Mayze watched Onnio’s antics with mild amusement. The kid had a lot of energy, and if he were being totally honest, his explanation about flying wasn’t half bad. Onnio had explained the concept well, and the mercenary found himself nodding along in agreement with what was said. He thought back to his own youth for a moment, wondering if he had this much energy so many moons ago. “Like a bird then,” Mayze responded to Onnio’s explanation on how he was taught, “Sounds like how I was taught to swim anyway. Thrown into the middle of the lake and it was learn or die.” Well, Mayze doubted that the die part was true.
He frowned for a moment, taking a cursory glance at Vocado. The saiyan was an enigma to Mayze so far. He was unable to get a good read on the Shredder Corps captain. At the very least, he seemed nice enough- for a saiyan-. He was leading them to the outpost after all. Vocado didn’t have to do that.
Haupien’s words shook Mayze from his thoughts. He followed his compatriot’s gazes along the horizon, eyes widening at the billowing dust cloud. He came to a stop, craning his head to get a better glance at whatever was kicking up all the dust. “Is… is that what I think it is?”
Whatever it was that the group had cooked up in their minds for the growing rumble, it was certainly wrong. A band of maurauders? No. Some massive beast? Not quite. Maybe a natural disaster in the making? Well, it depends on how you look at the encroaching threat. Vocado clicked his scouter, and skid to a stop.
"By the Kais... ITS A STAMPEDE!"
Onnio was, unfortunately, right on the money. It was a massive collection of saiba-beasts. Little spindly-legged men, massive clawed monstrosities, and everything inbetween. They ran wild, storming across the wastes like some nightmarish mirage. Only problem was mirage's usually didn't exist. This was far too real.
It was encroaching fast. Snarling and screeching echoed across the wastes. It didn't matter how strong any of the four of them were, there was no way to stop THAT without a dozen Oozaru, if not more. What were they to do?
"Crap. SHIT! It's coming too fast..."
Vocado was frozen. Flying would be one solution, but it wasn't like they could all do that. Was it time to ditch Haupien? It felt a little rude, but if it came down to it he'd snatch Onnio and bolt away. They were mercenaries, after all, not children for Vocado to babysit.
Stampede arrives on my next post. Think of a plan and ACT!
"No clue what a a kiai is. But how you describe flight, it's sort of like meditating?" he asked Onnio. Focusing your energy into a hmmmmm certainly sounded like meditation, although he had never been into it himself. He certainly didn't like the idea of being thrown off a cliff, or even being thrown into a lake. He knew how to swim, but that didn't mean he wanted to be tossed into war- the Saiyans were an odd people.
Panic slowly began to set in as each of the Saiyans reacted to the distant sight. Mayze seemed to recognize it, concern clear in his voice, and Onnio offered a series of fearful possibilities- although a swarm of bandits causing such a scene didn't seem likely to him. Vocado seemed to analyze it, before shouting out his findings- a swarm. Haupien looked at the others for a reaction, wanting to make sure he hadn't misinterperted Vocado's reactions. The Saiyan, who seemed capable of fending for himself just well as well as obviously being familiar with the planet, seemed alarmed. If that was the case, he truly did have reason to be concerned.
He looked at his surroundings, quickly thinking. "Go on ahead of me!" he shouted to Mayze over the growing sound of the stampede. Looking at the creatures, who had grown from a cloud of dust in the horizon to a cluster of now distuingishable beasts, he didn't think it'd be safe for them to try carrying him. They had powerful legs, and they may attempt to leap up and grab the burdened warriors. "I'll just meet you at the Outpost. You can start scouting for offers while I make my way there."
He ran over to the chasm Vocaod had escorted him over, and looked down over the ledge. Making sure his weapon was secured properly, he lowered himself over the edge. He started to slowly climb, hoping to bring himself low enough to avoid the attention of the approaching creatures. He looked down the pit, seeing small pieces of rubble dislodged by the vibrations fall into the abbyss. He did not like the idea of finding out what was on the bottom.
Looks like we're wrapping this up- my next post I'll probably be exiting +WC = 164
Onnio felt the tremors, and now knew what they meant. Yeah, a stampede! He thought. Only... a really, really big one. There'd been bigger and bigger stampedes in the Wastes lately. Some said it had to do with Jawbones, that great big monster that now ruled great swathes of the destron-wrecked earth. Others, that that chi of the planet was out of balance. Whatever that meant. Onnio figured it must be because the beasts were having baby beasts faster than the hunters could hunt.
Whichever way it really was, they were all faced with choices now. For everyone but Haupien, the choice was easy. Most monsters native to this planet couldn't fly. But Onnio hesitated, even as he watched the Konatsian bravely descend the cliffside. Maybe I could carry him back to the Outpost. He thought briefly, then decided against it. A trip across the canyon might be one thing, but all the way to the Outpost? Onnio could do it, for sure, but that would be undiplomatic.
Deciding to stick with Vocado, Onnio would ascend with him and follow his lead, after saying earnest goodbyes to the newcomers. He hoped they joined the Saiyan side. He liked them. Onnio sometimes fought people he liked, it went with the job, but he didn't especially like doing that.
"Good luck!" He called to Haupien, waving his new sword at his new friend. Turning to Mayze, he added, "The Outpost isn't too far. That way," He said, pointing in the general direction.
The beasts were getting very close now, great saiba-bison with their saber tusks gleaming, and other monsters of the dead plains, driven mad by predatorial raptors or whatever other horrors walked the silence of the Wastes.
Onnio gave Haupien one last look as he disappeared in the gorge, hoping he'd survive.
