versed in Photon Engineering and mechanics, he looked incredibly young. He was wearing a large poof-y yellow hat with orange stripes going down vertically in an even pattern around the entire circumference. The top and center of the hat had a purple line and a red insignia inside to form what looked like an eye with a few lashes. Some of his blue hair managed to escape the voluminous hat in a slightly messy fashion just above his small, yet prominent brow. A pair of black goggles with an orange tint for the lenses were adorned around his eyes; most likely used for working with high-temperature welding devices. The rest of his clothing was much less so fashionable for an engineer. His airy and feathery burgundy and white suit had white ruffles embellishing around the chest and wrists. Blue and yellow stripes and patterns ran down the sides of his arms and in a ribbon fashion around his neck and down his chest. On the center of the ribbon around his neck was his section ID: Yellowboze. Besides that, he had slightly dirty white pants and thick black work boots as well. Standing up, he greeted them with his arms raised high and wide from his chest, “Well, isn’t this a surprise? What is the occasion Elenor?” he pronounced quite smugly.

“Zachery’s wounded; look” she answered, pointing out the rather large hole in his armor on his chest and the charred skin around his arms. He moved around his desk and awkwardly pushed Zachery onto one of the office chairs as he intensely gazed at his chest. His expression became somber rather quickly when he uttered a single word: “WORKS…”

“WORKS?” Zachery articulated in confusion.

“Yes. They are the thirty second squadron of the Galactic Mobile Infantry; they were deployed alongside the army that inhabits Pioneer 2. Elenor and I have been investigating them; we think they are somehow connected to what was going on down on Pioneer 1 and on Ragol. I’m sorry for the secrecy but I feel you should know. I’m glad that armor I gave you was designed specifically for this, but their weaponry was too great it would seem. They outfit the androids there like sentries, equipped with armor-piercing weaponry. The hole in your chest is a result from their “anti-android rifle” design series. Let’s go this way, I’ll patch you up.” The doctor opened a back door in his office which led to a vast laboratory with a work station. “This is where I rebuilt you, incase if you were wondering. Take a seat” he said pointing to the large chair towards the end of the room; it had various devices attached to it via large mechanical arms. Dutifully, Zachery laid back in the chair as Montague worked on repairing his chest. “I trust you will be more dutiful with dealing with these people from now on, yes?”

“I didn’t fall for the same mistake twice. So how come you think they are related to what is going on down there? If you are part of the laboratory on Pioneer 2, wouldn’t you be under the military’s and the Principal government’s protection and direction?” Zachery verbalized, trying to piece together everything.

“Heh…heh…heh…Well, yes and no” Montague answered as the sparks from the welder flew about. “Everything is highly secretive and complicated to everyone here. Yes, the Ten-Nation Alliance did dispatch us here, both Pioneer 1 and Pioneer 2.” He paused for a second as he began to work on fixing the acid-worn shoulder guards and his charred skin. “But, Pioneer 2 seems to be a little less stable than Pioneer 1. From what I gathered in your sub memory, Pioneer 1’s lab and army divisions worked a lot more cooperatively; for what reason and to what end, I still have yet to discover, but I think you and I both know what could possibly be waiting for us down on Ragol. I just hope you are wrong. There, good as new!” he stated as the repair was seamlessly finished. Zachery stood up and patted his chest where armor now remained once more as the doctor continued on: “The Principal government is honestly just a figurehead if you ask the Lab. The Lab does all the work relating to the betterment of everyone; we don’t honestly see eye to eye with army because of this. The Principal government stands as a median between both of us. Technically, we investigate for the Principal government as well as taking direct requests for it, similarly as the army takes requests as well as protecting us all. But, WORKS is a whole other thing. They have tremendous influence over the army on Pioneer 2, to the point where the army still just goes along with the government asks, but both the Lab and the army end up doing their own thing.”

“So no one has any control of anyone do they?”

“Pretty much.”

“So what about the Hunter’s Guild?”

“Well, WORKS and the guild don’t necessarily see eye to eye either. That is the one thing that the Principal government seems to have control over, but the director and chief of the Lab, Natasha Milrose, seems to have plans for the guild in the future.”

