AN- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here!! Yup, I'm taking a slight break from Of Zoids and Organoids to work on this. Again, writing this has rekindled my interest in my old fic that I have finally gotten around to posting, The Ghost and the Raven. Well, as soon as I finish The Dark Savior (which I might put on hiatus, due to lack of interest) I'll work on it again, but if I do put it on hiatus, I'll post the first chapter sometime. I think I might start it, cause I've really lost interest in The Dark Savior. Well, this fic has also brought back my interest in Rebirthing. There still may be hope for that fic yet!! Lol. This chapter is going to be primarily about Ibeyla, Karl, and Geier, and there will be a LOT of action in it. And in this chapter, someone's going down. (evil laughter). Oh, if you haven't realized this already, sometimes when I switch POVs I overlap some events, to give you a different view of a scene. I do that a lot, and will in this chapter, too. Btw, you need to have read the last chapter to really understand what's going on, just wanted to give you guys the heads-up. Lol. Anyway, I'm going to shut up now and let you read on. Without further a due, chapter 4- The Demon of the Hills!! (very ominous, isn't it? XP Lol.)
.:Chapter 4- The Demon of the Hills:.
Ibeyla, Karl, and the soldiers reached the edge of the hills near midnight, but it was too dark to search.
"Alright everyone! Get your tents up, and get some sleep. We start search at sun-up!" Major Schubaltz barked orders to the small group of soldiers. They nodded and set up the site, putting up a small village of tents and unloading supplies from the one lone medical and supply Gustav. Ibeyla helped unload the medical supplies, and by the end of the hour the site was completely set up.
Ibeyla had already set up her tent, and Obscura was already sleeping on her sleeping bag. Spectral was lying down behind the tent, curled up and snoring like a sleeping cat. The camp was surrounded by dense forest, bad for spotting incoming enemies, but great for hiding your presence. Ibeyla admired the beautiful forest scenery as she walked back to her tent after finishing unloading some crates of supplies from the Gustav.
"Obscura…" Ibeyla moaned as she opened the flaps of the blue tent, seeing her Organoid curled up and snoring on her sleeping bag. Obscura lifted her head at her master's voice, but didn't move from her spot. Ibeyla glared at the blue Organoid, half standing out in the rain. Obscura just smirked at her master, again, not moving, just looking at Ibeyla as she stood in the rain.
"Everything okay, Ibeyla?" Major Schubaltz said suddenly, looking at the twelve year old Zoidian girl strangely. Ibeyla jumped and shouted, yelping as she cracked her head on the metal support bar inside the fabric of the tent. She wheeled around, but her boots slipped in the mud and she fell flat on her face.
"Good lord Ibeyla, it's a wonder you can walk at all without falling and hurting yourself!! How the Helkat does Raven put up with you?!" Karl joked, holding out his hand to help her up.
"Well, I would fall so much if some people wouldn't scare me all the time, Karl!! And Raven and I have been friends since we were kids, and he's not the most balanced person, either!!" Ibeyla snapped, grabbing his hand. Karl scoffed sarcastically and pulled her up, helping the girl to her feet.
"Whatever Ibeyla, just get some rest, you'll need it to help look for Raven tomorrow, besides, you're the only person here that knows how to track Organoids." Karl said on a more serious note, releasing her hand and looking off into the hills.
"Yeah… and hopefully I won't have the dreams again…" Ibeyla said under her breath, following Karl's gaze.
"What was that Ibeyla?" he asked, looking down at the young Zoidian.
"Nothing… goodnight Karl, see you at sun up." Ibeyla said quickly, turning towards her tent.
"Goodnight Ibeyla." Karl said as he turned away, walking towards his own tent on the other side of the camp. Ibeyla crawled into her blue tent, zipping the flaps closed behind her. She turned around and looked at her sleeping bag, located at the far left side of the relatively roomy tent. On the other side, a few crates were stacked up, filled with medical supplies, and on top of one of them was a lit electric lantern. Next to her sleeping bag was a mat, laid out just for Obscura, but she had curled up on the much softer sleeping bag during her master's absence.
