DISCLAIMER: I claim only the characters used in this story, and some of the
zoids that will appear later on.
(A/N: I'm none too sure of planet Zi's currency, so I'm just using dollars
for now)
Nym swam through the darkness of her unconscious state. Everything around seemed to become brighter, and suddenly she could hear voices echoing around her. Nym feigned unconsciousness and listened in.
"Hey Bryce, do you think I could snag some supplies while I'm here?" one voice asked. "Ok, but business has been a little slow lately, so no discount this time," Bryce replied. "What? C'mon, I'm a bit strapped for cash too. As soon as business picks up again, I'll repay you," the first voice said. "Blaze, your tab is already past $700!" Bryce replied indignantly. "So what? You're just gonna let me starve, is that it?" Blaze asked. "Don't give me that crap- If you were so strapped for cash, why don't you sell that stupid sword of yours?" Bryce asked. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response," Blaze replied haughtily. His footsteps echoed off the wall as he marched out. "Hey, she's awake,' Bryce said.
Nym opened her eyes. She found herself on a bed in a dim room, surrounded by three men around her age. "Well, I guess that bruise didn't do too much damage after all. I wish you would have let me continue my examination though." The one on the left said. "Come off it, Case. She's fine," Blaze said. Bryce leaned in close. "Hey, are you ok?" He asked Nym. Nym seized the opportunity to grab him by his throat and use him to shield herself from Blaze and Case.
"Whoa there- let's not do anything hasty." Case said gently. "You- with the sword. Put it down on the floor, now!" Nym said fiercely. Blaze gingerly laid his sword on the ground. "Hey guys, what's going on?" Seth said, entering the room. He took a few minutes to survey the situation. "Uh... are you ok Bryce?" He asked. "Actually, this is kind of cool," Bryce said, looking dreamily at Nym's face. "Just answer my questions and I'll let your friend here go," Nym said. "Uh, ok. Shoot," Case said. "Where am I? How did I get here?" Nym inquired. "This is our home and store. We found you in the desert being chased by Pibb, so we decided to help you out," Blaze said slowly. "Yeah. He's probably crying somewhere in the desert right now," Case commented smugly.
Pibb swore furiously as he fiddled with the frequency knob on his long range communicator. The visual display crackled with static as he tried to find the right channel. "He's gonna kill me if I'm late again," He mumbled to himself, slapping the communicator's side. The visual display flickered into action, displaying the shadowy form of a man.
"At least you punctuality makes up for some of you more. unpleasant qualities. What do you have to report?" the shadow asked. "She was right where you said she would be. My gang and I had her cornered. But." "'But'? 'But' can be a very dangerous word, Pibb, especially if I don't want to hear it. Where is the disk!?" Yelled the figure. "Uh. she had help. There must have been at least 20 of 'em, and we held our ground as long as we could, but they surprised us and shot us down before we could do anything. I barely managed to get away," Pibb lied. "Do you know where she is now?" The shadowy man growled. "Yeah, my scouts say she's hiding at a local's place. I know those guys: they're a bunch of snot-nosed pushovers. We'll have that disk of yours before nightfall," Pibb replied. "You better, Pibb. If you fail this time, I can assure you won't live to plunder another town with your pathetic lackeys," The figure threatened as he ended his transmission. Pibb grimaced as he turned off the communicator. "Will do. father."
"So. you aren't bounty hunters?" Nym asked. "Uh, no. but Bryce is married to one if that helps," Seth said. "Shut up Seth! Don't listen to him, lady, he can't be trusted! In fact, uh, maybe you should take me hostage so you can make your escape. We could travel the world, have lots of fun." Bryce said dreamily to Nym. Nym released Bryce, who collapsed to the floor. "So you were just trying to help me?" Nym asked. "Yeah. It's a good thing we found you when we did, or you'd of died from dehydration," Blaze said. "Well, in that case, I'M SO SORRY!" Nym said, releasing Bryce. 'What was I thinking? They must think I'm a freak!' She thought to herself as tears of shame streamed down her face. "Er, there there," Bryce said, patting her on the shoulder. "Aww, someone need s a hug," Case said, moving in close. Bryce swatted him away. "Hey, What was that for?" He yelled indignantly. "Yeah, let us comfort her for a while!" Seth demanded. "Find you own. I was here first!" Bryce retorted.
"That sounds like a challenge," Blaze said, unsheathing his sword. "Bring it, Blaze! Or shall I say, Brinley?" Bryce asked. "You told!" Blaze said, aghast. "Haha. Your name is Brinley?" Case said, cracking up. "Shut up, man!" Blaze said, shoving Case. Case responded by throwing Blaze into the wall. "Owww." Blaze groaned, slumping down to the floor. "DAMMIT! Case, you moron! What'd you do to our wall!?" Seth asked, gesturing to the large dent in the wall. "No big deal. We're insured, right?" Case asked. "NO, WE ARE NOT INSURED!" Seth roared. "Well. shit," Case said, running his hand over the depression in the wall.