“So…What exactly do we do about WORKS?”

“Nothing at the moment, just keep investigating for the Principal. We will try our best on our respective ends. But now you know what you are up against. Just be careful, alright?”

“Got it, will do.”

“Excellent, heh…heh…heh…Elenor, could you be so kind as to escort Zachery back?”

“Yes, Doctor” Elenor agreed with a verbal reply and nod. “C’mon Zach!” Not before long, they had arrived; back at on the bustling streets of the town square. “I know I never actually said anything but…thanks for saving me back there. I wouldn’t want WORKS to get their hands on me…Uhh…here!” Elenor jumped up and hugged Zachery tightly. Confused, the embrace sent a sudden fuzzy and warm feeling that shot through Zachery like a rocket. It felt... nice and soothing. “…Um…Don’t forget that you still need to collect your reward from the guild, okay? I’ll see you later Zach…Stay safe.” Zachery awkwardly bobbed his head up and down; a pathetic attempt at acknowledgement. He watched as she ran off back to the surface of Ragol to continue on her mission. Returning to the guild, he collected his reward and decided to call it a night.

A loud crash reverberated throughout the apartment complex; the sudden shock roused Zachery quickly from his slumber. Instinctively, he reached for his blade...but it wasn’t there. Turning to the door, it flew open, straight off its hinges as a large silhouette burst forth. Before Zachery could move, it immediately buried a scythe into Zachery’s stomach. A crisp, bright orange and viscid liquid fountained out from his wound, his ability to speak was crushed other than a gasping cry; all of which was drowned out by his assailants’ maniacal laughter…laughter with which he knew all too well. Mustering all his strength, Zachery grasped the blade that impaled him; struggling to remove it. The silhouette only moved forward, pushing the blade in deeper; revealing the nightmarish portrait of Dark Falz behind those soulless grey eyes. The harrowing face urged closer and closer and even closer still until he could feel its tainted breath run down the side of his neck. Then…everything was dark.

Another thud, this time, Zachery created it.

[Another nightmare…When will this plague of bad dreams cease?]

Moving his right hand to his head after getting up and setting himself on the edge of the frame of his bed; it was incredibly hot to the touch. Panting, he ventured outside after grabbing his helmet for “fresh” air. Another night, another viewing from the balcony. Daybreak was almost once again taking superiority over the vast cityscape. Sighing, Zachery turned to his attention where the shadow would await him.

“You are sticking your nose a bit too far in where it is not welcome. This is your one and only warning Zachery. Do not force my hand. Hehehe…” a shadowy voice remarked from behind him. Standing silent and still, Zachery slowly reached for his blade; this was no nightmare, his blade was in reach. Unsheathing while spiraling to confront the origin of the command, he only turned to find that it was not there. The wind was blowing away from the building now, yet it wasn’t before. Turning around once more, the same shadow was now falling to the ground below; upon hitting the ground, it ran off. No sooner than Zachery decided to give chase to the dark figure, a message arrived on his visiphone. Apparently, something was discovered down in those caves and the Principal wanted to discuss it with him in person.

“Zachery, we have found the position where a similar monument to the one that you found in the forests near the Central Dome. From the report you gave us, apparently it had to be built in commemoration for the construction of the Central Dome, but if that were the case, such a design would not have been in the caverns underneath the surface. The reports we are getting are inconclusive, as no one has been able to get close enough to inspect it. Which is why we want you to check it out. Whenever you can, please head back down to the caverns to investigate with your own eyes” Principal Tyrell pleaded.

