Journey of the soul chapter 24
When we last left our hero, he passed out in a volcano like a total idiot. Will things be different this time?
Hunter: that was your fault!
No proof!
Hunter….I strongly despise you right now.
I get that a lot. I don't own fossil fighters! Enjoy!
Falling, falling, falling. Hunter felt only the sensation of falling. He couldn't breathe or feel anything around him. He couldn't even see. He was just falling, falling, falling. Hunter tried to move, but instead entire body throbbed with pain. He started making out an image. Someone staring from above as he kept falling.
It was Duna: the only person who knows who he really is.
"Gah!" Hunter sat up quickly, awakening from his nightmare. Is a good night's sleep too much to ask? He winced in pain and noticed that his injuries had been covered in white bandages. Hunter moved himself off the bed and looked around. In was in a small blue room with just the bed and a desk for furniture. Hunter noticed his shirt and all his other belongings on the desk, so he changed into his usual attire. Hunter flinched when his side turned and sent an arc of pain up him.
"OH, ARE YOU TERRIBLY INJURED? CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE!" Hunter resisted the urge to laugh, knowing it would only cause more pain, "IT'S NOT LIKE YOU GOT YOUR EYE GOUGED! UNLIKE SOMEONE I CAN NAME!"
"Don't vivosaurs heal naturally?"
"It's the principle of the thing," spinax pouted, "by the way, where in the name of the revival machine's second cousin are we?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Hunter pushes open the door at the side of the room and entered a long hallway. Hunter tried to turn left, but before he could someone grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him backwards.
"Hey!, what the- mmf fm fmmk!" A gag was thrown into his mouth and a black blindfold covered his eyes. he was dragged backwards with no idea where he was being taken.
"well that was abrupt," spinax commented
"Ya don't say?"
"Sarcasm's my schtick, you stick to the optimism."
"Why the heck should I be optimistic right now?"
"…because it says so on our summary?"
"We're not supposed to talk about that." Hunter tried to reach for his holder, but his captor had grabbed Both arms to drag him and was not letting go. Eventually, they apparently reached their destination because Hunter had stopped moving. When the gag and blindfold were removed, Hunter came to see an odd sight. Rosie, Mr. Richmond, and Dr. Diggins were all staring down at him.
"I understand that whatever you want to talk about is important," Hunter said, "but did you have to kidnap me?"
"Sorry, my boy, this was the only way we could get you here without anyone knowing," Mr. Richmond scratched the back of his head.
"First question how did I get here?"
"I found you!" Rosie excitedly answered, "you passed out at the entrance of Mt. lavaflow with your spinax next to you. I think it may have carried you there."
"I did?" Spinax questioned himself, "I owe me a drink then."
"Okay," Hunter said, "that still doesn't explain the need to kidnap me."
"Hunter, the bb bandits have taken over vivosaur island." had an extremely grim look on his face."
"Okay, why is this a big deal?"
"What are you talking about? The entire island has been taken over!"
"By a bunch of misfits who don't know how to train vivosaurs!" Hunter ranted, "seriously! Has anyone ever told them that vivosaurs can be leveled up past rank 5?" Hunter sat up, flinching
In slight pain, "I could go kick Bullwort's tail right now! Where is that bigot?"
"He's in the Richmond building," said Mr. Richmond, "but you don't seem to be in any condition for the stress of battle. How did you get those injuries?"
"I…uh,"
"Got kicked by a girl that turned into a dinosaur," spinax interrupted, "Yes I do know that sounds a lot like anime."
"I…tripped on a rock and fell down a hill…a hill of cactuses (or cacti). Anyway, what's important is that I can fight, and I know that Bullwort can't."
"Woooooooooow. Great cover up, Sora the master assassin, sounds completely believable." Spinax chuckled. Hunter rolled his eyes and was on his way out of the warehouse when Rosie grabbed his shoulder.
"I'm coming with you." She said.
"Why?"
"Because I want to see how Bullwort managed to take over vivosaur island without vivosaurs."
"I meant that Bullwort was bad at fossil battles, not that he-…you know what, nevermind." Hunter let Rosie tail him as he stormed towards the Richmond building. As he walked, Hunter couldn't help but feel angry. Angry at himself for not knowing anything, Angry at Duna for not telling him anything about himself, Angry with himself for not getting what he needed, Angry that the people who have caused him so much trouble are back. Angry that he couldn't stay mad at Duna even though he wanted to. Angry that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand even his own feelings.
"Maybe you should try to get to know yourself," spinax suggested, "have a lovely chat over tea."
"I don't even know who I am," Hunter growled back.
"Stop being angry and start being weird about everything."
"Huh?"
"That's your character flaw. Always weird acting."
"…stop treating everything like a video game."
"That's my character flaw, never knowing when to be serious." Hunter slanted his eyebrows and didn't reply. He knew spinax was trying to help. He also knew that he didn't care, spinax needs to butt out.
"Well, well, well. Look who it is!" Two BB bandit grunts blocked the entrance to the guild area, "the guy who thinks he can-" Hunter smacked the bandit on the side of the face with his foldax and set V-raptor on the other.
