Author's Notes: Well, this is quite simply the quickest chapter I've written in this story; I ran it out this entire weekend. I had a few ideas I wanted to have happen in this chapter, and it was really rewarding to see them happen. There's a little more character development and a bit more action and peril in this one, now that I'm starting to accelerate the pacing a little bit. Chapters will be a little longer and hopefully I'll get off my butt and start writing more; this is starting to get fun.
As another note, yes... Brian and Krystal are going to be put through some bad stuff in this, and future chapters. They're lightly armed and ill-prepared, unlike Fox's run through the game. He had Krystal's staff and a good support team (Pepper, Slippy, and Peppy) behind him as well as a few technological goodies. Brian and Krys are winging it with a riot baton and 9mm handgun, and completely in the dark about a few things. They'll make it, but they're only human(or Cerinian in her case.. hehe). They'll have victories, but they'll get their share of bumps along the way. That's all the spoilers I'm going to give at this time... heh.
I'm going to put a couple responses to past anon. reviewers who are hopefully still periodically checking back. Ya guys should get accounts even if you aren't planning on putting any stories up; you can subscribe to your favorites and be notified whenever they update. But, tp answer a few questions:
Northernmegas: Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you're liking things thus far! Unfortunately I'm not having Fara, Fox, and Krystal meet up together when they hit Thorntail hollow, but... there definitely will be 'fireworks' when they do. Especially when Fox sees that Falco left Starfox to be on Fara's team, at that. I won't give away too many surprises, though... but it will definitely play a factor in the future!
The Vulpine Furry: I definitely wouldn't mind reviewing your story when you choose to publish it. If you want me to beta read it a bit before you feel like posting it, contact me offlist! Also, I've seen that a few positive comments can go a long way; I've definitely improved my writing by quite a bit since I've posted my story on here. As far as any romance between Brian and Krystal is concerned? Well, I honestly haven't given it much thought. Since I've gotten a couple PMs and reviews about it, I'll just say that things'll turn out how they turn out... no spoilers. :P
Anyway, enough rambling. On with the story... it's more interesting than my ranting. :)
Chapter 14: Getting There is All the Fun...
One foot in front of the other, one patent leather dress shoe following its twin down an uneven forest path. Brian Lancing was no stranger to walking, although after all these years of 'humping it' in the Marine Corps, he still hated it. Add the fact he was still dressed in clothing more suited for a stuffy executive boardroom instead of a hiking trip or battlefield, and he wasn't liking it all that much.
He counted his possessions, something he had done for the twelveth time since he had been walking. He had one Glock 17 handgun with exactly one hundred twenty five nine-millimeter cartridges, spread over seven full magazines and one with five rounds left in it. The final round was nestled in the weapon's chamber, a simple trigger pull away from action. His wallet was still in his back pocket, with a mixture of Euro and American money; he estimated about fifteen hundred all in total... for what good that money would do. Krystal mentioned something about some sort of insects being used as the monetary system around here; the more glitzy and quicker the bug, the more it was worth.
Brian also had his multitool with him, a little object that had been extremely useful over his tenures as both a soldier and a mercenary. That was nestled in a pouch at his belt, ready to use if need be. The multitool even came with a small knife, but if he was down to using that he was pretty much dead, anyway. The thought that he wouldn't be finding any more ammunition, or firearms for that matter, crossed his mind. The small amount of military hand-to-hand training he had wouldn't be much against the raving bands of killer lizards they would surely face, and if he lost the edge that a gun provided, he would be screwed. Royally.
The rucksack that was settled upon his back was one of Krystal's, something she had found in her ship. It was sturdily made, although from natural materials rather than something synthetic. He carried a decent share of their food, which comprised of that dark bread and several glass bottles of water they had filled up for the journey. Still, sixty miles was rough ground to cover, and he wasn't very confident the food and water would last them until they reached Thorntail Hollow, as she called it.
On top of all that, he had a hangover and a decent one at that. He had definitely misjudged last night, and his headache wasn't being a very nice traveling companion. Even trading his piece for a bottle of Excedrin would have been tempting to him right now, just to distract the dull, throbbing pain for a little while. However, Brian's concentration was interrupted as he caught motion in front of them.
