A/N: Few reviews make Steve sad Thanks to those who have reviewed though. However, this is my grand project and I'm only 2 chapters into it. We have only just begun!
After a great deal of complaining and suffering a good soaking, Clyde, along with his AI companion, Cynthia, has made his way to an inn in a town not far from their crash-site. With Martin using a signal jammer, however, it will prove to be quite difficult to find him… or will it?
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Chapter 3: The River Raiders
"Damn that jammer," cursed Clyde as he tapped his communicator a few times. "I could really use the chief's help right now."
Cynthia could be heard laughing from the safety of the quad-scanner. "You mean we'll have to rely on your experience for once? I don't like the sound of this."
Frustrated, Clyde closed the quad-scanner, much to Cynthia's displeasure. All Clyde heard from her was a muffled, "Hey!"
"Hmph. That's enough outta you, young lady," said Clyde. He sighed and put on the rest of his now dry clothes. "Oh where to start, where to start…"
He walked over to the lone window and gazed outside. It was no surprise to see that it was raining outside, slightly harder than it was the previous day. In the distance, only a few beams of sunlight were able to make their way through the thick layers of clouds above. Several peasants could be seen walking about as they went about their business.
"…psh. I have no idea what to do. I suppose I could ask the locals, but if Martin is really far from where we crashed, then it won't do much good," said Clyde as he rested his head against the cold glass of the window.
A muffled Cynthia decided to pipe up. "Well, if it's our only option right now, then we-"
"Yeah yeah, I know," said Clyde as he reached for his hanging jacket. "Then we have no choice." He stuffed the quad-scanner into his right inner pocket and the communicator into the other. After doing so, he re-attached his earpiece to the quad-scanner. "Ready Cynthia?"
Cynthia laughed. "I'm an AI. I'm always ready."
Clyde couldn't resist smiling. "Heh. Let's go then."
Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Clyde walked out his room, closed the door behind him, and made his way toward the staircase. Before he could take even one step downward, he could hear the innkeeper arguing with what sounded like a few gruff individuals.
"Get outta here, ya buncha punks!" yelled the innkeeper. "I told ya, I ain't seen no weird fella like that around here!"
A slamming noise could be heard along with the sound of breaking wood. "Don't give us that crap, keeper! The boss says he knows that he's around here somewhere, and the boss ain't ever wrong! This is your last chance to co-operate before we get real nasty!"
"The boss knows he's here?" whispered Clyde.
"Perhaps it's Martin?" suggested Cynthia.
Clyde cautiously made his way downstairs to see if he couldn't sneak a peek at the men the innkeeper were arguing with. "But I thought he was using a jammer."
"He is," replied Cynthia. "However, he may have gotten a fix on our crash site before he turned on the jammer. From the sound of things, it seems that he has a bunch of henchmen searching the surrounding area. Since this is the closest town, he probably had them search here first."
Clyde pondered this for a moment. "So it's possible that Martin is fairly close by?"
"It's possible, replied Cynthia. "At least within a day's travel."
Clyde smirked. "Looks like this is my lucky day."
"Excuse me Clyde," started Cynthia, "but shouldn't you get downstairs to help the innkeeper? He's doing his best to hide you for whatever reason."
"Alright boys, he ain't talkin'," said one of the men. "Get 'im!"
"Wait!" yelled Clyde as he walked downstairs. In front of a well trashed counter stood three very dirty looking men, dressed in a fashion similar to that of pirates. "Having some trouble, keeper?"
The innkeeper didn't know what to say. He had thought that Clyde would've left during the commotion, not stick around to deal with these people. He was either very brave or very stupid. "S-stranger? What are you-"
Clyde flashed his palm at the keeper. "Where I come from, we don't allow punks like you to ruin fine establishments like this. I suggest you get lost before you find the trouble you were looking for."
"Well said, Clyde," said Cynthia.
"Heh. Thanks Cynthia," replied Clyde.
The three men huddled together. "Hey, didja see those weird clothes he's wearin'?"
One of the men nodded. "Yeah. They look like the boss'."
"This must be the guy we're lookin' for, then!" said the last of the men.
They broke their huddle and each drew out very finely made, albeit primitive, blades. Given the quality of the blades and this world's level of technology, these blades were most likely made with a replicator possessed by Martin. The men slowly moved in Clyde's direction. "Hey man, nothing personal, but you gotta die! Boss' orders 'n' all."
Clyde folded his arms and, as discreetly as possible, pushed the activation button on his Power Gloves. "Just one question before you maul me."
The man on the right smirked. "Yeah? What is it?"
"Your boss," started Clyde, "his name wouldn't happen to be Martin, would it?"
The man nodded. "Yeah, that's right. "How'dja know that?"
Clyde unfolded his arms his arms. "A little bird told me."
The first to rush him was the man on the left. Just as Clyde had figured, he had no form of training whatsoever, resulting in some very clumsy swings, all of which he dodged with little difficulty.
"Too slow!" exclaimed Clyde happily as he delivered an absolutely brutal right hook to the side of the man's face, sending him literally soaring through a nearby window. "Woo!"
The other two men stepped back in horror. "Holy crap! He even fights like the boss!"
With perfect speed and grace, Clyde drew his Phase Gun and spun it twice. He flicked a switch on the side and yelled, "C'mon!" He took aim at the man in the middle, kneeled down, and pulled the trigger, sending out a shotgun-like spread of five laser bolts, all of which struck the man. Upon impact, the man didn't make a single sound as he hit the ground with a loud "thud".
"Ah… ah!" yelled the remaining man as he tried to make a break for it.
