Legendary Hunter: Red Ring Rico

by mr.rubbish

My first fan-fiction. Originally posted as one long post which deterred many potential readers. Thus it is formatted here for easier reading. -- The story of Red Ring Rico from the explosion at the Central Dome to her final confrontation with Dark Falz.

2. The Whole New World

----- Chapter 2 : The Whole New World -----

Eight months before Pioneer Two's arrival a serious earthquake had shaken the area causing damage to many structures, including the Central Dome, the centrepiece of the colony. Worse still was the news that her close friend Heathcliff Flowen had died as a result of injuries sustained during the quake. There was much secrecy surrounding the circumstances of his death and even where he was when it happened, but she wrote it off as standard military paranoia.

Since that day, faint tremors came with alarming frequency, the colonist became concerned that the very spot they had chosen was built over a major fault even though geological surveys had reveal no such tectonic activity for thousands of kilometres in every direction. Another thing of note was that incidents of animal attacks on colonists were virtually unheard of before the quake, but following ever increasing levels of aggression it became so that many researchers refused to venture to the forests surrounding the Central Dome without being accompanied by a hunter. Rico had actively sought out such missions, a respite from the long stretches of boredom and inactivity.

And so it was on one of these 'babysitting' jobs that she encountered the Rappies. An indigenous bird-like species she had reckoned that one might make a nice gift for her father. However, as precious few days remained for her to capture one, she notice that these local residents were becoming more and more scarce, almost as if they knew that something was coming and did not want to be there.