"Name's Vocado, by the way. Captain of the Shredder Corp. We're no stranger to mercenaries, but they usually don't stay with us long."
So it was that their journey to the outpost would begin. Not that it'd be easy, though, since apparently the Konatsian couldn't fly. Rolling his eyes, he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, and explained. "A quick flight would only take us a few minutes, but since you two are so... Capable... We'll have to walk. It's about an hour's journey if we start now."
Well, it beat patrolling the wastes.
Gesturing for them to follow, Vocado leaped forward, covering a great deal of distance in a single bound. He was sure the others would be able to keep up, though perhaps with some slight issue. His superior Battle Point came with an increase in speed, too, so for now he made sure to take it easy and move at a calmer pace for the others.
If one knew where to leap and when, jumping across the wastes was easier and a little more involved than a hike might've been. Gets the blood flowing, too. With any luck, that hour marker he'd given would be an overestimate. He didn't really want to travel with a pair of strangers and a rat for an entire hour.
"So what's your story, Mayze? Deserter, offworlder, exiled? Not like I'll judge."
"I'm a Konatsian. Oh, my sword?" He wasn't sure how to respond- he tried ignoring the feeling of pride in his chest at the compliment. He still thought Onnio was weird, but he also liked the fellow. He thought on the question- he didn't usually act so generously, but he actually did have a spare sword in the spacepod. He bought in on a planet he had done work, but it just wasn't the same as his own. Maybe it was just the sentimental attachment to the object, or maybe it was something more. Either way, he doubted he'd ever actually use it himself. He moved to the spacepod while the conversation continued, opening the latch and grabbing a capsule. He tossed it to Onnio, assuming he knew how to use the technology. He wouldn't admit, but he hoped he liked his gift.
At the mention of his inability to fly, he felt a small feeling of embrassement. He usually wasn't ashamed of it, the skill not being needed in the ground wars he often found. Most foot soldiers were to weak to anyways, and he didn't need flight to cut them down. But being surrounded by people that could do it, and being on a planet that he assumed contained many more with the ability- he was starting to regret never taking the time to learn it. He was glad for the offer to guide them, even if it came with needing to admit he was lacking in some regards. Vocado suddenly leaped forward, motioning for them to follow. He quickly closed the pod, and began following.
"Oh, WOW!" Onnio exclaimed as he caught the sword. Unsheathing it hurriedly, giddy at the bright flash of steel, he flew threw some haphazard motions that couldn't possibly be identified by any expert -- or journeyman for that matter -- as competent swordplay, but for what he lacked in technique, he partially made up for in general energy and vigor. "Onnio, the Sword Saiyan!" He cried, flashing this way and that as he fluttered at full speed through the sky, hacking at imaginary opponents. "None can defeat my magic blade!"
Twirling in victory, he landed, and tossed the sword adroitly, catching it smoothly in his sheath. He'd have to remember that trick. It even impressed himself. "Thanks!" He gushed to Haupien, overjoyed. "Maybe I'll get to kill someone with it," He added hopefully.
Onnio decided then and there not to rib Haupien at all about his obvious inability to fly. It wouldn't have been very diplomatic, and besides, he had been kind enough to give Onnio a free sword! He owed him, for sure. Maybe, Haupien couldn't fly because he was just that expert of a swordsman. All his moves and energy were carefully calculated to make him the very best cutter-upper in the Galaxy. Onnio liked that idea.
Falling in next to Mayze, and leaping to follow Vocado, Onnio made certain that Haupien could keep up, periodically looking over his shoulder for the Konatsian. Konatsian. Even the name sounds neat!
Onnio filled in Mayze about the general goings-on on Planet Plant. There'd been a ceasefire. Both sides were in shambles. There were some raids on both sides, lots of tension, but so far, nothing had really detonated. He made sure Mayze knew, and spoke loud enough for both Vocado and Haupien to hear, that Vocado was considered at the top of the lists among the Corps lately. Which was true! Vocado had a battle point that could handle a whole Tuffle bridage, no problem.
Excited at all this diplomacy, Onnio hopped along with the others.
Mayze couldn’t help but laugh at Onnio’s amusing antics. He was surprised that Haupien gave the runt a sword. It seemed the kontasian had taken a liking to Onnio. Mayze cringed while watching the lad wave the sword around like it was a plastic toy. It occurred to him that at some point, Onnio might accidentally lop off an unsuspecting person’s limb if he wasn’t careful. But.. oh well, wouldn’t be his problem.