Suddenly, Nym felt very dizzy. "I don't feel too good." She mumbled weakly, sitting down on a chair. "Christ, she's still dehydrated. Bryce, go get something for her to drink!" Case yelled. "Yes sir!" Bryce said mockingly, goose-stepping into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a tea pot and a chipped, but clean, mug. "There ya go. drink up!" Bryce said quietly to Nym as he poured the tea. She took the cup and drank greedily. "That's better. but the tea tastes kind of funny." Nym commented. "Really? Let me taste it," Bryce said, grabbing a mug for himself. He took a sip and pulled a face. "Well, I'll soon change that," Bryce said, disappearing into the kitchen and reappearing with a large bottle filled with amber liquid.
"Here we go!" He said, pouring the liquid into the tea. Nym took another sip, and sputtered as the brew scorched her throat. "What the hell did you put in her tea!?" Seth asked. "I added some more whiskey. I didn't put enough in the first batch," Bryce replied. "ARE YOU HIGH!? You can't put whiskey in sick people's tea!" Case yelled. "A little liquor always makes me feel better!" Bryce retorted. "That's it- the booze is our of here!" Case yelled, grabbing the bottle and moving towards the trash. "NO! NOT THE BOOZE!" Bryce yelled, diving at Case. Unfortunately, this caused Case to drop the bottle.
The fighting stopped as the pair watched the bottle hit the floor. As the glass broke, Bryce grimaced, as if someone had stolen a peace of his soul. He crawled over to the broken glass, staring at the remains of his whiskey. "Uh.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drop it.." Case said, making his way for the door. "I'll..kill.. YOU!" Bryce snarled, leaping at Case. Case ran for dear life thought the small building. Strong though he was, it was suicidal to take on Bryce after doing something as heinous as ruining his booze. He ran outside and hid behind Blaze's Hover Cargo.
"You can come out, Case. I'm not mad anymore. After all, it was just a bottle of whiskey.." Bryce said, with a hint of rage in his words. "Liar! The real you would never say anything like that!" Case said. He scolded himself for giving away his position. "GOT YOU!" Bryce said, grabbing Case by the neck. He squeezed Case's throat with both hand, strangling him. "Bryce.. stop.." Case wheezed. "What, Case? Are you going to plead for your life?" Bryce cackled sadistically. "No, look!" Case said, pointing out to the desert. A huge gang of zoids was coming their was, and in front of the group was none other than Pibb's Heldigunner. "Oh bloody hell," Bryce mumbled quietly.
Nym swam through the darkness of her unconscious state. Everything around seemed to become brighter, and suddenly she could hear voices echoing around her. Nym feigned unconsciousness and listened in.
"Hey Bryce, do you think I could snag some supplies while I'm here?" one voice asked. "Ok, but business has been a little slow lately, so no discount this time," Bryce replied. "What? C'mon, I'm a bit strapped for cash too. As soon as business picks up again, I'll repay you," the first voice said. "Blaze, your tab is already past $700!" Bryce replied indignantly. "So what? You're just gonna let me starve, is that it?" Blaze asked. "Don't give me that crap- If you were so strapped for cash, why don't you sell that stupid sword of yours?" Bryce asked. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response," Blaze replied haughtily. His footsteps echoed off the wall as he marched out. "Hey, she's awake,' Bryce said.
Nym opened her eyes. She found herself on a bed in a dim room, surrounded by three men around her age. "Well, I guess that bruise didn't do too much damage after all. I wish you would have let me continue my examination though." The one on the left said. "Come off it, Case. She's fine," Blaze said. Bryce leaned in close. "Hey, are you ok?" He asked Nym. Nym seized the opportunity to grab him by his throat and use him to shield herself from Blaze and Case.
"Whoa there- let's not do anything hasty." Case said gently. "You- with the sword. Put it down on the floor, now!" Nym said fiercely. Blaze gingerly laid his sword on the ground. "Hey guys, what's going on?" Seth said, entering the room. He took a few minutes to survey the situation. "Uh... are you ok Bryce?" He asked. "Actually, this is kind of cool," Bryce said, looking dreamily at Nym's face. "Just answer my questions and I'll let your friend here go," Nym said. "Uh, ok. Shoot," Case said. "Where am I? How did I get here?" Nym inquired. "This is our home and store. We found you in the desert being chased by Pibb, so we decided to help you out," Blaze said slowly. "Yeah. He's probably crying somewhere in the desert right now," Case commented smugly.
Pibb swore furiously as he fiddled with the frequency knob on his long range communicator. The visual display crackled with static as he tried to find the right channel. "He's gonna kill me if I'm late again," He mumbled to himself, slapping the communicator's side. The visual display flickered into action, displaying the shadowy form of a man.
