Galactica lied in her capsule, in sleep mode. She began to move, apparently activating. But she didn't become conscious. Her eyes were closed and her movements were slight. She was frowning and began to speak.
"Where am I?" she spoke softly. "Who are you? Show yourself." She became silent for a moment but began to gasp as if she needed to breath. "What are you? No, stay away! No! No!" she began to scream.
"Hey, wake up!" yelled T-65, standing over her. "You okay?"
"T-65?" Galactica said, finally opening her eyes. "A…dream?" She found herself covered in beads of sweat. She had only experienced perspiration in some of the hotter areas of Pioneer 2, so she was baffled by her present condition.
"Looks like ya had a nightmare," T-65 said, smiling. "Was it an army of Rappies?"
"It was a dark…room and…people dying and…" Galactica paused for a moment, trying to recapture the thought. "It's gone."
"I'd comfort you and everything, but if you don't get going soon, you'll be late."
"Late?" Galactica asked, still disoriented.
"For your job…" T-65 said condescendingly. "You know, the Newman school."
"Oh, yes," Galactica said, getting out of her pod.
"By the way," T-65 said before exiting, "Taft said that he gave those two girls an excuse slip. He also said he'd somehow be done training by next week. Oh yeah, and he'll make sure that Cloud gets them to school on time."
"Thank you," Galactica said, taking a quick look in a hand mirror and leaving.
"That must have been one hell of a nightmare," thought T-65, beginning to snicker. "Hey, GA, you might wanna take your skirt along. You look kinda funny without it." Galactica immediately returned and, after silently equipped the clothing, left for school. As soon as he was sure that she was gone, T-65 burst into laughter at how jumbled she was.
"You called?" Mina said playfully to Alicia, walking into the Guild.
"Yes," Alicia responded more seriously. "I need your help."
"What is it?" Mina asked anxiously, ready to help out her cousin anytime.
"The data from the capsules," Alicia began, "it was strange."
"So the Lab asked you to have it confirmed, right?" Mina asked, half-expecting to do the same quest over again.
Alicia shook her head. "No, this is a personal quest. This has nothing to do with…a lab. As you know, I've studied mammals my whole life. I was excited to see the mammals that had been discovered on Ragol. But then I heard that the animals had started to act strangely. As for the data that you brought back, it seemed too unbelievable. I want you to come with me to Ragol. I'll collect the data this time."
"So, basically, you want me to be your bodyguard?" Mina asked.
"Yes," Alicia admitted. "I've heard that the animals are vicious, so I will kill them if necessary. But I would prefer not to use my talent as a Force."
"Don't worry," Mina assured. "I'll do most of the work in that department. Besides, you know how to defend yourself. You're around the same level as Galactica and T-65."
"But I'm much weaker," Alicia said somberly. "That's why I didn't go down there in the first place."
"Oh, cheer up!" Mina said. "Forces aren't supposed to use brute strength. Use your mind power. Have you been meditating lately?"
"I've been too busy at work," Alicia admitted. "I haven't had much time to myself."
"That's one reason why I don't work there anymore," Mina said. "Now, before we get started on the quest, I need to change."
"What for?" Alicia asked, surprised. "You're already in the proper uniform."
"I need to go home to get my hat," Mina said, pointing to Alicia's hat. "For some reason, it's usually raining around Central Dome. I don't want to get my hair wet. Now come with me," Mina said, casting Ryuker. "You can help me with my hair when we get there."
"You really shouldn't cast Techniques out in public like this," Alicia said, following Mina through the portal.
"Can't you move this thing any faster?!" Misha yelled at Cloud. He was driving Taya and Misha to school via hovercar. Taft had chewed him out for getting them there late so often, so he was trying to put more effort into it.
"I'm going the speed limit!" the silver-haired teenager yelled back. "If I go any faster, I'll get pulled over."
"Wenji's going to be really mad if you don't get us there on time," Taya warned, giggling.
"We're almost there, dammit!" Cloud yelled. "If you two are late, it's going to be your fault, not mine!" A few minutes later they arrived at the school.
"Okay, get going!" Cloud said, lifting off.
"Let's go!" Misha and Taya said simultaneously. They broke into a run to class. They had less than a minute before they would be late. As they dashed down a hallway, another person joined their sprint.
