Chapter 2: Clash
Khalsin grew silent as an earthshattering crash
seemed to split the air, a deafening impact jolting the ground not
far from them. A great explosion of sand burst into the air, raining
down on both combatants. Ryke's saber tiger lurched, leaning to one
side, crouched on its massive hydraulic legs. Khalsin could see its
firm claws sinking into the sand to maintain traction as the massive
shockwave of sand blew across the two. Running the back of his hand
across his brow and squinting through the unblinking vermillion eyes
of his warshark, Khalsin watched the thick haze of sand settle
gradually, dropping slowly to the ground again as a gaping, ragged
crater was left at the site of the explosion. A huge ivory capsule
stood majestically in its center, its glossy, cylindrical frame an
unsullied white. Khalsin was forced to look away as the sand finally
cleared allowing the sun to reflect harshly from the polished white
surface of the capsule. At the lower end of the podlike structure
it's flawless white metal tapered parabolically inwards, presumably
coming to a narrow tip buried deep into the sandy earth. The front
half of cylinder parted abruptly, rising upwards on hinges attached
to the cylinder's domed top. Steam escaped poured outward in a
sudden rush as the capsule cracked open, blowing more sand outwards
as the capsule opened itself, both zoid pilots watching in a sort of
stupefied silence. With another soft click, the holoscreen presented
itself to Khalsin, his opponent's gruff features staring him down
with a dark, furrowed brow. "You've got to be kidding me! The
Zoids Battle Federation all the way out here? How do they find
us!"
Khalsin sighed, finding himself equally annoyed by the
unexpected intrusion. The Zoids Battle Federation proved to be a
shadow to all Zoid fights. By his guess, they kept constant watch
over the planet from a great armada of space-stations orbiting Zi.
This way, they could send down androids to preside over each and
every "official" Zoid battle. The majority of pilots, himself
included, disliked the rules put down by referees, the seriousness
and formality of the situation making judge-attended zoid battles
gravely unappealing. He rubbed the back of his neck a little, casting
his grey eyes back over to the now completely open capsule which
revealed a small, white android starkly contrasting its black
interior. The thin, wiry form of the android waved its colored hands;
the right a deep blue, the left a bright scarlet. Both resembled some
sort of odd flippers, digitless appendages locked to the end of two
stiff mechanical arms. The judge's hands shifted jerkily upwards as
another soft click echoed in the tense silence of the warshark's
cockpit. Khalsin glanced up as another holoscreen materialized before
him, the android's strange, cylindrical face gazing silently at him
through a dark metallic screen, the closest thing the odd machine had
to eyes. Rounded, bladelike metal protrusions moved around where the
"jaw" of the android would be. Khalsin smirked, letting his sharp
gaze flit toward the vidscreen displaying his adversary's gruff
features. "Guess they have nothing else to do..." This prompted a
husky, chortling laugh from the big one, who nodded hastily in
agreement before Khalsin could see him avert his gaze up to the new
holoscreen projection. The android's grating monotone promptly
commenced, irritating and synthetic. "The Zoid's Battle
Federation now assumes control of this Zoid battle. This battle will
be between Khalsin Tarok and Ryke Sanuko, a one-on-one match. If Ryke
Sanuko is victorious, Khalsin must forfeit his custom Warshark. If
Khalsin Tarok is victorious, Ryke must forfeit 10,000 credits.
Initiating rule set 0992. A one-on-one battle with no limit to
armament or time."
The
androids arms moved up into the air, as its head turned to both
combatants, a deadly silence accompanying an electric tension which
thickened the air. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as gusts of sand
blew about in the still space between both mechanical combatants,
iron beasts of war poised and ready for combat, motorized muscles
taut, pilot's fingers stiffly clamped about joysticks. "Ready…"
came the crackling voice of the judge, ringing loudly in the hushed
atmosphere of both cockpits, before its flagged appendages shot
downward in one jerky thrust. ""Fight!" came the heavily
anticipated command, the accompanying motion causing the unstable
android to sway back and fourth on its single, elliptical foot.
Khalsin's eyes narrowed as acute concentration overtook him, angled lower jaw tightening as grey, lupine gaze searched the battlefield, constantly scanning over the opposing zoid to detect any sudden movements. Anticipating a sudden charge he reached to his side, firmly grasping a metallic lever and jerking it back in one vigorous motion, the roar of his enormous engines intensifying as the warshark barreled across the sandbar towards the intimidating verdant gaze of the saber tiger. The golden machine shot into action immediately, moving with sleek agility as it nimbly shifted its weight, abruptly altering its course and sprinting to one side in a hooked turn, flanking the warshark's headlong charge. The two large cannons on the underbelly of the tiger pivoted towards the mechanized superfish as it rocketed by, letting out a sudden, booming salvo of photon shells, dual cannons alternating fire as each jolted back onto itself with the recoil from each shot.
