Second Universe Tales: Universalia Fight Club:
The team assembles
Walking on the streets in front of Raptonia, is what seems to be a small theropod.
He's about one meter and a half in height, in a full upright position. He had a long tail, orange in the back and white in the lower parts, with eight spikes on the sides, all with a certain distance with one another. He had a thin body, although there were traces of abdominals, and was mostly orange with a white underbelly, but he had a lilac stripe running in the entirety of the back. He seems to wear a red, long cape, starting from the shoulders and going down until reaching the half of the tail. He has long, slim legs with three short fingers armed with long, sharp claws. Its arms, relatively slim but still more muscular than the legs, were long, and had five short, sharp mechanical spikes as fingers, with the fifth one being prehensile. Its long neck supports a elongated head, with large eyes. It also has a frill behind its jaws, lilac in coloration.
He's a Raptor. But he isn't from Raptonian. Despite the Raptor empire generating in Raptonian, there were other tribes that were evolving, similar to the ones in Raptonian, on other planets. This Raptor is actually from a planet in the Kanaka system, on planet Hantachi. He's a Jaggi, a small theropod that usually lives in packs.
Raptors comes in different shapes and forms, even from other planets, conquered by the Raptor empire. But all Raptors have something in common. First of all, they all have, at least, four prehensile fingers, allowing them to grab objects. The other thing that all raptors have in common is an high level of intelligence, being able to learn far more quickly than any other species. After all, the Raptor empire went from a couple of tribes to space conquerors in barely 30 years, basing themselves only on blueprint of the Kartuns of Earth 1.
They also have their own language: however, for a non Raptor, such "language" is nothing but a bunch of roars and growls. Instead, they are using infrasound and, as such, those growls and roars, although they seems the same all the time, they are actually a complex language, although not written.
Raptor written language, as such, was taken from the Latin alphabet, from the contacts with Terra Nova and the Sack of America. As a matter of fact, Raptors even started using Kartun language as time passed, more than they used their own language. Still, Raptor language was still largely used among side the population.
He walks in the rural paths before the mighty capital. Up to now, he simply travelled in dirt paths, sometimes walking, other times using domesticated animals as means of transports. The closest space airport was three days of walking from Raptonia, so it was to be expected.
It had been a long walk. But the sight of the metropolis was all worth it. Besides, it wasn't even that tiring.
«First time in Raptonia, general?» a voice came from behind him. It was a large, blue theropod with black tiger stripes, around five meters of length. He wasn't walking upright like the Jaggi, as it is not a natural element of Raptor anatomy.
The Jaggi turned his head slightly, to face the one talking to him. «Not really, fella» was his answer, «been here some times in the past.». A short moment of silence followed between the two, until the larger theropod broke the silence. «With all due respect, who might you be? Judging by the cape, you're at least a general, but I've never see your face in the journals».
«Heh» was the Jaggi response, shrugging its shoulders, «not blaming ya. Leaded some minor conquests against some Kartuns from Earth 73 and Earth 414. Did conquer Alysia tho. Frogeaters put up a good fight.». The theropod soon realized who he was speaking to.
«Ah, yes! Now I recognize you! You must be the infamous Jaggiskipper!» the theropod said in realization. Language between Raptors generally were always casual, no matter if the conversation was between a general and a peasant. In the Raptor empire, all were equal, as long as they were strong.
«Raptor actually told about you and the campaign against the Alysians. As a matter of fact, my brother went to colonize the planet a week ago.» he said in a friendly tone. The conquest of Alysia was indeed hard fought: the Kartuns there united to contrast the Raptor invasion.
Battles such as the battle of blood Canyon, between the Silver Hawks and the Moga pack, aided by the Nublar and Sonra elites, showed how determined the Kartuns were. They had built a literal wall made of their shields, and fought a desperate battle against the elite's ramming force.
Although Raptor's military structure is similar to ours, with commanders, privates, sergeants and generals, there is one class that is different: the elites. Elite soldiers are Raptors that have been born with malformations of any kind: claws that are slightly too long, an arm that is too short, the list goes on and on with no end.
They would be trained to kill and hate Kartuns since they were born, but also received an higher education than their counterparts. And while Raptor warfare had evolved since the old pack hunts, the elite strategy didn't change that much: armed to the teeth, a small band of elites would charge against the opponents, dodging all the projectiles and ramming against the enemy, killing them with their claws and jaws in the same way they did when hunting their prey back in the day, but also guns and knives to cause havoc in the enemy lines.
The main assault would begin only when a single elite died. Until then, they were on their own. For most elites, lifespan is no bigger than 3-4 battles. But the ones who survive more than that, tend to become semi invincible, thanks to the experience gained.
