En Route to Dias
Storm quietly stared out the window of the train as it sped down the countryside.
"The monorail should get you to Dias by noon. There's a Military Installation that might have what you're looking for."
Ferris gave him several small flasks of the water he drank last night.
"These should aid you in case you run into any trouble. There have been reports of a Basilisk around the area as well."
"A Basilisk here? Don't they prefer more tropical areas?"
"Seems like the war has spread into one's territory so it must've fled up here and made itself a new home. They are extremely territorial so the good news is there should only be one."
"And what's the bad news."
"The monorail goes right through it."
Storm continued to stare out into the sloping hills and occasional farms when he heard the sound of children playing and he saw two young boys running up and down the railcar.
One was about 7 years old and the other looked to be about 10.
As he watched them, his memories began to return to when he was that age.
He could see his older sister, who was a few years older than him, and his older brother, who was already a grown man in a Military uniform. The three of them seemed so happy in that time until the war started.
Storm was brought back to reality by a massive jolt as his railcar had been struck by a powerful force.
"What the hell…" He said as he looked out of the window and could see what had caused the impact.
He almost couldn't believe his eyes as he saw an enormous emerald green serpent racing next to the monorail.
"A Basilisk."
(A Basilisk is a large serpent with a pair of arms and large spiked frills that expand around its head like a cobra, but this one was twice the size of a normal Basilisk, its body half as wide as the monorail and just as long, which was more than 100 meters.)
He was then knocked out of his seat as it struck again, almost derailing the entire train.
The two boys screamed as they ran to their parents for protection.
Storm knew he had to do something. If the monorail took anymore hits then it was going to crash and possibly kill everyone in it.
He quickly ran to the rear and opened the door, shutting it and climbing the ladder to the top of the monorail, running through the wind as he saw the Basilisk moving away for another strike.
"Oh know you don't!" Storm aimed a hand at the monster as the red jewels in his swords came to life and the atmosphere seemed to shine around him in a rainbow of colors.
"Eat this!"
A large fireball shot from his hand and the Basilisk's head was engulfed in flames.
It wailed in pain and now decided to find what had hit it. Finally its attention focused on Storm.
"That's right you overgrown pair of boots! Come and get me!" He challenged as he unsheathed his twin swords and took a stance.
It responded by grabbing the railcar.
It reared its head back and struck with a giant pair of fangs, each over a meter long and dripping with venom.
Storm rolled out of the way as it pierced through the roof, scaring the people inside.
Storm took this chance and stabbed the top of its snout and climbed on its head.
The Basilisk roared as it let go and the monorail took off, leaving Storm behind.
"At least that takes care of the train, now I have to deal with this thing."
He leaped over its head and began to slide down its body, making slashes along the way
The Basilisk was angry as it coiled up and tried to grab the man.
Storm nimbly avoided the claws and hopped all over its body, making more and more cuts.
Just as he was nearing the ground, it finally got a hold of him.
"Shit!" He cursed as he struggled to break free as it raised him towards its face.
It stared at him for a long time, its tongue flickering in and out, trying to smell him.
With a roar it opened its mouth and moved in to eat him.
"I don't think so!" Storm raised a hand and fired straight into its mouth.
The Basilisk let out another howl as its mouth burned and smoked.
Storm raised both blades above his head and stabbed the hand holding him which immediately let him go, allowing him to kick off into a swan dive to free fall for several seconds before landing on his feet, leaving two small craters where his feet hit.
"That was a close one. I don't have much more magic to use on this thing and all I seem to be doing is pissing it off."
The Basilisk recovered and the slits in its eyes narrowed in anger at the tiny creature that was hurting it. Then it struck.
Storm sprinted away as its massive claws crushed the ground where he stood.
He darted back in and struck the body, but the Basilisk avoided the attack and swung its arms wide, sending Storm high into the air.
Storm couldn't recover and crashed and rolled a short distance before he stopped.
The Basilisk slithered over to its fallen prey before it went for another strike.
Storm's eyes shot open and jumped right as the claws were about to hit, using the arm as a ramp.
