Bite-Sized Chapter 1: The New Recruit
PART 1
*Clank... clank... clank...* the darkened laboratory room was suddenly awash with light, as a large metal door at one end slowly rose into the air, before stopping, suspended, half a dozen feet in the air. From the blinding beam emerged the solitary figure of a single Asura. *click-click BANG!* The door smashed down behind it, at once dunking the lab into darkness. The figure however, seemed unfazed by the whole event, turning to the wall left of the door, and slowly groping along the wall in search of something. A moment later, the click of a switch could be heard. Glowing gems, placed at set intervals across the floor, buzzed to life, and a blue-green jolt of energy blazed across the chiseled stone tiles, seeming to jump from one crystal to the next. On the left wall, a set of heavy metal blinds clicked slowly upward, revealing a massive reinforced glass window. The room was once again splashed with light and warmth.
The Asuran laboratory, now properly lit, was a messy affair. It consisted of a single, large room, in its center was an enormous lab table, strewn with all manner of technological nonsense. It was surrounded by a set of unpowered hover chairs placed upon crates and fastened by what looked like magically infused duct tape. Stretching across the left side of the room, just below the window, was a wall-to-wall counter. Like the main table, it was adorned with grime and temporarily abandoned baubles. Just above the window was a small analog clock, made up of a strange assortment of leftover gears and rods. On the wall furthest from the door, were a pair of storage cabinets, the one on the right was locked tightly with a pair of magi-tech locks. Its partner however, remained unlocked and ajar, a number of packed tool boxes and measuring equipment could be seen within. The right side of the room remained relatively clean, across the surface of the wall floated a number of schematics detailing construction and assemblage of various golem parts.
The window also shown its light upon the room's newest addition, an abnormally large, leather clad Asura. She was almost as tall as a short human woman, but thrice as large around. Her enormous head, trademark of the Asura, looked as though it could easily snap from her skinny neck at any moment. With slow, heavy steps, she plodded across the room, before flopping down on the nearest of the defunct hover chairs. Now comfortable on her throne, the Asura brushed the messy orange hair away from her face and surveyed the room with heavy lidded, dark green eyes.
"Tink, you in here?" came her loud but calm voice, momentarily interrupting the euphonic silence of the morning.
There was no response and the Asura sighed to herself contentedly.
"A little nap before work never hurt anyone," she reasoned with the air, as she leaned back in her chair, and her eyes slid closed. She had to hand it to him, moving the lab out to Metrica Province had been an excellent decision. Sure, it was an absolute pain, carrying tools and supplies all the way from the not-so-nearby Soren Draa, but the old lab in Rata Sumhad been noisy, dim, and cramped, not to mention full to the brim with nosy Asura 'geniuses', poking their noses into other peoples work. Out here however, the sun could bathe her in its warmth as she slept in peace...
*Clank… clank… clank… BAM!* Well, maybe not in peace. It was still nicer though.
The Asura slowly sat up in her seat and turned to face the newcomer. At the door stood another Asura. He wore a dirty grey-white lab coat, and an old pair of leather goggles adorned his forehead, just below his cropped brown hair. His relaxed smile wore the pride of a greatly accomplished genius, despite his rather mussy and destitute outfit. Sky blue eyes shown with barely muted passion, and he walked with a prideful jaunt to his step.
"There you are, Tink. I was wondering when you were gonna show your slow face." she murmured, lazily wiping her eyes with a leather gauntlet.
"Excelsior, Qaxu," the other Asura replied, seemingly undeterred by his cohort's overtly relaxed demeanor. "You're certainly early this morning. An implausible, if rather pleasing change of pace, I might add".
"Actually," Qaxu replied with a light chuckle, "I'm late. You're just later."
"Ah!" he yelped in surprise, all of his former composure disappearing in an instant, "I suppose I must have lost track of time during this morning's... hey! I'm not late!" his eyes had focused upon the makeshift clock above the window. "Unless... this awful piece of junk broke again! I knew I shouldn't have substituted a retrograde plasmatic nova-ticker for a proper one," he pouted.
The larger Asura, who had broken out into a fit of laughter at her krewemates's outburst, had now begun to calm down, "Cool your nano-jets, Tink, your reeter nova thingee is fine. I was just joking."