Immediately he halted, his body falling into a crouch as his hands automatically pulled the Glock from his shoulder holster. He barely heard the sound of footsteps behind him stop, signaling that Krystal was in fact following his lead. Aiming the handgun down the broken path before them for a moment, he simply waited. He was sure he had heard something, and he wasn't taking any chances.
Yet an exasperated sigh echoed from behind him, and he heard Krystal approach. The blue-furred vixen knealt beside him, her paw placing itself upon his upper arm and bringing his pistol down. "There wasn't anything out there this time, either. Just some sort of small animal." Her voice carried a very slight hint of annoyance along with the vixen's soft British accent. "Would you be able to trust me to tell you if something dangerous crosses our path?"
Brian glanced at her. Her jewelery and 'armor' was still there as usual, although she was wearing a backpack similar to his to accompany it. She was wearing her usual outfit of a simple top and loincloth, but he wasn't about to comment on it too much; at least she seemed more appropriately dressed for a cross-country trek than he was in his monkey suit. Yet, her words were what irked him the most; he was still a little unnerved at the fact she was a telepath. He didn't want anyone reading his thoughts, and the fact that he really didn't want to be there wasn't helping, either. "Well, you can say that I trust my instincts, and they've kept me alive thus far. You might be confident in your abilities, but putting blind trust in anything I don't understand isn't something I'm going to do right now."
Krystal sighed once again. They had this argument several times already and she wasn't getting through to him. The human might be skilled at combat, but he was stubborn and unwilling to let her help. She also knew he was a little angry at the notion that she might try to read him. Honestly, she felt a little bad that she had done it before, but how were they supposed to help rebuild Sauria if they were going to harbor resentment towards one another? The whole situation was confusing, especially since she was trying to let Brian do things at his pace, yet... things weren't working well. She wasn't going to peer deeper into his thoughts; she would rather have a friend instead of an ally who was constantly distrusting her. As much as either of them didn't like it, she realized they needed each other to get through this. Krystal had the telepathic ability, knew the Saurian language, and possessed the compassion and calm demeanor they would need to convince the scared Saurians that they were here to help.
Brian, on the other hand, was skilled in combat, even if it was with his race's particular brand of weaponry. He also had the mindset of a soldier; even Krystal could tell he was an experienced professional set in his ways. He was much... harder than she was, but she knew that was a weakness as well as a strength. Right now, the weakness shone through. She knew that they would have to be able to work together, and working together wasn't her following behind while he shot at anything that startled him.
"I know you're hesitant, but... we're in this together, aren't we?" Krystal decided to try once again. "Besides, you've been on the lead for most of the day... why don't I take over until we strike up camp?" She stood up as Brian did, holstering his blaster pistol before looking at her. She didn't have to use her abilities to tell he wasn't feeling well and was irritated, but hopefuly he would let her take the lead for a while. With luck, he might start to feel better.
"Alright. You win." Brian huffed, motioning her forward. Anything to get her from acting concerned and touching him. That he didn't understand, either. He wasn't dating the foxgirl, was he? Even that superfluous thought almost made him laugh. She was a fuzzy fox alien; not something he was attracted to. Yet, he was a little miffed at how easy she came into contact with him... most humans he was used to being around didn't do that, and dating was, well... out of the question since... a time he refused to dwell on. "Take the lead, but if the shooting starts make sure you're out of my line, alright?"
Krystal sighed and nodded, standing up and taking a few steps forward. "I understand." She didn't want to start another argument, and the already irritated merc seemed to almost be looking for an excuse to bicker. She shook off her comrade's foul attitude and decided to concentrate on the path towards the Hollow. Her attempt at keeping track of their overall distance seemed to be going well; she had gotten Brian to explain the Lylat system of measurement as they started out from the Vucsed several hours ago. She estimated they had covered about fifteen kilometers thus far, which wasn't too bad considering they were winding their way through a shallow path hewn by overgrown tree roots and patches of mud. By carefully avoiding the hazards neither of them were filthy. This was a small comfort, especially since the vixen didn't relish the thought of trying to get mud out of her fur.
Still they had eighty-five kilometers separating them from Thorntail Hollow, where Kyte told her the Queen Earthwalker was in hiding. She would be the one to know how to retrieve the Spellstones and how to get the planet back in one piece. The Hollow was along the Great Road, a massive stone road leading around portions of the planet. They would reach the road soon, and if they took care to avoid the bands of Sharpclaw that were sure to be patrolling it, they would make even better time.