“I’ll see what I can do, sir. I’ll leave immediately” Zachery dutifully responded. Intrigued, he left with all haste back to the fiery pits utmost depths. Remembering his path fully well this time, he made back into the moist dungeon without any real trouble from the local wildlife, and in record time too. These excursions were becoming routine. Everything was so familiar; a feeling that was almost disturbing to Zachery. It was like he knew where he was going, like he was being led somewhere. One of those mutated giant bugs was scurrying about in a mossy corner of the current hollowed grove he ventured forth through; this one was blocking his progress. Engaging in a full sprint, he leapt into the air and plunged his blade into its back, piercing its thick exoskeleton and penetrating its soft and spongy insides. It couldn’t handle the ferocity of his attack, crumpling into a lifeless heap on the floor beneath him. The grove transformed into narrow and slippery passage ahead. At the end of this hallway was another data capsule: “Come to think of it, there was something very strange about Pioneer 1. Pioneer 1 was designed to be used as material to build the Central Dome. But we discovered that the Dome was twelve percent smaller than it should have been. We wondered about the twelve percent that was missing... We might be able to find out more if we continue investigating.” Further still, the monument awaited him. Successfully navigating the labyrinth maze of tunnels, there it was. Like the one before it, it was completely identical. Alien in origin, flawless in design…beckoning. Once more, Zachery slowly reached his hand out to touch it…the ground shook and the pillar vibrated violently. It lit up with a resplendently blue light that faintly illuminated the damp chamber in its phantasmal glow. Stepping back, he continued to be mesmerized by the demonic rave that he joined.

[What…What am I doing?]

Gripping back on to sanity, Zachery put his hands on his head and slightly leaned forward. Shaking his head to try to knock the absurdity out of his head, he notices yet another capsule lying directly beside the obelisk: “My first question about Ragol was, "Why didn't any sentient life exist here?" But... look at this monument! This is identical to the one I saw in the forest! It's NOT ours though... Was there an ancient civilization on Ragol? But these monuments are the only evidence I see... It'd be strange if there was a civilization, indeed... Can I decipher the characters with my simple tools?” Three mechanically operated doors led to each direction opposing the one he came from, each with a pair of switches next to them. Taking the door to the left, he pressed the left switch. An invisible trap sprung and Zachery quickly dove over to the right switch as it detonated, narrowly dodging the blast and shockwave with only just a few minor scratches. The right switch he was lying on apparently opened the door. Proceeding inside, he was completely surrounded by those mutated green aquatic freaks. Charging his energy up, he released a swirling ball of fire, the Gifoie Technique. As they attempted to fan the flames off their bodies, Zachery finished them off with rapid and precise slashes from his blade. The liquefied remains frothed and bubbled away into nothingness; Zachery continued forward into the next room. Another capsule awaited him not much further up ahead: “Ah, the characters on the monument... I don't have any idea how to proceed. I need more samples.”

[Wait a minute, what am I doing? I should stop now and report back to the Principal. What the hell is driving me to continue? Is it the hopes of Rico being alive? Am I really ready to stop Dark Falz if he is here? How long will I be able to survive alone down here before one of these mutagenic monsters manages to get the better of me?]

Stopping in his tracks, Zachery turned and placed a Telepipe down and returned to Pioneer 2.

“So there was another monument down in the caves as well. How interesting. We will call you again to travel back to the caves to do more research. As for now, you are dismissed Zachery; good job” the Principal praised him, stroking his chin as he glazed through the data that he was presented with.

“Thank you sir…uh…sir?” Zachery pondered aloud.

“What is it?”

“Umm…No, it is nothing…”

[I don’t think I should talk about that. Maybe Rico is fine down there. I mean, I keep finding messages, she has to be alright.]

Unsatisfied with calling it quits for the day, Zachery looked in the guild to see if there was anything else noteworthy to take in. Amongst the available quests, one relating to a Matha Grave caught his interest.

[Could this be the same girl that is related to the Grave’s I know?]

Upon entering the room, his jaw dropped. It was Dr. Grave’s daughter alright; she identical yet a little older than the picture that he was previously shown. She had the same light-pinkish hair that her mother had, this time she wore them in two little buns that stood symmetrically on either side of her head; the rest flowed down just a little over the back of her neck. Her sad violet eyes looked intently towards Zachery, clearly reaching out in desperation. She was taller from the picture; at least four feet and three inches which was just about twice as big from the picture. She was wearing a rather elegant dress with light blue and black patterned designs on the chest that accented well with the overall light red and pink vibrant main theme that it presented. Yet, she looked as if she was ready to fight if necessary. Uneasy, Zachery advanced toward her slowly.