"Obscura, get off my sleeping bag and sleep on your own bed!" Ibeyla said, pushing the large Organoid in an attempt to move her. Obscura growled and got to her feet, grumbling as she walked over and curled up on the mat rolled out for her.
"Oh quit whining, you know that you're supposed to sleep on the mat." Ibeyla sighed, looking at her fuming Organoid.
/Well if you get me my own soft sleeping bag instead of this hard mat, I wouldn't steal yours!/ Obscura growled, curling up on the mat.
"I'll ask Karl tomorrow for an extra bag if we have to stay another night." Ibeyla said, smiling at her whining Organoid. Then, the last few words of her sentence sank in, and she lowered her head sadly.
/Don't worry Ibeyla; Raven won't let that Organoid hurt him. He's strong for a human and that Organoid was already warn-out from being captured. Raven will be okay, and I bet you'll find him right-off tomorrow./ Obscura tried to cheer up her partner, but the Zoidian barely listened.
"I know Raven is strong, but that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried that the Organoid might have started feeding on him, and being exhausted from being captured means that it more than likely will, or already has, started feeding. If it has, even Raven won't last long…" Ibeyla said quietly, not looking up at her Organoid. Obscura cocked her head, and became worried when she saw silver tears falling from her partner's face.
/Oh Ibeyla…/ Obscura crooned, lightly nuzzling her Zoidian master's armored shoulder. /No don't cry, Raven's going to be okay, that Organoid won't feed on him… Raven won't let it. He's going to be fine, Ibeyla…/ Obscura tried to calm the young Zoidian down, and it seemed to work. Ibeyla sniffed and lifted her head, tears covering her face.
"I'm not sure, Obscura, you remember what happened to Strake… I'm worried that by the time we find him, it might be too late…" Ibeyla said quietly, lowering her head again.
/Ibeyla, no… no more tears… Raven's going to be fine…/ Obscura sighed, gently nosing her partner's cheek, licking her face.
"Thank you, Obscura…" Ibeyla said quietly, putting her hand on her Organoid's snout as she wiped away the tears with her other hand. Obscura growled happily and licked her wrist, before she curled back up on her mat. Ibeyla smiled despite her sadness and took off her soaking cloak, hanging it from the wire that hung above her head that ran the entire length of the tent. She hung it away from her sleeping bag and Obscura's mat, so that the water wouldn't drip on them in their sleep as the cloak dried. After her cloak was hanging to dry, she took off her armor and set them on top of the crates, next to the still lit lantern. She left her necklace on, for she rarely took it off when it wasn't completely necessary.
"Okay Obscura, goodnight…" Ibeyla said, turning off the lantern on the crate, although the lantern near her sleeping bag still glowed. She grabbed a paper from beside the lantern, and stood up.
/Night…/ Obscura yawned, showing her sharp silver teeth before she curled up tighter and fell asleep. Ibeyla walked over and slipped in her sleeping bag, still fully dressed, just in case of an ambush during the night. She looked over the paper, which was about an old legend about a creature that would attack and eat people and that was supposed to live in these hills, that was called 'the Demon of the Hills'. It was supposed to be an old colonist legend, but recent deaths and disappearances had prompted her to look at the old article. After reading about half of the article, she set the paper down and decided to try and get some rest. Just as she turned off the lantern, she sensed something nearby. She looked around, but couldn't see anything.
"Must've been my imagination…" Ibeyla yawned, rolling over in her sleeping bag and falling asleep.
Unknown to her, from in the shadows, crimson eyes were watching her friend's every move…
Geier had been attracted out into the forest by the sounds of Zoids and people. So far, he hadn't been able to find the wounded human, but now he hoped he might be able to catch a weary soldier walking around alone. From his hiding place, he could see most of the camp, but no one could see him.
He watched a lone soldier walk from a large tent to an ebony and crimson Zaber Fang, which bowed down to allow the human to enter the cockpit. Geier grinned cruelly, for the soldier was far enough away from the other tents that no one would be able to hear the soldier's screams if he did attack.
Moving slowly, Geier silently walked past a now-dark blue tent, careful not to alert whoever was inside to his presence, especially since he smelled an Organoid inside, and a particularly powerful one at that.