«Ya know» Jaggiskipper then said, «ya Liliensternus are always the first colonizin', don't ya?». «Well,» was the Liliensternus response, «someone has to do it, Ja?» he said, shrugging its shoulders. «That being said» Jaggiskipper then said, more serious, «do ya know where he lives?». «Well,» the Liliensternus said, «he actually lives in the outskirt of the city. It shouldn't be that hard, considering he lives in a hut.» he said, while pointing at a general direction on the right, where the suburb of the city was located.
«Thanks pal.» was Jaggiskipper response. As such, he started to move toward the suburb.
So much for Raptonia main centre being gigantic, a city of 610 km², the suburb was far more different. It actually resembled a lot what Terra Nova used to be: several small, rectangular houses all around a main street. However, there were some differences.
First of all, the houses were all made by the Raptors inhabiting the building. Second, there was variety between houses. Some of them were made of wood, others were made of grass and foliage. Some others were made of stone. On top of that, there were different styles regarding on how it looked like.
Many were your typical rectangular houses, others were completely different structures. Many who built them were actually veterans of the various conquests of the Raptor empire. Other than Owen himself, none of the original members of his tribe were still alive.
On contrast to the development of space equipment, the conquest of space was relatively gradual. It took them 200 years to achieve the level they had right now, and a Raptor's life span is far shorter than the one of a human. And many of them didn't experience the richness and beauty of other planets.
For many of them, the only other planet they saw other than Raptonian, was Earth 1, during the Sack of America, and it wasn't pretty. It was dark, full of dust, and the air was hard to breathe. The Raptors never colonized the planet; rather, every year, they sent raids against the American continents and, after a while, against the rest of the planet.
Humans once were in excess, living in a world where having more than three children was a crime. Now, they were an endangered species. The Raptors came and went, stealing resources, killing the Kartuns and turning them into a food source to bring home. It was no different than a hunt.
However, after the Raptors learned how to travel in space, they discovered the wonders of all the other planets. Some had river made of gold, mountains made of rubies, in many the civilizations created complex and beautiful structures outside of the Raptor's understanding.
Even Alysia, Jaggiskipper most famous conquest, was a wonder of a creation. Huge forests, gigantic cities, sometimes placed in the trees, white buildings, and more. Raptors are curious creatures, and remained fascinated with their conquests. Especially considering the fact that the Raptors are relatively simple creatures.
They did not care to create elegant structure, but functioning, simple structure. Some of them were inspired by the Kartuns: as a matter of fact, Raptonia was a perfect combination of the American cities, with large, tall buildings that can contain multiple beings at once, and Terra Nova old structure. This could be seen in Raptonia circular position, with the buildings all placed inside an invisible circle.
The suburbs are far less impressive than the main city centre. But hey! The streets are at least better than the dirt roads outside of the city. And for that, Jaggiskipper was partially grateful, even thought he didn't mind the old paths. They reminded him of Moga. Home.
After some more walking, he stumble upon a large hut. It had a rectangular shape, with a tall roof, triangular in shape. It was made of large leaves that had been dried off, and tied together. There could be seen some sticks coming out, proving that the whole structure was supported by them. There was no door, and the entrance was a simple hole.
This was definitely Raptor's home. He could sense its smell. Raptors have extremely keen sense: they can see something from an incredible distance even in the night, hear the faintest sound in a field and find the source, and track the smallest scent in miles.
He started walking toward the direction of the giant hut, until he was inside. There, he found a simple house with some bare necessities: a simple hole covered in leaves as a bed, an eating area and another, smaller hole where to leave what he hasn't digested.
As he walked more inside of the house, however, he started to notice several lights, and then he saw who he was looking for.
A full grown Velociraptor Insularis, a Nublar's giant Velociraptor. A five meters long, two meters tall predator. He has a long, muscular tail grey in coloration, with a slender body. Its long, muscular legs have feet equipped with three strong fingers armed with sharp claws. However, the first claw was far larger, with a sickle like structure. Its arms were long, relatively muscular, armed with four long, prehensile fingers. Its short neck supported a large, triangular head with large reptilian eyes. On its nuzzle, he barred a small scar, probably gained in his career as a soldier. Although its mouth was closed, several of its sharp teeth were still showing.
He seemed to be polishing a large knife. He almost seemed like he didn't notice Jaggiskipper. Maybe he just was ignoring him. As Jaggiskipper advanced, however, Raptor broke the silence.
«That was a house intrusion and violation, punishable by the law.» he said in a unemotional tone, not looking at Jaggiskipper. A short silence followed, until Raptor got up, turning around to meet the Jaggi.
«Soooooo, how can I help you.» he then said in a carefree voice, with a smile on his face, breaking off the character he was previously completely.