This cunning counter attack was a move only partially anticipated by the warshark's pilot. The high-temperature, bright green blasts shrieked through the air, slamming into the hull of the charging warshark, but doing little damage due to the heavy plates which reinforced and protected its hulking, coelocanthic form. The warshark wheeled around in another sharp, banked turn, spraying a gargantuan wave of sand out behind it, large, turreted photon cannons locking onto the agile quadruped. Khalsin jammed both thumbs down on faded scarlet buttons topping his controls, feeling their smooth, glossy red forms sink in with a collective click. This prompted the release of his own barrage in retaliation, sand bursting from the ground as the energized shells struck, sending pillars of sand into the air with each rapid impact, the dual cannons, mounted on either side of the zoid's head launching a relentless shower of photon shells back at its opponent.
The nimble tiger
dipped and dodged with remarkable speed, its powerful legs pumping
while its armored frame evaded the salvo of projectiles, suddenly
dashing to one side, the sand behind it bursting as the unremitting
rain of shells followed it down the beach, tearing the land behind it
to pieces just behind every step. Once the swift tiger had exceeded
his range and therefore evaded the assault, Khalsin cursed in a
hoarse whisper, jerking both joysticks forward again. He seized the
brownish lever to his right, feeling the rough plastic material press
into his palm as he yanked it backwards with another vigorous jerk of
one wiry wrist. The huge rocket thrusters on the back of the warshark
burst into action with a crackling roar, blue fire spewing back
around its massive tail as the coelocanthic metal behemoth rocketed
across the beach, flying rapidly through the sand and back towards
its opponent. The saber tiger skidded to a halt with a skillful
maneuver by its pilot, shifting places and launching three more shots
toward its charging foe, armored fuselage jerking with each heavy
shot. The shots continued with little remorse, attempting to halt the
hurtling advance of the young man and his shark. Khalsin shook his
head, his eyes flaring intensely as he briskly wrenched the joystick
from side to side, making the heavy, thick tail of the shark shift
places in unison. Like an enormous iron rudder, the partitioned tails
swung from side to side, giving the shark a sharp and swift strafing
motion, the subsequent zig-zag path forcing walls of sand to burst up
to either side of his jagged path. Each photon attack shrieked past,
leaving the charging zoid unharmed.
The
enormous warshark continued its rapid approach, closing in on its
helpless opponent. The yellow tiger crouched on its haunches, coiling
itself for a sudden pounce as the warshark came into range. Just as
this occurred, Khalsin hastily tilted his controls back, boosters
pivoting abruptly downwards before moving back into their ready
position as the joysticks were jammed forward. The great shark
launched into the air from the sudden shift of its boosters, hurtling
through space toward the lighter, more agile form of the saber tiger.
It's elegant frame tensed abruptly, leaping into the air in one
smooth movement, soaring over the black form of the shark in a
predatory pounce not far removed from that of its natural
counterpart. Khalsin's jaw dropped as the other zoid settled firmly
atop his own with a loud, metallic crunch, pinning it to the ground.
The large gun turret mounted on its chest tilted to face downwards,
both cannons launching photon shells at point blank range into the
thickly armored fuselage of his craft. Khalsin cursed, slamming the
two joysticks to one side as the whole console jolted with the force
of the movement. The great, steel hull of the zoid trembled as
enormous heat plunged into it with each great blast, the saber tiger
continued its close-range firing as Khalsin looked frantically for a
method of escaping his increasingly dire situation. The rocket
boosters flared an intense cobalt in vain, pushing with all their
might, but they could not dislodge the great cat, dug in with its
razor claws. A loud, insistant beeping caught the pilots attention,
directing his frantic, smokey gaze downward. A projected screen just
below the two vermillion "eyes" of the zoid displayed a picture
of the entire craft. One small panel, displaying a 3-dimensional
image of the zoid's steel-plated back, began to blink red. "Hull
breach imminent. Heavy damage sustained." Blinked at the bottom of
the screen repetitively. Khalsin cursed, reaching down to his left
and lifting a small, clear door, beneath which, contained in an
ominous square of red-and-black stripes, sat a large red button
marked "overdrive". The pilot took a shaky breath, before one
pale finger jammed firmly down atop the button, letting it sink in
with a solid click. A soft whine could be heard above the frantic
roaring of the motors, growing louder and louder, as the young pilot
watched a small, empty bar began to gradually fill on the side of the
monitor screen. After a few moments the bar's slow progress came to
a standstill, the whine dying down as it lowered in pitch. Khalsin
cursed under his breath, dull grey eyes going wide in terror.