It was a stampede, and a huge one at that. Mayze found himself frozen in place, in awe at the spectacle. The saiyan had never seen anything like this before. The amount of saiba-beasts charging right at them was too many to count. Mayze had seen a few stampedes before, but nothing on the scale of this. There was no way they’d be able to take out the group and survive. The only answer was to run, but there was a slight problem with that.
He cursed and glanced over at his friend. The konatsian couldn’t fly, which would make escape difficult for him. Fortunately, Haupien seemed to have a good idea on how to get himself out of this situation. Mayze gave a sigh of relief when his alien friend scurried over to the gorge. Hopefully that would work out for his friend. “Alright, I’ll see ya there!” he yelled as his friend disappeared from view.
Mayze shot up in the air, nodding at Onnio’s word and giving thanks. He was about to take off like a rocket towards the outpost when an idea came to mind. The ground was pretty dry… perhaps he could give Haupien a sort of insurance policy.
The saiyan quickly let loose a barrage of ki blasts in front of the stampeding beasts. He knew the blasts wouldn’t have any real shot of damaging the beasts, but if he could kick up enough dust then their vision would be obscured. Then, perhaps they would run right off the edge of the gorge, or at the very least change direction.
The quartet of fighters all made their own move. Haupien darted for the gorge, while Mayze made a break for the skies. Onnio and Vocado followed suit, barely making it airborne before the endless stampede trampled the place they once stood. Vocado breathed a sigh of relief. Tough as he was, nobody on Plant would've been able to withstand such a thing... He presumed, anyway.
"Gotta admit, Piggy's definitely tougher than he looks. I sure as hell wouldn't have taken a dip down a gorge." He turned to Onnio, and raised a brow. "Think he'd be Shredder material?"
Wait, why was he asking Onnio? The kid was barely a friend, let alone a member of the corp himself. Maybe the kid was growing on him. Like a fungus or a mold that just wouldn't stop itching. Whatever. He'd deal with that later.
A string of energy bullets whizzed through the air, no doubt from Mayze. Kicking up debris and dirt, it clouded the vision of the beasts, but did little to deter them. They stormed ever onward, into the distance. Whatever their destination was, it was something hard to sway. Thankfully though, they weren't headed for the outpost.
"I trust you can make it the rest of the way," called Vocado over the crowd. "I'm gonna get back to the capital from here. Need to collect supplies for my trip to the front. See you around, Bellhop!"
With that, Vocado took off. Time to find Pitt and get back to the frontlines.
Haupien listened to the farewells of the others, clinging to the side of the gorge. As the rumbling grew closer, he held on for dear life. The entire planet seemed to shake, dust and debris clogging the air and limiting his vision. He heard the crashing of dislodged rock crashing into the ground far below, and the bellowing of the foul creatures above him. After what seemed like an eternity, the quaking slowly subsisded and the sounds of the stampede sounded distant. He slowly climbed back up, sweat rolling down his back and face while his hands were bloodied from holding so tight onto the rough surface.
He pulled himself over the edge, and collapsed on the ground. He panted, glad for the rest but not looking forward to the rest of the trip. Walking the rest of the path without companions to entertain him, and without a guide to make sure they got they're quickly and safely. He frowned. Which way was the outpost again? He looked around him, hoping that maybe they had left behind a map to no avail. He knew it had to be somewhere on this side of the planet- on this side of the gorge- but beyond that, he honestly wasn't sure.
"That way," he declared, pointing his finger at a random point in the horizon. No, that didn't seem right. He sighed, very much regretting not paying enough attention. Well, it looked like he might be spending a little bit extra time in the wastes. Great.
Onnio grinned at Vocado's question about the Shredder Corps. "Yeah!" Onnio said, a sly calculus turning in his head. If some foreign mercenaries can be Shredder, for sure I can too. But then Onnio hesitated after Vocado arced away. Should I follow? He hadn't exactly offered.
Maybe stealthily following him is part of a Shredder Corps test! Onnio thought. Onnio knew all about Corps tests. The Buster Corps themselves has an entry test. You have to do one thousand sit-ups and push-ups at the same time in under three minutes. There was a secret art to the push-sit-up, one that had to be mastered prior to the competition. Then, you had to break a rock by using your head. Not mentally or anything, but literally. With your skull.
Onnio had passed both tests with flying colors, and he thought that if this was the start of some elaborate test, he was sure to pass it.
Onnio said a brief goodbye to Mayze, who looked like he was having a lot of fun blasting the stampede.
Flying away in the direction of Vocado, but never getting so close that he might be spotted, Onnio stuck to the clouds, zigzagging this way and that. I'll pass whatever test, and prove myself as a Saiyan Warrior!
Mayze sighed with disappointment when it became clear that the saiba-beasts weren't going to fling themselves off the gorge. The sight would've been hilarious, and also make for a great story to tell down the road. However, it wasn't meant to be. The creatures instead simply changed directions, and continued on their merry way, heading towards a destination that only god was privy too.
The saiyan nodded at Onnio and Vocado's goodbye and returned the gesture. He thanked the both of them and momentarily watched them fly off. He hoped he wouldn't have to face them in the coming conflicts. Mayze had enjoyed the company of the two today, and besides, he still didn't know if he could really align with the Tuffle's even if they offered better pay.
He briefly thought about waiting for his friend, but decided against it. Haupien was too slow on foot, and it would take awhile yet to reach the outpost by walking. Well, Vocado's idea of walking anyway. If he flew, he could get there in a few minutes and start scouting potential offers. That way they'd have a headstart. It wasn't like Haupien would be too far behind him. Right?
Decision made, an aura snapped around the saiyan warrior as he rocketed off towards the direction Onnio had pointed, eventually becoming a small dot on the horizon.
Apr 6, 2024 1:21:15 GMT -5
Lottus: Friendly reminder for new folks to check the rules regarding art claims - AI Art is not accepted on Sparking for character sheets.
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