Kain gave a muttered cursed as he nearly tripped on a rock that matched the dirt perfectly. For a moment he looked at the ground, a sour look on his young face. Then, with a grunt he began walking again, staring straight ahead at the horizon. The featureless desert held nothing for him to look at, so he walked without seeing anything to take his mind off the heat.
It was another hot day, and Kain felt like he was cooking alive in the white cloth he had wrapped around his body to block away the sun. Even with that he could feel the intense heat sucking his strength away slowly but surely. He knew he'd be able to last the day, just like he had the days before, but it was never easy to trek a desert. Not even for one as well traveled as himself.
For a moment he toyed with the idea of having Mythe change into his larger self, or at least grow large enough for Kain to ride him, but he immediately threw it away, as he had every time. He didn't dare use up Mythe's precious energy only so that Kain could be comfortable. Who knew if he might run into trouble later on and would need to rely on Mythe's ability to change into a Zoid.
Squinting, Kain looked high into the sky at the sun. It was only just reaching noon. There was the whole day ahead of them yet, and that meant hours more of baking heat and torturous walking. The cloudless sky looked back at the young man, unwavering and cloudless.
Sighing, Kain wiped some sweat off his forehead, and looked at his Organoid. The sleek cat-like Zoid was easily keeping pace. Kain couldn't help but smile at the beauty of Mythe. His armor was a light blue color that seemed to gleam silver in the sun. He looked almost like a normal Zoid, except for being more graceful and more like a real cat than a mechanical one. The parts where his armor did not cover were black, as were the gyro caps at his joints. His claws were gold, and individual like that of a Liger Zero. He had large ears and large yellow eyes that seemed to glare darkly at anyone who was not Kain. His throat was a darker blue color that appeared nowhere else on his body. His tail, which was jointed in such a way that it could move like a real cats, was black with a light blue armored tip that matched the color of his body. Near the end of his back rested four gold squarish spikes that were sharp as razors.
Kain reached over to pat Mythe's head, and got a slight growl before he was able to touch the Organoid. The head, which reached to Kain's chest, swiveled to look at him, the yellow eyes gleaming the sun. Kain laughed, and took his hand away, and contented himself by simply walking with his Organoid. Mythe had always been touchy about being touched, even by his partner. Kain just considered it one of the Zoids quirks, and let it lie. One day Mythe might actually fully accept him. He just had to be patient and let time work on the Organoid.
"So Mythe, do you think we'll reach a town by tonight? I would surely like to sleep in a bed instead of sleeping on the ground. I'm fully sick of sleeping outdoors." Kain listened to Mythe give various growls as he walked, his blue armor glinting in the sun. "Not sure huh? Well I hope we do. I truly am tired of sleeping on the ground." Kain smiled, his steps eating the featureless ground at an even pace. "You know, I can't wait till we get to fight again. We're getting stronger you know. You're able to change more quickly than before. Shortly I think we'll be able to switch weapons in battle, and maybe even armor eventually. You know, I wonder how you can change. It really isn't scientifically possible." The young man shook his head. It was something he had puzzled over ever since he learned that Mythe could change into a larger Zoid. "Nonetheless you can change, and that is what matters. I just wonder though."
It wasn't until early evening that they stumbled upon the small village. It was in truth hardly more than a few houses and one or two larger buildings all built in the same area, but it signified a chance to sleep in a bed and have a full warm meal.
As Kain and Mythe made their way into the village, Kain noticed that the buildings seemed to be in disrepair. Either these people were poor, or there were too few to keep up with the maintenance that the buildings needed. Either way, the chances of him sleeping in a bed tonight were slim, and Kain couldn't help but sigh.
Kain glanced about, noting the different buildings. Suddenly something caught his eye. Frowning slightly, he made his way over to the other side of large building he took to be a tavern or inn of some sort. When he rounded the corner he was confronted by the sight of a Shadow Fox, lying down for easy access to the cockpit. The Fox seemed to be in good repair, and he heard Mythe beside him growl in appreciation. The Organoid knew a well taken care for Zoid when he saw one. But if this place had a Shadow Fox, why were the buildings in such a bad state?
