Journey of the soul chapter thirteen
Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages. Allow me to be the first to announce that this episode will most likely be crap! Blame the 13!
Hunter: what is it with you and the number 13?
Unluckiest number ever. I don't take chances. That in mind, I'm going to start this episode in a dig site so spinax doesn't fall off the docks.
Hunter: wow, it really is unlucky. You forgot to say you don't own fossil fighters
….(sigh) the curse continues
Never in his short life has Hunter wished days would go by faster. He would mostly complain that the days went by too fast. Not today. Today was Friday the thirteenth.
"I thought you didn't believe in superstition?" Spinax muttered.
"This isn't superstition, this is my luck," Hunter looked down at the ravine below him. Rivet ravine was a new dig site that Hunter had access to. Thanks to his luck, he had dropped his breakfast into a gorge, tripped on three different rocks, and forgot his canteen. It was one of the hottest days of the year and he forgot water.
"Maybe I should've just stayed home," Hunter dug his pickax into the ground and began to pull out a fossil.
"You could've," spinax started, "but then I would be bored out of my mind."
"So sorry that your entertainment was at stake."
"Apology accepted,"
"You really need to learn how sarcasm works." Hunter didn't hear spinax's reply, he was too focused on the fossil he had just found. It was a dark grey color and was immensely heavy. Hunter slid it into his backpack and yelped when the backpack dropped on his foot.
"Did that trigger your allergic reaction?" Spinax mused.
"HahahahahahahahahaHa!...shut up." Hunter looked in his backpack. Nothing was broken, not even the strange tablet he had found last week. Hunter stared at the black screen for a moment before zipping up his pack.
"Didn't that thing give you a nightmare seizure?" Spinax asked, "why do you still have it?"
"I don't know, I just haven't gotten rid of it. Maybe I can-" hunter froze as a shadow was cast over him. He look up and saw a creature that was blocking out the sun. A pterosaur of some kind. But the vivosaur itself wasn't what interested hunter, someone was riding on top of it.
"Wonder who that is," Spinax mused.
"Let's go find out!" Hunter dashed up the path to follow the person on the vivosaur. Even after tripping twice and being insulted by a certain big mouthed lizard with no brain, he still kept in hot pursuit. That is until the pterosaur flew over a rock wall.
"Well, there goes the chance of learning how to fly on a pterosaur." Hunter sighed and kicked his foot on the ground. He then yelped in pain and cradled his stubbed toe.
"Wait. That's why we followed them?" Spinax made a noise that sounded similar to a balloon deflating, "why don't you just learn yourself?"
"I fell off a stationary horse, I need teaching,"
"That's not that big of a-"
"The horse was asleep,"
"…point made,"
"Did you see what the guy looked like?"
"I saw a cowboy hat and a pickax across his back but not much else." Hunter sighed. Not only was he not getting flying lessons, but now he was tired in the hot sun with no water. He was pretty sure he was also lost.
"Shade at two o'clock!" Hunter turned and saw what spinax was talking about. A tunnel dug into the side of the cliff face. That should work. Hunter walked In the cave and picked up the scent of coal, gasoline, and three day old armpit stench. That last one may had just been spinax but Hunter now knew he was in a mine. The scent gave it away, along with the giant screaming man running towards him with a pickax.
"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR BUSTIN' UP MCJUNKER'S MINE-CARS YOU THEIF!" Hunter couldn't tell if the miner or spinax was screaming louder. Either way he should probably move.
"Thief? What are you talking about?" Hunter dodged the oncoming swing and watched as the miner tripped and planted on the ground.
"Wait, you aren't the thief who busted up ol' mcjunker's mine cars and stole his tools?" Hunter stared down at the miner. He looked slightly off putting with a purple shirt and green overalls.
"I don't know anything about broken mine cars and stolen tools," Hunter turned and looked at said broken mine cars, "but I can help you out if you want."
"I thought we were here for shade." Spinax grunted.
"Would you rather look around in here or go back outside?"
"…point made…again. I think your bad luck is rubbing off on me." The miner was named mcjunker and needed help getting his tools back.
"They were stolen by some people in purple pajamas." Mcjunker explained.
"Try saying that five times fast." Spinax being childish aside, Hunter had a pretty good idea about who had stolen the tools.
"You bring ol' mcjunker's tools back and I'll let ya in my private mine. Plenty a' rare fossils there. The tools are still somewhere in the mine. I can feel it in me-" where exactly mcjunker could feel it, We may never know. Hunter had already set out.
"Why didn't you replace the batteries?" Spinax moaned.
"For the last time, I didn't know they needed to be replaced," they had been walking in the mine tunnels for a good hour and the flashlight had ran out of power. Only the faint glow of Hunter's vivowatch illuminated the area. Hunter couldn't see his hands in front of his face or the rocks he kept tripping over. Spinax's commentary wasn't improving his mood either.
"Why don't we go back?"
"Because we are lost."
"Why are we lost?"
"Because I don't know which way to go."
"How come?"
"Because I can't see crap."
"Why not?"
"Because our flashlight is dead."
"And whose fault is that?"
"The big lizard who's going to be thrown down the ravine if I get out of here."
"What was that noise?!" Hunter was about to make good on his threat when he heard it too. A low pitched rustling noise. Hunter pulled out his pickax and carefully walked forward. The noise became louder, and changed from a rustling to a soft moaning.
"ET OHH O I ASE!" Hunter jumped back with a yelp. Something was directly in front of him!
"Show yourself!" Hunter yelled.