The soldier was getting something from the Zaber Fang's cockpit, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Geier smirked, for right now had the elements on his side, not only surprise, but the rain was covering his trail, reducing his prey's visibility, and making enough noise that any noise he made was drowned out. Everything was perfect, and Geier knew that all he had to do was get close and wait for the perfect opportunity.
Geier moved closer to the distracted soldier, hiding in the thick bushes around the path that lead to the large Zoid and the soldier. Unfortunately for the soldier, the path that leads to the Zaber Fang was thickly overgrown, and all the vegetation muffled any noise and blocked all view, so if someone in the camp did in fact hear something, they still wouldn't be able to see anything.
The soldier was directly in front of Geier, about five yards away, his back to the hungry Organoid as he patched up some scratches on the sitting Zaber's lower right front leg. The Zaber Fang was now asleep, and that meant that if he did pounce, the Zaber wouldn't hear a thing and would be oblivious to his pilot's danger.
Geier took a step forward, edging a little closer, but careful to keep his body hidden beneath the covering of emerald plants. Where as in the desert his color was perfect camouflage, here in the forest his earthy tone stuck out, severely compromising his stealth. Fortunately, the human was unaware of his presence, and wouldn't be until it was far too late.
The coppery Organoid edged a little bit closer, but since he was focused on the soldier, wasn't paying attention to where he was placing his foot, and he stepped on a large fallen branch, which broke like an eggshell, the noise of which seemed deafening to the hunting Organoid. 'Helkat!!' Geier thought frantically, watching the soldier spin around, his emerald eyes scanning the forest. Geier held his breath and narrowed his eyes, hoping the soldier wouldn't see his bright eyes in the darkness.
When the soldier didn't make any noise or any other indicator that he had seen him, Geier slowly opened his eyes. Thankfully, his prey hadn't seen him, and thankfully the foliage had kept the lightning from glinting off his armor. 'Now… as soon as he lets his guard down… he's mine…' Geier thought, grinning cruelly, flicking his bladed tail tip back and forth in anticipation.
The soldier slowly turned back to his Zoid, turning his back to the waiting Organoid. Geier slowly crept closer, crouched low against the ground like a stalking tiger. His large claws were widely spread to disperse the Organoid's weight on the inch of mud, which covered rain-slick stone. The soldier was still oblivious to his peril, and by the time he realized, it would be too late.
With a loud roar, Geier pounced, claws spread and fangs bared. To his astonishment, the soldier jumped to the right at the last moment, causing the great Organoid to smash into the side of the crouched Zaber Fang. The soldier circled behind him, but Geier whipped his tail across the ground, catching the soldier's ankle, which caused him to fall on his right side with a shout and drop the pistol he had just pulled out to the muddy ground.
Geier wheeled around and growled at his prey, his mouth twisted into a snarl, the sharp fangs that now hung down dripping yellow poison. The soldier quickly tried to grab the gun, but Geier wasn't about to let him. He snarled and lunged, biting the soldier's outstretched arm. The soldier cried out in pain, pulling his arm free from the Organoid's jaws, but the damage had already been done. The Organoid's long fangs had pierced his skin, injecting a small amount of the powerful toxin. It wasn't enough to bring him down, but even the small amount that he had received could potentially render him unable to stand, and unable to defend himself, and if Geier managed to bite him again, he would become paralyzed and lose consciousness, but even in a large amount the poison isn't immediately fatal.
The soldier scrambled to his feet, holding his left arm where the Organoid had bitten him. Geier slowly stalked to the right, blocking any possible escape into the forest. He knew he wouldn't try to run back to the camp, for if he did he would pounce. Geier simply bided his time, watching the poison slowly take control of his prey's body. The soldier's eyes became cloudy, and he started to stumble, the poison beginning to take effect.
Geier growled lowly, and slowly started to approach the failing soldier. He stopped about a yard in front of the soldier, knowing the soldier was still strong enough to harm him even in his state, and that the poison still hadn't taken full effect. The soldier didn't move, for it looked like if he took a single step he would fall over. Geier narrowed his eyes at the still-standing human, surprised by his strength and will.