"No!"
He
pressed the red button again, looking about hysterically as sweat
pinned his deep violet hair to his temples, panting heavily as his
hands quivered in panic. He finally grunted after hearing the whining
die down again, slamming his fist down on the button with a grunt.
"Work, damnit!" he growled, gritting his teeth with desperation.
The button illuminated abruptly, blinking sporadically as the rising
whine returned. The nearly-empty bar on the monitor before him began
to make steady progress, a whitish bar within it slowly advancing as
a percentage number beside it continued to scale upward.
30...40...50. It intensified for several seconds before a
horrifying rumble rose beneath it, adding a baritone snarl to its
earsplitting screech. Khalsin kept his gaze locked on the monitor
screen as the throbbing vibration of each harsh blow meeting his
zoid's wrecked fuselage began to match the pace of his fluttering
heartbeat. 80...90... only seconds remained before the outer shell
would be breached, rendering his zoid helpless against the firepower
of his ruthless opponent.
The deep rumbling
echoed far above the racket of the roaring engines, before in a great
rush of the air, it had joined it. The rectangular engines at the
zoid's rear, glowing a white-hot blue, suddenly flared red, intense
scarlet flame bursting out of their backs and melting the very sand
the two zoids rested upon, charring it to a smooth, black stone. The
two zoids suddenly shot forward with the enormous force of the
thrusters. Khalsin slammed the joysticks forward at this time, as the
warshark shot into motion, the immense power of its overdrive
thrusters allowing it to jet forward even with the excess weight of
its ferocious adversary. Khalsin directed the blazing machine onward,
bringing both zoids towards the ocean at an astonishing rate. The
warshark trembled uncontrollably, as if unable to maintain its
structure before the might of the furious jet engines. The tiger was
nearly thrown off by the blast, its cannons ceasing their repetitive
fire as its huge, steel claws dug deeply into the overlapping armor
of its prey, gripping it tightly to maintain advantage. The head of
the tiger-like zoid turned to the water it soared toward as its jaw
opened, letting out a ferocious roar of abhorrence. The zoid
gracefully leaped off of its prey only instants before the impact
into the water, landing firmly on the wet sand and wheeling smoothly
about to face its foe. Photon shells impacted the water as Ryke let
loose another barrage from the cannons, but it was no use; his target
had disappeared beneath the waves in one dramatic burst of water,
white foam exploding into the air with the heavy impact. Soon the
waves had settled, returning to their usual and dilatory motions,
undulating smoothly against the beach.
Ryke
squinted as he gazed out over the water, the zoid standing crouched,
ready for any attack. His eyes constantly combed the waves, but he
could find no disturbance, no imperfection in the deep, beautiful
green of the majestic sea of San Pirea. He could tell Khalsin was
contemplating his next attack, using his zoid's aquatic prowess to
gain the upper hand, and he had it; for the moment. The young man was
biding his time, and Ryke knew full well he would find a way to make
this all the more of an advantage. This fellow had proven to be much
more of a challenge than he had believed. When would he come? It was
unlike Khalsin was not one to keep his opponents waiting. Ryke
grinned gleefully, scratching the coarse, graying stubble on his
chin, tensed in his square seat, his hands tightly fisted around the
dual joysticks of his control panel. This battle had moved from being
a boredom killer to real entertainment; a stunning an intense battle
far beyond the trite sort of predictability most opponents brought
him. The great man started as he sighted bubbles rising quietly to
the surface off to his left. He paused, tensing up, feeling that his
zoid did the same, crouching on its four strong legs. With a sudden,
high pitched hiss, five rocket-propelled torpedos suddenly tore from
the waves, soaring directly towards him and closing in swiftly. The
panel to his left blinked insistently, a small, glowing diagram of
his zoid rotating at right angles in the background. "Approaching
projectile- Dist: 27m" flashed blatantly in red, stenciled letters.
With each flash the distance number flickered downward; it was
already approaching zero.
Ryke's beefy fists jerked the joysticks to the side as the tiger fell into an graceful yet vigorous sprint, dashing quickly across the beach to escape the rockets, though they continued to close in. Panting in exhilaration he jerked backwards on the controls, guiding his felinoid machine onto some large rock formations, gingerly working its way across them as its metal feet let out loud clanks as they scraped and settled upon the great stones. As he leapt onto the next rock, his eyes caught a dark form in the water. Ryke grunted in surprise, but it was far too late to react.