"Maybe that pilot is like us Mythe. Maybe he's just making a pit stop here. Let's check inside that inn and find out." Kain didn't wait for the Organoids reply before making his way to the inn. He opened the door, and walked inside.
The inside of the inn was just as dilapidated as the outside. In the medium sized room stood a bar on one side of the wall, with a few stools, and a few tables dotted the floor. The room was lit by a couple of lights that did little to put away the grimy darkness that seemed to cover the place. Besides those few things, and a staircase that led to an upper level, there was nothing in the room.
"Well Mythe, should we see if anyone is about?" The Organoid gave a growl and sat down, his long tail lashing back and forth. "Hello?" Kain called out, his voice echoing through the apparently empty building. "Is anyone there?"
"Just a minute!" called back a voice from another doorway that stood behind the bar. Kain began making his way over when a man walked out. He was rather large, with a dark red band that stretched across his forehead. His hair was short and brown, and as drab as the rest of the man. "Hey!" he said, pointing at Mythe. "No animals in the inn!"
Kain looked back at the Organoid, and beckoned him to the counter. "Don't worry, he won't bite. Anyway, he's not an animal as you can see. He's a Zoid." Mythe gave a growl, and nodded his head in agreement.
The innkeeper blinked, and took a step back, more sweat appearing on his face. "You be sure to keep him close to you boy! Gods, not another one. The one is enough, but two?" Kain raised an eyebrow at the innkeeper, wondering what he was talking about. "Anyway," the portly man said, "I'm supposin' you want a room is that right? There's only one left, and it ain't large, but you can have it. The other man, the one with the Shadow Fox, he has the other. You have credits right? If you don't you might as well leave right now." The man gave another glance at the Organoid, and swallowed.
"Yes I've credits. How much will it be innkeeper?" Kain looked about, hoping that the room was in better shape than the building. Still, a bed was a bed.
The fat man licked his lips, still looking at Mythe, who had decided to sit down and simply stare at the man with his yellow eyes. "Twenty-five credits. That includes a late dinner and breakfast."
Kain snorted, and shook his head. "That's robbery innkeeper. Ten credits is about all this place is worth."
"Look kid, as you've probably noticed, this town ain't what it used to be. I need the credits just to keep myself and my wife alive." The innkeeper crossed his large arms, and looked at Kain.
The young man raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mythe. "I know you've got problems, but I'll only go as high as fifteen credits. Look at it this way man, it's either you get fifteen or you get none. Which would you prefer?"
For a moment the man looked like he was going to tell Kain to leave, when he suddenly sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Fine. Fifteen is better than none, and I certainly don't get enough customers to even let one pass me up." The man shook his head, taking the credits from Kain's outstretched hand. "Your room is up the stairs and too the right. The door on the left is your room. The man who owns the Shadow Fox is right across from you, but he doesn't seem the type you want to disturb. Plus he has that…thing…guarding him. Anyway, I'll bring your food up to you in two hours. It won't be much, but it'll fill your stomach." The innkeeper gave one last uneasy glance at Mythe, and walked back into the doorway where he had come from.
"Well Mythe, looks like we got us a room for the night. Let's go up and talk to that other guy though first. I want to know what this innkeeper is talking about. The guy probably has some weird dog with him, but it's safer to be sure." Kain smiled faintly, and began making his way up the stairs. He looked over his shoulder to watch as Mythe carefully began to walk up the stairway. Steps had always been difficult for him, but it was always amusing to watch him carefully put a clawed foot down, and growl at the stairs, daring them to crumple under him, or make him fall.
Kain gave a small chuckle, and silently made his way up the rest of the steps, not bothering to wait for Mythe. When he reached the top he glanced about. The left hallway was short and ended in a door. Kain guessed that to be the innkeeper and his wife's room. The right hallway was longer, with a door on each side of the hall.
After a quick glance behind him to make sure Mythe was okay, Kain strode over to the door of where the man with the Shadow Fox was supposed to be boarding. He stopped in front of the door, and just when he was about to knock, the door flew open, and he found himself staring into the muzzle of a gun that was pointed directly at the large red circle that graced Kain's forehead.