"Hey wait!" said Clyde happily as he drew his knife and flipped it once. "I need someone alive for interrogation!" With one quick movement, he let the knife fly. It was the kind of accuracy you'd see only in movies, for it actually managed to pierce the man's free hand and pin it to the doorway leading outside.
The piercing of the knife through his hand was bad enough, but the laser edge of the blade was slowly burning away at the bone and tissue around the wound. "AUGH!" screamed the man as the pain turned out to be far more than he could withstand.
Throughout the entire ordeal, the innkeeper could do naught but stare in wonder with his jaw hanging open. Within the space of just thirty seconds, this stranger had managed to defeat all three of the bandits. "W-wow! Stranger, you're incredibly powerful!"
"Indeed," said Cynthia through the earpiece. "It only took 17.3 seconds to do that. A new record for you."
Clyde had no time for praise. The pinned man would surely draw out the knife soon enough, so he would have to act fast. "Keeper, check that man on the ground!" He immediately dashed over to man pinned against the door. "You're a lucky one. You get to live if you play nice." He withdrew the knife and kicked the man to the ground on the muddy street outside. He kneeled down on the man's back and took the only pair of restraints he had off of his belt. He locked the man's hand together. "There."
"Gah! Damnit!" yelled the man. "When the boss hears about this, he'll-"
"The "boss" isn't going to do crap," said Clyde, interrupting him. By this time, a fairly large crowd had begun to assemble around the inn, obviously attracted to the commotion that took place inside. He peered over at the man that he had sent flying through the window earlier. Judging by the amount of blood that was on the ground around him, there was no doubt that he was dead, most likely bled to death by the glass that tore into him.
"Cheer up," said Clyde. "You could be like your buddy over there."
"Look out!" cried a young woman as the crowd parted in fear to reveal a man with a crossbow nearby.
Clyde gasped when he saw the man. The world seemed to move in slow motion as Clyde went for his gun and the man shot at him. Clyde knew he had been too slow. The bolt was already in the air before Clyde could even finish drawing his gun. Seeing that the bolt was headed straight for his head, Clyde thought that he was done for sure.
Then, a miracle occurred. A young woman dove in the way and, with miraculous precision, managed to knock away the bolt with what appeared to be a katana. After she was out of the way, Clyde finished drawing his gun and, with zero hesitation, fire one shot at the man, hitting him in the throat and dropping him like a load of rocks.
Clyde breathed a sigh of relief, as did the rest of the crowd. "Whew… that was close," he said quietly.
"That was very sloppy," said Cynthia. "Were it not for that young lady, you might've met an early end."
Clyde growled. "Shut it, Cynthia. I don't need you to point out my screw-ups."
"I-… I'm sorry Clyde," said Cynthia, seemingly hurt by what Clyde hurt. " I was only-"
Clyde shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. You're right. I'm just a little shook up."
The young woman who had saved him walked towards him and kneeled down. "Are you ok?" she asked.
Clyde turned to her. She looked to be no more than sixteen but was very beautiful. She had shoulder length black hair that was slightly longer on the front of her sides. Her soft eyes looked much like the water that fell upon Rainyv on a daily basis. She wore what appeared to be a traditional samurai's robe complete with sandals. On her side was a long, sheathed blade, most likely the katana she had used earlier.
"Ah, yeah," he replied. "I thank you for your assistance. You saved my life."
She nodded with a smile. "I'm glad to hear it. I was all too happy to help someone who was actually fighting the River Raiders."
Clyde cocked an eyebrow. "River Raiders?"
"Mmm," she said. "I'm sure you're not from around here, since you wear the same clothes and use the same tools as him. The River Raiders were nothing more than a weak faction of roving bandits who sailed the rivers in search of weakly defended people and areas to loot. Ever since Martin came, however, he's unified them into a much more formidable fighting force. Most likely out of fear and greed, they follow his every order with question. In return, Martin grants them large shares of treasure and guaranteed safety from local authorities."
Clyde looked back down at his prisoner. "Hmm. I see."
She stood back up and tried brushing away some of the mud from her robe. By the way, may I ask you for your name?"
"Me?" asked Clyde.
"Use the "angel of god" excuse," suggested Cynthia. "The PGF database suggests it as the best excuse for any agent on a UDP."
"Right," he whispered. He stood up, his right foot planted firmly on the back of his prisoner. He cleared his throat and gazed around at the gathered crowd. "My name is Clyde Vasteel. I'm an angel sent by the gods above to remove the menace known as Martin from your lands."
Hearing this, the crowd cheered. For the longest time, no one in this part of Rainyv had dared to defy Martin save for people like the young girl who had saved Clyde.
The young girl tilted her head. "An angel sent by the gods? What does the make Martin then? A devil?"
Clyde nodded. "That's right Miss… um, excuse me, but I don't believe I caught your name."
The woman's showed light tints of red when she realized that she hadn't introduced herself. "Oh my, please excuse me!" She folded her arms below her waist and bowed. "My name is Nozomi Hikaru. I was raised on the island of Uzbei to the east of here. I was on a mission to gather information concerning Martin and the River Raiders."
Clyde nodded. "I'm pleased to meet you ma'am." His foot began to move as the man underneath it stirred slightly. "Speaking of River Raiders…"
He picked the man up with one arm and dragged him back inside. Nozomi followed close behind him.
He slammed the man down on a table, drew his knife, and held it to the man's throat. "Alright buddy," he said with a smile. "Talk."
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Stupid River Raiders! They're no match for Clyde! Anyway, Clyde seems to have made a friend on Rainyv. Will she be able to help him track down and eliminate Martin? Please leave reviews! Update coming soon!