"Galactica?" Misha said, looking to her left.
"Is this what you do every day?" Galactica asked, not slowing down a bit.
"Why are you late?" Taya asked, starting to pant.
"I overslept," Galactica responded. "And you?"
"Nimbus lost his keys," Taya grinned, referring to Cloud.
"Hey, where's your choker?" Misha asked. "And that cool-looking helmet thing with the big bow. And those things you keep on your arms. If it wasn't for the skirt and the…help me out here…" she said looking to Taya.
"Breastplate?" Taya suggested.
"Yeah, thanks," Misha said. "If it weren't for those, you'd look pretty naked. Nice hair though."
"And he let me walk out like this," Galactica reflected, raising an eyebrow. They slowed down as they approached the door. They entered just as the final bell sounded.
"We made it!" Misha cheered.
"Hello," Isis greeted. "Just in time."
"I meant it when I said they would get here on time," Galactica chuckled to herself.
"Sorry to disappoint," Isis began, "but not time for Physical Education."
"This is a good chance for you to get some more experience, you know," Mina said as she and Alicia appeared in the Forest. Instead of her usual hairstyle, Mina had a purple and white hat that was identical to Alicia's gold and lavender hat. They also shared the same hairstyle. Mina had her guns while Alicia had a Stick.
"Wait a minute," Mina said. "Where is your Mag?"
"My Mag? I left it at home."
"Naze?!" Mina asked, surprised. (Why?!)
"I don't know," Alicia whined. "This is my first time coming here. I didn't think that I would need it. The animals can't be that bad…can they?"
"Your Mag would strengthen your abilities," Mina stated.
"I'm sorry," Alicia apologized. "I didn't mean to be a burden."
"Just hit them once and I'll finish them off," Mina assured her. "You're strong enough to take some of them down by yourself, too. Use Zonde on the Wolves, Mothmants, and Goboomas. Use Foie on Boomas, Monests, and Rag Rappies. You'll only need Barta for Gigoboomas, Hildebears, and groups of enemies… Just trust me okay?"
"Okay, Mina-chan," Alicia agreed. "Let's find a transporter to the Central Dome."
"The shortest route there is this way," Mina said walking through a yellow gate.
After walking down a winding path, they came to another yellow gate. It opened to reveal several Boomas waiting inside. They just seemed to be walking around aimlessly.
"Would you like to start with these guys for some practice?" Mina asked. "They aren't very bright, so all you have to do is attack."
"…Okay," Alicia said hesitantly. Mina made the first move by entering the area and making herself known to the animals. They roared and started to approach the pair.
"Make your move!" Mina directed. Alicia took a few steps forward and cast a simple ice Technique, Barta. A bluish cloud of frigid air blew straight ahead of her and into the approaching Boomas, nearly knocking them over.
"One more!" Mina encouraged, killing the nearest Booma with a small burst from her Assault guns. Alicia used Barta again, finishing off the other Boomas. Then another trio of Boomas appeared to their left.
"Keep it up; I won't let them get close enough to hurt you!" Mina assured. She capitalized on her words by standing ahead of her cousin and eliminating the nearest Booma with another burst of photon bullets.
"Here it goes," Alicia said uncomfortably, using Barta twice more. The two remaining Boomas could no longer survive the cold air. Another pair roared some distance away.
"This is getting old," Mina said. "Alicia, when you become a more powerful Force, your Techniques become stronger too. Watch me use the same Technique." Mina then walked to the enemies to draw them closer to her and each other. When she thought that the bear-like animals had gotten in more of a single file line, she cast Barta. Instead of just being a cloud of frigid air, the attack was a mix of mist and sharp icicles that seemed to jut out of the ground. The icy daggers pierced the skin of the beasts and froze their dead bodies.
"It certainly is more destructive," Alicia frowned, having never seen such an impressive Barta used before. "But…"
"I know, I know," Mina interrupted. "You don't like that kind of destruction. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be killing anything. Under normal circumstances, there would be no reason to fight these animals since they're supposed to be docile. As long as they can live, they're going to attack us. Until we can figure out what's going on, it's best that we defend ourselves and eliminate immediate threats."