Kain raised an eyebrow at the gun, and looked at the man who was holding it. He was tall. Very tall. He had to be at least six foot five Kain guessed. And he had dark skin that made him blend into the shadows. He was wearing a plain white shirt and dark brown pants. His face seemed open and friendly, but his blue eyes held much more threat than what the face showed. A single white bar that almost seemed out of place stood out on his cheek, and both his eyebrows and hair were a stark white-blond color.
"Hi," said Kain, smiling. "Uh, would you mind taking the gun from my head. If Mythe sees it I can't vouch for what he'll do. He can be quite protective of me at times." Kain cocked his head to the side, and smiled again as the man took his gun away and holstered it at his hip. "So what was that for?"
"Not very intelligent are you kid?" said the man, turning away and walking into his room. "Might as well come in. Whoever Mythe is, he can come in too I guess. Doesn't much matter." The dark man gave Kain another look and shook his head. "Not who I thought it was," he muttered, running a large hand through his hair.
Kain gave a slight chuckle, ignoring the fact that just a moment ago there had been a gun pointed at his head. Slowly he walked inside the room, leaving the door open for Mythe. He was unsurprised at the sparseness of it, and expected that his room looked much the same way. The only things that were in the room were a bed, a table, a single small window, and a doorway that most likely led to a bathroom.
The man was still shaking his head, when he turned around to face Kain. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he grabbed his gun, pointing it behind Kain. "Holy shit kid! Move! That things gonna kill you if you don't move!"
Kain blinked, then laughed, glancing behind him. "Don't worry about him! That's Mythe. You might as well put your gun away. You probably couldn't hurt him much with a normal gun anyway." Kain smiled, and turned back to the man, who was staring at the Organoid with stunned disbelief. "Look, he's not going to hurt you. At least he won't as long as you don't attack me or anything. Not that I couldn't take care of my self anyway, but Mythe can be over protective."
The man gave Kain a quizzical look, then sighed and once again put his gun away. "So I'm not the only one huh? Odd. What does this mean?" The man shook his head, and then suddenly looked about wildly. "Shit. Chaoc? Chaoc, come here this instant! Damn it, I hate when you hide from me like this! Turn your damn optical stealth off!"
Kain blinked, and looked about, wondering if he was talking to the thing that the innkeeper had been ranting about. He saw nothing in the room, and for a moment he wondered if the man had lost his mind.
All of a sudden Kain caught a movement to his right. He turned to look, when he was suddenly pushed to the ground. Kain turned onto his back, and found himself staring into the face of a white Organoid. It was making whining sounds, and it was wagging its tail back and forth. Its odd blue eyes were bright and Kain couldn't help but smile at it.
Then suddenly an unexpected roar burst from behind Kain, and he watched as Mythe ran at the larger fox-like Organoid, and rammed him away from Kain. Mythe stood over his partner, growling, and roaring, his yellow eyes bright and his tail lashing back and forth.
Kain shook his head, and patted Mythe's side. "Move away. It's fine Mythe. He was just playing, and showing that he was friendly. He didn't mean me any harm. Go on. Go over there, and sit down and relax. This room is too small for both of you as it is, and it'll be even worse if you're gonna be angry with the other Organoid. A fight between you two, if the other one even would fight, could destroy the room. Now off." Kain pushed at his Organoid, ignoring his growls. "Move." For a moment Mythe stood there, then he backed away, and sat down, hunching his shoulders and glaring at Chaoc.
Kain stood up, and brushed off the dusty cloth that he still had wrapped around his body. "I told you he was protective." Kain smiled at the man, who was standing there, just staring. Abruptly the dark man shook his head, and ran his hand through his blond hair. "I see you also have an Organoid. Odd. The man downstairs was talking about it, and I didn't know if he was insane or if he was telling the truth. Anyway, I'm Kain, and my Organoid is Mythe." Kain put his hand out towards the dark man.
