Chapter 1: The GOD Bites Own Lip in Chagrin
In the far-off future, the world has drastically changed, due to the coming of the Gears that threatened humanity, and the Crusades that ravaged the lands several years prior. The humans have survived, though, and have rebuilt the majority of their civilizations around the globe, and have even started getting along with the products of the experiments that took place beforehand. Meta-humans, as they are often called, that resemble their human counterparts, but with enhanced abilities, extra appendages, or animal-like traits, have become as much as a part of society as the humans themselves. They live and work side-by-side, many not caring about the differences of the other species. However, there are those that hold prejudice against them, as well as against the Gears that still remain, even after the fall of Justice during the end of the Crusades.
In one of the nameless ruins of a city long-since forgotten, a solitary man walked among the rubble, an oddly-shaped sword strapped onto his back. His white hair waved in the subtle breeze as he looked around, seemingly looking around for something in the area. He tugged at his red jacket, pulling it closer to his body as he groaned in dissatisfaction. "Tch, doesn't look like anyone's here either…" he said, shaking his head. The man ran his gloved fingers through his hair, stopping to rest against a large slab of concrete. He sighed, taking a moment to look around again. "Damn… and I was hoping to find some place to get some food around here. Nothing but a dump though…" Pushing himself from his resting place, he continued to walk again. "Maybe I'll find something in the next city…" he said, trying to reassure himself as he made his way along.
Off in the distance, though, another being watched the first man from the top of a junk heap. His features were obscured by a mask, goggles, and a large hood that covered most of his head. Standing beside him was a large dog, wearing his own set of goggles similar to his master's. The dog barked excitedly, causing the man to look down and shush him. "Keep quiet boy! We don't want to let him know that we're here!" he said, patting the dog's head and turning back to watch the mysterious red-clad warrior. "I'm certain that it's him! That has to be the wanted criminal, Ragna the Bloodedge!" The hooded figure nodded to himself, before heaving himself over the junk pile and sliding down, trying to keep Ragna in his sights. His faithful companion followed suit, his tail wagging happily as he ran alongside him.
The swordsman didn't immediately notice the other man, until the shorter individual made himself known by running up to him. "Um… Excuse me!" he said nervously, getting the white-haired man's attention. Ragna turned his head and looked down at the man (seemingly no more than 5 feet tall), and quirked a curious eyebrow at him. "Huh? What the hell do you want?" he said, an irritated tone in his voice. The dog panted heavily as his master continued to fumble with his words. "W-Well, um… Would h-happen to be… R-Ragna the Bloodedge?" The warrior crossed his arms in front of his chest and smirked, curious as to how this diminutive person knew who he was. "Nope. Sorry, you've got the wrong guy…" he said, turning on his heel and starting to walk away.
The small man ran up again, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "B-But… this picture looks just like you!" Ragna stopped, then turned and snatched the paper from the stranger. A crudely drawn wanted poster, with Ragna's picture on it, stared back at the white-haired man. "What the-? Seriously, do they make these things ugly on purpose? At least give me a little bit of credit!" "Aha! So you are Ragna the Bloodedge!" the smaller person chimed in, his dog adding an excited bark. Ragna paused, stifling his anger for the time being, after realizing that he had just given himself away. He sighed, balling up the poster and tossing it over his shoulder, before grabbing the hilt of his large sword. "Alright, here's the deal… We start fighting, I threaten to tear off your limbs, and you run off screaming like a little girl… Okay?" As Ragna opened his eyes, he saw the little man running off with his dog again. "Uhh, hold that thought! We'll be right back!" he shouted, disappearing behind another pile of rubble. Ragna blinked bemusedly before reseating his sword into its straps. "Huh… Well, that was easy enough…" he said, shrugging his shoulders and turning to walk off again. Suddenly, he felt the ground around him rumble, and he stopped to look around again. Then, the rubble that the mysterious stranger had ran behind was torn down, revealing a huge beast of some sort. Ragna stepped back cautiously, his eyes widened with surprise. The beast unleashed an earth-shaking roar, before opening its mouth wide to reveal the man and his dog sitting inside it. "Now, what were you saying again, Mr. Ragna the Bloodedge?"
The red-clad warrior could only think of one thing to say at this point.
"O-Ohh…. Sh-Shit!"