The saiyan nodded when Vocado gave his name, and wondered if he had heard of the Shredder Corps before. The name didn’t ring any bells, and so he simply replied, “Mayze,” recalling that he had yet to give his name.
He leaped after Vocado, keeping pace with Onnio for the time being. For a moment, Mayze wondered what exactly Vocado’s definition of ‘walk’ was, because for the saiyan mercenary, this certainly wasn’t it. ‘This’ was more like jumping with style.
Mayze listened to Onnio for a bit, happy to learn about the recent events of the planet. It seemed he was right in assuming that the previous saiyan ruler had fallen in battle, and the same would be said for the Tuffles. Tensions appeared to still be high, and all that was needed was a large spark to reignite the war. He doubted a ceasefire would ever be permanent.
When Onnio was done speaking, Mayze decided to explain a bit about his adventures to the young saiyan. He described the various aliens he had seen. A brief rundown on the conflicts he had taken part in. The money he earned from one or two noteworthy contracts. He was about to launch into the details of a particularly fierce battle when he heard Vocado ask him a question. “Hmm, a deserter fits,” he fely a wave of shame press against his chest, and he sighed, a sad look crossing his features, “But if you check, I doubt you’ll find any sort of service number listed under my name,” he did not continue. He didn’t like to talk about his past, and he was content to leave it at that.
“What about you, Vocado?” he decided to change the topic, “How’d you end up a captain? What’s the story behind the Shredder Corps?"
[EDITED: It seemed? It seemed? It seemed? How many times can a man say 'it seemed?' in one paragraph. Oopsies. Remind me to proofread next time.]
Listening to the passing conversation was a tad droll. Focusing more on the journey than the chatter, his eyes rolled when Onnio mentioned him. Trying to butter him up, no doubt. All in all, it was a good effort, but it wouldn’t earn him any points in the captain’s book.
What did interest him, though, was Mayze’s admission to being a deserter. The honor that bound Vocado to the war urged him to lash out. To chastise the Saiyan for leaving at all. It was overridden, though, by his emphatic nature. If he had the chance to leave when he was a kid, he would’ve.
”I suppose it doesn’t matter much if you’re here, now does it? The trip around the galaxy was for training purposes; if that’s what you wanna tell potential employers, anyway. Don’t imagine you’ll hold many gigs as a mercenary if you go around telling them you like to ditch fights.”
The group came to a large chasm. Dark and foreboding, its length ought to have been no trouble to cross on a different day. Their flightless traveling companion might have trouble, though. Would there be a way to assist? Maybe just pushing him off the edge and seeing how far he’d get would be assistance enough.
Hands on his hips, he inspected the ravine, brow raising at Mayze’s questioning. ”Me? Quite simple, really. Win enough battles, you get invited to a squad. Survive enough battles, and suddenly you’re leader. Call it a line of succession.” He intentionally neglected to mention that they were also the ONLY members. Their sign-up rate had... lessened in recent months. Too many suicide missions.
Kicking a rock into the ravine, he turned to Onnio, and nodded toward him.
”Hey, Podunk. Come over here.” If Onnio actually approached, he’d clasp his arm around the boy’s shoulder, and subtly bring the both of them to a kneeling position, overlooking the canyon. ”You got any ideas how someone could cross this ravine without flying over? Traveling through would take far too long, and jumping for it might get you killed.”
Vocado himself had plenty of ideas, and would’ve easily accepted a solution from the other two, but he wanted to get Onnio’s brain working. If he was going to keep running into the kid, might as well make use of him.
He didn't hide the smile on his face at seeing the Saiyan so excited to receive the gift, wildly swinging the blade around like a child with a toy. He might require a bit of teaching, but now was not the time. He decided not to correct him about the blade being magic- what's the worst he could do.
As the four bounded through the wastes, leaping through the air crossing various hazards, he listened to the Saiyan's conversation. He didn't talk much, feeling a bit out of place with the four Saiyans. He didn't mind though, he was fine traveling without much talk. The war had apparently been brought to a standstill from the singificant losses, although he was glad to hear there were still various raids and skirmishes between the two- he could still earn some money in the meantime.
