Matt checked carefully around the corner for the Booma hoard that had followed he and Sarah this far, not seeing them anywhere.
"Sarah." He called, and his smaller Newman sister came out of a hollow nearby. She had pale purple hair that hung down to her waist and her small figure looked too fragile for the brand she was carrying. Power had shadowed the desperate need for speed when the hoard attacked, but as Matt watched, Sarah abandoned her brand for the deadly knives she liked better.
"Are you sure it's safe?" She asked, coming to stand beside him, lifting her blue eyes to look at him. Matt nodded.
"The hoard is gone. We should be able to continue." He tugged his silver braid and hefted his own sword, slowly walking out into the body strewn, blood splattered open, Sarah on his heels.
"We should head for the warp pad west of here...we need to get to higher ground." Sarah looked at the electronic map, noticing three small blips on the far corner of the scanner. "Wait." She held a hand out to Matt, who had been walking towards a pair of doors nearby. "There's something else here...something..." She spun around and searched the high hills and treetops for the enemy. Matt's hand tightened on his sword and he swallowed, moving to stand beside Sarah.
"Is it Booma's" He asked, then Sarah let out a sound of warning. Too fast to see, three shadows swooped from the treetops and slammed hard into the ground.
"No, it's not Booma's." She shouted, and Matt stood on guard.
"What...are these things?" He asked. They were too big, too fast and too strong for the two hunter siblings to have any chance of defeating. "Damn it...Sarah, we have to get out of here!" Matt tried to make a break for the door, but one of the massive creatures flattened him as it jumped and landed in front of him.
"Matt!" Sarah screamed, then she growled and summoned up her magic, blasting a powerful Barta attack at the one creature to the left. It bakced off, but the one in front of her swung it's fist back and prepared to punch her. Sarah searched for a way to jump, but she saw the hoard closing in. "Matt!" She cried despretly, summoning magic to blast a Rabarta. A Booma on her right knocked her down and she saw stars. Matt was calling her name from somewhere. "No..."
Suddenly, the creatures above her backed away, their attention drawn by the pained and angered screaming of one of the huge mutants that had attacked. Matt came running over to her and helped her up, smiling.
"There's a ranger somwhere. Someone picked off that extra giant with a sniper. C'mon, Sarah, let's go get them!" Coming to her senses a bit, Sarah looked dimly at her brother, who cast Resta to heal her wounds.
"Okay." She looked over to where the hoard was returning to them, to where the giants, now only two, were heading towards the trees. One of them jerked and toppled while the other turned and leapt back towards them, landing a mere three feet away. Matt growled and ran towards it, knocking a Booma to the ground on the way. Sarah heard a giggle from above her, looking up into the trees. A woman sat there, from the look of her clothes, a Ranger. She held a huge sniper rifle in her hands and a buster was attached at her waist, her blonde hair waving slightly as she stood. With a flying leap, she jumped from the trees and landed on the shoulders of the unsuspecting creature below. Matt looked up at her as she held her footing against the startled thrashing of the Hildebear. Her sniper aimed straight down at it's head, she looked up at Matt and winked. Realizing her was far too close, the turned and began to run back towards Sarah, who stared at the woman in curiousity.
The Ranger took her buster from her waist and pulled the trigger on her sniper, blasting a photon bullet straight down into the Hildebear's head. Any roar it tried to attempt became a pitiful moan as it fell to the ground with a crash, its blood splashing across the ground. The ranger woman did a graceful tumble from the falling creature's shoulders, shouldering her own sniper and brandishing her buster as she raced forward through the remains of the hoard. With spins and thrusts, she took out what was left of the Boomas without stopping, dancing through the crowds, through gaps that no one should have been able to fit through without getting stuck or being hit. At last, she came to rest at the feet of the hunter siblings, panting slightly but smiling widely. Looking up, she met Sarah's blue eyes with her own deep purple ones.