«S'been a long time, S.E. 83» Jaggiskipper responded with an ironic voice, especially when referring to the S.E. 83 part. S.E. stands for Soldier Elite. All elite soldiers are given that name followed by a number. However, after a while, they were encouraged to choose a nickname, and to make sure that they are remembered with that name. S.E. 83 had choose Raptor as a nickname (alongside Grandpa Eagle, but he prefers Raptor).
«Yeah, fuck you too, first,» was Raptor's response first, although not meaning it too much, «and second, nice see you again», he then said, still smiling. Raptor and Jaggiskipper worked together in most of their campaigns, and had become close friends. This could be seen in the conquest of Alysia, where the two worked closely, even sharing strategies.
But Raptor had quit the military after a while. Well, not really quit. Simply, he stopped serving as an elite. Not that he didn't enjoy it, but he preferred to play a different role in the Raptor Empire. The decision was accepted by Owen, as long as he would take arms and prepare its claws in the moments of need.
«So,» Jaggiskipper then said, «how did time treated ya?». «Oh, nothing special,» was his answer, «been taking contracts, killing random Kartuns, heard they say boring stuff like revenge, then kill them before they could, and then take the money» he then said, with a sarcastic voice.
«So, yer basically a hitman, huh?» Jaggiskipper said, crossing its arms, with a sarcastic serious voice. «Yup» was Raptor answer, «I got to kill those Kartun scum, and I even get paid.»
«It's good when your favorite hobby is also your job» he then said with a smile on his face. Clearly, he was enjoying it. «Yeah, I knew ya would say that» was Jaggiskipper response.
After a short silence between the two, it was Raptor the first to spoke. «So Yankee, what brings you to the big guy's layer?». Jaggiskipper remained silent for a second, but answered after a while. «I dunno really. Apparently Owen needs ya and, under its own worlds» he stopped, inhaling some air for a while, «it's a mission that only you can convince him to take part into», he then said, with a deep voice, obviously mocking Owen's voice.
«Wait, por serio?[Seriously?]» was Raptor response, obviously surprised by Owen apparent message. Jaggiskipper was probably a busy man: what kind of job could he be assigning him? As long as it included killing Kartuns, how bat it could be?
«I have a bad feeling about this» he then said. Who knows what kind of mission he could be sending him to. Owen was known to sometimes send individual Raptors, most of the times war veterans, to deal with isolated problems, even rebellions. But sending a close friend to convince them….that's new.
After a while of silence, however, the elite made its mind. «Well, we aren't going to find out staying in this hut. Might as well make a visit to the old man» he then said, determined. «You coming?» Raptor asked its friend, to which he responded with a nod. The duo came out of the hut, and walked alongside the other. Like the old days.
After a while of walking, they finally reached the city centre. The heart of the city. The heart of the capital. The heart of the empire. The large tall buildings, also better known as skyscrapers, almost reached the skies, with several windows where many Raptors could be seen running around in their jobs.
In the streets, several small stands were selling various items: fruits, meat, pets, horns, weapons, and other items taken from the Kartuns in the various conquests. It was a rich market, where anything could be found. But Raptor and Jaggiskipper weren't here for shopping.
Their objective was the venue of the Emperor: the Emperor's Base. Situated where the old Terra Nova Command Base was, is the biggest and tallest building of Raptonia, double in size to the biggest skyscraper of Raptonia. Its base was a square made of pure steel, with several wood decorations on the side. Then, the structure keeps growing, with several drawings and graffiti showing the struggle of the Raptor empire since the tribal stage. Many of the faces of the original generals who conquered Terra Nova and who leaded the Sack of America. However, the biggest of the face sculpted in the building, was the one of Owen. On the very top, there is a circular structure resembling a closed circled gazebo, with several windows and a round roof, made by a steel foil. On top of it, there is also another smaller roof.
«Geez,» Raptor commented, «every time I see this building it looks like the evil lair of a villain of the 80's.». «HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!» he then said, with a ironic evil voice, «IT IS I, DOCTOR OWEN, AND I WILL TAKE OVER THE WORLD BY TURNING ALL HUMANS INTO LIZARDS!» he continued with his evil voice.
Jaggiskipper just sighed. «Well, that shit IS made by all the things we stole from the Kartuns» he then said. He had a point, really: the Emperor's Base was the first building to be modified with all the materials sacked by the Raptors in the Sack of America first, then by the sacking that took place in the other planets, and the building was still growing in size.
«Hey! They should have defended their homes better», Raptor exclaimed, justifying the various sacking and the genocides they performed. It was a popular justification for most of the Raptors in the empire: in their eyes, only the strong were allowed to live. It was something that was true in the beginning, and it is still true in the real world.
Jaggiskipper simply nodded in agreement: he made that statement, but he was just as racist as his friend. Only Kartuns defend the weak. And, in the Raptor eyes, look where that brought them: in a polluted, overpopulated planet with no resources. However, many were starting to wonder….were they wrong?