The Basilisk tried to grab him with his other hand, but Storm stabbed the arm he was running on to pivot himself and jump on the other arm and continue running up towards the head.
The Basilisk tried to shake him off, but Storm just dug in with his swords and quickly made his way to the head to stab its right eye.
The beast shrieked in agony as it grasped for its destroyed eye as Storm leaped right into its gaping mouth.
Several more explosions erupted inside before Storm shot out of the wall of fire, cutting off its large fangs in one fluid motion.
He landed and turned to face the beast who was still shrieking and wailing as the two fangs stabbed the ground like spears.
The Basilisk was in pain as its mouth was still on fire. It was in too much pain to continue the fight, but far from dead. It would have to take on this prey another time.
Suddenly its mouth opened wide and twin jets of venom shot from its cut fangs.
Storm was surprised by the attack and was washed away in a wave of poison as the Basilisk retreated in a large cloud of dust, leaving Storm in a puddle of the lethal liquid.
"Damn." Storm cursed as he got to his feet.
As soon as those words came out of his mouth, a sudden pain hit his chest and he collapsed to his knees, clutching his body as he began to break into a cold sweat.
"I must warn you that the Basilisk's venom is among the deadliest on Gaia. A single bite can kill almost instantly and even if the poison is absorbed through the skin, you only have minutes to live. Just be glad that there is an antidote for it."
Ferris gives Storm a small bag of herbs.
"The antidote is natural and therefore easily distributed to areas where they reside. This plant can even heal you of other poisons as well."
"Someday I'll have to pay that guy back."
Storm reached into his jacket and pulled out the bag and ate the whole contents. He almost gagged at the bitter taste, but he bore it and swallowed.
He waited as his heartbeat slowed and his body began to recover enough for him to stand.
But now he had to make his way to Dias on foot. He drank some water to heal some of his wounds and moved ahead.
"I hope I'm not too far away."
Night had long set by the time Storm had reached civilization. It wasn't Dias, but it was better than nothing and actually seemed to have a more modern appeal than the last town he was in.
As long as he could find a place to sleep, he didn't care.
He heard gunshots in the distance and shouts before it faded away as if swallowed by the darkness.
"Sounds like a lively town." He muttered as he continued down an empty street.
"Hands up!" Shouted a man with a gun pointed at Storm, accompanied by two other men as backup.
"Just great, more trash." He wasn't in the mood and just kept walking.
"Hey! Are you deaf or stupid! I said put your Godamn hands in the air or I'm going to blow your head off!"
That was the last sentence he ever spoke before Storm had already sliced the gunman's hand and his throat as he continued to walk by as if nothing happened.
The man stood their as if stunned before his hand fell off and his throat became a fountain of blood as he collapsed.
His two friends were struck with fear and seeing Storm heading right for them, took off down a nearby alley.
Seconds later, they flew out as if a great force had hit them and they crashed into a wall. A man walked out from the alley with a look of satisfaction on his face as he clapped his hands together.
He was a tall and well built man in an unusual Karate Gi as it bore many different colors and symbols. His long red headband flapping wildly behind him as his Brass Knuckles glimmered in the streetlight.
"More trash to take care of. No matter how many I beat, they just keep coming up like roaches." Then the guy noticed Storm.
"And another one I see." Then he noticed the dead man behind Storm.
"No wonder those guys were running. But I normally don't kill thugs." Then he grinned.
"Besides, I think I found a really good chance that I can't pass up."
"I really don't have time for this. That guy deserved what happened to him so would you get out of the way." Storm said with a threatening undertone.
"I can tell that you're strong. Not like anyone I've ran into in a long time. So you have no choice, fight me." The stranger raised his fists and set his stance.
Storm responded by slowly bringing out his twin swords.
"Eat this!" The guy punched, and a huge shockwave exploded from his fist.
Storm was surprised and managed to flip out of the way as the shockwave slammed into a parked car, sending it flying and crashing into the second floor of a building.
Storm landed on the top of another car and realized that this guy was on another level compared to Taurus.