Khalsin grinned at his surprise attack, hearing the rapid blasts of the rockets detonating against a rock formation to his right, the huge shark bursting from the water and soaring towards its opponent. The timing and placement of this attack had been flawless; the projectiles had lured his helpless adversary into a vulnerable position where an ambush would be all but too easy. Though the rockets had not struck home, they had distracted his opponent long enough for him to make his move. His huge zoid, alight with cobalt flame hurtled towards its target, water streaming off its armored frame and sparkling majestically in the sun. Time seemed to slow as the breaching aquatic zoid closed the distance. The broad head of the fishlike zoid slammed into the Saber Tiger's armored shoulder with a deafening crunch, knocking it forcefully off of the rock and onto the sandy ground beneath. A raucous impact tore through the heavyset frame of the large zoid, causing its entire body to thrust forward around the point of contact as it was hurled to the ground. Khalsin's warshark soared over it easily and landed in the sand, spraying it into the air in a spectacular shockwave.
He promptly pressed a
trigger button on the left joystick, as a small plate of armor
unfolded from the main fuselage of the craft. A small, red dot could
be seen in the center of the gap inside the armor, before a ripping
hiss seemed to tear through the evening air. The rush of hot steam
brought the torpedo from its silo in a rapid burst, letting it spiral
awkwardly but swiftly through the air towards its target. The saber
tiger instantly rolled to its feet, making a lunge towards the
attacking warshark. It was jarred by the brutal impact of the torpedo
just as it stood, stumbling back several steps, armored skull shaking
to rid itself of the blows initial shock. It reared its head, opening
its sharp jaws as a horrifying roar, much akin to that of a raging
tiger ripped through the air, a metallic echo and slight, deeper
distortion the only thing setting it apart from the horrific rage of
a living tiger. Khalsin shuddered at the roar of rage, watching the
scarlet explosion fade from the stomach of the creature, leaving a
ragged gap where the powerful gun turret had once been. Now, his
opponent was a cat without claws. Sparks flecked repeatedly from the
gaping hole in the tigers broad chest as a victorious smirk danced
lightly across Khalsin's pale, thin lips, smoky grey eyes locked on
his opponent.
The
saber tiger bounced slightly on its feet, rearing onto its hind legs
as it released another fierce, metallic roar, massive paws swinging
powerfully through the air. Khalsin quirked a brow, as he guided the
warshark into a slow retreat, its armored form wriggling, fishlike,
backward into the sand. The pilot kept his concentrated stare on the
felinoid machine before him, his angular jaw wrenching slowly in
moderate agitation. The zoid's intimidating claws soon took on a
pulsing, yellow glow as a loud, throbbing hum could be heard, growing
and fading in intensity. Khalsin's eyes widened, a soft gasp being
drawn from parted lips while his jaw dropped open. Melee combat. This
he had not expected.
The Saber tiger performed a terrifying lunge, launching itself in a spinning path through the air as it brought one enormous claw down upon its hapless foe. The smoldering claws struck sand with a heavy crunch, prompting another burst of sand which scattered, charred and smoldering like ash, over the pristine beach before it. By now, the warshark was far down the beach, its massive rocket engines roaring as they carried it through a swift escape. The aquatic machine moved into one of it's familiar banked turns, a copyright attack which—given it's pilots nature—always resulted in a headlong kamikaze charge. This was a technique he had perfected and used to great effect in previous battles. As the slow turn was completed, the sprays of sand settling, Khalsin's warshark let out a burst of photon shell fire, the shrieking bolts of light reaching his opponent in seconds. The saber tiger leapt to one side to avoid these, before moving onto its hind legs, its massive paws batting the shells away with their own photon energy, easily deflecting the charged projectiles. Loud, echoing chirps emanated along with a burst of light with the impact of photon energy meeting its glowing duplicate. Khalsin grunted as he heard the scattered chirps, watching flashes of light precede each reflection. Ryke was far more skilled than he had imagined; the concept of deflecting an opponent's attack in such a manner was hard to imagine, much less to execute. He let out a determined cry, jamming one gloved fist down on the overdrive button once again, hearing it click into place; a solid, satisfying sound. The high-pitched whine started, growing louder and louder until it suddenly dropped in pitch, becoming a deafening roar that shook the entire craft, huge rocket engines flaring a deep red, propelling the craft with astounding speed.