But now it's not the time to question their philosophy: they needed to see Owen, and understand just what the hell is going on.
Once inside of the building, they should have thanked God (or Mutilator, in this case), that the Raptors had learned how to build elevators. It is something all Raptors should be grateful of. Otherwise, they would have to take the stairs. In the tallest building ever build by the Raptor empire. Sometimes in a hurry.
«God, imagine what our ancestor had to do to see the old man all the times» Raptor said, with an hallucinated look in his face. «Death by Emperor?» Jaggiskipper rhetorically asked, «tsk, more like Death by Fucking Stairs, that's how you execute people 'round here» he then self answered his question. Did people actually had to take the stairs back in the days? Sure, Raptors can resist fatigue better than many Kartuns, but still.
So, instead of having to use the stairs, they reached the very top of the building with the elevator, ready to meet the mighty emperor himself.
Greeting them was a large throne room. The floor was made of white marble, although there was a long, red carpet with images of battle between Raptors and Kartuns. The throne was in the middle of the circular room, and was….actually, kind of simple.
Several sticks formed the base, with the seat area being covered by soft fur. The splat had several elegant drawings on it, with large eyes, staring at whoever was in front of it. Not the throne that you would imagine for the one who united all the tribes and created the largest empire in the known universe.
The emperor was sitting on it, with a serious look on his face. He had a long, slender tail, green in coloration, with a yellow coloration in the underbelly part. Its body was slender, with long, slender legs, with three long, slender fingers armed with long, sharp claws. He had long, relatively muscular arms armed with four prehensile fingers armed with extremely sharp claws. Its long neck supported an elongated head, with extremely large reptilian eyes.
He was carrying a spear as a scepter, a long stick with long feathers on the butt, and a sharp, metal spike on the top, sharp both at the point and on the sides. That spear has a deep meaning in Raptor history: it was the same spear that Owen used to hunt in the jungles of Raptonian, while also fending off predators. It was also the same weapon he carried to battle against Terra Nova, and in the Sack of America. That weapon helped Owen funding the Raptor empire.
«You came.» he broke off the silence, «So you received my message».
«What's the problem this time?» was Raptor response. Even in front of the emperor, you didn't have to change your tone that much. Back in the days, he actually fought alongside its soldiers, before they told him otherwise.
«Good» he responded, «so today you aren't interested in pointless chatting. Unlike most other times» he said in obvious sarcasm.
«Well» Jaggiskipper then said, «the OTHER times ya didn't need good old me to convince this fella to do somethin', ya know?».
«Good point» Owen responded, smiling. «Well now» he returned serious, «then let me show you». After raising his hand and emitting a small grunt, a small ornipods came and brought a newspaper, giving it to Raptor and Jaggiskipper. The two read the first page, and (in part) understood what was going on.
Building in Naha suburb, Okinawa, catches fire. Reports from civilians tell that the cause was from a giant wyvern like creature, flying off shortly after the attack.
«I can assure you» Owen then said, «that that newspaper is from the Financial Times. They are extremely reliable.»
«Dayum!» was Raptor's response. «Ya believe it's one of the air force members going berserk?» Jaggiskipper then asked. Raptor air force, most of the times, was made up of flying animals, who most of the times would be trained to obey orders. Most of the times they obeyed. But some, like the Priscadraco montanensis, also better known as Montana's Wyvern, tended to go berserk. And further description by the journal matched the creature perfectly.
«Not at all» was Owen response. «These are news reports from Ireland, on planet Earth 2939». The two quickly eliminated the possibility of a rogue Priscadraco. Other than a few ambassadors, there was no Raptor presence on the planet, let alone an Air Force.
«How about someone keeping it as a pet and then it escaped?» then asked Raptor. Owen shook his head. «Those animals cannot be domesticated. And only we can tame them». He had a clear point. And even then, they were hard to control. Not the ideal pet.
«A zoo, maybe?» was Jaggiskipper guess. But judging by Owen face, it didn't look like the answer. «The only way» Owen broke the silence, «than that Priscadraco could have reached that planet is that he reached it from the wild. Alone». There was clear worry in Owen voice.
«That's bullshit» Raptor calmly and skeptically responded, «the closest earth that contains Priscadracos is Planet Earth 37, which is light years far from Planet 2939. That and the fact that is another fucking planet».
«And that's what worries me» was Owen response. «I'm sure you know, that there is a prophecy, regarding our god. Mutilator». This caught the interest of both Jaggiskipper and Raptor. Because they knew what he was talking about.
When Mutilator created the universe, he made it a universe of strength, but also a universe of the free. No laws, no concept of hell of paradise: all who died would become spirits in the wastelands of Mutilator's home. However, there was a single law: if the universe started to become more compassionate, Mutilator would have to take action.