"I'm impressed that you dodged my Sonic Punch. This could prove to be a better fight than I expected."
The stranger leaped high into the air and attacked with a diving kick.
Storm leaped straight up as the stranger's foot struck the car, splitting it in two.
Storm flipped backwards and pushed off the wall of a building to land on the opposite side and shot a fireball, blowing up the car.
The fire lit up half of the street and smoke covered the sky.
The stranger chuckled as he walked out of the burning rubble.
"So you have the Fire Materia. Not bad. But it will take more than that to hurt me."
Storm charged in and slashed, his speed making his blades look like streaks of light flickering rapidly, but the stranger had incredible reflexes and was either avoiding or deflecting his attacks.
"Shit, I never expected to run into a guy this good."
The Stranger closed in and dealt a powerful blow to Storm's chest, sending him sliding down the street and then chased after him.
Storm was still sliding by the time the guy had caught up to him.
"Now the finish!" He raised his fist right over Storm's face.
Storm raised his blades and stabbed the asphalt, stopping him just as the fist crushed the ground where his head should have been.
Storm got back up as a magical aura surrounded him before he fired again, striking the stranger in the back before he was engulfed in an explosion.
"Come on. This can't be your only trick." The stranger said as he exited the blast.
Then he gasped as he felt a blade slash right across his body, leaving a diagonal line across his chest.
"What the hell…" He quickly jumped away to avoid a second strike.
"You used your blast as cover to get in close. Interesting."
"That's because I knew that you were using your Ki to nullify my fire and would use it to defend against it." Storm explained as he prepared for another assault.
"You're good to notice that. You've made this fight a most enjoyable one." The stranger stared at the long line of blood on his chest.
"But if this keeps up, there won't be much left of this town. I'm going to have to end this." He slammed his fist into the ground, creating a giant ripple from the ground.
Storm leaped over it to meet the fighter and both clashed in mid-air, slashing and punching and kicking for what seemed like hours before they landed and clashed together, both struggling for the upper-hand.
The fighter then grabbed Storm's swords, even though they were cutting his hands, and tried to punch his face.
Storm was more than surprised that the guy would actually hurt himself to get a hit in, but he still managed to duck the blow.
The stranger had used it as a feint and sprinted right passed Storm.
He only ran faster as he reached a building, ran straight up it, and pushed off of it with a foot to take to the air.
"It's over!" Shouted as he flew in a high arch towards Storm with a fist surging with energy.
"I don't think so!" Storm looked behind him as black fire slowly manifested around his body.
"Sonic Punch!"
"Demon Rush!"
Storm turned, swinging his blade to meet the fighter's fist and both connected, and a flash of light shined before an incredible explosion erupted between them and the entire area shook violently as buildings and streets cracked from the shockwave.
After the light faded, their backs were facing eachother, neither moving.
The silence was broken as the tip of one of Storm's swords pierced the ground.
Storm was shocked as he noticed that his blade was broken in half.
"Incredible. You have possibly given me the best fight I've had in a long time."
The stranger stood up and turned to face him.
"But I guess it's a draw seeing that our weapons are destroyed." He raised his right hand and the Brass Knuckle shattered to pieces.
Sirens could be heard coming closer and both took it as a good time to leave.
"I hope we meet again. The name's Carlos. Remember that, ciao." The fighter waved as he leaped to a wall and bounced onto the roof of another building and was gone.
Storm took another route to look for a place to stay until he could get ride tomorrow morning.
The Sun began to rise over the tall buildings, casting its warmth across the land.
Storm woke up and stretched a little, checking for any injuries from last night. Nothing that would hinder his journey.
He paid for his stay and left the hotel and noticed a familiar face.
"Yo." Said the man who was leaning against the building.
"What do you want?" Storm demanded, not really caring as he turned to make his way to the monorail.
"Hey hey hey! Don't be in such a rush!" Carlos yelled after him. "I was just wondering where you were off to."
"How did you find me anyways?" Storm asked, not bothering to answer.
Carlos chuckled a little as if it were the easiest question to answer.
