The hunter that was not hunted
"Let's see if we can't get the gate closed," Cecilia suggested to her three companions, "The Elw are very nervous about it remaining open."
"Aw, they're just paranoid," Jack waved a hand around.
"They have a right to be, I believe," Hanpan supplied, "After what they were subjected to."
"I still think they're carryin' it too far," Jack grinned, "Not to mention, I think you've got a following, Rudy."
The blue-haired youth whirled around to see that a small crowd of people were, indeed, following them.
"Hi," Emma grinned, "We thought that just a general thank you wasn't enough, so we ought to thank you personally. And it turned out that a rather large group of us felt that way, so we tried to catch your trail, but Zed and his friend here, who'd have believed that a blind girl could track so well. You'd think tracking required sight, but-"
"Chatterbox," a diminutive girl with more blonde hair hanging down her back than could possibly be healthy, rolled her eyes, "She's just hyper. Aren't you gonna say hi?"
The shocked friends waved and greeted the larger group as was their wont.
"Anyone got any idea how to shut down the Elw gate?" Jack asked in general.
"Jack!" Cecilia and Hanpan yelped, while Rudy glared.
"Oops," Jack slapped his forehead, "Forget I said anything."
"Forget what?" the blonde girl blinked, pseudo- innocent.
"That he mentioned an Elw artifact, something to do with the Elw race, maybe even contacting them! Oh, wow! I knew that if I hung around you people long enough, I'd find something spectacular, but I thought getting my EMMA Motor running was it! Oh, wow!" Emma motored on in her usual fashion.
"Geez, Jack," Hanpan dead-panned, "You have such a big mouth. How will we explain 'Miss-I-can't-pass-up-a-discovery' to the Elw?"
"We realize it was accidental," Emiko stated magnaminously.
"Whew," Jack sighed, "Wait, what the-?"
Everyone but Rudy was shocked speechless. He wasn't, only because that was his usual state.
"Just why are you here?" Cecilia squawked, "Not to sound rude, of course."
"For the same reason you are," the Elw elder stated ponderously, "To close the gate. We must, however, ask that Rudy stay with us. He is a technological danger to all of you. The Holmcross are not without their own predators. We wish to protect you, and him, by keeping him with us."
"There are Holmcross- hunters?," Emma squeaked.
"Of course," Rudy spoke up in a rare moment of loquacity, "They realized the danger that Holmcross posed, and felt it a necessary evil to create creatures that could hunt and eliminate the Holmcross. The main difference, is that these are humans, faced with terminal status, given another chance at life. I've been doing some,... reading."
"Well, Rudy," Mariel smiled shyly, "Are you ready to go home, now?"
Rudy nodded and stepped to join the Elw. Emiko further expounded the issue, "They will continue to hunt the last Holmcross no matter that he is not evil, unless we change their programming. So it is safest to have him with us, so they do not assume you are brainwashed."
"This other race is that bad, eh," Jack rolled his eyes, "They're so lacking in understanding. But why weren't they deactivated?"
"That would be akin to murder," a tall man lounged against the small outcropping of stone that served as the gate between Filgaia and the Elw dimension, "True, killing Holmcross is little better, but the Holmcross are mad dogs. We just hunt them."
He stepped forward and was revealed to be a young man, almost into actual adulthood, with blue eyes squinting against the sun, and scars on either side of his face dragging from his jawbones to his cheekbones, and auburn hair hanging over a dark blue diadem.
"Gryphon," Emiko walked up to the young man, "This is Rudy, the experimental Holmcross unit. The experiment was a success. He needs not to be hunted. Convey that to the others."
"Honestly, grandfather," the younger man crouched, "I was not here to hunt. The others, or at least Max and Kane, are in trouble."
"Well," Emiko tangled his fingers in his beard, "Rudy, Gryphon, do you think you can work together?"
Gryphon looked at Rudy, and seemed to stare right into his chips and sensors. He finally smiled slightly, but it certainly reached his eyes, "If he's no problem with me, I've none with him. For Holmcross, he's actually quite strong and sturdy."
"Ha," Emiko let out a bark of laughter, "Rudy, you should relax! Gryphon's one of the best at judging character, and he approves of you! Go, now, children, and rescue the lad. If he's corrupted-"
"Sorry, grandfather," Gryphon interrupted, "But there are too many civilians around for that."
"Go," Emiko urged, "Go quickly."
