"Where the hell did it go?" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I looked to my right at my scout. She sat miles away with an advanced binocular set searching the area for the Akrid.
"I don't know it went back in the snow and it's gone." Her soft pleasant voice didn't help the situation.
"It's not gone because I can still hear it." I raised my custom plasma rifle and spun around looking for any sign of its position.
Humans and Akrid inhabited E.D.N III. Unfortunately, the humans weren't as united as we need to be. The humans divided themselves into two major groups NEVEC and snow pirates. NEVEC was the giant company attempting to colonize the planet, the snow pirates were basically people that lost faith in NEVEC and decided to survive on their own, or former NEVEC employees that rebelled against the company.
Me, I'm a snow pirate in a sense. Well, more like a snow hunter, the team and me go out and hunt Akrid or fight NEVEC or other pirates for a living. Occasionally we'd get offers from civilian settlements to exterminate Akrid or get rid of NEVEC/snow pirates. This time we were hunting a giant worm Akrid dubbed the "Kraken" for some reason. Our only source of information on it was a psyched out snow pirate that had a heart attack in the middle of the questioning.
"I see something, turn around." I turned around and saw the snow flying into the air as this giant alien came towards me.
I reached in my coat and grabbed a sensor mine and dropped it on the ground before running. Turning directly around, I ran at full speed hoping my plan would work. It was a simple plan fit for a not-so-simple Akrid.
The cold breeze stung my face and the snow didn't make running any easier. I've been doing this for as long as I could remember so I ran like an athlete and ignored the pain easily. The mine I dropped was set to explode as soon as it was moved and the Akrid pushed it out of the way.
The force of the explosion flipped me over and made a cloud of snow and smoke rise into the air. I rolled through the air but stood up quickly raising my rifle. The stench of burning Akrid flesh plagued the air but it was a stench of success. At the first glimpse of the giant worm I gripped the gun and pulled the trigger.
"Good move Riax, the Kraken's outer shell is gone on its head. You know what to do know."
That's Violet, my scout, medic, cook, financial adviser, and any other important job that doesn't involve holding a gun herself. While on missions she sits back and watches for any Akrid that I don't see.
"Sure, whatever." It's not that I don't give her credit for what she does it's just that she makes what I do sound so easy. Yes, aiming for the head is easy. No, trying to avoid the organic missiles this thing launches from its mouth isn't easy.
The Akrid roared blowing away the cloud exposing its long worm-like body. I noticed the thermal energy pouches on its side and chose for those to be my next target. The less thermal energy within a large Akrids body, the less it moves and the easier it dies.
I ran back towards the Kraken shooting down the missiles it spit out. I pulled out a grenade and threw it like a true baseball pitcher. As planned the grenade detonated directly on contact with the Akrids thermal energy pouch. The red warm liquid poured out along with the green blood of the Akrid.
I rushed towards the bile of liquid and tossed a grenade into the sky. The Akrid swayed from side to side in pain and unknowingly swallowed a grenade. Knowing the grenade would explode soon I quickly did what I had to do.
I reached in my coat and pulled out a canister with a red light on it. At the tip of the canister was a tube and I lowered the tube into the thermal energy. The thermal energy was sucked into the canister and the red light began flashing.
'Remember to ask Trio how these things work again.' I thought to myself as the Akrid began to glow red.
"You…might want to get away from that. It's going to turn out pretty nasty." Violet said reminding me about the grenade in the belly of the beast.
I looked up to see the Akrid's leather, green skin turn a bright reddish-orange. I already felt the heat from the grenade outside of its stomach and wondered how much pain it was in. Once the canisters light started to flash green I stood up and threw my rifle around my shoulder, running for my life.
"Thanks for the reminder, never mind that the last time you waited to tell me something was about to explode I was inside a nuclear enhanced thermal energy plant." That wasn't the best time in my life, it was also the first and last time you'd see NEVEC soldiers, snow pirates, and Akrid running next to each other for a common goal. Trying not to get caught in the raging inferno behind them.
Once again I was lifted from the ground and tossed through the air but this time I flew for a little while. That's the power of a solid pyro grenade, developed to explode and destroy all solid objects. Including the bowels of giant Akrid. The Kraken retreated into the snow and the ground vibrated as it retreated.
I landed in the snow and laid there in a weird daze. My mind wandered for a second until I heard an engine growing closer in the distance. I struggled to get out of the snow before I froze and died.
"Hey Riax, the snow is soft but it's not the best place to take a nap." Violet said stopping next to me. She looked down and visually checked for injuries.