The two walked along in silence, other than Krystal pointing out particularly dangerous hazards along the trail, which wasn't very often. There had been much rain along the forest path, and the cover of the trees ahead made it difficult to see. Brian usually uttered a quick 'gotya' or grunted in affirmation as she made her way several meters ahead. Krystal found that she enjoyed pushing ahead through the forest, something she hadn't done since she was a kit. The thought almost brought bad memories to the front of her mind, but she pushed them away as soon as they started to come. She couldn't get distracted now, and keeping her mind off her task was dangerous.
Just how dangerous that was would soon be discovered as fleeting thoughts roamed through her mind... Sharpclaw were near. Krystal hissed at Brian, holding out her paw to stop as she tucked her lithe frame next to a tree trunk. She spotted Brian do the same behind her, sliding his pistol out of its holster once again. Her mind reached out towards the fragments of thought she captured, trying to figure out where they were coming from. The Sharpclaw were bored which was a very good sign; they were not actively searching for them at least. There were five of them present just ahead, but they were intent on beating a path through the wilderness rather than going down the one they were on... Krystal thought it was strange but wasn't going to risk probing any further.
"What's going on?" Brian's whisper was harsh as he scanned his surroundings, clutching the black polymer grip of his Glock. The weapon was up and tracking, but he couldn't see nor hear anything... yet. Still, he fervently wished Jakob had the foresight to install a threaded barrel and a suppressor on the pistol; with limited ammunition and manpower a full-on confrontation with guns blazing would have dire consequences.
"Sharpclaw ahead." Krystal whispered back, her mind concentrating on the receding thought patterns given off by the bored, malevolent dinosaurs. "They're headed away from us, and I think we can sneak past them." She waited a few more moments, her paw fingering the slender steel 'riot baton' she had strapped onto her pack. She still wished for her staff, but it was long gone. When the mess on Sauria was finished she would attempt to find it, or if she was lucky she would find it earlier. The weapon would give her an edge, probably moreso than Brian's blaster. Still she pushed away from the tree trunk and silently crept forward, hoping the merc would be as quiet as she was.
The vixen was mildly surprised that he actually was, his shoes falling without much of a sound upon the remains of dead leaves, grass, and small patches of mud. They moved at a snail's pace now, but as she felt the Sharpclaw fall well out of range she straightened up and moved quicker. Brian still had his blaster out, however... a fact which unnerved her a little bit, but not enough to tell him to put it away. There was a clearing ahead in any case, something which they would need to take care in crossing.
She slowed back down as she grew closer to the treeline, her eyes adjusting to the dimming light in the fading day. They had been walking for hours, and the daylight was beginning to turn to dusk... they might have to press on the entire night in order to get out of range of the Sharpclaw. Yet as she peered into the clearing, a wonderful sight greeted her eyes.
"We made it, Brian... it's the Road!" Her voice was low, but she knew the human was just behind her. To her relief she noticed he had put away the blaster and was glancing at the ribbon of cobblestones heading off to their left. The clearing was large, but the road disappeared into the trees some distance away... the same direction the group of Sharpclaw were heading, in fact.
"Well... I don't like taking my chances in the open." The merc stated her opinion for her; it was a dangerous gamble to be walking out on the road, especially in the clearing. "I say we keep in the trees and follow along. It might take longer, but we're going to have less of a chance running into these bastards if we stay hidden." Brian had felt the headache he had easing slightly over the past hour or so. That was a good sign, but like them, his hangover wasn't out of the woods yet.
Krystal nodded her assent as she pointed to their left. "We'll be trailing those Sharpclaw, but if we stay well enough behind them they won't see us. We might find a way around them, but I'm worried about them doubling back on us. I'm not sure why they're beating a path through the woods rather than taking the Great Road." Krystal's tail swished; she was afraid at the thought of entering an unprepared battle. Yet, she was a determined Cerinian, and nothing would hold her back from helping innocent Saurians. "Shall we go?"
Brian nodded and moved forward, holding out his hand as if motioning her back. "I'll take the lead again. Sounds like your mindreading skills are a help after all, but if we run into a bunch that eludes you I'm going to need clear lines of fire."Brian moved forward, effectively stifling any argument from her.