Khalsin's battle cry continued as both thumbs pressed downwards on reddish buttons capping both joysticks. The zoid complied instantly in its rapid flight, huge, glowing blades unfolding from it's armored flanks, protruding sharply from its dull metallic bulk, letting out loud, humming hisses as the hot photon blades burned at the oxygen around them. Streams of light trailed each glowing edge, situated like snarling pectoral fins; composed entirely of vicious light. The zoid's roaring rocket engines carried it fourth with deadly speed and power, thundering across the beach and leaving behind a towering wake of swirling sand as it burst through the orange, soft sandbar. The armored tiger could be seen charging as well, sprinting fluidly as its tail undulating smoothly in line with a bending spine, head bobbing as two smoldering jade eyes met those of its charging opponent. The two warriors tensed up at their controls, weapons drawn as their zoids closed the gap with astounding speed. Khalsin gritted his teeth, seeing the metallic claws of the saber cat glow with the same merciless, heated photon energy. The enormous yellow zoid leapt fourth with the spinning fury of a vicious tiger, one paw drawing back, poised for a devastating blow, while it's target approached, skirted by a billowing inferno of scarlet flame, glowing blades closing in on their target.
Both great zoids met and passed one another in an instant, a brutal impact pounding the air in the brief moment in they passed, before both settled on the ground. The shark skidded to a halt, glowing orange eyes flaring brightly as its engines dimmed to reduce velocity, moving in a smooth, banked turn as its huge tail thrashed violently. The saber cat landed gracefully on all fours and skidded to a gradual halt, smoldering claws losing their luminescence. The machine turned quietly, its tail twitching the once again face its opponent, emerald eyes staring without expression, watching, waiting.
A sudden flurry of
violent explosions erupted through a previously unseen gash down the
warshark's armor-plated hide, while the fishlike zoid went abruptly
limp, the furious vermillion glow fading from rectangular "eyes".
The massive rocket motors instantly died down, the glowing blade fins
at its sides dulling. The armored shark collapsed onto its flank as
it's gasping pilot was jarred out of his chair in the cockpit,
cursing loudly as his slender frame was heaved against a metallic
wall. He scrambled back to his feet, his bony features red with fury,
curled into a frustrated grimace, as the familiar face on the
holoscreen returned, haughty, stubble-lined grin all the broader.
Khalsin growled under his breath, wrenching his jaw before running
his fingers through his hair, violet strands stubbornly maintaining
their upright position.
"Looks
like I won me a warshark," started Ryke, smiling gleefully as he
winked at the screen, gruff voice echoing haughtily throughout the
warshark's now silent cockpit. Khalsin sighed dismally, glancing up
as the judge-android's panel popped up, projected just above the
dual windshields of his now-fallen zoid. The android's oddly-shaped
head pivoted to one side, sweeping its eyeless gaze across the
surrounding area as its crackly, synthesized voice sounded sharply.
"Khalsin's Warshark is unable to battle! Ryke Sanuko is the
winner!" The right arm, the blue one, shot upwards in one automatic
jerk, the android swaying slightly after the sudden motion, a loud,
raucous blast from some synthetic horn echoing across the sandbar.
Khalsin bowed his head a little, rubbing his the back of his neck
with one still-trembling hand, noticing he'd been sweating
profusely. "Good match, man...'s all yours."
Ryke
nodded faintly, before deactivating the vidscreen. Khalsin heaved
another heavy sigh, shaking his head as he walked over to the ceiling
cockpit which, he thought wryly to himself, had now become the wall,
cranking the small bar at its center. The metal squeaked loudly in
protest as it was wrenched to the left, doing so with much
resistance. After the laborious effort of a few harsh jerks, Khalsin
was rewarded with a loud, echoing clunk, before kicking the hatch the
rest of the way open with one ratty-shoed foot. He stepped outside
onto the soft, sandy ground, shaking his head a little to rid himself
of the shock of the impact. He found himself swaying on his feet,
almost unable to stand as blood rushed to his head, adrenaline still
pumping through his veins. The sound of his heartbeat continued to
throb in both ears. It was bewildering yet pleasant to feel the soft
sand yield effortlessly below his thin-soled shoes, not as hard or
cold as the zoid's cockpit floor. Well, he thought with another wry
grin, he wouldn't have to worry about that now. Khalsin blinked,
before leaning back into the hatch, seizing his bamboo fishing pole
and slinging it over his shoulder. The young man slammed the hatch
closed, walking slowly away from the zoid a few paces, glancing over
as the tall man approached him. So, it was here he accepted his
defeat. Despite his efforts it had come. Despite the skill he had
developed from other battles. He had lost. It was final. Khalsin gave
the thick, barnacle-ridden armor plating on the warshark's back a
gentle pat farewell. It was going to be a long walk home.