However, he wouldn't take direct action. It wouldn't be fair. He didn't want to destroy all life, but let the strong live. To do such, he would be forced to make its creatures fight between each others. He would create portals, Mutilator Portals, that would open the various worlds to different ones.
Once opened, and once in the different planets, its inhabitants would start fighting against the invaders, and the invaders would attack the natives. This phenomena was known as Universalia Fight Club. It would only stop in two ways:
One, Mutilator would deem that enough blood would have been spilled by both the Kartuns and the Monsters. Then, he would close them, sending the invaders back in their home world. The bloodlust would incline both sides to become stronger and, as such, balance would be restored.
Or, a combined group of Kartuns and Monsters would have to work together to face Mutilator himself. He would see if they were worthy of challenging him, by making them face both the natives and the invaders in the Universalia Fight Club. Then, after a while, he would create a portal, who would bring them to his home.
Then, the fight would start. If they lose, the Universalia Fight Club would continue none the less. But if they win, it would not only stop, but Mutilator's influence on the universe would be over. The only way for the combined group to win, however, was to merge one with another. Then, they would become a new being. A God. Godsor.
«Well now» Jaggiskipper then said, «so ya believe that the Universalia Fight Club has begun?» he then asked. «I indeed believe that. Keep reading.» he then ordered. As they continued reading, their suspects grew even stronger.
MV Golden Nori disappears in the Sea of Japan after entering "A blue structure", as the last message recorded states. «Shit» was Raptor response. «So the big guy made his move, huh?».
«Indeed he has» was Owen response. «Such conflict could be devastating for both Kartuns and us Raptors» he then said, showing the necessity to intervene.
«Mobilize the army» Jaggiskipper quickly exclaimed. «We cannot to that» was Owen response. «If we step in too directly, the situation might get worse. What if Mutilator consider this cheating and decides to intervene directly?» he said, logically.
«So» Raptor then said, crossing his arms, «what are we going to do?». Owen paused for a while. He knew that this was the part that he wasn't going to like. «I'm afraid» he resumed, «that we are going to follow the instructions of the prophecy.»
«Which means» he continued, «that we are going to need a squad composed by both Kartuns and Monsters, preferably sapient Monsters.». He paused again, looking at Raptor with its large eyes. «And I would appreciate both you and Jaggiskipper commanding such squad.».
An awkward moment of silence struck the throne room, which was broken by Raptor. «Excuse me, uhrg, t-the FUCK did you just say?» he said, with a mix of surprise, confusion, anger and various other negative objectives.
«I meant what I just said. All of it» was Owen response. Before Raptor could respond, Owen continued. «Hear me out. I do realize that, as an Elite, you have a natural hate toward the Kartuns.» his voice clearly showed sympathy. No soldier in the Raptor army, let alone the Elites, would want to work with the Kartuns.
«But you two have showed some incredible leader skills.» he said, praising the two Raptors. «I believe that you would make excellent alpha males in the team.». He paused again.
Jaggiskipper seemed the most interested in the argument, and believed that he was willing to bear those little scum for a while, if it meant stopping Mutilator plans. But Raptor, on the other hand…
«Good luck buddy» he said looking at his friend. He then looked at Owen with a fire of anger in his eyes. «Because I'm out of this shit.». He walked past the throne, and got close to the emperor. «Now you must excuse me, but I need to go to the window.»
«To think over about this?» asked the emperor.
«No, to throw up after hearing such a stupid AND disgusting idea.» Raptor responded, with anger in his voice. He opened the windows in order to reach the balcony.
«Why am I not surprised» was Owen thoughts. He then turned his head toward Jaggiskipper. «This is where you step in. That's an order» he said, with a commanding voice. «This ain't no order» was Jaggiskipper response, «this is something personal. For me.»
Outside of the throne room, in one of the many balconies outside of the room, Jaggiskipper saw his buddy, looking down at the streets of Raptonia.
«Jeez, tell me ya didn't throw up for real» he said, in an annoyed tone. «Well be happy» Raptor responded, with a relatively pissed tone, «because I didn't.». A good minute of silence followed, with the two looking at the city. It was six P.M, and the sun was setting. Making the city even prettier.
«Wow. Never saw Raptonia from here. S'pretty ain't it?» Jaggiskipper then said, breaking the silence. «Cut the crap» was Raptor response, «the old man just ordered you to convince me to join his Kartuns "Compañeros"[Companions]».
Jaggiskipper paused for a while. «Yeah, fella did» he then said. «And let me be honest with ya» he then said, «either ya can give it up, or ya join, because I know I can't do it without ya, and I certainly know ya can't do it without me». His answer was short and brief. No complex monologue. He honestly hated them.
Raptor sighed. «I appreciated» he then responded, «but look at what we're dealing with man!» he then said, trying to be as calm as possible. However, anger could be still heard.