I was strangely dressed and had an even stranger origin that I didn't know about. But she knew more about my appearance than my history. I wore the average heat suit, the tight clothing with blue glowing lines. Every time I put on the suits the lines turned red which most people thought was just a customization.
I wore a long black coat that went down below my knees. And black pants that went along with the rest of the outfit. I never really cared for my hair much but it was black with unusual natural red highlights.
"He's going to freeze." Violet said to herself.
She was dressed in the average snow pirate outfit. The sweater with fur over the body suit and the normal blue pants. Her long brown hair was usually tied behind her so it didn't get in her light blue eyes.
"I just need to rest, you get a bike while I have to run around everywhere."
"That's because you're the one doing the work. You need the exercise."
We heard a low booming noise in the distance and looked over towards one of the mountains. It was a mini-trailer designed to give a team a portable home until they returned to home base. It rolled up directly in front of us and stopped
There was a slight amount of static before the speakers played Trio's annoying voice.
"All aboard Trio's Save Your Ass Express."
"Shut up" We both said and heard Trio laughing inside. The front panels slid open exposing our mechanic and pilot.
When out on missions we took a walker VS. A walker VS is basically a mobile base that comes equipped with VS and thermal energy radar. It also had a minor set of defenses but that wouldn't protect us from anything.
"You're too young for this kind of work." Violet said climbing off of the bike. She looked down and began walking toward the walker.
"You always say that after every big mission." I say that also but I knew she was right. Even though I'm stronger, faster, more durable, and an overall soldier I was only fifteen. "You're only older than me by two years."
"I know but at fifteen you shouldn't be hunting Akrid and fighting NEVEC soldiers."
"You're acting like you're worried." What I didn't know was that she was and she was about to make sure I knew.
"That's because I am, the only reason why I'm out here is because they have you do the field work and I just stand back and watch." I wonder why she won't look at me when she's talking about this.
Me, Violet, and Trio are a three-man team developed by the higher-ups. We work for a organization that accepts the missions and distributes them to teams depending on their skill and experience. Our team is the youngest and strangely the fifth best. That was actually very good when you're in competition with at least a hundred other teams.
"E.D.N III is my home, you were born on a colony space station. Me, I've felt the stinging cold since birth."
"But don't you think it's weird that you were raised killing Akrid by William while he barely let his own son outside."
I wasn't ready to give in but I knew she was right. William Vermilion, leader of the Vermilion hunters, raised me and taught me how to shoot a gun. He says that my parents put me in his care before leading a rebel attack against NEVEC and dying in the fight. William also has a son, Hunter and he was treated as the king of the Vermilion hunters. It was kind of funny how the Vermilion hunters had a useless, royal member named Hunter.
Everywhere Hunter went, William forced the rest of us to give him royal treatment. It got to the point where William even forced the best pirates into taking Hunter as an apprentice.
"So what, William spoils his little brat of a son and gave him everything he ever wanted, but look what he became." She already knew what I was going to say.
"A spoiled son of a bitch."
"Can you two hurry up, there's a large amount of Akrid heading this way." Trio reminded us. I turned around and saw the army of Akrid that spotted the ground like bacteria.
Violet and me ran onto the walker so we'd leave before the Akrid arrived. To our right was a door that leads to the living quarters. To the left leads to the bridge and Trio and in front of us lead to the equipment closet.
We turned left and walked into the bridge standing on either side of Trio's chair. In front of him was this large computer terminal for piloting and multiple images would appear on the mini-map.
"Yo, Trio whatcha doing." I said leaning over his chair and using his head as an armrest. He grumbled slightly and I couldn't hear exactly what he said but the point was to get on his nerves.
"What did you say, I was too high up too hear." This was actually one of my favorite cracks at Trio. It angered him to no ends because he was at least six inches shorter than Violet. And I was two inches taller than her. Sadly, Trio decided on his name because he was the oldest out of us.
"What do you want Riax." He shouted in my face looking up quickly. He wore these mechanical visors that helped him in some way. His blond hair was tied back into a long braid behind him. Another trait of his was the coat he wore never exposed anything below the bridge of his nose. The rest of his face was a mystery to me.
"Explain to me how this thingy works again." I said tossing the canister on his lap. The light stopped flashing green a while ago and now it was a solid green.
"This is a T-Eng condenser, the tube at the top sucks in the T-Eng and when it's full the condenser obviously condenses the energy into this." Trio said flipping over the condenser with his gloved hands. He twisted the tube at the top and steam spewed out.
A "Thermal Ruby" fell out of the condenser and into his hands. The condenser took the incredible heat that was released and turned it into more energy. One Thermal Ruby could power the basic VS constantly for twelve hours.