"Tell your boss he just made the worst mistake of his life," Hunter snarled, "he ticked off a pubescent teenager with an army of dinosaurs and a taste for vengeance." The two bandits scurried away, not daring to look back at Hunter's piercing glare. He turned and saw Rosie staring at him with a look of shock on his face.
"What?"
"You're a lot different from the Hunter that helped me get my dino medals back."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"…nothing." Hunter stuffed his hands into his pockets and sulked over to the Richmond building. Strangely, there were no grunts in the building.
"Maybe they're all on a coffee break?" Spinax suggested.
"Who cares? Less people for me to beat up."
"Dude, you need to calm down."
"You don't know what I need spinax, you don't know anything about me."
"I know more than you think." Spinax became very serious."
"Stop acting like you know everything about me, cause you don't"
"…What do you know about me? What do you know about Rosie?"
"huh?"
"What do you know about Duna? What do you know about anyone? Apparently, you know so much about everyone that you think you can shut yourself away from the world and act like a prick."
"Don't call me a prick, snake face."
"Don't compare me to a worm lizard. I've dealt with your crappy attitude long enough!" Spinax's voice vibrated with annoyance. Hunter stopped in front of the door to Mr. Richmond's office.
"Well if you HATE me so much, then maybe you should just leave!"
"What would you do if I did? Feel guilty for the rest of your life?"
"Shut up spinax."
"…no."
"Shut Up Spinax."
"NO"
"SHUT UP SPINAX!"
"MAKE ME!"
"FINE! And when you do stop talking for once in your life, you'll see how much better I'll do without you dragging me down!"
"Who fought Duna while you were getting kicked around like a football?"
"Who revived you in the first place?"
"Oh, you're right. I should TOTALLY be grateful for you bringing me back to life so I can FIGHT MY OWN KIND!" Rosie was already halfway through the doorway when she noticed Hunter had stop.
"Shouldn't we get going?" She asked. Hunter didn't answer.
"Well then maybe you should just leave!" Hunter screamed in his head, "I don't need you! I'm strong enough on my own! I….I'm strong."
"So that's it."
"…"
"Not knowing anything for so long has made you doubt yourself."
"Stop talking spinax."
"You don't think you're strong enough to get the answers you need."
"I said STOP."
"And now all those frustrations that have built up since you first met the hoods are all coming out at once."
"SHUT UP!" Hunter grabbed spinax's dino medal and threw it at hard as he could into the pond on the floor. He felt the mind link between them immediately sever.
"What'd you do that for?" Rosie asked.
"None Of Your Business!" He growled back, walking through the door. Rosie looked back, trying to find the medal in the water. When she couldn't find it, she reluctantly followed Hunter.
"Ah, if it isn't the two reasons I will never have kids." Bullwort seemed to be waiting for them when Hunter and Rosie entered the room.
"Wanna bet that's not the only reason?" Hunter shot back.
"Laugh while you still can boy, before I freeze you were you stand!" Bullwort held up a dark blue dino medal with a black ring around it, "with the legendary vivosaur, frigisaurus, I am unstoppable!" Legendary vivosaur?
"Delta! S-raptor!" Hunter's two vivosaurs entered the room with confused looks on their faces. Delta looked around.
"Frigi! Make him suffer!" A blinding blue light filled the room. When the flash subsided, a towering monster nearly broke through the roof. Frigi was a giant blue apatosaurus with ice encasing its back. Frigi's piercing red eyes stared straight into Hunter's soul. He called out for S-raptor to attack, but before he did…
"Now here is an intriguing soul." The voice that spoke made Hunter freeze in place, his mouth half open. There was a new link in his mind, but not like anything he was used to. It felt like a stick was being plunged through his head. But what scared him the most was who was talking.
"You are much more interesting than these half-wits," the voices mused to itself. It was a cold, rough voice that sounded like several people speaking at once, "Tortured past, big dreams, secrets about himself even he doesn't know. You check out on all categories of a stereotypical hero." The voices laughed as Hunter held his head in pain.
S-raptor charged at Frigi and brought its fangs down on its side. What happened next could only be described as godlike. Not only did S-raptor's fangs bounce off like a ball trying to hit a wall, but it one swift movement, Frigi whipped its tail around and defeated s-raptor in one strike.
"How did you-" Hunter managed to utter before going through another surge of pain.
"Quite simple, you are weak and I am strong. We couldn't be more different. However I would say we have one thing in common."
"Wha-" Hunter watched as Delta was brought down with one strike as well. He looked down in horror and saw ice forming around his feet.
"We are both cold. Heartless you could say, without purpose."
"I'm nothing like you." Hunter felt the ice encasing him. He heard Rosie shout something before she was fully entrapped in ice. Bullwort laughed as the ice enclosed Hunter's ears, but the laughter didn't stop. It was coming from another voice.
"It was a pleasure to meet you Hunter, I am Frigisaurus. It would do you well to treat me with respect, unlike your last friend." The tear that rolled down Hunter's cheek. As the ice froze over his eyes, Hunter had on last thought.
Spinax was right, he wasn't strong enough, and he let that ruin everything.