«Raptor…»
«You gotta draw the line somewhere!»
«Raptor listen-»
«Gotta draw a fucking line in the sand dude! You got to make a statement! You gotta look at yourself and say, "What I'm willing to deal with today?", NOT FUCKING THIS!». The last line was a pure scream of anger. Even Jaggiskipper, used by Raptor usual ranting personality, was surprised.
But he recovered quickly. «C'MON! REALLY? YA GOING TO LEAVE ME IN THIS SHIT ALONE?!» was his answer. «YER GOING TO LEAVE YA COUNTRY ALONE, YA SICK FUCK!? JUST BECAUSE YA CAN'T DEAL WITH SOME SCUMBAGS?!».
«Three words.» Raptor then said. «WORKING. WITH. KARTUNS!» he screamed again. «They are the most UNBERABLE beings in the universe! With their belief of right and wrong like they were some sort of god!» he started ranting at his friend like there was no tomorrow.
«And they talk SO. MUCH!» he then said. «What, so ya can't stand yourself?» was Jaggiskipper response. «At least I'm clever!» was Raptor response. The two then stayed silent for another good minute, looking at each other's in the eyes.
«How can you be just ok with this?» Raptor then said, questioning his friend. «I'm not.» he responded calmly, surprising Raptor with his lack of hesitation. «I know I'm going to hate it, but» he continued, «if it is for my country, I'm willing to deal with it».
«….Since then you worked with fucking Stalin?» was Raptor response. Jaggiskipper simply sighed. «Listen» he then said, «I DO realize that ya hate those fellas, but think what would happen to Nublar if we don't stop Mutilator!». The last comment got Raptor a bit. «The strong will survive. They always did.» was Raptor response.
His thinking was no different than most Raptors. If you were killed by something, it meant that you weren't worth to live in this Green Inferno. «Raptor…» was Jaggiskipper response, who put his hand on Raptor shoulder, «ya know that ain't gonna work.».
Raptor remained silent for a while. «Fine.» was his answer. «But don't expect me to treat them well. Or equally for that matter.»
«Ain't that asking too much?» Jaggiskipper ironically said. «Yeah, you got a point» Raptor responded. The two then entered back inside of the throne room.
«All right, your shittyness» Raptor then said to Owen, «I accept your job proposal.».
«Excellent» was his response. «BUT!» then Raptor said, making Owen raise an eyebrow. «I'm not going to do it for free.» Owen just looked at him with a "Have you been born yesterday?" look, then responded. «For five years we have done this dance. Of course you never do anything for free. No one should».
Raptor then smiled evilly. «Good.»
The next day, Raptor and Jaggiskipper woke up early in order to reach the space airport. Apparently, they would meet their squad as soon as they would reach it. After another three days of walking, they finally arrived.
The space airport was relatively simple really: a big square in the middle of the forest where the various ships would land to either deposit their cargo, take supplies or merch, or simply to land people. The two walked until they reached gate 41, where the meeting was set.
If Raptor was at least hopeful that it wouldn't be that hard before, thinking that they would gain control of a squad of professional Kartuns, his hopes were now shattered, as he now looked at the squad.
It was composed by 18 members, 10 Kartuns and 8 sapient Monsters (10, if we include Jaggiskipper and Raptor).
Greeting them was a Kartun boy, about 20 years of age. He was a big eyed Kartun.
Kartuns in this universe can be easily classified into two groups: the big eyes, which spots extremely large eyes, especially compared to their heads, and the small eyes Kartuns, which were the same kind who colonized Raptonian.
«Greeting!» the boy said with a smile on his face. He had blond, short and slightly spiky hairs and big green eyes. He had a white shirt like clothing, with elegant dragon like drawings on the front and back. He wasn't that bulky, but still showed some obvious muscles in his arms and abdominals. Its long legs were covered in a traditional medieval armor, with a golden coloration. He was carrying a large sword, bigger than himself, with elegant drawings in the middle. The cross guard was decorated with several beasts, such as dragons and snakes.
Raptor looked at the boy in utter disappointed. «Sup, kid.».
A short silence followed, in which the elite inspected the boy. «Tell me you aren't part of my squad» he said in desperation. The boy responded, «I don't know. Are you S.E. 83 and Jaggiskipper?»
«GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!» Raptor screamed. The boy looked surprise by the scream of the elite, and started scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Then, Raptor looked at his face. «First of all, Kartun scum,» he said, almost hissing, «you either call me Raptor, boss or Grandpa Eagle. In THAT order.» The boy was slightly afraid by the way he looked at him. «Second, welcome to hell.»
After having "calmed" himself, he asked, «who the fuck are you and where you come from?»
