Chapter 2
Me? Badass? No! I'm Just Trying to Survive This Damn Place
Va'n stalked down up the hallway as he searched for one of the hard meats, trying to ignore the ooman that followed behind him. He had been pissed that he had forgotten his staff in the room, leaving it to be picked up by the female, which pissed him off even more. But when he saw her eyes when he had been growly at her, he saw that she wasn't afraid of him, not at that moment anyway. "Here. Better you get it back then me keeping it."
What had she meant by that? Did she think that he was going to protect her now? He let out a short growl in disgust. Why the pauk would he ever protect one of her lowly kind? They were nothing more then cattle, their only purpose was to breed the kiande amedha for the hunt. For Yaut'ja of his age to ascend to the rank of a Blooded Warrior, they need to compete the hunt, and come back alive. He looked behind at her through his mask, the ooman walking behind him with caution, but still trying to keep up with him. He humphed, frustrated that she decided to follow him around like a tamed animal who had lost it's way. He would not try and loose her, too much energy on his part, but if a hard meat happened to come by and eat her, oh well.
He sure as c'jit wasn't going to help her.
But the way she had looked at the text of the walls did intrigue him. It was the language of the old ones, he briefly knew what the walls read but did not care for them. They had been written by the Yaut'ja that did not had their Blood Hunt in a pyramid like the recent generations had. The language had been taught to the pyode amedha, back when they willingly took part in the Hunt, but it had been split into multiple languages for them, most not spoken by the oomans that now resided the back-water planet. But, the way she had looked at them, the way her eyes had glided over them easily and she had whispered what sounded like the Elders speech but then she stopped and began to write dawn the symbols and words
Va'n pushed aside the possibly of her understanding. Most of his generation did not care for the past and did not try to learn the language. He knew a few words and phrases, but that was because his sire had spent his free time with Va'n, not much, but much more then most sires cared to give aside from training their young bloods. He had known the language, he had wanted to become one of the Elders, who spoke the language when they conversed with each other. He had taught Va'n some, but not all, and most of what he had taught had faded from his mind with time. An alarm went off in his mast, snapping him out of his thoughts, and alerting him of hard meats that were heading his way. He quickly came upon an empty room that held some space for him to move around, and he simply stood still. Let then come to him. Let them come to their deaths.
Ailin was confused as she watched the tall being stand in the room. Why was he doing that? Did he want to tempt fate? Those things were everywhere, and even though none had come around since she had followed down the confusing corridors, she certainly did not want to see anymore of them. She just wanted to get out, and go home. Screw the money she was getting paid as compensation for the practical kidnapping she had suffered. Ailin heard a hiss and she gasped, jumping as she turned to see something slither in the shadows of hallway they had come in from. She felt a heat creep into her back and she ignored the fact that she was so close to him that she could feel his body's warmth, as she pulled out one of the throwing knives she had stuffed in her pockets. She felt the tips of his "dreads" pass her hair and the long strands went through her hair and went across her neck. She suppressed the shiver that threatened to go down her spine, and tried to focus on the monsters that was heading straight for them.
Va'n growled as he saw the number of Kainde Amedha there were, the battle was going to be tough by himself, as the female wouldn't do much good except as a meat shield. "How many are there?" She asked him, as if expecting an answer. Va'n was baffled. Wasn't it clear he was not here to help her? Well...if anything, she should know how many there were, since she was gonna die to their jaws. Maybe then she would leave him alone. He let out a long growl next to her ear, though it was directed to the hard meats. "That sounds like a lot..." He heard the fear in her voice, and saw how she trembled. He continued to growl, though this time his growl was filled with words. "That's it. Be afraid. Run in terror like your kind always does. Run, little one. Run weakling. Run!" He shouted the last word in a language of Old, one where he knew a few words. But, as if she heard and understood his words, he saw her grow straight, and though he still sensed her fear, he now sensed another thing overcoming it; Determination. "I refuse to go down. I refuse to die!" at this, she raised her hand that gripped her puny blade, saying, "And I refuse to run!" With that, her hand arced, the blade sent flying into the open jaws of one of the hard meats. He watched the blade go down it's throat, straight through the second mouth and it stood there, frozen. Then, as lightly greened blood poured up from it mouth, it fell to the floor, with a loud thump! silencing every living thing in the room.
Ailin stared at the black body that was now dead, by her hand, the others of it's kind sniffing at it's corpse. They then jerked their heads up, hissing, roaring and snapping their jaws at her. "What!" She exclaimed, then turning to the giant who seemed to be in shock. "If it weren't for the fact that they want to eat me, i would feel sorry but I don't!" She turned back to the mob of black bodies and teeth, pulling out a pair of knives. "i just wanna survive this shit!"
At her shout, the monsters surged forward, looking more pissed now that she had killed one of their comrades. She put a foot behind her as she braced herself. She saw the staff extend from her peripheral vision, and then he ran forward, plowing down multiple monsters at down. But as some dodged him and came after her, she dashed to the side and flung some of her knives into the closest one's head. As she landed, she looked to it to see it almost unfazed, shaking it's head violently before roaring at her, the blood that dripped down from it hissing as it melted into the floor. "Ok-Acidic blood. Didn't know that!"
It seemed to laugh at her, tauntingly, and then one of the others ran at her. Ailin pulled out another knife, this one a combat knife, and she defended herself as it attempted to claw at her. The knife met every blow, frustrating the thing until it attempted to skewer her with it's tail as it held onto her knife. She surrendered the weapon as she rolled away and out of the danger. She stood back up, only to be met with the one with her knives in it's head, though she was sure that they had melted by now. Jumping away as it tried to snap her in two, she found the other one had dropped her combat knife, and was now slithering over to her. Looking back, she saw the first one about to leap at her. Taking a deep breath, she ran forward, towards the uninjured one, and as it leapt at her, she fell to her knees, but kept going forward. Sliding under the monster, she eventually came to her knife and picked it up, turning just in time to see the pair meet each other, the force of the blow causing the other's head to crack open. As they fell to the ground, Ailin turned to see another one flying straight at her. Gasping she lunged forward, the thing barely missing her. She dashed up to stand, but at she looked at it, she realized that it was dead already.
Looking behind, Ailin saw that the masked being was tearing through them, stabbing each one and dodge it's blood before going to the next one. She gave a small laugh, thinking that he was showing off, then turned just as the monster that had taken her knife lunge for her. She tried to twist away, but as it zoomed past her, it's tail whipped around and caught her on her arm. Crying out in pain, she fell on her ass as she clutched at her arm, her blood pouring onto the floor around her. She looked up at it, and she saw it get close to her, growling deeply as it prepared to take her out with it's second mouth.
"Go to hell you son of a bitch!" She yelled, using her other hand to dig her combat knife into the thing's throat, her own cries of pain joining it's while it's blood burned her skin. She scrambled away, flicking the blood off as the thing fell where she had been moments ago. Ignoring the pain, she looked over to see that whoever was still alive was retreating, except for one that she wasn't quite sure if she should trust him or not. He turned to her, and she gave him a smile before she began to hiss loudly in pain. The last thing she remembered was him running towards her, spear in hand, and then everything went black.