"Simple, guys like us who thirst for battle can always find each other. It wasn't very hard tracking you down."
"And why are you here now?"
"Because you're the first guy that I've run into that actually made me get serious. I've been looking for someone strong to test myself against. So I thought I'd tag along as you seem to be on a mission of some kind."
"Something like that." Storm replied.
They reached the train station after some time of walking.
"So where are we headed?" Carlos asked.
"What do you mean 'we'?" Storm asked.
"I told you that I'm going with you. I'm getting bored with this place and need a change of scenery."
Storm didn't bother trying to keep Carlos from coming as he was now like a puppy that would follow him no matter what he did.
"By the way. You never gave me your name." Carlos mentioned.
"It's Storm."
Soon after, the monorail's engines roared to life and sped out of the city.
The train cart they were in was less populated so they had plenty of space to stretch out.
"Well since we're traveling together now, what are you trying to do anyway?" Carlos asked, lying down in a comfortable booth.
"Why do you want to know?" Storm asked, staring out of the window.
"Thought it might be good to know a little about each other a little. It would be odd if we were going somewhere and all we knew were each other's names."
Storm just shrugged a little, but he knew that Carlos wasn't about to let up until he gave him something.
"Well I'm headed to Dias right now. It's the biggest city on this continent so I'm sure I can get information on finding a ship that can travel to space."
Carlos whistled long and slow at Storm's words.
"I knew that something fun was about to happen. But you know Dias supplies a majority of all military weapons on Gaia. Not to mention that a large portion of its population are Demis." (Demi is a word that is used for Demi-Humans, Hybrids. Their appearances aren't very extreme, but they do have traces of animals within them. How they came about is unknown, but basically they are no different than Humans except that they display more animalistic traits and even their capabilities.)
"That's why. If it comes down to it. I might have to take one by force."
"Don't forget about me." Carlos added.
"So you're saying that you are still coming along, even if it means we might be branded as Traitors for taking a ship."
Carlos grinned.c
"If it means a good
fight, then I'll take on the entire Military if that
happens."
Storm was starting to like Carlos, he always seemed to
be so enthusiastic whenever there was the chance of a fight.
Both heard a loud roar and they turned to see a giant Basilisk chasing them.
"Dammit. Not this again." Storm growled.
"You mean you've fought this thing before?" Said Carlos.
"Yeah, I guess it wants some payback."
The Basilisk overtook the monorail and stretched its large body across the rail.
The engineer saw that he was going to hit it and hit the brakes, sliding the train to a halt.
Storm opened a window.
"Come on!" He said as he hopped through it to get on top, which Carlos quickly followed.
Everybody on board didn't know what to do, seeing such a huge beast blocking their path.
Carlos and Storm ran to the front of the train and jumped off, putting themselves between the Basilisk and the passengers.
The Basilisk saw two creatures standing before it and peered closer, seeing one in black and roared with anger, brandishing a new pair of fangs.
"I think it remembers me." Storm said.
"I think it does too." Carlos added as it reared its head high for a strike.
"Listen, this think seems to hate fire, but my Fire Materia isn't strong enough to take this thing down. It almost killed me last time I fought it so I'm not sure how we're supposed to beat it with just the two of us." Storm explained.
Carlos nodded in understanding.
"So it hates fire, huh. Then lend me your Materia." He asked, extending his hand.
"Why?"
"Just do it." He gestured his hand more urgently.
Storm complied, removing the two red gems from the hilt of the swords and placing them in Carlos' hand.
"Now you'll see." Carlos placed the gems in his Brass Knuckles, the broken one replaced from last night.
"I prefer to use my own power when I fight, but this isn't an ordinary fight."
As he said this, his weapons surged with fire, yet he wasn't damaged by its heat.
"If needed, I can use my ki to empower any Materia into my weapons, adding its element to their destructive power."
Storm seemed to understand before returning to face the monster.
"So I guess we'll see if it works." Both then charged toward the Basilisk.
The great beast lunged in an attempt to kill them, but they were too fast.
Storm leaped over its head to its back and Carlos leaped right at it, rearing his fist back.