"Let's see if we can't get the gate closed," Cecilia suggested to her three companions, "The Elw are very nervous about it remaining open."
"Aw, they're just paranoid," Jack waved a hand around.
"They have a right to be, I believe," Hanpan supplied, "After what they were subjected to."
"I still think they're carryin' it too far," Jack grinned, "Not to mention, I think you've got a following, Rudy."
The blue-haired youth whirled around to see that a small crowd of people were, indeed, following them.
"Hi," Emma grinned, "We thought that just a general thank you wasn't enough, so we ought to thank you personally. And it turned out that a rather large group of us felt that way, so we tried to catch your trail, but Zed and his friend here, who'd have believed that a blind girl could track so well. You'd think tracking required sight, but-"
"Chatterbox," a diminutive girl with more blonde hair hanging down her back than could possibly be healthy, rolled her eyes, "She's just hyper. Aren't you gonna say hi?"
The shocked friends waved and greeted the larger group as was their wont.
"Anyone got any idea how to shut down the Elw gate?" Jack asked in general.
"Jack!" Cecilia and Hanpan yelped, while Rudy glared.
"Oops," Jack slapped his forehead, "Forget I said anything."
"Forget what?" the blonde girl blinked, pseudo- innocent.
"That he mentioned an Elw artifact, something to do with the Elw race, maybe even contacting them! Oh, wow! I knew that if I hung around you people long enough, I'd find something spectacular, but I thought getting my EMMA Motor running was it! Oh, wow!" Emma motored on in her usual fashion.
"Geez, Jack," Hanpan dead-panned, "You have such a big mouth. How will we explain 'Miss-I-can't-pass-up-a-discovery' to the Elw?"
"We realize it was accidental," Emiko stated magnaminously.
"Whew," Jack sighed, "Wait, what the-?"
Everyone but Rudy was shocked speechless. He wasn't, only because that was his usual state.
"Just why are you here?" Cecilia squawked, "Not to sound rude, of course."
"For the same reason you are," the Elw elder stated ponderously, "To close the gate. We must, however, ask that Rudy stay with us. He is a technological danger to all of you. The Holmcross are not without their own predators. We wish to protect you, and him, by keeping him with us."
"There are Holmcross- hunters?," Emma squeaked.
"Of course," Rudy spoke up in a rare moment of loquacity, "They realized the danger that Holmcross posed, and felt it a necessary evil to create creatures that could hunt and eliminate the Holmcross. The main difference, is that these are humans, faced with terminal status, given another chance at life. I've been doing some,... reading."
"Well, Rudy," Mariel smiled shyly, "Are you ready to go home, now?"
Rudy nodded and stepped to join the Elw. Emiko further expounded the issue, "They will continue to hunt the last Holmcross no matter that he is not evil, unless we change their programming. So it is safest to have him with us, so they do not assume you are brainwashed."
"This other race is that bad, eh," Jack rolled his eyes, "They're so lacking in understanding. But why weren't they deactivated?"
"That would be akin to murder," a tall man lounged against the small outcropping of stone that served as the gate between Filgaia and the Elw dimension, "True, killing Holmcross is little better, but the Holmcross are mad dogs. We just hunt them."
He stepped forward and was revealed to be a young man, almost into actual adulthood, with blue eyes squinting against the sun, and scars on either side of his face dragging from his jawbones to his cheekbones, and auburn hair hanging over a dark blue diadem.
"Gryphon," Emiko walked up to the young man, "This is Rudy, the experimental Holmcross unit. The experiment was a success. He needs not to be hunted. Convey that to the others."
"Honestly, grandfather," the younger man crouched, "I was not here to hunt. The others, or at least Max and Kane, are in trouble."
"Well," Emiko tangled his fingers in his beard, "Rudy, Gryphon, do you think you can work together?"
Gryphon looked at Rudy, and seemed to stare right into his chips and sensors. He finally smiled slightly, but it certainly reached his eyes, "If he's no problem with me, I've none with him. For Holmcross, he's actually quite strong and sturdy."
"Ha," Emiko let out a bark of laughter, "Rudy, you should relax! Gryphon's one of the best at judging character, and he approves of you! Go, now, children, and rescue the lad. If he's corrupted-"
"Sorry, grandfather," Gryphon interrupted, "But there are too many civilians around for that."
"Go," Emiko urged, "Go quickly."