ZOIDS: Dangerous Blue Void: Ep.1 In the Beginning.
By drakora_master
Waves lapped gently on the shore as the buttery sun arose just beyond the horizon. The sky was tinged with gold and pink, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. It bathed the shore in a glowing radiance, and its rays crept through windows, illuminating the entire town as dawn became day. Sea birds wheeled and called, their cries awaking the residents for the new hour. But Brian was already awake.
He sat perched on a rocky outcrop near the teeming sea, watching the sun as it heralded the new day. Watching the sun rise was a daily ritual Brian performed on each morn. However, when the sun was finally free from its confines and had fully risen, his break would end and the town watchmaker would come. Brian was a young boy of about 13 with light brown hair, dark hazel eyes, average height, and wore the traditional Morlsevort uniform of white apparel with red embellishments. He also had a very special relationship with the sea. But who did not, when you lived on a harbor? The Republican town of Morlsevort was a small coastal town near the sea. Surrounded by enormous mountains at its back, and the sea in front of it, the town was a difficult target for Imperial invaders. Every few days, ships bearing goods from all over Planet Zi arrived for trade. On the occasion, zoids came into port as well, although Morlsevort usually stayed out of war. But unlike other residents, Brian had a strong fascination with zoids. War Sharks, Hammer Heads, Shield Ligers, Ptera Strikers, Rev Raptors. Brian knew everything there was to know about each and every one. He was reminiscing about such zoids when the town watchmaker appeared from behind.
The watchmaker was old. He had a short white goatee, was bald, and somewhat shortsighted. The man also had a kindly face and wore robes of dark brown.
"Come on Brian, its time for work. Its spring you know, and that's when most people buy their watches. There are a lot of watches to be made, and I'll need all the helping hands possible."
"Yes, sir," replied Brain. "You can count on me to help."
Mr. Krocket, the watchmaker, chuckled.
"That's what I like, boy, enthusiasm. But something is on your mind, I can tell."
"Well, a group of zoid pilots are supposed to come today. I wanted to see them, but if you say that it will be a busy day, then I guess I should put it off my mind, Mr. Krocket."
Mr. Krocket knew that Brian loved zoids, and would hate to miss something like this. He admired the boy's decision to work instead.
"Well let's see.. How about I make an offer? If you finish your chores early, you can leave and see the zoid pilots. But you had better hurry."
He found himself talking to air. Brian was dashing headlong to the watch store, determined to finish his chores on time. Shaking his head in bewilderment, the old watchmaker smiled.
Two hours had past, and Brian had finished his chores in a rush. Perhaps too quickly: there were three hours left until the zoid pilots were scheduled to arrive. Bored, Brian trudged along the beach he had explored so many times before. He seemed to have memorized every grain of sand by now, and although he loved the beach, Brian was beginning to wish that something unique would wash up. Sighing, he sat on a mound of sand overgrown with weeds.
"Must have washed up in the storm," he murmured as he eyed the mound suspiciously. "Or maybe some kids made it."
He watched the horizon, as if expecting some zoids to appear out of nowhere. Brian suddenly turned his attention to his sandy perch as it gave a violent jerk.
As if by magic, the mound beneath him began to rumble and collapse. Leaping off, Brian stared wide-eyed as the sand disappeared and a tunnel entrance became visible. The mouth of the tunnel had been perfectly hidden by the sand. It was a gaping hole that went down, down, into the endless darkness, until no light could reach the bottom.
"Wow, I've never seen this before," said Brian after a momentary silence.
Retrieving a smooth pebble from the surrounding sand, he tossed it into the abyss. Minutes passed as Brian waited, a hand cupped to his ear. But no sound came, no splash that signified that the pebble had struck the bottom. Backing away from the hole nervously, the brown-haired boy turned and began to walk away.
"I'd better be careful, I might fall in."
As he turned to leave, his shoelace caught stubbornly on a tangled weed growing out of the collapsed sand mound. Tugging his shoelace free, Brian suddenly became unbalanced and hopped to the right. And as he did so, the weed ripped the shoelace apart, and Brian fell backward. Bumping his head on the adamant stone of the tunnel wall, the young teenager went out like a light and slipped unknowingly into the darkness. Little did he know what sort of things awaited him underground as he slid unconsciously down the natural slide.
An hour later, Brian came around. Sitting up, he immediately began to rub his crown painfully.
"Grr.. It feels as if I've been hit in the head with a twenty-ton boulder.. Hey! Where am I?"
He looked around, but there was not much to be seen in the overwhelming darkness. The tunnel had gone so far down that light was an unknown energy in the mysterious underground. Staring up, Brian could barely make out the sloping tunnel that he had fallen through.
"Gosh," he whispered. "I'll never be able to climb back up all of that."