“My name is Matha Grave. My parents are always so busy. They are scientists that worked on Pioneer 1, so I'm usually alone. Blant is our butler, yet, he always took care of me. But now he's disappeared. Where is he now? I miss him; I want to find him! Please help me Mr. Steele. Please find Blant!” she begged. A sudden level of apprehension surged through Zachery’s consciousness.

[Should I help her? What if the obvious result breaks her? What should I do then? I can’t just leave her alone. I’m probably the only living thing now connecting her to anything she cares about…]

“I…I…Fine. But stay close to me. I don’t want you getting hurt” Zachery finally spoke.

“Thank you! I will…Blant…please be safe” she whispered to herself; quickly holding close to Zachery’s every step. A long silent trek awaited them. A search was deduced through the forest, but nothing came of it. The levels of trepidation rose with each step he moved through the woodland; the only place left to search where those infernally hellish pits below the dome. Tilting his head behind him, Matha was still staying incredibly still and silent as she remained close behind; when he stopped she meet his gaze which was invisible behind his melancholy helmet.

[Such sadness in those eyes. This can’t be good.]

“Are you sure you want to continue?” Zachery asked pointlessly. She nodded with a vigorous determination in affirmation. Sighing, Zachery ventured down into the magma filled caverns with Matha. A few of those “Evil Sharks” were mucking about, probably foraging for food scraps amidst the rocks and molten ferrous material. Fearfully, Matha grabbed on to Zachery’s waist; the embrace comforted him, almost like a fond childhood memory resurfacing from the past.

“Don’t worry, I will not let any harm come to you” he said. He nudged her off his waist as he slowly removed his blade from its sheath, drudgingly moving towards the enemy as he prepared to engage them in combat. Cowering near the entrance, Matha watched with dread as Zachery slashed and danced through the field as he slayed each and every monster that halted their advance. A clicking noise echoed from behind Matha which soon was followed by hissing. One of the purple variants of those walking sharks was standing right on top of her. Opening its razor-filled maw, it moved to chomp her shoulder off her body. With nothing left to do but scream, she cringed for the inevitable. A sonic boom shattered her scream as the air around her cycled towards the monster. Peeping one eye open, she saw that the beast was lying lifeless on the floor next to her; bleeding profusely while twitching occasionally. Zachery ran towards her to help her up.

“Th-hhh-thanks” she stuttered.

“Come. Stay close” he stated monotonously. Something caught his eye from the side of the room; it looked like message capsule. But…it couldn’t have been there before, he was in this chamber last time he visited these caverns. It had to be different; newly placed.

“What is that? Is that a data capsule? It could be from Blant!” Matha shouted, rushing towards it. Upon approaching it, it spoke: “If possible, please deliver my message to Miss Matha Grave. My name is Blant; I’m a butler to the Grave family. The Graves are a pair of some of the most famous scientists: a superior biologist and a renowned physicist; comparable to the genius of Dr. Hyle or Dr. Montague. They've been working hard, doing research for the government. So I've been taking care of their only daughter, Miss Matha Grave. Their research was top secret; the government alone knew what they did. When Mr. Grave was chosen as a crew member for Pioneer 1, he told me, ‘We won't be bringing Matha with us. Don't let her go on Pioneer 2.’ I was angry with this order at that time, but... Well, here comes another monster. Maybe later…” Zachery examined Matha’s face for a reaction; she only gazed into the distance as she uttered “.... Blant ...” Silently, she sauntered her way forward; Zach was not more than a step behind. Two other hunters were around, so the rest of the enemies were sparingly scarce. Neither of them claimed to have seen Blant directly, but one pointed further towards the direction of the mossy and damp pits which laid beyond, deep within the bowels of this accursed hellhole. Another message from Blant wasn’t much farther ahead: “Mr. Grave said nothing, but he showed me his computer monitor. I can't describe it, but I saw some results from genetic engineering. Mr. Grave kept silent. A chill ran down my spine. Is the ‘Pioneer Project’ really just an immigration plan?!”