For a moment the man looked at Mythe, then sighed, and shook Kain's hand. "I'm Ras. And you've met Chaoc. Chaoc, tell Mythe that your sorry." Kain looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. "Do it Chaoc." Kain watched as the Organoid looked at Ras, gave a small whine, then walked slowly over Mythe. The young man watched as the fox-like Organoid began to bark and whine. Kain looked at Ras. "Yes, he is talking to your Organoid. It seems that Chaoc is the only Zoid, at least that I know of, that can talk." Kain turned back to the two Organoids, disbelief on his face. He Organoid could talk? As he watched Mythe gave a growl, a nod, then turned and lay down. He kept an eye on the other Organoid, but he had relaxed enough lay down and simply keep watch.
"I still can't believe," said Ras, shaking his head, looking at Chaoc. "I only met him two days ago. He was being chased by two Heldigunners who were gonna kill him. I saved him, and ever since he's stuck with me like a bad penny." Kain looked at Ras, and smiled. The man acted like he was tough and hard, but he had a soft heart. "Anyway, how'd you meet your Organoid? Kinda young to have one don't you think?"
Kain was slightly surprised at how smoothly they were talking. Only a few moments ago he'd had a gun at his head, been knocked over by a new Organoid, and found out that the new Organoid could talk. This was an interesting day to say the least. He wondered about for a moment, and then decided he'd think on it later.
"Young?" said Kain, looking at Ras. "I'm eighteen. I can handle myself thank you. And all I remember of finding Mythe is waking up one day and he was standing over me, protecting me. We've been together ever since. Been about two years now." Kain shrugged, looking at Mythe. "I know very little about him. Sometimes we don't get along very well. I don't think he trusts me…or something."
"Kinda odd for two people who happen to have Organoids to meet up in a small village that can hardly be called that much don't you think? I wonder if there are any others out there. I mean, I've only had Chaoc with me for two days, and already I've met someone else who has an Organoid. I thought Organoids were supposed to be myths…no offense to Mythe of course." Ras shook his head, and looked at Chaoc who had sat down next to the dark man. Kain followed his gaze and blinked in surprise. There was a hologram screen in front of the Organoid and it had words on it.
"'Meant to happen. Chaoc and Mythe friends now too. Kain be Chaoc's friend?'"
Kain looked at Ras, and shook his head, stunned. "He really can talk. And he understands everything we're saying doesn't he? Strange." Kain suddenly laughed, and reached over to pat the Organoid's head. "Of course you're my friend! You're too cute not to be. I just hope that Mythe won't be jealous." The young man looked at his Organoid, only to see him still lying there, staring at Chaoc. Suddenly he growled deeply and his eyes dimmed as he fell asleep.
"'Mythe say that he not care. Chaoc be friends with both Mythe and Kain.'" The large Organoid began to wag its tail, and it walked over and gently nuzzled Kain.
"He's been getting better at talking," said Ras suddenly. "When we first met he could only say things is short childish sentences. He's getting better. So what are you doing here? I don't take you for a mercenary." Ras sat down on his bed, and hunched over, looking at Kain with his intense blue eyes.
Kain snorted, and looked at Chaoc who had lain down next to the dark man. "I'm just wandering. Maybe I'll find a team to join or something. Right now I'm just trying to become stronger and better with Mythe. We don't connect perfectly yet." Kain shrugged, and looked at Ras with his grey eyes. "Not much to it really. What about you? You I will take for a mercenary."
Ras laughed, and patted Chaoc on the head absently. "Yeah, I'm a mercenary. Been one for quite a few years now. Never found a team worth joining. Plus it's more fun being on my own. I think I might create a team now though. I might end up being by myself in the end, not that it really matters to me. Not with Chaoc." Ras smiled, showing white teeth that stood out starkly against his dark skin.
"Confident huh? And does Chaoc merge with other Zoids then?" Kain smiled, remembering trying to get Mythe to merge with another Zoid. That had been a most interesting experience.