And Brian never did climb back up the tunnel, but it wasn't from lack of trying. For hours he did little else but search painstakingly for grooves in the rock to help him scale the wall and make it back to the surface. But it was no use; the vertical tunnel had been worn smooth over hundreds of years. Finally he gave up. Sighing halfheartedly, Brian lay down exhausted.
"I can't give up. There has to be a way out of here," he thought after some time. "Maybe if I go forward instead of going back, I'll find an exit."
Standing up decisively, Brian began to march forward into the growing darkness. Feeling his way through the inky-black atmosphere, Brian felt something unusual carved into the stonewalls. Although he could not see them, Brian was almost certain that long ago, someone had been here before. But who? Brian did not spend much time figuring out the answer. Remembering his position, the boy continued his trek. As he walked, taking extra care to not get lost in the labyrinth of tunnels, Brian noticed that there was no sound in the underground chambers. Once Brian thought he heard the plip- plop of dripping water in the distance, but after straining his ears to catch the sound again for a good five minutes, Brian began to doubt that he had heard anything at all. Time began to pass by unnoticed. Minutes merged into hours, hours into days. Brian lost track of time in the depths of the tunnels, not knowing whether it was night or day in the outside world. But it did not matter what time it was in a place like this; here, day was just as dark as night. Brian began to feel anxious as the tunnels led to nowhere. What if he lost his way forever? What if he died down here, in the dark, alone, and his parents never found him or knew what happened?
"No, I can't think like that. There is a way out of here. I can feel it," Brian reassured himself.
Everywhere he turned, Brian came across a dead end, or back to a tunnel he had discovered before. It was a few hours when things began to get hopeless. The search had proved futile. Brian's stomach rumbled like thunder in the echoing silence.
"This is a lost cause. I've been down here for hours, and I have not found a way out, or a way back. All I can do now is wait here for the end, I guess."
Just as he sat down, Brian suddenly noticed something he had not taken note of before. Water. The key to staying alive. There was hope after all. The ground that Brian was sitting on was damp, whereas the other chambers had been dry. His heart pounding, Brian began to follow the trail of water.
"Water doesn't just miraculously appear out of nowhere in a place like this. There has to be a pool somewhere nearby, maybe even a spring!" he concluded.
His previously slacking pace became a mad dash for survival. As he progressed, the ground underfoot became increasingly wet. Before long, Brian found himself sloshing though deep puddles in his excitement. Turning another corner, he found himself face-to-face with an incredible sight. And it wasn't just water.
To be continued.
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids. SO STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!!! Thank you.
By drakora_master
Waves lapped gently on the shore as the buttery sun arose just beyond the horizon. The sky was tinged with gold and pink, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. It bathed the shore in a glowing radiance, and its rays crept through windows, illuminating the entire town as dawn became day. Sea birds wheeled and called, their cries awaking the residents for the new hour. But Brian was already awake.
He sat perched on a rocky outcrop near the teeming sea, watching the sun as it heralded the new day. Watching the sun rise was a daily ritual Brian performed on each morn. However, when the sun was finally free from its confines and had fully risen, his break would end and the town watchmaker would come. Brian was a young boy of about 13 with light brown hair, dark hazel eyes, average height, and wore the traditional Morlsevort uniform of white apparel with red embellishments. He also had a very special relationship with the sea. But who did not, when you lived on a harbor? The Republican town of Morlsevort was a small coastal town near the sea. Surrounded by enormous mountains at its back, and the sea in front of it, the town was a difficult target for Imperial invaders. Every few days, ships bearing goods from all over Planet Zi arrived for trade. On the occasion, zoids came into port as well, although Morlsevort usually stayed out of war. But unlike other residents, Brian had a strong fascination with zoids. War Sharks, Hammer Heads, Shield Ligers, Ptera Strikers, Rev Raptors. Brian knew everything there was to know about each and every one. He was reminiscing about such zoids when the town watchmaker appeared from behind.
The watchmaker was old. He had a short white goatee, was bald, and somewhat shortsighted. The man also had a kindly face and wore robes of dark brown.
"Come on Brian, its time for work. Its spring you know, and that's when most people buy their watches. There are a lot of watches to be made, and I'll need all the helping hands possible."
"Yes, sir," replied Brain. "You can count on me to help."
Mr. Krocket, the watchmaker, chuckled.
"That's what I like, boy, enthusiasm. But something is on your mind, I can tell."
"Well, a group of zoid pilots are supposed to come today. I wanted to see them, but if you say that it will be a busy day, then I guess I should put it off my mind, Mr. Krocket."
Mr. Krocket knew that Brian loved zoids, and would hate to miss something like this. He admired the boy's decision to work instead.
"Well let's see.. How about I make an offer? If you finish your chores early, you can leave and see the zoid pilots. But you had better hurry."
He found himself talking to air. Brian was dashing headlong to the watch store, determined to finish his chores on time. Shaking his head in bewilderment, the old watchmaker smiled.