“...Genetic engineering? ...” Matha muttered to herself again; Zachery occasionally glanced down to see if she was ready to break down, yet she stayed strong. Soon, only the dark descent to the lower sector remained. Just before they entered, another capsule resided near its entrance: “Matha Grave missed her parents terribly. She just wanted to see them. So, I decided to get on Pioneer 2 with her, ignoring his order. I felt uneasy. What was Mr. Grave's mission? What was waiting for us? I instinctively reached for my armor when we reached Ragol. I had to see Pioneer 1 and uncover the truth. If Ragol was really a dangerous place, I had to keep Matha safe. I sneaked into the transporter without telling her anything.” Peering over the edge to the abyss, Matha gulped; trying to keep her breath steady.

“Here, I’ll take us down” Zachery said; he put his right arm underneath her knees and his left carried her back as he picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she braced herself. “Hold on tight.” Standing up and taking a step forward, he leapt down, further and deeper once more. The force of the impact was almost too great as his knees and ankles began to buckle from the pain, but he endured. Gingerly, he placed Matha back on the ground. Taking a Monomate out from his sling pack was still carrying on his back and drank it, revitalizing himself and mitigating the pain from the fall.

“Are you going to be alright, Mr. Steele?” Matha inquired, sounding genuinely worried.

“Please, call me Zachery or Zach; you don’t have to be formal with me. I’ll be fine; I’m more worried about your condition. Are you sure you want to continue?”

“Yes, please, take me further in, he could still be alive!”

“…Alright then. Stay close.” Cautiously rounding each turn, they found no sign of the man in question anywhere in the damp and putrid cave. The only things stirring in this cave were the monsters that continuously lurked onwards through it. A few rooms ahead and some more monsters slain, another capsule presented itself: “What I saw on Ragol was terrible. The Central Dome was destroyed. Wandering monsters. I never encountered anyone from Pioneer 1. Where were Mr. and Mrs. Grave? If they aren't alive, Matha will be very upset...” Matha just continued, not uttering a word.

[This can’t end in any way other than badly…This poor girl…]

Something broke the monotonous repetition of the blank and water-filled chambers: a waterfall. A capsule stood near its base; Matha rushed towards it eagerly. It spoke to her, but as it spoke, Zachery had a suspicion this was going to be the last one they would find.

“I've been wounded pretty badly from battles... I can't look for Mr. Grave. Too weak now... I don't think I can return to Matha either. It's all over. They're surrounding me. They're coming. I'm satisfied with my life. My only regret is, I've left Matha alone. She was always alone, without her parents. And now, I can no longer take care of her. Matha, listen to me. Your father and mother left without you. It was because they loved you so much. Don't misunderstand. I don't know who is reading this message... but please tell Matha. Tell her that I hope she lives on with courage that her parents were known so well for... I'll always be with you. Always... So long... ......”

“…Blant…” Matha stammered, sniffling. She apparently couldn’t handle the immense sorrow that was consuming every fiber of her being; she began to bawl tremendously, running straight towards to Zachery for comfort. Unsure of how to react, Zachery hesitantly extended his arm to embrace her in an attempt to give any solace.

“I…I’m…I’m so sorry Matha…I know this will be hard to believe…but I worked with your father. I was down on Pioneer 1 before the explosion. Your father would never stop talking about how much he cared about you. Occasionally, your mother would also come in and join in about how much they missed you. They really did this out of love. Blant was terribly selfish to take you on Pioneer 2…Now…Now you are all by yourself…I…You could stay with me if you ever need someone to talk to Matha…I don’t want you to feel that there isn’t anyone who cares about you…”

“…R-Really? You…You knew my dad?”

“…Yes…I’m afraid that neither your mother nor your father made it. I haven’t found a single survivor down on this planet since the explosion. I’m afraid that I am the only one…except for maybe one other…Red Ring Rico.”