"Lucky I was here to save your slaughtering lives." She said in a slightly accented voice. "I'm Kumiko."
"Sarah." He called, and his smaller Newman sister came out of a hollow nearby. She had pale purple hair that hung down to her waist and her small figure looked too fragile for the brand she was carrying. Power had shadowed the desperate need for speed when the hoard attacked, but as Matt watched, Sarah abandoned her brand for the deadly knives she liked better.
"Are you sure it's safe?" She asked, coming to stand beside him, lifting her blue eyes to look at him. Matt nodded.
"The hoard is gone. We should be able to continue." He tugged his silver braid and hefted his own sword, slowly walking out into the body strewn, blood splattered open, Sarah on his heels.
"We should head for the warp pad west of here...we need to get to higher ground." Sarah looked at the electronic map, noticing three small blips on the far corner of the scanner. "Wait." She held a hand out to Matt, who had been walking towards a pair of doors nearby. "There's something else here...something..." She spun around and searched the high hills and treetops for the enemy. Matt's hand tightened on his sword and he swallowed, moving to stand beside Sarah.
"Is it Booma's" He asked, then Sarah let out a sound of warning. Too fast to see, three shadows swooped from the treetops and slammed hard into the ground.
"No, it's not Booma's." She shouted, and Matt stood on guard.
"What...are these things?" He asked. They were too big, too fast and too strong for the two hunter siblings to have any chance of defeating. "Damn it...Sarah, we have to get out of here!" Matt tried to make a break for the door, but one of the massive creatures flattened him as it jumped and landed in front of him.
"Matt!" Sarah screamed, then she growled and summoned up her magic, blasting a powerful Barta attack at the one creature to the left. It bakced off, but the one in front of her swung it's fist back and prepared to punch her. Sarah searched for a way to jump, but she saw the hoard closing in. "Matt!" She cried despretly, summoning magic to blast a Rabarta. A Booma on her right knocked her down and she saw stars. Matt was calling her name from somewhere. "No..."
Suddenly, the creatures above her backed away, their attention drawn by the pained and angered screaming of one of the huge mutants that had attacked. Matt came running over to her and helped her up, smiling.
"There's a ranger somwhere. Someone picked off that extra giant with a sniper. C'mon, Sarah, let's go get them!" Coming to her senses a bit, Sarah looked dimly at her brother, who cast Resta to heal her wounds.
"Okay." She looked over to where the hoard was returning to them, to where the giants, now only two, were heading towards the trees. One of them jerked and toppled while the other turned and leapt back towards them, landing a mere three feet away. Matt growled and ran towards it, knocking a Booma to the ground on the way. Sarah heard a giggle from above her, looking up into the trees. A woman sat there, from the look of her clothes, a Ranger. She held a huge sniper rifle in her hands and a buster was attached at her waist, her blonde hair waving slightly as she stood. With a flying leap, she jumped from the trees and landed on the shoulders of the unsuspecting creature below. Matt looked up at her as she held her footing against the startled thrashing of the Hildebear. Her sniper aimed straight down at it's head, she looked up at Matt and winked. Realizing her was far too close, the turned and began to run back towards Sarah, who stared at the woman in curiousity.
The Ranger took her buster from her waist and pulled the trigger on her sniper, blasting a photon bullet straight down into the Hildebear's head. Any roar it tried to attempt became a pitiful moan as it fell to the ground with a crash, its blood splashing across the ground. The ranger woman did a graceful tumble from the falling creature's shoulders, shouldering her own sniper and brandishing her buster as she raced forward through the remains of the hoard. With spins and thrusts, she took out what was left of the Boomas without stopping, dancing through the crowds, through gaps that no one should have been able to fit through without getting stuck or being hit. At last, she came to rest at the feet of the hunter siblings, panting slightly but smiling widely. Looking up, she met Sarah's blue eyes with her own deep purple ones.
"Lucky I was here to save your slaughtering lives." She said in a slightly accented voice. "I'm Kumiko."