He gave Mayze a curious look as he explained he was "a deserter." He knew Mayze had a troubled past with his people, but the two never really talked about their life before working together. He knew the Saiyan wasn't a coward though- there must have been a good reason.
Soon their "walking" came to an end, a forreboding chasm, too long across to safely clear without flight. He frowned, annoyed with the complication. He didn't really care that much about the obstacle, but he didn't like holding the rest back. They were already traveling by land instead of simply flying, and the two were guiding them, not simply traveling with him. Vocado leaned down to overlook the gap, seeming intent on getting an answer out of Onnio. The odd Saiyan had been full of surprises so far- maybe he'd have some solution.
Onnio stayed alongside Mayze for much of their leaping, absorbing the stories of alien battles and earning lots of money. It sounded like the dream life. Being a part of the Saiyan Army did sometimes involve the odd offworld contract to raise funds for the general war effort against the Tuffles -- a planetary annihilation here, a population disintegration there -- but mostly, it was focused on Planet Plant. Fighting over the same old ground, fighting the same old adversaries: the evil nerdists known as the Tuffles. He told Mayze as much, and secretly (this he didn't tell), secretly, he wished he had lived the far-flung mercenary life. Traveling the stars, seeking out new life and new civilizations, and destroying them. It all seemed like a grand adventure.
When Vocado beckoned, he came, and they both crouched near this gorge. He relished the comradely arm, and the seeking of his opinion. Captain Calcot certainly never asked his opinion. Usually, quite the opposite. "Shut up, Onnio, I'm trying to think!" was what he usually got out of the boss of the Buster Corps.
It just so happened, Onnio was familiar with this gorge, as it was near-ish the Outpost, about a couple minutes at top flight speed from the Mercenary Outpost. Usually, it passed under him like a dark ripple, suddenly beneath and then suddenly gone again into a sea of stone. But from this perspective, crouched on a knee, it looked so much larger than from the air.
"Well," He began, his mind whirring, struggling to think of something impressive but not quite grasping. "Hum... I don't think there are any ladders big enough at the Outpost."Think, Onnio. Think!
Going around the gorge was out of the question. It'd take days, and they didn't have a lot of provisions. That left...
"Probably the fastest solution is to carry Haupien and fly across, if it'd be diplomatic," He advised Vocado quietly, looking over his shoulder at his new friend. "He doesn't look that heavy. Unless Konatsians have katchin skeletons."
“No probably not. I’ll be sure to keep, ‘desertion’ off my mercenary resume, thanks for the advice,” he replied dryly, a smirk tugging at his lips a moment later.
Mayze gave a low, wolf whistle when the group came across an impressive looking chasm. The giant crack in the earth seemed to dare someone to explore it’s likely treacherous depths. Of course, the group didn’t have the time for that. It would take far too long to traverse normally.
Mayze looked over at Vocado and grinned at the saiyan’s wry sense of humor. Vocado certainly had a way with words, “Tends to be that way doesn’t it. Maybe you’ll survive your way up to king someday,” he joked with a grin.
The Saiyan paused, surveying the land momentarily, “You know. I’m telling ya my idea from earlier is looking better by the minute. You could open up a resort here and force people to pay just to look at this damn thing”, he gestured to at the gorge, “You know earthlings actually do that? Pay so they can look at holes in the ground. Crazy!”
He already had an idea on how to get Haupien across, but he held his tongue. Vocado evidently wanted to test Onnio. Mayze awaited whatever crazy plan the young saiyan would surely think up.
While the other two conversed, Mayze stepped aside from the group, hopefully out of earshot, which also meant he couldn’t hear Onnio or Vocado. He motioned for Haupien to follow.
If Haupien were to follow, Mayze would quietly ask, “What’s the gameplan after we reach the outpost? Split up and scout for potential offers?” he glanced back at the other two. Curious if they were done.
Internet died towards the end of this post here. So I rushed the rest on phone.
Well, it certainly wasn’t the best plan, but Onnio was using the brain inside that tiny little skull at least. Nodding, he rubbed the lad’s shoulder, before hiking back up to his feet with a dull sigh. He’d definitely done weirder already; carrying a mercenary on his back surely wasn’t that awkward.
”Alright, Knife-Ears, hop aboard.”