“I heard about her…that hero from Pioneer 1…”

“Yes…Come, this not the place to be, I’ll take you back to Pioneer 2.” Returning back to the city streets, Matha decided to take up Zach’s offer. Heading into his apartment, they talked for hours about her parents until she fell asleep on his bed. Exhausted and his will vacillating, Zachery took off his helmet and placed it on the kitchen countertop. He rubbed his eyes and opened the door to the balcony. Looking down to the quiet residential street, the shadow was waiting again.

[I’m too tired to give a crap about this recurring hallucination.]

He took back to the chair he sat in and after an hour of silent contemplation, he slumbered until the following morning. Waking early the next morning, Matha was still sound asleep in his bed. A message from the Principal requested him to meet him in person once again.

“I’m going to leave for the time being, I will be back, feel free to return to your estate if you wish, just know that I am always going to be here for you if you need me.
Zachery”

Leaving the note on the wall next to the door, he left for the Principal’s office.

“Welcome back, Zachery. We have a different request this time. The Lab has become interested into finding out how the creatures in the caves look so similar to the ones on the surface. ‘Altered Beasts’ as they call them; you are to take this device and to record the data on them from down there. Maybe we can find out more about their existence and more on how to better stop their numbers” Tyrell spoke, handing him a strange oval disk that lit up in a rotatory fashion with a green blinking trapezoidal light.

“I see. I will do my best, sir” Zachery replied. Upon leaving the office, his guild card vibrated.

“Hey Zachery, it’s Luntz. I’m down in the caves right now, and I think you should come down here quick. Apparently there is a way to get even further below that muck and slime coated level, which is where I am now. There is something down here…something big…You should get here as soon as you can!”

Reaching the dank and dire dungeon below, he activated the data collection module and proceeded to slay as many monsters as he could. Each kill he got made the device whir and vibrate. It didn’t take long for the device to finish its data collection but no sooner did it finish that Zachery did chance upon this entrance to further himself into this near bottomless void this planet was made up of. Intrigued, he pressed onwards. Becoming warmer again, this location of the caverns was different than the first level. It almost looked as if it was possible man-made. Weird vents spewing forth equally bizarre smelling gases lined the ceiling of this new environment. The ground was still covered in a mossy substance, but where the moss was absent, mainly machinery prodded out. Further inside this odd edifice, fighting was heard; rushing towards its origin revealed Luntz battling with a strange monster that appeared to be made of two different creatures. Taking out his Master Raven, he fired upon the orange and blue monstrosity. The beast roared and it split into two separate beasts, making a disgusting noise while doing so. Two more of this fused monsters dug their way out of the ground as the currently split pair engaged both Luntz and Zachery individually. The blue beast attempted to stab Zachery with what looked like an energy saber that came out of its insect-like claw; deflecting the blade with his own, he riposted its arm and then disembodied with a single downward slash, following through with an upward strike that cleaved the body into two. Luntz had dealt with the orange half and the two now engaged the new pair each. It would seem that as soon as they arrived, the monsters were slain by the combined strength of the two vastly formidable men.

“So, Luntz; what was it about this giant thing you saw?” Zachery questioned in a huff.

“I dunno, but I saw what looked like a long tentacle protruding through the rocks. As it retraced back inside, there was a tremendous about of seismic activity around it; it couldn’t have been natural. It went further inside. Care to help me check it out?” Luntz replied, flicking his hair out of the way of his eyes.

“Sure. I doubt it couldn’t be anything we couldn’t handle together.” Collecting their bearings, the two synchronized their combat abilities well; nothing ahead provided to be that much of a challenge to them.

[I can’t really be this powerful, can I? I mean, Luntz is strong too, but this really just seems to be all too easy. Where is the challenge?]

They trekked for a good hour through the tunnels, slaying batches of monsters here and there; it would seem this new layer was just as massive each one before it. Not much further, Luntz was showing signs of fatigue; Zachery was still fit to continue though.

“Luntz, you are tired, we should stop for a bit” Zachery stated rather bluntly.

“Peh, and have you out stage me? Unlikely. Besides, there can’t be much more land mass that isn’t solid bedrock up ahead” Luntz retorted.