Krystal held her tongue for now. He at least acknowledged the fact that she was helping out, yet she was still miffed that he wasn't willing to trust her completely. Still, perhaps he would change his mind... she just hoped it was before they started making mistakes. She followed along behind him, the Sharpclaw group completely out of her mind's reach. Still, she kept all her senses alert, just in case his statement would in fact become true. They crept along in silence, both a little nervous that the enemy was in fact out there, somewhere in the darkening forest.
They made it past the clearing in several minutes, much slower than they would have simply walked down the path. However, the real danger of attracting attention wasn't something they could afford. If the Sharpclaw were alerted they wouldn't have a Void's chance of getting to Thorntail Hollow. They continued to creep along the heavy brush and trees of the forest ahead, keeping as quiet as they possibly could.
The two finally made it to the relative safety of the Great Road, now sheltered in the orange glow of dusk through the cover of forest. Brian could see that the road was wide, almost as wide as a two-lane highway in fact. The cobblestones looked old yet the road seemed surprisingly smooth... especially if he imagined a construction crew of dinosaurs building it. It was like that old show he watched on TV, the one with the muppet dinosaurs. Funny how these old memories came back to him sometimes. "Well, we're here. What now?" he mused quietly as Krystal knelt beside him.
"We could try crossing the road. I'm still not picking up any Sharpclaw. I'm actually sensing a few small animals. That might mean they haven't been here for a while." She flashed a smile to him; the trip had been relatively smooth thus far, if one took their arguing out of the equation. She let herself have a glimmer of hope that the trip would go quickly and they would find themselves in Thorntail Hollow soon. "I can't tell exactly what kind of small animals they are, but it's a good sign."
"Perhaps." Brian mused. "If there's wildlife around here, we've done a good job of keeping quiet and not startling them. We need to find a safe place nearby to hole up for the night... we're not going to get too far poking our way around in the dark." Brian tried to judge how much daylight they had left, which was pretty much impossible on an alien planet, he figured. As far as he knew, they could have two hours left, or they could have thirty minutes. Either way, he was getting hungry... hungry enough for that dark bread and water to sound mighty appealing. He would have killed for a nice, big hamburger right about now, but... he needed to keep his mind on the mission.
Krystal nodded as she peered down the road in both directions, her senses working overtime. She couldn't sense any Sharpclaw, and in that aspect they were free and clear. "You're right... we don't have much time left. We really do need to find a safe spot." With another sigh she stepped out from the woods and onto the road. As she crossed it, however, all hell broke loose.
A flash of green and the flutter of beating wings gave the vixen a split second of warning; warning given a little too late as the strange winged lizard launched from the trees like a missile headed straight for her. Krystal didn't have time to reach for the baton before it was on her, its sharp talons ripping into her left arm and sharp beak driving itself into her throat... or attempting to. The bronze pauldron she wore deflected the killing blow, yet fire shot up and down her side as the beak struck her in the collarbone. Krystal gave off a pained moan as the creature launched itself from her, ready to try again.
Brian's reaction was automatic, the culmination of years of training and battlefield experience overiding the sensation of shock at seeing ones' ally nearly killed right in front of him. Adrenaline-fueled muscles shot him out into the road, hefting the pistol he had no idea he had already drawn. As the creature hesitated for the second at the emergence of new prey, the Glock's notch and post sights were already placed on the creature. The merc's finger stroked the trigger twice, the Glock's sharp cracking reports echoing out into the wilderness.
The winged beast didn't have time to react as the 135-grain 9x19mm hollowpoints punched into it, the resistance of its flesh opening up the wickedly-designed bullets and creating large wound channels. Blood spilled out of the creature as it lost the strength to fly, its dying body slamming to the ground with a muffled thump... an anticlimatic end to the being that almost took Krystal's life.
Krystal fell to her knees, struggling to get up. She could feel her blood coating her arm and running down her chest,but she was alive at least. However, she knew that Brian's shots would draw attention, and even though she was hurting the real danger had begun. However, she was sure he knew that as he bent down and pulled her up with her good arm. "I... I'll be fine." Her voice carried a lot of pain behind it, but she needed to force it down. She ran through a few calming techniques and felt it subside, at least for a little bit. "There'll be... Sharpclaw. We need to go."