The dark man looked at Kain like he was insane. "Of course he does. He's not very good at it yet, but he can. He says that the Shadow Fox is the first Zoid he's ever merged with. I will admit that when they are together the Fox is much faster and more maneuverable. Not to boast, but I was already a fair pilot before I found Chaoc. Now I'm close to unstoppable. I'll make some good money now if I make a team. What about you? What kind of Zoid do you have? Does Mythe merge with it well?"
Kain laughed, and shook his head. "I don't have a Zoid. Mythe is my Zoid. He's not like any other Organoid I've ever heard of. Instead of merging with a Zoid he becomes a Zoid. He grows and changes. Unfortunately he changes into a fairly small Zoid, but it's big enough. He's extremely agile and fast. I of course pilot. Right now we are working on the ability to change our weapons and armors. It's quite fascinating, although I do not know how he can do it. Mythe is very remarkable." The young man looked at his Organoid with a look of affection. He didn't know what he'd do without Mythe.
"Your kidding. You have to be." Ras was shaking his head disbelievingly, his arms crossed over his chest. "It was bad enough to find out that there are Organoids out there, but now to find out that at least one of them can change into a Zoid. I thought Organoids were extinct, or at least all completely merged with a Zoid." Ras shook his head, and ran a hand through his hair. "Well anyway, it was nice to meet you." The dark man stood up, and Kain followed him to the door. Obviously the man wanted to be alone to think, and Kain wanted to do some thinking of his own. "Hey, don't leave tomorrow before I get to talk to you again." Suddenly he grinned, and laughed. "In fact, how about a challenge to a battle tomorrow? I'd love to test out Chaoc, and I want to see if your Organoid can actually change into a Zoid. What about it?"
Kain looked at Mythe. The cat-like Zoid had risen when they had, and now stood beside Kain, his tail lashing softly. "What do you say Mythe? Should we?" The Organoid growled, and Kain laughed. "I do believe that means yes. When do you want to battle?"
Ras opened the door and looked at Kain thoughtfully. "Hmm. How about around noon? That'll give us both plenty of time to rest and eat up. And plenty of time to get away from the village. I don't want any stray fire hitting them." Ras put out a hand, and Kain shook it.
"Sounds good to me. No offense, but I'm gonna beat your ass tomorrow," laughed Kain as he walked out, with Mythe following him. The hallway was darker than before, but a quick glance through Ras's room, and through his window showed that it was far into dusk. "I'm in the room right across, although that's the only other room in this place. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget out battle."
"I won't kid. Just make sure that you don't chicken out. And no offense, but I think I'll beat your ass tomorrow. Just don't go crying home to Mom when I do." Ras laughed again, and closed his door.
Kain snorted, and laughed, then opened the door to his room and walked in. He flicked on the light, and yawned, realizing that he exhausted. He took a quick glance at the room, finding it almost exactly like Ras's had been, except the table had a mirror.
"Well Mythe, it seems you aren't the only Organoid around anymore. Tomorrow ought to be interesting." Kain yawned again, and tossed off the cloth he wrapped around him. Under it he wore a trench coat over a black shirt, and dark blue jeans. "Feels good to be out of that annoying cover-up." Kain looked about, seeing that Mythe had made himself comfortable in a corner of the room. His eyes were already dim, telling Kain that he was asleep. The young man smiled, and closed the door.
For a moment Kain just stood there, then he shook his head and walked over to the table with the mirror. Silently he took off his trench coat and laid it on the table. For a moment he was caught by the reflection in the mirror, and he couldn't help but smile.
His face was pale, an oddity since he often walked in the deserts. On his forehead sat three red circles, one large one in the middle then two smaller ones on the left and right of it. Grey eyes stood out from his pale face, and dark brown hair that was just a little bit longer than ear length framed his rounder face. For a moment he just stared at the image of himself, then Kain sighed and shook his head. The mirror didn't show his height, which was only five feet. No wonder everyone called him kid.
"Oh well," Kain muttered, and made his way over to the bed. For a moment he stood there, and then he plopped down, ignored the dust that flew up. Silently he yawned again. "So another Organoid huh. I wonder what's to be made of this."
Kain yawned again, and closed his eyes. He fully planned to think on what he learned that day, but before the first thought entered his mind he was asleep.