"I understand that," Alicia said defensively. "I just wish that we didn't have to kill them."
"The transporter should be through the next gate," Mina said, looking over some bushes. "Forest 2 is where the real action is at. You're not going to like what you find there."
Alicia stayed silent. When she first became a Force, slaughter was not what she had in mind. After passing through the next gate, the transporter was in sight. They cautiously made their way to it with Mina on the lookout, ready to eliminate any resistance.
"Stay close to me, okay?" Mina advised, just before they passed though the transporter.
T-65 had gone to the Guild looking for a job. The Hunter's Guild always kept records on each registered hunter. This allowed it to not only contact hunters easily, but enabled it to make good recommendations as to what quests a hunter should accept. That day, there were no recommended quests for T-65. Knowing that the Hunter's Guild always made accurate recommendations, he decided to just relax that day. He was wandering around the Hunter's deck when he happened to spot a familiar face. Standing near the transporter leading to the Principals Office was Elenor Camuel, the pink RAcaseal that he had met days before. When he walked over to talk to her, a red military guard stood in his way.
"Don't talk to that android," the guard ordered. "Know your place, hunter!" The words were devoid of any respect. Whenever someone talked down to T-65, he just tuned them out. Ignoring the obstruction, T-65 pushed guard out of the way and walked over to Elenor.
"Hey, Elenor, remember me?" T-65 greeted.
"Wha…!" Elenor said, surprised to see him. "T-65? You surprised me again."
"Sorry about that…again," he chuckled. "How're things?"
"Fine, thanks," she said. "Is your Mag doing well?"
"Yep," he replied. "In fact, it evolved into a Kalki. It also got its first Photon Blast, Estilla."
"That's good to hear," Elenor said approvingly. "Estilla is supposed to be very reliable, so it should come in handy. I see that you can understand your Mag better."
"So, are you a full time hunter or do you have a place of your own?" T-65 asked.
"I am under the care of Dr. Montague at the Lab," Elenor replied. "I'm sure you've heard of him."
"…Dr. Montague?" T-65 stated rather than asked. "You bet I've heard of him."
Before T-65 could continue, Elenor noticed that a purple, double-winged hover car had landed nearby. "I'm sorry, T-65, but I have to go," she said, turning to board the vehicle.
"Wait a sec," he said stopping her. "Before you go, I want you to have this." He then took out his official Hunter's Guild Card and placed it in her hand. A Guild Card served as a sign of trust and friendship between hunters. It included the hunter's class, race, occupation, Section ID, and just about any other information worth knowing about.
"Oh…thank you," Elenor said, accepting the card. "This is my card," she said, handing him her own. She glanced at his card before.
"…Your name is T-65 Chikara?!" she exclaimed.
"Yep," he answered, expecting such a reaction. "The person who made me was Dr. Chikara."
"…Can I call you later on?" she asked with pleading pupil-less eyes. "I want to know more about Dr. Chikara. Doc is always talking about how she's his biggest rival. If she created you, then you must be just like me!" Such emotional expression was unusual in androids.
"Sure!" T-65 agreed. "I'll see you later." After getting in the car, Elenor waved goodbye as it lifted off. T-65 then turned around to find that the red guard had been angrily staring a hole into him.
"What?" T-65 asked innocently.
"I have nothing to say to you," the guard said, turning away and folding his arms.
"Asshole," T-65 mumbled, opting to pay a visit to Cloud. Cloud usually didn't have a job. And if he did, it was a crappy one that wouldn't last long.
"Focus on the Monest!" Mina shouted to Alicia. The first opposition they found in Forest 2 was a swarm of Mothmants waiting in an adjacent room. Mina provided cover fire from the pests while Alicia attacked the nest itself with the fiery Foie. Barta moved too close to the ground to be effective against the suspended pod. Body parts of the bugs fell all around her, as the nest started to crumple. It caught on fire just before Mina decided to assist. Soon, it turned to ash.
"Is that all?" Alicia asked, waiting for more opposition.
"I don't know," Mina admitted. The animals had a peculiar habit of showing up when they were least expected. Such was proven when she noticed a large beast out of the corner of her eye.