"Not until you apologize for stepping on my face!" A flashlight shined in hunter's face, "Wait a minute, are you that kid the boss was talking about?" Hunter was greeted by the unpleasant sight of the purple beanie and jumpsuit.
"The idiots from the pyramid? Great, I've been looking for a reason to stomp on someone," Spinax laughed maniacally.
"Did you forget that we're in a tiny mine tunnel?" Hunter rested his face on his hand.
"No, but apparently he did." Hunter looked at the B.B. bandit. There was a dino medal in his hands.
"You're going down kid!" The bandit tossed the dino medal straight forward and hunter got a good look at it. A Metria: a vivosaur twice the size of the tunnel.
"Oh crap," Hunter grabbed the medal as it was lighting up and threw it as hard as he could back towards the bandit. A frantic game of hot potato ensued and spinax transformed into a training coach.
"C'mon! Back and forth! Back and forth! Work those biceps!"
"Can you actually do something please?" Hunter rolled his eyes as he threw the medal back once more, "isn't there a way to stop it?"
"Not unless you want to break the medal." Hunter sighed. Even if it was an enemy, he wouldn't take another life. Human or vivosaur. He made a promise to himself. Never again.
Unfortunately, not everyone shared his views.
The medal slipped between Hunter's fingers after the bandit charged at him. He didn't hear the clank as the medal hit the ground, or the sound of the vivosaur transforming.
"Such an interesting design. Able to revert to its original form, but stays as it is when exposed to contact," Hunter turned around, but only the glowing dino medal was visible in the darkness, "I suppose this is what you use as means of combat?" Hunter couldn't tell if the voice was male or female, but he could tell from the black coat that the hoods decided he wasn't having a bad enough day.
"I see what you mean by luck, this sucks," Spinax let out a current of air and sighed, "not even a running gag could lighten the mood."
"Tell that lizard to hold his tongue," Hunter couldn't tell if he or spinax was more surprised.
"How do you know about that?"
"It would satisfy you to know that information, so I will not disclose it."
"Hey!" The B.B. bandit was still here? "Stop ignoring me!" He got in front of the hood, "we hid the tools like you guys wanted! Why are you still here!" Hunter listened intently while he removed the wrench and pliers from the bandit's belt.
"You did as we asked, but we said nothing of destroying this area with your petty revenge plot."
"The boss said take out the kid. You're not the boss. Why should I listen to you!"
"Very well," in one swift movement, the hood crushed the dino medal in their hands, "you now have no means to fight. Leave this place." The bandit yelped and ran. Hunter stood in shock. He had just witnessed murder. Cold blooded vivosaur murder. Spinax roared in rage.
"Does the loss of your enemy upset you?" The hood chuckled.
"…what are you?"
"A more apparent question would be: what are you?" Hunter charged at the hood, ready to attack with the wrench. The hood dodged his swipe easily.
"Are you angry? That is strange indeed. I don't remember you ever having emotion."
"What are you talking about? I've never met you before!"
"Tsk tsk. Your amnesia is not being beneficial to us at all. If your original implant had failed too. Then we would've eliminated you earlier."
"Shut up…Shut up!"
"You doubt yourself, good. That doubt will help your mission."
"I said Shut up!"
"You forget your place. I presumed the loss you suffered at my hands would be sufficient in reminding you. You disappoint me, specimen x."
"SHUT UP!" Hunter thrust his fist at the hood, but they swiftly moved away and disappeared as quickly as they had shown up. Hunter tripped and fell to his knees. He didn't get up.
"So the B.B. bandits work for the hoods, who know you even though you don't know them and can hear me speak," Spinax sighed, "but what do they want aside from making our lives suck?" Hunter didn't reply. He instead pulled out the black tablet from his backpack. As he suspected, new report logs were there.
Report 4: XX day of the XX month
Specimen X has started displaying something akin to emotion. This is problematic by itself. But when combined with its amnesia, this makes extremely strenuous to bend it to our will. X does however, retain its original implant and is working towards its intended purpose.
Report 5: XX day of the XX month
A vivosaur in the care of specimen X has displayed multiple traits of higher evolution. My hypothesis is that it is able to communicate with X due to a neuropathic link. It is possible that a seed of intelligent life developed too quickly?
Report 6: XX day of the XX month
our hired assistants have come across trouble in completing their objective. Specimen X has interfered with their operations. Perhaps it is time I remind X of its purpose.
Report 7: XX day of the XX month
X has been reminded of its place. Hopefully this will get it on its original, intended path. I presume that I may have to interfere again soon. The dinomaton was almost defeated.
Report 8: XX day of the XX month
Specimen X has not responded to its calling. Perhaps I should have a conversation with what everyone refers to as the "failed experiment". Sometimes I wish that tyranis was able to finish his mission and exterminate it. Dying to a weak human child, this potential has seemed to be lost with X. Perhaps a result of the cross breeding?
The tablet fell to the floor. Not even spinax spoke. Hunter had learned three things today. The hoods were responsible for his parents death, they have some sort of plan for him, and finally:
They had done something to him in the past. And if the hood he talked to had any truth to their words, then he was playing right into their hands.
Done! Sorry for the wait on this chapter, hopefully this was worth it!
Hunter:…why do you enjoy torturing me?!
Because I was feeling dark and mysterious. Blame the 13!
Hunter: can I blame you instead? 'Cause that's what I'm gonna do!
…anyway. For the Question of the day….uh…..what's your favorite video game?
Hunter: mine is fossil fighters!
Gee, how original. Mine is-
Hunter: THANKS FOR READING!