Brian sighed. There wasn't really any choice in the matter; she would have been killed had he not opened up on that fucking flying imp, and if she died the hope of getting back home died with her. He wound his arm around her, being careful of the fact she had six large gashes and what looked to be a very large furrow across the top of her chest. They didn't have a first aid kit, but that would be a bridge to burn later. With his pistol in one hand and the wounded vixen in the other he started to run forward, guiding Krystal into the woods.
Krystal held on, leaning on the merc as much as she could without slowing him down. She could feel the blood pour down her body, at first soaking into her fur... then dripping from her saturated left paw. They needed to rest, but even now she could sense the Sharpclaw rushing forward. How could she have missed them? "They're... coming." She struggled forward with Brian, her senses trying to focus past the pain and figure out where the Sharpclaw were coming from. She could tell the group of five were now rushing up from behind, but... she nearly stopped as she sensed more approaching from the front. "Front... close." Her voice was strained as she choked out the words.
"Shit." Brian looked to his left, a path parallel to the cobblestone path mere yards from where they stood. After a split second he decided to take it, pushing their way into the trees. They wouldn't make much time, and he knew that their only chance was to outrun their pursuers... something he couldn't exactly do walking like this. He stopped, taking another few seconds to think. "Fireman's carry." He stuttered this out as he lifted Krystal up, slinging her over his shoulders before moving forward. She wasn't nearly three-hundred pounds of Marine and gear, but it had been a while since he had done it and because of that, he was moving slowly. Still, they had to move, and quickly.
Krystal held back a whimper as she was picked up. She was forced into an awkward position, but they were moving a lot quicker. They weren't moving faster than the Sharpclaw, but they were a little confused at where they were. Perhaps they would get past them after all. Her mind was fuzzing over, but she still tried to concentrate on the Sharpclaw. A panicked sensation grew as she realized one of them had stopped... and was smelling her blood. They were on the trail. "Behind us..." she spat out. She felt Brian move faster as a result.
They were going to gain on them, and he wasn't going to be able to do much about it. They were slowed down and the Sharpclaw weren't. Suddenly they emerged into another clearing, this time one much smaller. The open space was dominated by a thick patch of mud in its center... Brian didn't even want to venture into it. Yet, as he skirted around it he found a few fallen logs. He might be able to set up an effective defense there, and he decided to do it. Gently setting Krystal down, he noticed that some of her bleeding had stopped; her fur had matted to the wounds and caused them to close up. She sat against one of the logs and looked up at him.
"Why are we stopping?" she inquired, wincing as she tucked herself into the log beside him. She could sense them coming closer now, thundering through the trees and closing in on the clearing. "They're coming!" She saw Brian shift to a crouching position, his blaster propped against the log. He was as ready as he was going to be.
Krystal wasn't mistaken as the lizards started to emerge from the treeline, Brian getting his first good look at them. They were ugly bastards; mostly shorter than he was but with enough muscle to look like they could tear him apart quite easily. They weren't armed with guns, at least... most of them wielded clubs or spears, and two of them carried some sort of sword. A few of the club-wielding ones had wooden shields up and ready. A few hisses and grumbles of surprise came from them as they spotted him peeking up from around the log. He had sixteen rounds left in the Glock, and he was about to use them. The gun's sights settled upon the chest of the lead Sharpclaw, and he pulled the trigger.
Brian double-tapped the lead one, not even noticing it tumble to the ground before he switched to the one right behind it. His shots were quick and precise, the Glock thundering its reports into the quickly approaching twilight. There were eight left now from what he could count. They started charging and he kept on firing, burning up the ammunition in the magazine in short order.
Brian hit the Glock's mag release, dumping the spent mag into Krystal's lap as he reached for another full one. "Save it!" he shouted as he hit the slide release and continued firing. Short, concentrated double-taps slammed into the group, eight more rounds fired until he saw there was only one left. That one seemed to have enough sense behind it to take cover, darting behind one of the trees.
Krystal stashed the object that had fallen out of his blaster, her right arm stuffing it into her pack as quickly as her pain would allow. As the sharp reports from his weapon subsided, she looked up at him. "Are they...?" she questioned, forcing herself to get ready to stand.