'A normal human would have been brought to their knees from the poison by now… this soldier is either very strong or very stubborn…' Geier thought, glaring at his prey with emotionless eyes. The soldier glared back, showing no signs of fear, even as Geier lowered his head down to mere inches in front of his face.
Geier curled his lip and snarled, exposing his large fangs, now dripping with a combination of venom and blood. The soldier just stared back, before a smirk appeared on his face. Geier was confused on why his prey thought his situation was something to smirk about, until he felt cold steel pressing against his throat. His eyes widened when he realized that what he was feeling was the barrel of the gun, and the fact that he couldn't move without getting shot dawned on him.
'I thought he dropped the gun when I bit him!' Geier thought, eyes still wide. The soldier pushed the gun deeper into Geier's throat, causing the Organoid to back away a few feet. Geier stepped backwards, until the gun was a relatively safe few feet away. The soldier kept the gun pointed at him, but his hand was starting to shake as the poison continued to spread.
A bolt of lightning lit the black sky, turning the falling rain silver for the brief moment. Thunder shook the very ground, mixing with the Reiniger Organoid's rumbling growls. 'He won't be able to last much longer… the poison is spreading quickly, and it won't be long before he collapses…' Geier thought with an evil smirk, hissing loudly at the soldier.
The soldier groaned as the poison's hold on him tightened, and the gun slipped from his hand, falling to the muddy ground with a muffled clunk. Geier smirked and pounced, knocking the soldier to the ground and holding him down. Amazingly, the soldier still fought back, trying to push the Organoid's head away from his throat.
Geier snarled in frustration, for he couldn't get at the soldier's throat, and the soldier was proving much stronger than he had anticipated. Hissing in rage, Geier wormed his way through the soldier's arms and struck, biting into the soldier's shoulder, his fangs piercing and sinking deep into his struggling prey.
The soldier cried out in pain as the Organoid's long fangs sank into him, and as Geier injected his potent venom into him. Geier hissed loudly, feeling the soldier's struggling lessening. The soldier's heavy breathing started to slow, and his eyes began to cloud as the poison took hold. The soldier groaned weakly, and his eyes closed as his body relaxed. As soon as the soldier stopped moving, Geier opened his jaws, releasing his prey's shoulder and folding his fangs back against the roof of his mouth like a snake. Geier smirked cruelly and stepped off the unmoving soldier, standing over his prey in triumph, the silver fluid used for feeding beginning to form in his jaws as he prepared to feed on his prey.
Suddenly, the soldier's eyes flashed open, and he kicked Geier's wounded leg, causing the huge coppery Organoid to double-over in pain. Geier screamed, backing away and stumbling around the small clearing. The soldier reached over and grabbed the pistol, and amazingly got to his feet, once again pointing the gun at Geier as he turned back to him.
'This isn't worth it… I'll find that wounded human and consume him instead…' Geier thought, spreading his dark wings and flying upwards, leaving his barely living prey in search of easier quarry. His leg throbbed in pain, for the soldier had managed to kick the old wounds.
'Now I must find that wounded human and feed… and maybe I will return and finish off that soldier…'
Karl shouted as the copper Organoid pounced, knocking him to the muddy ground and pinning him down on his back. The Organoid held him down, its clawed hands grabbing his arms, its left foot pressing into his stomach, pushing him down into the mud. He managed to get his arms free, and he tried feebly to push the Organoid's head away, trying to keep it from getting to his throat.
The Organoid snarled and forced its way through his arms, and before Karl even had a chance to breathe, struck, its fangs biting deep into his shoulder. He screamed in pain, the Organoid's fangs like burning needles as he felt warmth spread from the bite through the rest of his body. The poison affected him immediately, and he being already weak from the earlier bite accelerated its progress. His heavy breathing began to slow, his vision became blurry, his body began to go numb and it became harder and harder to move. The Organoid hissed; its jaws still clamped on his shoulder as it continued to inject its venom. He knew the Organoid was poisonous, for when it had bitten him earlier he had felt something get forced into the wound, and the serpent-like fangs weren't there for show.