«I….I» the boy responded, a bit hesitantly, only to gain some confidence shortly after. «I am Teodbald Acot, knight of the order of the dragon, of the Kingdom of Carnotum.» he said, proudly. Raptor simply raised an eyebrow. «Or at least, I'm close to become…..» Teodbald then said, a bit ashamed.
Raptor just face palm at his affirmation. «God damn it.» he then said. He decided then to see the rest of the "Squad" Owen assigned him and Jaggiskipper.
«All right here, let's see who are the fuckers they gave us.» he said, looking at a piece of paper with the names of the team members.
«Erik Malmin, planet Earth 11». «Dag[I'm here]» he responded. He was a Djupedalia sapiens, a plesiosaurid. He had a short tail, attached to a round body. Contrary to its ancestors, he's capable to walk on land thanks to its powerful legs, with webbed fingers, five of them. He has long arms with five long, prehensile webbed fingers armed with sharp claws. He had a long neck supporting a small head with a large mouth, with long, needle like teeth. His skin was grey with several blue stripes. He had a pair of trousers made of lubber and skin, just like the rest of his clothing, resembling the one of Vikings. He had a cape, made of brown feathers, on his back. He was wielding a backpack with an iron helmet visible, and on his hand he was carrying an axe, with the eye part having an elegant iron structure, resembling a giant Pliosaurus opening its mouth.
«Namboni Rajoha, planet Etolava». «Ankehitriny[I'm here]» she responded. She was an Adinophis gigantea, a sentient snake. Her body was elongated but relatively robust. Near the neck, she had two short, muscular arm equipped with four short, prehensile clawed fingers. She had a long neck with a large, semi flat heat, with small snake like eyes. She was brown in coloration, with several diamond like spots on the back. She carried a long spear, with a ridiculously large blade, sharp both at the point and at the sides. She was wrapped in a elegant red dress, with several patches, similar to the ones of a leopard.
«Sam Lindsay, planet Alidaxos». «Right here to serve ya» he responded. He was a Homo charcales. He had a long, muscular tail covered for the most part by a large triangular fin. He had a muscular body, covered by a grey uniform, with many golden buttons. He had long, muscular legs, with blue trousers and black boots. He also had muscular arms, with yellow military gloves. Its short neck supported a large head with huge fish like eyes and large jaws armed with sharp teeth. On top of his head he wore a cowboy hat. On his back, he wore a long rifle, similar to a Springfield Mod. 1861, alongside a pistol shaped like a small Henry rifle. On his belt there was a long scimitar.
«Guntomor, planet earth 667». «Odoogiin[I'm here]» she responded. She was a Tochisaurus. She had a long, slender tail, covered in short feathers, with the exception of the fan she beared at the tip. She had a slender body, covered in plumage, supported by long slender legs with three fingers with long claws, especially the sickle one. Her arms were long, with large fan feathers on their sides. She had a short neck supporting a long head, with small eyes and a bag like structure on her throat. She had a long scimitar, as long as her, on her side, with a bow and arrow on his back, similar to the ones of the Mongols. She also had a TT pistol on her belt and a AKMS near her bow.
«Saidjahon Valiyev, planet Laringeni». «Azırkı[I'm here]» he responded. He had a long whip like tail, green in coloration and with some black stripes. Its long, slender leg was covered in a grey armor, eastern style, with a golden circle in his chest. He had short legs with long fingers and short claws, causing him to crawl on the ground like a reptile. His short neck supported a large head, with a triangular mouth and large eyes. He was carrying a long sword on his left arm, a shield on his right arm and a long spear, as long as him, on his back.
«Aaryan Marsh, planet earth 41». «'morning chumps» he responded. He was a Brontoscorpio meridionalis. He had a long, segmented tail ending up with a stinger, shaped like the ones of a scorpion. Its body was partially segmented too, with the back having some sort of plaque functioning as a defense mechanism. He was supported by six short, segmented legs, and had long arms with massive pincers, with spikes inside them. Its short head had some smaller pincers on the front, and four eyes, two larger ones on the side and two smaller ones on the top, could be seen.
«Illuminato Bacci, planet earth 776». «Presente[I'm here]» he responded. He was a Scipionix. He had a long, slender furry tail. He had a slim body with short fur, supported by long legs armed with three fingers armed with sharp claws. He had long arms, with four long prehensile fingers armed with long claws. Its short neck supported a large hear, with huge eyes. He was wearing a fedora. On his belt there was a Sawed off Shotgun, a Tommy Gun, a bunch of knives and a Ice Pick.
«Mungool, planet Earth 444». « Kudual.[I'm here]» he responded. He was a Thylacoleo warranguli. He had a long, slim furry tail. Its muscular body was supported by four powerful legs. Its frontal ones were equipped with a powerful thumb with a large claw. Its powerful neck supported a large feline like head, but with powerful incisive. He was carrying a Boomerang, with sharp spikes on his sides, several small leather bags and a large spear.