"One left. Looks like he might be holding back. I think we put enough fear into 'em that they might stay back." Brian slowly stood up, his hand grabbing for Krystal's and pulling her up with him. As he moved to slide her onto his back once more, she shook her head.
"I think I can... walk now." She winced at the pain in her arm and upper chest. She could tell the blood loss weakened her a bit, but they had to keep moving. She needed to walk on her own to save the both of them. The vixen took a deep breath before starting forward, motioning for Brian to follow.
Brian got up, keeping an eye on where the last Sharpclaw had been... something didn't seem right to him. Yet, an opening was an opening, and they had to take it. Krystal was jogging toward the trees and so was he... until a blur of motion caught the corner of his eye. The Sharpclaw was charging again, only this time holding some sort of... training took over again. "Frag out! Take cover!" Brian raised the Glock at the same time the Sharpclaw tossed the object.
The object landed just as Brian shot the lizard, its body tumbling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The merc jumped up and away from the grenade just as it went off. The world turned to fire and chaos before everything turned... black.
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Krystal rushed into the trees as soon as she heard Brian's shout... the reports from his pistol drowned out by the explosion which almost knocked her to the ground. The trees shook from the blast, and she turned to see what had happened.
The bomb the Sharpclaw tossed had been powerful... powerful enough some of the branches were snapped off the trees near her. She saw Brian's body on the ground several yards from the epicenter of the blast, unmoving. With a gasp she rushed back out there, running to his side.
He was in bad shape from what she could see, the debris from the bomb shredding part of his clothing. Slowly she turned him over, a sigh of releaf given that he wasn't as badly hurt as she first thought. He was cut in several places, some of them as deep as the ones she now sported, but he was still alive.
Slowly, she struggled to pick him up. He was heavy, but she had faced worse during her Ascension. One of the tests was carrying the Weight of Trials through a Kokli field, and that seemed heavier than the human mercenary. However, she was carrying him with several deep gashes down her arm and one just under her collarbone, and dealing with the resulting blood loss. She had to try, and she struggled with Brian as she pushed her way through the forest. They had to reach a safe place before more Sharpclaw came. If they remained, they would be killed.
Krystal pressed on, the scent of her blood mixing with his heavy in her nose. She couldn't focus on sensing the Sharpclaw anymore; all of her effort needed to be focused on their survival. The darkened forest presented its own hazards; even with better night vision than most she nearly tripped over tree roots several times. It took her an hour to cover a kilometer, from her reasoning... but perhaps they were far enough to be safe. She would stop in the next clearing they came to... it would give them at least a little room to breathe.
Another hour later she was growing tired. The forest was carrying on, but she knew every footstep she took took them farther from the Sharpclaw. Finally she could see the outline of another small clearing just ahead, illuminated by moonlight. As she grew closer to the edge of it, she could see some sort of object neatly placed within. She emerged and gave it a puzzled glance.
The object was some sort of vehicle. It looked like a hovercar, albeit with wheels instead of repulsor coils. Whatever the wheelcar was, it looked sleek and sculpted by the wind, as if it longed to be traveling instead of sitting in the middle of a forest clearing. The appearance of the vehicle puzzled her, and she gently set Brian down next to it.
The logo on the front of the car was a strangely-shaped 'A'. Actually... she had a thought. Reaching down to her unconscious friend, she dug into his pockets and withdrew the set of old metal keys he wore. The logo matched the one on his key. The vehicle was from his world... perhaps the key might fit?
Krystal found what looked to be a lock on one of the vehicle's two doors. She inserted the key, but was surprised when it would not turn. Her curiosity piqued, she tried to pull the handle up, and found that the vehicle was locked. She gave a sigh at that, glancing back down to Brian. She could tell he wasn't going to be awakened anytime soon, and now that they were out of the way she had some time to do some rudimentary first aid.
Reaching into her pack, the vixen extracted two blankets... these were supposed to be their sleeping arrangements for the night. She tore part of one into several strips, quickly bandaging the six gashes in her arm. The pain had worked down to a dull throbbing, but she hoped she was able to get some better medical equipment when they reached the Hollow. The bandage over her collarbone was clumsy, looking all the world like a shrunken sash tied around her... but at least it worked. The last vestiges of her bleeding stopped, she turned to tend to Brian.