"At least you punctuality makes up for some of you more. unpleasant qualities. What do you have to report?" the shadow asked. "She was right where you said she would be. My gang and I had her cornered. But." "'But'? 'But' can be a very dangerous word, Pibb, especially if I don't want to hear it. Where is the disk!?" Yelled the figure. "Uh. she had help. There must have been at least 20 of 'em, and we held our ground as long as we could, but they surprised us and shot us down before we could do anything. I barely managed to get away," Pibb lied. "Do you know where she is now?" The shadowy man growled. "Yeah, my scouts say she's hiding at a local's place. I know those guys: they're a bunch of snot-nosed pushovers. We'll have that disk of yours before nightfall," Pibb replied. "You better, Pibb. If you fail this time, I can assure you won't live to plunder another town with your pathetic lackeys," The figure threatened as he ended his transmission. Pibb grimaced as he turned off the communicator. "Will do. father."
"So. you aren't bounty hunters?" Nym asked. "Uh, no. but Bryce is married to one if that helps," Seth said. "Shut up Seth! Don't listen to him, lady, he can't be trusted! In fact, uh, maybe you should take me hostage so you can make your escape. We could travel the world, have lots of fun." Bryce said dreamily to Nym. Nym released Bryce, who collapsed to the floor. "So you were just trying to help me?" Nym asked. "Yeah. It's a good thing we found you when we did, or you'd of died from dehydration," Blaze said. "Well, in that case, I'M SO SORRY!" Nym said, releasing Bryce. 'What was I thinking? They must think I'm a freak!' She thought to herself as tears of shame streamed down her face. "Er, there there," Bryce said, patting her on the shoulder. "Aww, someone need s a hug," Case said, moving in close. Bryce swatted him away. "Hey, What was that for?" He yelled indignantly. "Yeah, let us comfort her for a while!" Seth demanded. "Find you own. I was here first!" Bryce retorted.
"That sounds like a challenge," Blaze said, unsheathing his sword. "Bring it, Blaze! Or shall I say, Brinley?" Bryce asked. "You told!" Blaze said, aghast. "Haha. Your name is Brinley?" Case said, cracking up. "Shut up, man!" Blaze said, shoving Case. Case responded by throwing Blaze into the wall. "Owww." Blaze groaned, slumping down to the floor. "DAMMIT! Case, you moron! What'd you do to our wall!?" Seth asked, gesturing to the large dent in the wall. "No big deal. We're insured, right?" Case asked. "NO, WE ARE NOT INSURED!" Seth roared. "Well. shit," Case said, running his hand over the depression in the wall.
Suddenly, Nym felt very dizzy. "I don't feel too good." She mumbled weakly, sitting down on a chair. "Christ, she's still dehydrated. Bryce, go get something for her to drink!" Case yelled. "Yes sir!" Bryce said mockingly, goose-stepping into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a tea pot and a chipped, but clean, mug. "There ya go. drink up!" Bryce said quietly to Nym as he poured the tea. She took the cup and drank greedily. "That's better. but the tea tastes kind of funny." Nym commented. "Really? Let me taste it," Bryce said, grabbing a mug for himself. He took a sip and pulled a face. "Well, I'll soon change that," Bryce said, disappearing into the kitchen and reappearing with a large bottle filled with amber liquid.
"Here we go!" He said, pouring the liquid into the tea. Nym took another sip, and sputtered as the brew scorched her throat. "What the hell did you put in her tea!?" Seth asked. "I added some more whiskey. I didn't put enough in the first batch," Bryce replied. "ARE YOU HIGH!? You can't put whiskey in sick people's tea!" Case yelled. "A little liquor always makes me feel better!" Bryce retorted. "That's it- the booze is our of here!" Case yelled, grabbing the bottle and moving towards the trash. "NO! NOT THE BOOZE!" Bryce yelled, diving at Case. Unfortunately, this caused Case to drop the bottle.
The fighting stopped as the pair watched the bottle hit the floor. As the glass broke, Bryce grimaced, as if someone had stolen a peace of his soul. He crawled over to the broken glass, staring at the remains of his whiskey. "Uh.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drop it.." Case said, making his way for the door. "I'll..kill.. YOU!" Bryce snarled, leaping at Case. Case ran for dear life thought the small building. Strong though he was, it was suicidal to take on Bryce after doing something as heinous as ruining his booze. He ran outside and hid behind Blaze's Hover Cargo.
"You can come out, Case. I'm not mad anymore. After all, it was just a bottle of whiskey.." Bryce said, with a hint of rage in his words. "Liar! The real you would never say anything like that!" Case said. He scolded himself for giving away his position. "GOT YOU!" Bryce said, grabbing Case by the neck. He squeezed Case's throat with both hand, strangling him. "Bryce.. stop.." Case wheezed. "What, Case? Are you going to plead for your life?" Bryce cackled sadistically. "No, look!" Case said, pointing out to the desert. A huge gang of zoids was coming their was, and in front of the group was none other than Pibb's Heldigunner. "Oh bloody hell," Bryce mumbled quietly.