Leaning over, he offered his back to the Konatsian, as if he were the boy’s father carrying him because his legs were too tired. Gesturing his head, he beckoned, and rolled his eyes. ”I could use the exercise anyways. Doubt you’d slow me down that much.”
Should Haupien accept, he’d leap over the ravine rather quickly, floating over to the other side with as little groaning as he could muster. A Saiyan as tough as himself should’ve had no trouble carrying someone, but a fully grown man is still quite heavy no matter how strong one gets.
”If Mayze over here ever opens that resort or whatever the hell he keeps rambling on about, maybe I’ll swing by and offer piggy-back rides. Surely the pay is better than a low-class Saiyan makes.”
If there was any solace in this particular moment, it was that he’d come up with a nickname for each of these dopes.
”Podunk, Piggy, and Bellhop. All we need now is a bar and we’ll have the start to an excellent joke.”
Haupien followed Mayze to the side as the other two talked near the ledge. "Yea, that's probably the best plan," he answered. "With the war being on standstill, it should give us plenty of time to find an employer. We can get as many reasonable offers as possible, make some contacts, and meet up again to figure out the plan from there. We might even be able to get some work before the war resumes, there's bound to be some scuffles and off the books attacks still happening."
He turned back to the Saiyan pair, to a very odd sight. Vocado told him to hop aboard and... bent over for him to climb on. He sighed, not entirely sure what to do here. Riding another person's back like a child was not a thing he wanted to do, but he didn't want to hold the others up anymore than he already had. The Kontasiant reluctly got on the warrior's back, trying to hold on without it being any more awkward than it had to be.
His stomach dropped as the pair soared across the gap, feeling weightless as they slowly desceneded a moment later. The movement wasn't much different from simply the large leaps they had used to travel across the wastes before. It was an odd sensation though, and he wondered how different it felt to propel himself rather than using Saiyan transport.
He mumbled out a "thank you," as he climbed off of his back, glad to have his feet on solid ground again. With the newest joke, he finally warmed up to the Saiyan. He smiled, jokingly suggesting a name for the service. "Could call it Vocado-Air. I think that has a nice ring, and I would defintely spread the word." He didn't dare ask if he was supposed to be one of Podunk, Piggy, or Belhop. He would rest easier not knowing.
Onnio liked Mayze's idea of a resort, here in the canyon. "We could have a place where people come to see the gorge," He agreed. "And then we could set up fights on platforms over the cliff. Maybe we weigh the combatants down with special weights, so that if they fall, kablamo!"
When they started to fly across the gorge, Onnio made sure to maintain a careful closeness to Vocado. Sure, Vocado was strong enough. But what if Haupein fell? It'd be best to have someone at the ready to catch him!
"Maybe we can teach you to fly, Haupien," Onnio said as they floated over the darkness of the gorge. "Anyone can learn the trick of it," He said, before scratching his helmet thoughtfully. "Unless you're from a species that maybe can't learn how to fly," He over-reasoned. "Could that be possible?"
Not waiting for an answer to his (mostly) rhetorical question, and forgetting his lifeguard duty halfway through, Onnio began to swipe at the air again with his sword, turning and flipping and swooping. Wheeling back to them, a bit out of breath from his nonexpert flailing, he mentioned, "I bet if you learned how to fly, you could be an even better master swordsman."
Though he didn't know it, and had never seen it, of course Haupien had to be a master. Who else carried swords around and handed them out to potential apprentices?
When they reached the other side, Onnio was a little disappointed that Haupien hadn't fallen. Not that he wished for anything bad! But he could have saved him.
"All right!" Onnio said, giving a thumbs up as he landed. "The Outpost is closer than ever. I can tell you both where to get the best Saiyan beer and the best saiba eggs. You'll want to stay away from most of the other stuff, especially if anyone runs up to you and wants to give you something real fast! It's probably a knife, and they're actually stabbing you. But it's not such a bad place," He went on. "Most of the criminals steer clear of the real-deal fighters and mercenaries, like us."
Mayze nodded at Haupien’s words, “Sounds like a plan,” he softly replied. He turned back to the others, a confused look adorning his face as he looked at the spectacle. It took him a moment to put two and two together. Vocado meant to carry Haupien on his back. He couldn’t help from snorting at the sight.