Gingerly slipping his coat and shirt off, she saw the extent of the bomb's damage. Several deep gashes were torn into his side, although those had thankfully stopped bleeding. Humans didn't have fur, and the fact that they were missing that natural bandage could be dangerous. There were several small cuts on his leg and minor burns in a few spots, but they were too numerous to really bandage well.
Krystal pulled the merc's clothes back on, propping his head upon her lap. A shivering spell overcame her... the temperature had been dropping steadily for the past few moments. She knew her blood loss was making her feel colder, and she reached for the blanket. "You might not like this, but we both need the extra body heat." She gently wrapped the blanket around them both, setting the riot baton within easy reach. It was just then that the vixen realized that Brian's blaster had been lost in the shuffle... they were now missing his weapon. They were alive, however... and that was what counted. Krystal's ear twitched as she leaned back against the cold metal of the vehicle's frame, hoping it would provide some shelter from the wind.
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Brian's head hurt... like all hell. Everything was dark, and frankly, it wasn't just his head that hurt. His whole body ached, as if it were protesting the abuse it had gone through in the past few days. Was he dead? No... it wouldn't hurt if he was dead. His body was on the cold, hard ground, but he was warm enough. He was nestled in a blanket, and his head was on something soft... and furry.
He put two and two together. His head was on the foxgirl's lap. Judging from her soft, even breathing she was asleep and she was trying to keep warm. Judging at how much blood she lost when that imp thing attacked her, he wasn't going to complain too loudly, but... it was an uncomfortable position to be in. She was sitting up and sleeping, and that told him she was propped against something.
Brian reached up to grab hold of the tree trunk or log she was propped against to pull himself up... and startled as he felt smooth metal instead. Poking his head from underneath the blanket, he looked up to an astounding sight. The merc was staring at a car door. There was a car out here. Even though he was aching, he almost jumped for joy. Bracing himself and getting to his feet, he took another look at the car.
His uncle had bought one new when he was a kid... many old memories came flooding back to him as he found himself staring at the dark paintjob of the old Acura Legend coupe sitting in front of him. The memories of Uncle Jake's car had caused him to buy an Acura RL after he was pushed out of the Marines. "Jesus." All the emotion of the past two days came out with that word, but if he could get this Legend fired up they wouldn't be outrun by Sharpclaw, that was for sure. If he was exceptionally lucky there would be a gun in the car... something he could arm Krystal with. He had his Glock... he paused a moment as he felt his empty shoulder holster.
The Glock wasn't there. He patted himself down... he had five full magazines and the partial, but no pistol. After that he glanced to Krystal. She wasn't holding it, either. "Fuck." His sigh echoed the revelation he had just gone through. He was out a gun, but he had a car. If he could get it started, of course. All he needed to do was get into it.
He inspected the vehicle a little more. The car had Oregon tags, expiring in 2008. The car might have been here recently, or for a while... it didn't look too disturbed so hopefuly it would start up. Testing the driver's door, he found it locked. This would be a little more difficult. He didn't want to bash out a window and set off the car's security system. As he looked inside the interior, he found the little red light blinking at him. The car had battery power, then. If he set the alarm off, the car wouldn't start. Now was the time to start praying there was a key.
He started by checking under the bumpers and fenders. Underneath the rear fender he came across a small case, attached to the frame of the car by a magnet. That was what he was looking for. Grinning, he pulled the hidden key case out into the open and glanced inside. A couple of house keys and one car key greeted his sight, and he wasted no time in putting the key onto his keychain. He went to the door once again and inserted the key into the lock, turning it and listening to the power locks opening with a satisfying click. As he opened the door, the comfortable leather interior and wooden trim greeted him. Three pedals and a stick shift also graced the interior, and a glance at the gas gauge read nearly full. The Acura seemed to be in excellent shape, and it would cut their trip down to no time.
He circled around the car, reaching Krystal's sleeping form. Tapping her on her good shoulder, he spoke in a soft tone. "Hey... you awake?" The vixen stirred, murmuring a bit before startling awake. Her green eyes snapped open and her paw clasped around the riot baton.
"Brian? You're okay!" She grinned as she stood up, wrapping him in a brief hug. "I wasn't sure how soon you would wake up. We're away from the Sharpclaw now, and I took shelter by this wheelcar. I don't know how to operate it, but..."