"Guys, we just got a call from William. He says we need to hurry back." Violet said. I got fairly ticked off, he's always calling us for emergencies when it's something stupid.
"Why don't you tell him to fuck off? I just wasted an Akrid and deserve a break." He acts like he owns us but doesn't do any hunting his self. Hunter has only hunted one Akrid and he had me and other elites following behind.
"If I said that, we'd lose all of our missions for a while again. And you get annoying when you're bored."
"Do not." I argued. The beeping noise behind me caught my attention and I turned around two see three red markers coming closer to the walker on the map.
"Apparently three snow pirates spotted us and are coming over for a fight. All three are basic VS's so you can take him out quickly." Trio announced flipping a few switches.
The temperature in the room decreased as Trio opened the hangar. He raised one hand and waved signaling for me to leave and I left. I walked into the equipment room and saw the guns sprawled across the room lazily. I picked up a basic rocket launcher and put it under my left arm. At the end of the room was another door that led to the VS hangar.
Crossing into the next room I felt a sense of pride to see my personal VS waiting for me. It was the kind of VS that came with the plasma blade on its left arm but mine was customized.
It was a black-colored VS with two chain guns on each shoulder. The eight-barreled chain guns had a ninth-center barrel for a grenade launcher. The blades were replaced with plasma chainsaws that were on top of the hands so I could still use the shotgun and plasma rifle in the VS's hands. That gave me a total of six guns and two melee weapons.
"This is the only good thing you've done for me William. You bought me a big weapon to make up for all the other presents you missed." Strangely Hunter and me were born on the same day, just on two different years. Hunter was older by about three years making him eighteen, yet William still spoiled his son and left me with all of the training.
I walked to the front of my VS and stood in front of it. For some reason it only activated for me and it was stranger once you got inside. But for me to activate the VS I did something that made most people wonder how advanced it was.
"Seraph, you're linked into the walkers mainframe so you already now we have some snow pirates heading this way." I had to talk to my VS. For some reason this VS was built with a personality. No matter how much I ask Trio to work on it he tells me "it's to complex". It's just a VS with some perks nothing to different.
"Do you plan on sparing their lives, it's not their fault you just happened to be in a bad mood." The male machine voice responded while opening. I simply jumped in and did the normal for any VS.
"Nah, but it's their fault for being here when I'm pissed off."
"That doesn't seem fair to me."
"You're a machine all I ask is that you shoot when I say shoot and move when I want to move." My body felt a quick jolt as Seraph linked with my conscious. I opened my eyes as the hatch closed and my body moved the VS on instinct.
After using Seraph multiple times, I've learned not to question how I pilot it. Every time I do it usually ends with me sending the machine in overdrive and flying into an Akrid hive.
"You OK Riax, they're getting closer and I don't expect them to be a problem. Each VS has one basic chain gun so don't worry about heavy artillery." Trio said in the headset. I raised one finger to the headset and pressed it close to my ear so I can hear correctly.
"Why can't you just shoot them with the walkers cannons."
"Because I haven't seen you in action for a while and I miss the show."
There was a loud scream over the headset as Violet punched Trio. I laughed as Trio called her a 'protective psycho' and was punched again. Violet stole the headset and began telling actual information.
"You don't have long before the Akrid show up so make this quick and safe."
I shot out of the hangar shaking the entire walker. They watched as my VS boosted across the frozen desert towards the others. The snow popped up around Seraph as every shot they fired missed completely.
"Seraph activate right hand plasma rifle." I said. The activation code appeared at the bottom right of the screen and stated the weapon was active. I simply reached for the rifle and pulled it out aiming directly for the cockpit of an enemy VS.
The rifle fired sending out a red energy beam towards the VS. Two of them moved out of the way but one didn't avoid in time. I realized I was still in shape when the beam pierced directly through the snow pirate inside. The VS exploded and I charged directly into the flames at high speed. I activated the boosters and launched upwards into the air.
They were apparently inexperienced VS pilots. If they weren't they would've used radar to track me into the air and fire but they didn't. Like idiots they wasted their ammo firing into the fire and unknowingly shot each other. The VS one the west side exploded as the one on the east side killed his partner. I landed where his partner used to be and waited for the flames to blow away.
"Hell is a cold place, isn't it." I said mocking the other VS pilot.
The flames blew away and I laughed guessing what he was thinking. He saw a custom VS standing in the debris of his former comrade. I saw his mech twitch as he tried to start up the chain gun before I moved.
I dashed forward and before he even fired one shot used the energy blade to saw right through him. His VS fell and I saw the crimson skull on the back, the symbol of the Crimson Pirates. I started back towards the walker until a strange sensation came to me. It felt as if a primal killing intent worked its way into my mind.