He was somewhat surprised at Onnio’s rather normal suggestion. Mayze had expected something more outlandish, and he said as much as they flew across the gorge, “Really Onnio, I’m surprised. I figured you’d suggest something more… unorthodox. Something more along the lines of crafting a giant slingshot to launch Haupien across the gorge.”
Mayze was a little ashamed that something as simple as hauling Haupien across hadn’t occurred to him. His idea… had been a little different, but he didn’t delve into details. “Vocado-air, ha,” he laughed softly at his friend’s joke he continuing “You really should learn how to fly, though. It’s pretty easy. All you do is focus your ki underneath you. Easier said than done though.”
He turned his attention to Onnio, “Glad to know we’re nearby, and I like the sound of a Saiyan beer right now,” he was feeling awfully thirsty, “I’ll crack the skull of any mugger, but you’re likely right. Most know to avoid a saiyan warrior.”
"Alright, enough chatter. Let's get moving. We've still got a ways to go."
Fun as it was to dawdle, the novelty of escorting some green mercenaries to the outpost was already wearing thin. To say Vocado wasn't a fan of wise-cracks would be a little off, but he wouldn't exactly call mindless banter his preference either. Their lack of care was exactly the sort of Saiyan that kept them from sealing the deal on this war in the first place.
Hopping from one foot to the next, Vocado suddenly leaped again, returning to the pace he'd set for the group earlier. By his estimate, the outpost was still a good half-hour out. That was if they really gunned it, though. Would they actually make it all the way there without interruption? Judging by the colorful cast this group happened to be, he wasn't so sure.
"You guys feel that? It's like... Rumbling?"
It wasn't just small talk. Somewhere far, far in the distance, a dust cloud plumed ever upward. From it, a deep rumble. What could be the cause of this mighty quake? Vocado almost wanted to stop and find out. His pace slowed, just a little, hoping the mighty thing would catch up before they could escape.
"Yea," he answered simply to Mayze and Onnio's comment on learning how to fly. "I'm fairly certain Konatsians can fly. I've never heard of them being unable to." He smiled at Onnio's suggestion of him being an even better swordsmen if he could fly, swinging his new sword wildly at the same time. "Maybe we could be each other's teachers- I teach you not to cut your own arm off with that sword, you could teach me how fly around."
Vocado brought their conversation to a halt, seeming to get tired fo the chit-chat. Haupien had honestly forgotten at this point that the two were helping them out instead of simply being along for the mini adventure. The quipping between the four as well as Onnio's antics had been enough entertainment to distract him. He frowned at Vocado's words. There was a rumbling.
"I don't suppose any of you three know what that is?" The cloud of dust seemed to get closer, although he couldn't tell if it was due to the source moving closer or if it was simply a by product of the increased rumbling. He looked at the others, hoping their familiarity with the world would give them some hint at what it could be.
Onnio grinned in agreement at Mayze's explanation about flying, then went further at Haupien's suggestion. "Sure! I like the idea of teaching each other." Pirouetting in the air, Onnio neared the Konatisan swordsman. "Mayze is right, you have to focus your energy below you. Kind of like a kiai. Have you ever done one of those?"
Drawing in a deep breath, Onnio threw his arms and spread his booted feet. "HAH!" He shouted, and a ripple of air shot out in all directions, tousling his surroundings. "That was just a small one," Onnio said. "To fly, I use something like it," He imagined, thinking hard on this. "I know I'm not explaining it well, but if my kiai is a shout, when I fly, it's more like a hum.Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm."Spinning again, Onnio flourished acrobatically across the air, then made an exaggerated swimming motion. "But you have to be sure not to use too much force, or you'll..." with a sudden burst below the toe of his boot, he spun wildly, bouncing on an invisible point before tumbling lower. Catching himself before he hit the ground, he floated once more. "So, it's kind of a balancing act. The way I was taught, was they threw me off bigger and bigger cliffs."
When Vocado asked if they could feel the rumbling, Onnio couldn't, floating as he was. Lowering himself, reaching a hand down, he felt a tremor through his glove. Following the Shredder Corp Captain's gaze, he saw the cloud of dust on the horizon. "Maybe a stampede of saiba beasts, or a bunch of bandits..." He guessed. "Or a giant monster!" He said, more exuberantly, hopefully.
Apr 6, 2024 1:21:15 GMT -5
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