Two hours had past, and Brian had finished his chores in a rush. Perhaps too quickly: there were three hours left until the zoid pilots were scheduled to arrive. Bored, Brian trudged along the beach he had explored so many times before. He seemed to have memorized every grain of sand by now, and although he loved the beach, Brian was beginning to wish that something unique would wash up. Sighing, he sat on a mound of sand overgrown with weeds.
"Must have washed up in the storm," he murmured as he eyed the mound suspiciously. "Or maybe some kids made it."
He watched the horizon, as if expecting some zoids to appear out of nowhere. Brian suddenly turned his attention to his sandy perch as it gave a violent jerk.
As if by magic, the mound beneath him began to rumble and collapse. Leaping off, Brian stared wide-eyed as the sand disappeared and a tunnel entrance became visible. The mouth of the tunnel had been perfectly hidden by the sand. It was a gaping hole that went down, down, into the endless darkness, until no light could reach the bottom.
"Wow, I've never seen this before," said Brian after a momentary silence.
Retrieving a smooth pebble from the surrounding sand, he tossed it into the abyss. Minutes passed as Brian waited, a hand cupped to his ear. But no sound came, no splash that signified that the pebble had struck the bottom. Backing away from the hole nervously, the brown-haired boy turned and began to walk away.
"I'd better be careful, I might fall in."
As he turned to leave, his shoelace caught stubbornly on a tangled weed growing out of the collapsed sand mound. Tugging his shoelace free, Brian suddenly became unbalanced and hopped to the right. And as he did so, the weed ripped the shoelace apart, and Brian fell backward. Bumping his head on the adamant stone of the tunnel wall, the young teenager went out like a light and slipped unknowingly into the darkness. Little did he know what sort of things awaited him underground as he slid unconsciously down the natural slide.
An hour later, Brian came around. Sitting up, he immediately began to rub his crown painfully.
"Grr.. It feels as if I've been hit in the head with a twenty-ton boulder.. Hey! Where am I?"
He looked around, but there was not much to be seen in the overwhelming darkness. The tunnel had gone so far down that light was an unknown energy in the mysterious underground. Staring up, Brian could barely make out the sloping tunnel that he had fallen through.
"Gosh," he whispered. "I'll never be able to climb back up all of that."
And Brian never did climb back up the tunnel, but it wasn't from lack of trying. For hours he did little else but search painstakingly for grooves in the rock to help him scale the wall and make it back to the surface. But it was no use; the vertical tunnel had been worn smooth over hundreds of years. Finally he gave up. Sighing halfheartedly, Brian lay down exhausted.
"I can't give up. There has to be a way out of here," he thought after some time. "Maybe if I go forward instead of going back, I'll find an exit."
Standing up decisively, Brian began to march forward into the growing darkness. Feeling his way through the inky-black atmosphere, Brian felt something unusual carved into the stonewalls. Although he could not see them, Brian was almost certain that long ago, someone had been here before. But who? Brian did not spend much time figuring out the answer. Remembering his position, the boy continued his trek. As he walked, taking extra care to not get lost in the labyrinth of tunnels, Brian noticed that there was no sound in the underground chambers. Once Brian thought he heard the plip- plop of dripping water in the distance, but after straining his ears to catch the sound again for a good five minutes, Brian began to doubt that he had heard anything at all. Time began to pass by unnoticed. Minutes merged into hours, hours into days. Brian lost track of time in the depths of the tunnels, not knowing whether it was night or day in the outside world. But it did not matter what time it was in a place like this; here, day was just as dark as night. Brian began to feel anxious as the tunnels led to nowhere. What if he lost his way forever? What if he died down here, in the dark, alone, and his parents never found him or knew what happened?
"No, I can't think like that. There is a way out of here. I can feel it," Brian reassured himself.
Everywhere he turned, Brian came across a dead end, or back to a tunnel he had discovered before. It was a few hours when things began to get hopeless. The search had proved futile. Brian's stomach rumbled like thunder in the echoing silence.
"This is a lost cause. I've been down here for hours, and I have not found a way out, or a way back. All I can do now is wait here for the end, I guess."
Just as he sat down, Brian suddenly noticed something he had not taken note of before. Water. The key to staying alive. There was hope after all. The ground that Brian was sitting on was damp, whereas the other chambers had been dry. His heart pounding, Brian began to follow the trail of water.
"Water doesn't just miraculously appear out of nowhere in a place like this. There has to be a pool somewhere nearby, maybe even a spring!" he concluded.
His previously slacking pace became a mad dash for survival. As he progressed, the ground underfoot became increasingly wet. Before long, Brian found himself sloshing though deep puddles in his excitement. Turning another corner, he found himself face-to-face with an incredible sight. And it wasn't just water.
To be continued.
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids. SO STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!!! Thank you.