Suddenly, Karl had an idea. 'Maybe if I fain death, it might get off me… but if I'm wrong, it'll eat me alive…' he thought, the pressure on his stomach easing slightly. He groaned and closed his eyes, stopping his struggling and relaxing fully. As he had planned, the Organoid opened its jaws, and stepped off him, but it still stood over him. Karl waited a few seconds, not wanting the Organoid to pounce on him again. He cracked his eyes open, and looked at the Organoid. It hovered over him, its long fangs retracted, but now a silvery fluid dripped down its jaws.
Karl made his move. Mustering up what strength he could, he kicked the Organoid's right leg, where he had seen damage earlier. The Organoid doubled-over, before it screamed and staggered away from him, leaving Karl free. Karl took the chance, he reached over and grabbed the pistol with his left hand, and using the little strength he had left, staggered to his feet. He pointed the gun at the Organoid as it turned back to him, fully intending to unload the entire magazine into the Zoid.
The Organoid silently spread its dark grey wings, and shot up into the stormy sky, disappearing into the night. Karl watched it fly away, until he was sure it wasn't going to wheel around and attack him again.
"I need to get back before I collapse… or before it comes after me again…" Karl thought out loud, turning around. The poison had blurred his vision, and in his dazed state, he went down the wrong path. The path he had accidentally taken lead to a small pond deep in the woods, far away from the camp. With every passing step, it became harder and harder to move, and his vision became more and more blurred.
Karl walked for nearly half an hour, before he reached the small pond. He stopped and looked around, but was unable to determine where he was with his clouded vision. The poison was taking control, and he was on the verge of collapse. His body was numb and all but paralyzed, and he knew he couldn't last much longer. He was exhausted, and all he wanted to do was to sleep, but he knew that if he slept, he more than likely wouldn't wake back up.
He groaned and leaned against a tree near the water's edge. He tried to catch his breath, for it was getting harder to breathe with each labored breath. It was getting harder to stand by the second, and he knew that if he didn't rest he would collapse. He slid down to the ground, leaning back against the tree with his eyes closed as he gasped for breath.
He tried to lift his hand, but his arm felt heavy, and he found himself barely able to move. 'Oh no… now if that Organoid finds me, I won't be able to defend myself…' Karl thought, looking down at the gun in his hand. He groaned, feeling his consciousness starting to slip. The poison had spread through his entire body, and he knew that if he didn't get help soon, the copper Organoid would no doubt find him.
The tree he was leaning against kept most of the cold pouring rain off him, but the air was cold, and in his condition hypothermia was a very really possibility. Fortunately, the tree was also large enough that it would keep him hidden from view from the air, meaning that the Organoid might pass over him, but that was a long shot, since he had left a trail of blood leading right to him.
'The only way I'm going to get out of here alive is if Ibeyla has her communicator on…' Karl thought, slowly reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small black device. He pushed a red button, and a small light on the device started to blink red.
"I hope Ibeyla can hear that… or I'm as good as dead…" Karl said weakly, lowering his head and closing his eyes as the poison's hold tightened further. Groaning, he felt sleep approaching, and he couldn't fight it anymore.
In the darkness, a few yards away, a pair of eyes watched him lose consciousness…
.:End of Chapter 4:.
AN- Bet none of ya thought Karl would be the one going down, now did ya? Lol. This is where that character death warning comes in to play. Lol. XP This one of my favorite fics right now, and it is one of my best. I plan on trying to update Fury's Core sooner or later, but I might add chapter 3 of The Ghost and the Raven first. I'm not sure. Lol. Hope y'all liked this chapter!! Please review!! Remember, anonymous reviews welcome and will be replied to in my profile!! And again, all flamers will be fed to Leiden and Geier!! If you value your life, don't flame!! Lol. XP Non-flamers are safe!! Lol. Please review!! ;)
A note for readers- If you are confused on what it means when an Organoid feeds, you need to read my old one-shot, The Distant Stars. It partially explains it. For the complete explanation, you need to read the AN at the top of chapter 4 of my fic, The Dark Savior. It will clear any confusion that you might have. Sorry if any of you got confused.
Thanks for reading!! Please review, I want to know how I did!! ;)
Ibeyla :P