I felt it before I knew it was there. The strange sensation alerted me to what was coming. I felt it, heard it, a strange sixth sense detected it. I had an urge but I suppressed it, whatever this thing I felt was. It has to die.
"Riax, there is a large Akrid underground. It's looks like Kraken decided to show it's full body. It's massive." Violet shouted in the headset. I spun around in the VS and saw what put that snow pirate into shock.
The snow shifted as six worm like tentacles extended out of the ground. The one I attacked before was in the center and was still wounded. All of them swirled and tilted in the air before the head of the beast erupted from the snow. The Kraken resembled an enormous squid… I think I should have known that judging by the name.
"Aim for the…"Violet spoke until I interrupted.
"The T-Eng pouches, I know. Every Akrid has an Achilles heel and this one is no different."
I spun around the VS and pulled out my plasma rifle aiming directly at the already wounded head. Upon wasting about thirty shots the wounded one finally fell to the ground and degraded into a shell.
"One head down, five to go." Trio said over the headset. Knowing a rifle won't help me. I switched over to one of the heavy weapons.
"Seraph activate left shoulder chain gun."
"Die you piece of shit." I shouted. For some reason it felt as if all the Akrid deserved to die.
"Riax, you okay man." Trio said. The worried tone in his voice didn't faze me in the least.
"They are all worthless filth that deserve to be eradicated." The Kraken began to seem more and more like prey than a predator of the snow.
"R..Riax, what's wrong with you." Violet's worried voice brought me back to reality slightly. I realized what I was saying and stopped but the Akrid still looked like prey.
I dashed back wards and raised the chain gun killing off another head. The gun stopped rotating and I fired the grenade launcher. The frag flew towards the Kraken and detonated another one of its tentacles. It roared and exposed the inside of its mouth, which was a considerable red color.
"It's time to die…Seraph activate remaining weapons."
"All weapons activated."
"Die son of a bitch." My VS raised all weapons and fired them all. I couldn't see anything at this point. The only thing in front of me was just the smoke of the grenade launcher, the red beams of my rifle, and the barrage of bullets.
"The heat signature is gone, mission: Kraken is complete."Trio said. The tone in his voice made me realize I lost control.
"What just happened?" I said out loud. I hoped they had an answer, they didn't.
"I don't know but get back here and rest. Trio will look over Seraph and see if the consciousness system is over-loading."Violet said.
The consciousness system was a highly developed system that linked man and machine. It's only added into the most powerful, custom VS but I got a version dubbed the "Hierarchy program". The creator of the system gave the program a personality before dying in an accident.
When the smoke cleared I saw the frozen body of the Akrid. It was filled with hundreds of bullet wounds, burns, and plasma wounds (plasma wounds resembled a purple infected bullet wound). Eventually the body cracked and turned into snow as all of the heat within its body disappeared.
"I don't detect a problem within my system but your mental function seemed to unlock a sort of hidden potential. Most likely an excessive amount of anger provoked adrenaline." Seraph said.
I ignored him and boosted back to the walker, the feeling was gone. I felt it, the Akrid. I knew exactly how to kill it but I don't know why. I didn't get this feeling often, only when we were hunting massive Akrid or in my dreams. Those strange, disturbing, dreams. I closed my eyes and reviewed the entire thing mentally giving Seraph control of the VS.
It was dark and I heard two voices. Complete darkness and these two voices that carried on a conversation in front of me. I didn't know what they were talking about and I don't care if it doesn't involve me.
"How are they doing? General wants them finished before the other Akrid become infected." A deep commanding voice said
"The process is slow but they are evolving quickly. But I still don't agree with this, destroying human lives…" The woman wasn't able to finish before the male cut in.
"I don't know why, this project will make E.D.N III a safer planet for us all. You're kids will never experience the freezing chill or the threat of Akrid of the planet if you finish this."
"But these seven projects are human beings. Why can't we just mass-produce the harmonizer?"
"Have P.A.G, active before the general arrives. That's the end of the story."
This was around the time I woke up. I knew the harmonizer was a special machine used by the leader of the Gale pirates, another group of snow pirates that were aiming to kill the Akrid. But who are these other people and what were they talking about.
"Riax if you don't wake up I'm…" Violet said waking me.
"You're going to what?"
"I knew that would work."
"What were you going to do?" She simply giggled and walked out of the room. I realized I was lying on a bed next to the wall. They carried me out of the VS and put me in here.
"She's fallen for you." Trio said in an irritated tone. I'm not sure why he's pissed I didn't do anything.