"Get down!" Mina barked, tackling Alicia out of the way. In that very spot, landed a Hildebear. It stomped over to the pair and was about to swing its fist, when Alicia smacked its torso with her Stick. It didn't really hurt the monster, but it did cause it to flinch, giving Mina a chance to retaliate with Barta. The beast became frozen solid.
"Is it…dead?" Alicia asked cautiously.
"Not yet," Mina said. She then let out a short burst from one of her guns, shattering the ice. The Hildebear fell to the ground with a thud.
"Are you okay, Alicia-chan?" Mina asked, taking her hand.
"Just a little shaken up," Alicia said, gathering her senses.
"That was pretty quick thinking of you to get in a hit on it," Mina said, beginning to walk to a switch. Upon pressing it, none of the gates in the vicinity unlocked. She already knew that sort of switch was probably meant for something else.
"Do you see that animal?" Alicia suddenly burst out. "It's over there in that alcove." Alicia led the way into the alcove. The animal she was talking about was smaller than most of the animals they had seen. It was about as tall a Mina.
"It looks like a Hildebear," Mina commented.
"And it's just a baby," added Alicia. "Not aggressive at all." When they got to close it cooed and ran off.
"Where did it go?" Mina asked, looking around.
"Maybe we'll run into it later," Alicia said. After walking some distance, they found a weather station with an input device across a stream. They decided to check it out when a bridge rose from the water leading to it.
"Maybe we can finally get some answers," Mina said, activating the input device. "Let's try Pioneer 1's main computer."
"Accessing…" the screen read. "Access denied…"
"Try accessing the local data," Alicia suggested. "See if the weather station has anything on its surroundings."
"Anything in particular?" asked Mina.
"How about 'large mammal life'?" Alicia suggested.
"…Got it!" Mina exclaimed, glad to finally get something out of this machine. "It's talking about Hildebears."
"According to this," Alicia said, "Hildebears 'are very friendly creatures that would never attack unless needlessly provoked.' …That doesn't sound like the Hildebears we've met around here. Can you get anything else?"
"Access denied…" read the computer.
"Apparently, that's all it has," Mina commented. "I don't know why it would only have files on Hildebears though. Just coincidence, I guess…"
"Let's continue the research," Alicia said optimistically.
After going through the next gate, they found another gate right in front of them and a long path to the right.
"Which way do you want to go?" Mina asked, well aware that there would be danger no matter which way they went.
"The gate," Alicia answered. "This way, we won't have to come all the way back here."As soon as they entered, six Rag Rappies fell from the sky. They got up and began approaching the Forces.
"Use Barta!" Mina shouted, being that the birds were uncomfortably close.
"I hate to do this," Alicia said, casting the Technique and knocking over four of the lovably cute Rappies. Another Barta was sufficient enough to KO the other two birds.
"Don't worry," Mina said cheerfully. "They're only feigning death. They aren't very brave, so they'll run away while we're not looking."
"Good," Alicia said, feeling a little better. Suddenly, they heard a loud popping noise. It was coming from down the path.
"Stay behind me," Mina said, looking out the gate. Far down the path, she saw Goboomas and Gigoboomas engaging a blue Force. There was also a young blonde lady in blue with the Force. Judging from her short shorts, uncovered belly button, and long, pointed ears, she was a HUnewearl.
"Someone else is fighting the animals," Alicia said, as they drew closer. The blue Force quickly defeated the Boomas with a series of electrical Techniques. At that moment, two Monests began their descent toward the ground. Three Goboomas and two Gigoboomas sprang up from the ground in front of the Hunter and Force. Four wolves, two of them Barbarous, leaped in front of the FOmarls.
"I'll take care of this," Mina announced to Alicia. She killed all four wolves with a single, yet dazzling streak of lightning.
"Gizonde, right?" Alicia asked, having seen the Technique before.
"Cor-rect," Mina replied.
WHOOSH! A large, fiery explosion quickly outshined her Technique. The cause of this Technique, known as Rafoie, was the blue Force. Everything within its blast range was incinerated. Only the Monests were able to survive the explosion. Mina finished them off with another Gizonde.
"Whose there?" called out the blue Force. It was a familiar voice.
"Chronos? Is that you?" Mina asked hopefully.
"Mina?" Chronos asked, walking closer. His Mag looked like a pair of red, metallic leaves.