«Du Luz, planet earth 99». «Presente[I'm here]» he responded. He was a small eyed Kartun. He had muscular legs completely exposed, with the exception of a large tight skirt. Its muscular body was covered by a tight orange shirt, with several large feathers attacked to the back, with a similar color. He had black hairs and blue eyes, and a crown like structure with a large orange feather. He had a large scepter, with an elaborated axe like structure.
«Aayaat Akel, planet Tamriel». «Hadil[I'm here].» was her response. She too was a small eyed Kartun. Her long, slender legs were covered in blue trousers and black pointy boots. Her slim body was covered in a light armor in the chest and shoulders, with the arms covered in a red dress. She had long, brown hair, golden eyes and a turban on her head. On her belt she had two scimitars.
«Aulus Varus, also from planet Tamriel». «Hie ego sum[I'm here].» he responded. He had muscular, heavily armored legs, with the armor being dark blue in coloration, alongside a large grey skirt. Its muscular body was covered by a grey armor with a dragon on the centre. He had a small beard, long black hair and brown eyes. He carried a gladio on his belt, and a rectangular shield on his right hand, alongside a bow and several arrows on his back.
«Cualli, planet Earth 51». «Hadir[I'm here]» she responded. She was a big eyed Kartun. She was wearing orange sandals, keeping her long, exposed legs off the ground. She had a short, yellow traditional skirt. She had a brown tight shirt, showing even more her relatively large rack. «Typical big eyed.» was Raptor thought. Big eyed Kartuns were known to have the biggest assets in the Second Universe. Alongside being the most annoying kind, in Raptor eyes. On top of her shirt, she had a blue gillet, still showing her shirt. She had long brown hair, just like her eyes. She was carrying a small katana like sword on her belt.
«Jules Génin, planet Earth 70». «Présent[I'm here]» he responded. He was a big eyed Kartun too. He had a muscular body structure, with a military uniform. Out of all those people, he seemed like the most professional of all. He carried a white clock on his left hand. He also had a green cap, with a golden star in the middle. He carried a MAT-49 on his belt, alongside a machete.
«Lucrecia Galvan, planet earth 44». «Buenos dias[Good morning]» she responded. She was a small eyed Kartun. She had long, white trousers, and some simple shoes made of hay. She also had a white shirt, covered in a black gillet, where skull drawing could be seen on the back. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes, with a pirate hat. She carried a scimitar on her belt, alongside an axe and a couple of flick flock pistols.
«Miok Kambo, planet Azeroth». The Kartun, an orc, simply grunted. For Raptor it was enough. He was a muscular being, with long black hair kept as a ponytail. Its arms were covered in some sort of steel armor, with long bone spikes where the fists are located. His belt bears a skull of a horned creature, with sharp teeth. He had red trousers with giant, iron, pointy boots. He had a gigantic axe, with the right side having the biggest blade, where there are also several long spikes.
«Vanessa Peduto, planet earth 717». Before she responded, she giggled a bit, with a long smile, almost cutting her face in two. After a while, while being noticed by Raptor, she gained her composure back. «Presente![I'm here!]» she responded in a hurry, with a bit of embarrassment. She was a big eyed Kartun. She had long legs with tight leggings and black boots. She also had a tight black sweater, which also showed a big rack. She had long black hair and blue eyes. She carried several blades of different shapes and forms on her belt.
Raptor raised an eyebrow after her peculiar exhibition. «Something funny, lady?» he asked with a serious tone. «Oh, nothing, nothing» she responded, with a strong Italian accent, «it's a complicated story». Raptor believed her, and went to continue with the last member of the squad.
«And last but not fucking least, Anna Acot, Kingdom of Carnotum.». «Greeting, I apology for my idiotic brother.» she said, with an annoyed voice. She had long, blonde hair and large green eyes. She was full covered in a yellow light chained armor, with elegant dragon drawings, similar to the ones of her brother. She too had a similar sword. Other than being a woman and having longer hair, as a matter of fact, she almost seemed like a clone of her brother.
After having finished reading the names in the piece of paper, Raptor sighed. This had to be the worst team ever. «And I'm supposed to kick Mutilator's ass with those suckers».
«All right ladies,» he then spoke to the squad, «the check in is finally over. And I can already tell this is going to be a pain in my ass.» he said with pure honesty. He obviously didn't care about their well being(maybe the Monsters, but the Kartuns could burn in hell as much as he considered).
«C'mon fellas» then Jaggiskipper said, «get ya asses on top of the ship. We're heading to our new base!».
The group started to walk in direction of the large Raptor ship, their adventure going to start very soon.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review so I can learn your opinion. I'm willing to accept suggestions, so stay tuned. Also remember to like and follow. See you on the next chapter.