"And I really wish you would cease referring to me by such an absurd nickname… I am acting krewe leader after all! If you absolutely refuse to address me with title, it would surely do you no harm to at least refer to me properly. You know, by name," the coated Asura continued to pout, but a slight smile was creeping across his face, and his eyes twinkled with amusement.
"Oh, please forgive me Sir Zann, Chief, Lord and Commander, Acting Krewe Leader of the S.A.S.S. Krewe! I beg your forgiveness for the bruising of your gigantic ego," Qaxu replied, waving her hands about her in exaggerated movements, before bowing deeply, albeit awkwardly, as her posterior was still firmly planted in her chair.
"Well… I suppose it's only fair that she understands just what kind of mess she's getting into," Zann sighed aloud.
As he spoke, the door opened yet again and a younger Asura, barely older then a progeny walked proudly through, as though summoned by his mention of her. She was small for her age, though her ears were surprisingly large and wide, almost elephantine. She wore a dignified smile upon her face, and strode pridefully, despite her young age. However, upon seeing the state of the laboratory, she recoiled slightly, her face filled with disgust.
"How can you consider this horrid mess your workspace?" she asked demandingly of Zann, her neck stuck out like a turkey, her arms barred straight at her sides, "and it is extraordinarily rude of you to force me to wait while you are making insipid jokes, is it not?" When he did not immediately respond, she returned to her inspection of the room.
"Well... err, I mean, of course that would be the correct thing to do… I really am sorry for not introducing you sooner; I just wanted to ensure that everything was in order and..." the stunned mechanic began to mutter in response, but was cut off as the newly arrived Asura began again on her judgment of the laboratory.
"This place is an utter disaster! Everything is utterly disorganized and..." she raised her rat-like nose to the air and sniffed loudly, "what absurd source is causing that smell of moldy cheese and eggs?"
"That'd be my sandwich," Qaxu laughed aloud jumping down from her post atop the chair, "I was wondering what happened to that old thing!"
The newcomer stared at her aghast, with mouth agape. Seemingly unable to even bear looking at the perpetrator any longer, she turned her accusing glare towards the still flustered Zann. His face, already a light grey, had become almost white with paleness. He seemed about to begin with another round of blithering apologies when Qaxu cut in on his behalf.
"Sorry 'bout that, seems we got off on the wrong foot, I'm Qaxu, good to make your acquaintance Shortstack!" The large Asura was bent down to the height of the complainer with one hand extended forward in greeting.
The other Asura jumped slightly, surprised at the sudden appearance of the relative giant who had appeared beside her, but quickly regained her composure. "You may call me Uummi," she replied, ignoring Qaxu's offered handshake completely, and sliding past her towards the far end of the lab. The shunted Qaxu shot a questioning glance towards Zann, who had recovered enough to shrug bemusedly back at her.
Behind them, Uummi let out another frustrated cry, "This technology is ancient! Who uses a Wind-rider Novac anymore? Were you really planning to put this in your golem?"
"Now really," it was Zann's turn to provide a rebuttal, "there's nothing wrong with the classics! Besides, I wouldn't have the position of head engineer if I couldn't overcharge a W.R.N.," his chest puffed slightly with pride, "not that it will make a speck of difference once Kej has finished securing us a new source of funding."
"I think you mean the only engineer," Qaxu chuckled under her breath.
"Speaking of the boss," she turned to Zann again, "shouldn't she have come back by now? And... do you think she'll even be able to get him to fund us?" she shifted uncomfortably, reaching one large grey hand up to scratch her head.
"Of course she will," Zann responded resolutely, a proud smile upon his face, "you know as well as I how convincing she can be."
Qaxu had distractedly picked up one of the baubles off the main table, as round metallic ball, and was tossing it in from one hand to the other. "Heh. You're right, of course," a wry smile returning to her face. She turned slowly away from him, to continue watching the rampaging miniature on the far side of the room, "you always are..."
"Ah! Sorry to do this to you so suddenly after your arrival," Zann suddenly called out from beside her, "but unfortunately, I have to leave on an important errand, it is of vital importance that I complete it immediately. I'll return shortly and then we can return to your... orientation into the krewe."
As he turned to leave, a gloved hand met his shoulder, holding it firmly. "Tink, stay here and show her around, I'll go get whatever it is you need." Casting her eyes to the floor she muttered quietly, "it's all I do these days anyway."