"It's not like that, we're partners and she just thinks of me as a friend." Even though I couldn't see his face the strange mood in the room told me that didn't help.
"Partners in a one-sided love relationship." He took off his visor and looked at me with his blue eyes. Honestly, I don't really care what he thinks.
"What do you have against Violet being on the team?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. I just hope she'll stay on track that's all." The one thing I don't like about Trio is how emotional he became when Violet is brought in a conversation.
For example, we were sent on a fairly easy mission to destroy an underground Akrid hive. Every thing was going as planned, until when I set the last detonation pack. This immense Akrid came from the ceiling and attacked Violet. She was barely injured, a few bruises and a sprained wrist.
After killing the Akrid we escaped. When we returned to the walker Trio ran around screaming and shouting like she was dying. After going through his little outburst he turned to me and ranted about how I should've protected her since he wasn't there. The only thing that went through my mind was 'when are you ever there'.
Strangely, afterwards he treated Violet as if she was sick dog. He constantly checked to see if she was all right even after she said she needs rest. Actually, it was funny watching Trio slave for no reason at all.
"Here you go Riax, hot white chocolate." That was a surprise. Either she made a lucky guess or she already knew my favorite hot drink. "Like I said, you're too young for this. You still have mommy make you hot chocolate."
"Wow, now you're his mom." Trio said aggravated and honestly. I just wanted to fill his head with lead right now. Or shove a frag down his throat, either one would work…
"Well if you'd stop being such an ass maybe I could be your mom too." She said putting her hands on her hips.
"Amazing, I'd be older than my mother which I love, oh so much."
"Trio, can you go check the radar. I have a strange feeling there's Akrid close by." Honestly, I just didn't want to hear his ass complaining. We exchanged evil glances before he left the room. It's not that I didn't want to be alone with Violet, it's just I didn't want him around at the moment.
" He seriously has his head stuck up his ass." I choked on my hot drink and laughed afterwards. The good girl of the group shouldn't say things like that. "Only thing he wants to do is get in my pants."
Now, I literally choked and gagged. The drink burned my throat and mouth but the humor numbed the pain. Forcing myself to swallow the burning liquid, I sat up and leaned against the metal walls.
"What guy doesn't?"
"Oh, shut up."
I took off my coat showing the black body suit with red neon lines going through it. It kept your body heat in but doesn't keep the cold out. Mine had short sleeves because of my coat. The coat was the same as most clothing except it was flame resistant, electricity resistant, and all around made to protect from Akrid and the cold. I liked it just because it looked cool.
"So what happened in the VS, I mean you just snapped. That wasn't like you." She said and I knew what she meant. I knew it wasn't like me and I also knew that people couldn't sense Akrid. The problem was if I told her she'd worry and send me to the nearest medical facility. Not caring if it was a hospital or dentist.
"I know, just a little stress. The thing was supposed to be dead the first time but then it comes back with friends…" I'm lying, and I know it.
"That makes sense, try to sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there." She said walking out.
I lay down on the bed and stretched out. Being in the freezing cold for a few hours makes a person stiff, or really tired. I closed my eyes but heard the other two talking in another room about me.
"What the hell is your problem? You're acting like Riax hasn't saved your ass before while you sat in here." Violet said to Trio. She walked over and leaned against one of the desks with a load of mission papers. Trio messed with one of the consoles attempting to increase the thermal energy radar.
"I just don't see what you see in him. That's all, nothing personal." Trio said tapping the interactive screens. He pulled up his visor allowing him to see the data streams that allowed him to tweak the system.
"Why do you care any way? You accepted the job of being tech even though you fit the requirements for a hunter so you're not jealous that he's out there and you're not." She said trying to figure out her stubborn partner. Trio is a stubborn ass bitch, that's what I think.
"I enjoy being a tech, it's just that I'm looking out for you." That really ticked me off. But I was too tired to do anything so I stayed in bed.
"What do you mean by, 'looking out for me'?"
"Riax is a hunter, soon he's going to come across a problem and he won't be able to handle it and I don't want you to go through that." What the hell is he trying to say.
"So your saying sooner or later Riax is going to be killed and you don't want me to be hurt."
"Close, but not exactly" That bitch thinks I'm going to die. Some fucking teammate you are Trio. "And after what happened today I don't trust him any more." Fuck you Trio.
"Fuck you, after all the times he saved our ass you lose trust after a little battle stress." I didn't expect Violet to take that so personal. My mind wanted to rest but I waited to hear the end of the conversation.
"Say what you must but soon you'll have to make a decision between him and what should be more important to you." After that I fell asleep. Violet stomping out the room told me that the drama was over.