“Wait, how do you know that?”

“Uhh…intuition…This isn’t my first gig you know.

“…I suppose nor is it mine…Hey, what is that over there? Looks like a data capsule.”

Closer inspection revealed it to be a capsule from Rico: “I've got such mixed emotions... I'm scared, but excited, inspired even! Should I act as a scientist now? Or should I act as a hunter who is facing unknown enemies? I feel like someone's herding me somewhere... but where? To the underground... I feel like I'm being invited.” Standing up and turning to Luntz, Zachery finished his banter: “Well if you are ready to continue then, let us move.”

Luntz proved to be right as the trail stopped leading forward and instead meandered to the right until it twisted back to the left a little more until the surrounding area became even more technologically advanced and peculiar. The room ended in a rounded shaft with a ladder running down it. Next to the shaft was another capsule from Rico: “I saw it with my own eyes. An animal metamorphosed when it was pierced by a tentacle from that giant worm. Were the monsters I saw in the cave all changed by that giant worm?” With nowhere else to go, they proceeded down the shaft. The ladder went on for a few minutes in length until it ended in what appeared to be a massive underground water channel. A murky green soup remained in the channel, most likely that color from the rocks above containing reactionary minerals. Next to the platform was a giant raft that bobbed with the ebb and flow of water. Precariously perching themselves on the raft, the two entered traveled through the door leading to a journey unknown. Moving by itself, the raft sped across the water at a steady pace until out of the blue it accelerated forward in a jerk, knocking the two off their feet. Regaining their balance, a large splash rippled behind them followed by the sound of rapidly churned water. Turning around, a gigantic arthropod with a visage to set any brave explorer running; was barreling towards them. It had a freakishly large skull-like face that opened up slightly to reveal a circular mandible lined with undulating teeth; four tentacles flailed about at the end of this skull structure. The rest of this dark blue and green monstrosity galloped through the water with tons of tiny feet that came out of its centipede-like frame. Not giving a second thought, Zachery pulled out his gun and opened fire as Luntz loosed off continuous bolts of Zonde at it. Their barrage did little to slow its advance; the creature already made its way near the ship and swam alongside it. On the side of the creature were yellow circular discs on each segment of its long body, each pulsating slightly. Moving through a single wave-like motion, each segment that hit the crest of its wave loosed off a purple ball of energy that broadsided the raft. Luntz and Zachery quickly fell to the floor to avoid the ultra-hot energy blasts; when they got up, the creature was already in the front of the ship. The giant crustacean shot off spikes from its tail that impaled the raft in odd locations; each tail spike began to glow. Before they could figure out why, each individual tail spike exploded; one sent Luntz flying into the air. Before he fell into the water, Zachery grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the raft.

“Where the hell did it go?” Zachery shouted. Any sign of it had all but disappeared until it abruptly surfaced directly behind the ship; lurching over it, the skull mask open. A weird regurgitating noise came from within it; a large purple laser beamed out from the mouth as a result. Both of them narrowly dodged the first blast; it began to charge a second. Luntz positioned himself so that he could dodge the second blast perfectly, once he did, he fired a massive fireball out of his rod right into its face before it could fire off its third. Squealing with pain, the monster hit its head against the rocky exterior of the channel as it submerged and faded away into the water. “Is it dead?”

“I don’t know” Luntz replied, panting; his expression turned into shock as he looked back, Zachery turned around as well.

“What the hell?”

[yoshiblue]

Whole chapter of content and suddenly cliff hanger. Looking forward to more De Rol Le combat.

[fighgunners]

Glad to see someone else talking about the story, nice to know I have another fan as well. Hopefully, I can get my flow of getting a chapter a week going. I'm pretty much done with classes, so I'll be good for a while.
Edit: 1000+ views, damn. Didn't expect to get this kind of attention.

[fighgunners]

Sorry for not updating yet. These next two chapters are going to be long and I've had the "misfortune" of having a new puppy thrust into my care. That said, I'm still actively writing the story, distractions are just highly present.