"Then, perhaps overseeing our new recruit will be a welcome change of pace," he shrugged sheepishly, slowly lifting the paw from his shoulder, and pressing it between his own grey hands reassuringly, "this won't take but a moment, and besides, she's just a child. Surely Qaxu, you of all people aren't afraid of a little progeny?"
"Of course not!" Qaxu puffed out her chest and stood at full height, a full head and a half over her companion. "Take your time and don't worry about a thing!"
"Excellent!" Zann chuckled over his shoulder, already strolling to the open door. "The algorithm for success will not accept mismatched variables, Qaxu." he added, in a tone that would imply his statement nothing more than an afterthought, "I really do need the two of you to get along."
Sighing to herself, the larger Asura turned her back to him as well, rubbing her tired eyes. Where had her peaceful morning suddenly gone? At least she wouldn't have to break her back dragging heavy boxes halfway across Metrica Province today, she supposed. However, as Qaxu removed the hand from her eyes and surveyed the lab now that their new friend had gotten her hands on it, her jaw dropped. Like a whirlwind she seemed to have blown through the room, papers were scattered everywhere and parts and pieces lay discarded all over the counter, despite complaining about the mess just moments before. From behind Qaxu came the slamming of the laboratory door; no backing out now.
"Hey Shortstack! Try to keep that stuff cleaned up, okay? I'm gonna be the one having to pick it all up later," she called to the little Asura jokingly.
The other Asura seemed to ignore her however, and continued to dig through the parts on the table at an accelerated rate. Stepping closer however, Qaxu could see a mischievous little smile had appeared upon the other's face. Tools were now being tossed aside at random and with reckless abandon.
"C'mon Shorty, that's not funny." she tried again, this time a bit more forcibly, her throat rumbling ever so slightly with dangerous frustration.
This time, Uummi did pause, but only for a second. Locking eyes with Qaxu she hissed, "Don't. Call. Me. Shorty!" and with that, returned to the production of her ever growing mess heap.
"F-fine then..." Qaxu stuttered, off-put by the ferocity of the little Asura's reprise.
"How's Mini sound? Bug-eyes?" she added jokingly after a moment.
Her teasing was met with a guttural growls which sounded more like they had come from Jungle Stalker then an Asura, and Qaxu sighed once more, resigning herself back to the formerly vacated chair. To deal with this brat, she was going to need to preserve her energy, it seemed.
For a time, she simply observed, ignoring the little Asura's ridiculous commentary on the state of the room. It was even a little amusing, a strange little child coming in seemingly with plans to retrofit the whole place all by herself. If she didn't destroy it first. She was clearly quite intelligent, judging by her smug, accomplished arrogance and knowledge about technological parts. Why a youth with such potential would ever take an interest in such a minor krewe baffled Qaxu. Her attention was suddenly jerked from its ponderings, however, as Uummi had set her sights upon the main lab table, upon which lay the remnants of the previous day's work: the shell of a Mini B-Series Golem. Its steel frame was covered in scratches and it was missing both arms and legs. A number of internal instruments and parts lay strewn about it. Qaxu's eyes warily trailed the little one, though her body did not move from its reclining position.
Stopping upon something, Uummi's mouth twisted into a tight scowl. As she lifted into the air to read the inscription upon its side, Qaxu also caught a better look at it: the main Alpha Drive, a particularly expensive and important piece of their golem.
"Hey! Be careful with that, it's-"
"A Hyper Talum Alpha Drive! What scrap heap was this ancient piece of junk pulled from?" the little Asura proclaimed with mocking triumph.
"Put it down. Now." Qaxu's frustration and concern was written across her face.
"Whose ingenious plan was it to use this?" Uummi snickered, seemingly ignorant of the larger Asura slowly marching towards her, "It would be entirely impossible for simpletons like you to run an AI made in the last year on it... Geh?!"
With surprising agility, Qaxu had closed the gap between the two in an instant, and now firmly gripped Uummi's wrist in one gloved mitt. With the other, she plucked the delicate device from the miniature Asura's now limp hand, and placed it delicately upon the table.
"That's enough, kid," Qaxu glared down at her new krewemate, all signs of former joviality had disappeared from her face, "Now, we're going to clean this mess up before Zann gets back. Keep acting like this, and I'll personally make sure you're off this krewe by tomorrow."