"It's okay... calm down a little bit." Brian pulled away a bit. "I found the keys. We're going to be able to reach this Thorntail hollow place in a couple hours at most if things go well. And... thanks for saving my ass. You did good." Brian gave a slight smile at that, before picking both their packs off the ground. Moving to the driver's side of the car once more, he popped the trunk release and threw the backpacks in. He was hungry, but food could wait until they got out of there. Unfortunately he didn't find anything in the trunk, other than a few tools, a couple of bottles of oil, and a bottle of coolant. No guns.
Krystal followed him, glancing at the car. "The symbol on your keys matches the one on the car. Is this something you use on your homeworld?" She was curious now, glancing at the strange vehicle. There were lights on inside, and she noticed the seats were clad in some sort of tan leather. Without any prompting from him, she opened the other door and ran her paw across the seat... it was smooth and comfortable, which would be nice in comparison to the ground they had been on.
"Something similar, yeah. A family member of mine owned one of these exact ones, though... it really is a nice ride, if not older." He gave a puzzled look towards her. "Still, it's strange to find one of these sitting out in this forest. The keys were practically in easy reach, and it's not a rusted-out hulk, too. I'd say this would be too strange for words, but really... I'm on this planet too." He shut the trunk and climbed in the car, motioning for Krystal to do the same.
The vixen slid into the comfortable interior, although it was obvious the vehicle was designed around his species. There was no room for her tail, so she simply curled it around her waist. She noticed Brian shutting the door behind him, and she followed suit. "I can't tell you how you got here, Brian. I don't know how this vehicle got here either.. I'll just call it a blessing from Melos." She gave a quick smile towards him as she saw him pull some sort of strap over his body, locking it into place with a click.
"Uhm... seatbelt?" Brian looked over to Krystal, who gave a blank stare back. He went into action then, reaching across her to pull the seatbelt out of its resting place and across her body, clicking it into the lock next to the seat. "Keeps you in one place if there's an accident." At her nod, he inserted the keys into the ignition and turned the key.
Krystal almost yelped as she heard a whine come from the front of the car, before a rumbling sound took his place. Brian gave her a grin, but the sound of static filled the car. He touched a button on one of the controls and it immediately shut off... giving a scoff at the sound. "No reception out here, so no tunes." His hand moved for a lever just behind those controls, moving it backwards... and then they too were moving backwards. The vehicle responded to his manipulations, making a circle around the clearing before he pulled forward. His hand twisted something, and the vehicle's lights came on.
Brian pulled the big Acura forward slowly, until he could see the layout ahead. If he was lucky... yes. There was a path through the trees big enough to guide a car, albeit roughly. The Legend shook and twisted as it rolled over roots and dodged tree trunks until he wound up on the relatively even path of that big cobblestone road. He accelerated easily, gently bringing the car into second, and then third gear. The vehicle glided forward, almost seeming as if it were happy to be driven again. The speedometer edged up to thirty, and then thirty-five. He then shifted into fourth and kept it there, easing the Legend down the road. Actually, it felt good to be behind the wheel again, and he looked over at Krystal. With a nod he bumped the climate control up... they needed some extra warmth.
Krystal stared down the Great Road as they glided along. They were going to make it to Thorntail Hollow, and relatively soon. They might be battered and bleeding, but she knew her spirits were high. Sharpclaw couldn't run that fast, and if they made good time they would be relatively safe. "Thank you." The vixen leaned back in the seat as the vents in front of her blasted out warm air, helping to calm her aching, beaten body.
"Same to you." Brian kept his focus on the road, but gunned the throttle a little bit. He would have to rely on her on exactly how to get there, but at least they would get there without any more close battles. The Sharpclaw were tough, he would give them that... one of them nearly punched his ticket. At least he knew now some of them carried grenades, and that mistake wouldn't be made again. There were makeshift bandages around his body and he felt like his head had been Mike Tyson's personal punching bag... but he also had hope he would get off this rock. Sitting in the car made him feel like he was home already.
He turned to glance to Krystal, who had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. He drove on in silence. He would wake her as he thought they were getting close; they had some travelling to do before then. The merc turned his attention to piloting the big Acura through the night air, a familiar car on an alien road, headed toward an unknown but hopeful destiny.