"Eat this!" He roared and punched the Basilisk right in its snout.
Carlos' punch actually stopped the giant's attack cold.
The Basilisk shrieked as flames exploded from the punch as it fought to put them out.
Storm was reduced to only one sword now, but that didn't stop him as he plunged it deep into its body, blood oozing from the wound.
The Basilisk continued to shriek before its attention was turned to Storm and made a grab from him, who rolled away and disappeared underneath the rail.
The Basilisk was furious, but went for the one it could see, spraying its venom at Carlos.
The martial artist wasn't worried as he went into a series of backflips, keeping the lethal liquid a safe distance from himself.
Angered at this, it tried to tear Carlos to pieces with its claws.
"So its hand-to-hand is it?" Carlos readied himself and struck the hands that attempted to slice him open.
Displaying incredible strength, he was canceling out each and every attack the Basilisk tried, which was only getting burned more and more from Carlos' punches.
The Basilisk retreated from its assault, looking at its hands which were charred and bleeding.
"Come on! Don't tell me that you're giving up already!" Carlos shouted.
The Basilisk couldn't understand Carlos' words, but it knew that it wasn't fear coming from its prey.
With a roar, it raised its massive tail and swung.
Carlos' eyes widened in shock before he was knocked into the train, leaving a large dent with his body.
"Damn, that hurt!" He collapsed to the rail, his whole body racked with pain.
The Basilisk was pleased as it wrapped its tail around Carlos and picked him up, preparing to swallow him whole.
Storm came from out of nowhere and stabbed the tail, making the Basilisk release Carlos, who would have fell had Storm not caught him.
"See what I mean. It's just too big to hit it with something strong enough to kill it."
"So what do you suggest?" Carlos asked.
"The only option looks like we'll have to use everything we've got to beat it. What do you think?"
Carlos grinned. "I
wouldn't have it any other way. But I'll need some time to
gather enough ki for an attack like that. And we've got to get it
away from the people so they don't get hurt."
Storm readied
his sword.
"Consider it done." Storm took off for the giant reptile and Carlos leaped from the rail to the ground before he closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
Storm leaped over the tail swung at him and continued to charge.
He raised his sword and threw it like a dagger, which pierced the Basilisk's hide.
He followed suit by running up the snake's body and pulling out the blade with a sweeping motion, tearing a long gash across the snake's body before leaping away.
The Basilisk reared its arm back and slapped Storm to the ground which shattered on impact.
Storm recovered to see a fist coming down and rolled just before it crushed him.
He got to his feet and began to distract the monster as he narrowly avoided and countered every strike aimed at him.
"He had better hurry up. I can't keep running forever."
Carlos' mind was focused, blocking out everything around him. His ki enveloped him, mixing with the Fire Materia to create an aura of fire around him, scorching the grass and earth around him.
He slowly set himself in a riding horse stance before he sensed his ki peak to its maximum and his eyes snapped open.
"It's ready!"
Storm was tiring to keep from getting caught, but knew that the battle was theirs.
"Do it now!" He shouted and became engulfed in black fire as he charged, splitting into five images.
Carlos' aura exploded into an inferno around him as his raised his fist above his head.
"VOLCANIC RAGE!" And slammed his fist into the ground, which began to split and become longer, like it had a will of its own as it headed right for the Basilisk.
The five Storms shouted as they streaked right through its body, leaving a large hole between its chest.
The beast had a look of surprise and pain before the splitting earth reached it and a volcanic eruption engulfed it.
Storm landed next to Carlos as the Basilisk shrieked in agony as it trashed around wildly for several minutes before finally ceased to move, its carcass continuing to burn to ashes.
"Nice one. Why didn't you do that sooner?" Storm asked.
"Because it wouldn't have been as strong if I used it before I gathered all of my ki. I needed to make sure that it wasn't going to get back up."
"Ok, fair enough."
Carlos laughed a little.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you tried to make a joke."
"I guess that Basilisk hit you harder than I thought." Storm replied, which made Carlos laugh again.
"All right then, next stop. Dias!"