For a split-second Uummi paused, as though seriously considering her options. But it was quickly replaced with a nonchalant shrug as her smirking grin reappeared.
"It's not my fault you worthless krewe can't even afford a half-decent Alpha drive!" she hissed at Qaxu, "And, I don't want anything to do with a moronic brute like you or that driveling idiot anyway!" her eyes had squinted like slits and they glinted with embarrassed anger. "So, let go of me, you big, dumb, bookah bully!"
With that the little Asura gathered saliva in her mouth and spit, aiming it for the larger figure's face. But the foamy ball did not fly, instead dripping awkwardly down her own chin.
In response, Qaxu's grip tightened like a vice on the little Asura's arm, and she yanked it up into the air, so that the dangling Uummi's face was only inches from her own furrowed brow.
"What was that, brat?!" Qaxu's patience had long since reached its limit, "You're like a spoiled little Bookah princess! You come in here acting like you own the place, trash everything I work so hard to keep clean, insult my friend- your boss, and then have the gall to be spit at me?"
Uummi hung limply by her restrained arm like a rag doll, mouth stretched thinly into a bitter frown. Her eyes remained locked with Qaxu's, and they glowed with undisguised disgust.
"Heh! Asura are all the same!" Qaxu had begun to roar with all the might and savagery of a bear. "Every single one thinks they're a genius and everyone else is their footstool. Worst of all are the spoiled little brats like you, who believe someone less talented then you is garbage to be thrown around and abused! Well listen up you little punk; sometimes that trash you thought to throw away turns out far more valuable then you ever will be! Enjoy finding a job somewhere else!" she finished spitefully, dropping the little Asura with a sudden motion and turning away from her to face the window. Sunlight still streaming through it, but the warmth and comfort it had once brought was no longer present.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Uummi, still sat where she had been dropped, awkwardly wiping the spit from her chin with one sleeve, pausing hesitantly, then reaching further up to wipe her eyes. Her outburst complete, Qaxu could feel the adrenaline quickly fading, to be replaced with an awkward sense of guilt. Subconsciously, she shifted one foot towards the crumpled figure behind her, but her pride quickly forced the offending foot to a standstill. But still, it couldn't be right just to leave her like that...
Qaxu swallowed hard, and took a slow, deep breath, "Look, Shor-erm, I mean, Uummi, just forget what I said." her words were awkward and forced.
The quivering ball behind her did not respond or show any sign of comprehension. Qaxu felt a familiar frustration rushing up to meet her, but she pushed it back.
"You're smart. That's all that matters here. There will be more chances for you," Qaxu could feel her throat clenching with every word.
"To have passed through one of the colleges at your age… another krewe will pick you up in no time." with every word, Qaxu's demeanor grew darker still and her voice rang out with bitterness. "You won't end up as a futureless lab assistant."
"I didn..." muttered the ball on the floor.
"Hmm? Did you say something? You'll have to be louder than that," Qaxu forced a humorless chuckle, half turning to face her.
"I said I DIDN'T!" Uummi suddenly surged to her feet, screeching as loudly as her little lungs would allow, "I didn't graduate from Dynamics! I didn't graduate at all! I wasn't even accepted in!"
Qaxu stared blankly back, completely caught out by Uummi's unexpected response.
"And you… you're no different either! You're just another big bully! I… I…" Uummi continued, but her words were lost on the shocked figure before her.
Qaxu could only see the glinting of tears forming in the young Asura's eyes. A newfound sense of guilt hit her even harder than the first. This ridiculous, elitist brat hadn't been accepted into even one of the Asuran Colleges? How could that even be possible? Surely she was smart enough for it… but then again, she surely wouldn't be here if she had been accepted. If that brat really had failed to earn the interest of one of the colleges, then…
Qaxu ears barely registered the patter of Uummi's padded shoes as the girl fled the room. Her tingling face could only just feel the sudden burst of warm jungle air rushing into the sealed vacuum of the lab. As she dazedly turned toward the echo of the metal door slamming down again, a single thought permeated Qaxu's conscious and refused to be dislodged; it floated before her as though etched into her very sight itself. After every bitter insult she had received, after every cruel reprise she had returned, after so much irrevocable damage had been dealt, she couldn't help but wonder:
Were they really so different after all?