"Hildebears!" Alicia warned.
"Behind you!" the HUnewearl added.
For once, the Hildebears had not crashed the scene. Instead, they were stomping over to the hunters from a clearing where the path ended. The HUnewearl took the liberty of shooting at the creatures with her Handgun. Unfortunately, her aim was terrible.
"Stand back!" Chronos ordered, taking out his Autogun, a pistol of better quality. Added firepower from Mina's Soul Assaults brought the two beasts ever closer to their deaths. What killed them, unexpectedly, was Alicia's Barta. No further opposition appeared.
"Nice one Alicia," Mina cheered.
Alicia only replied with a tired smile.
"Mina…You look different," Chronos asked. "Did you get taller?"
"I just look taller with this hat on," Mina replied. "Chronos, this is my cousin, Alicia Baz. Alicia, this is a friend of mine, Chronos Ranzo."
"Nice to meet you," Alicia said, bowing. "Mina talks about you all the time. I'm glad to have finally met you."
"It's a pleasure to meet family of Mina," he said, returning a bow.
"Who is she?" Mina asked.
"I'm just his client," the HUnewearl assured.
"You look familiar," Mina said, taking a good look at her. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"
"No, we've never met," the HUnewearl said nervously.
"Well then," Mina started, "allow me to introduce myself. I'm Minako Chikara."
"THE Dr. Minako Chikara?!" the Hunter exclaimed. "I've always wanted a chance to meet you! I have so many questions to ask you! What are your speculations concerning the strange explosion at Central Dome?"
"I knew I recognized you," Mina said triumphantly. "You're that reporter, Nol Rinale."
"…How did you know?" Nol asked, disappointed that someone had discovered her. "My disguise was perfect."
"For one thing," Mina began, "no decent Hunter would have aim that bad."
"You were also a bit quick to interview her after hearing her name," Chronos added with nervous laugh.
"What are you doing in a place like this?" Alicia asked. "It's clearly too dangerous for a civilian to be on Ragol."
"I wanted to discover the truth," Nol admitted. "So, I wanted a hunter to take me to Ragol to find out what really happened. But I haven't gotten any answers so far. There aren't any signs of the explosion. And there isn't anybody here from Pioneer 1 or Central Dome."
"Just relentless monsters that seem to want nothing more than to destroy us," Chronos added.
"Then the data," Alicia said in amazement. "The data you collected was true."
"Excuse me?" Nol asked curiously.
"Don't worry about it," Alicia stated. "However, there is something that may be useful to you. Down that path and to the left, there is a weather station that may have some information for you," she said, pointing.
"Thanks," Nol smiled. "Dr. Chikara, when can I expect an interview?"
"Hmm," Mina thought to herself. "We can discuss the time and place online. My screen name is Lil' Force. Look me up sometime in the afternoon."
"Thank you very much," Nol said thankfully. "Please don't tell anybody that I was here. C'mon Chronos!" The two jogged down the path and out of sight."
"I think that we're almost done with our quest," Mina said to Alicia.
"I have a bad feeling," Alicia said. "I sense that something is changing Ragol's animals for the worse. I think their gene pool has been altered. They just seem too unusual. I hate feeling so helpless. What happened to the friendly animals that I heard about in Pioneer 1's report?"
"Maybe we'll get some answers from the Central Dome itself," Mina said, walking in that direction.
When they reached the gate down the path, they stopped. They could definitely hear heavy footsteps on the other side.
"There are at least two Hildebears in there," Mina warned.
"Do you have any suggestions?" Alicia asked worriedly.
"First, drink a Monofluid to restore your ki," Mina advised.
"What else?" Alicia asked, sipping the recovery item.
"Since Hildebears can use a fire attack similar to Foie, they're probably weak against ice," Mina said. "You may have to start using Gibarta. And one more thing…"
"Yes, what is it?" Alicia said, lowering herself to Mina's level.
"…Be careful," Mina said, grasping Alicia in a soft hug. "Don't hesitate to run if you have to. I don't want to see you get hurt."
"I'll be careful," Alicia promised, squeezing her in return.
Chronos and Nol had easily found the weather station thanks to Alicia's advice. They had arrived in Forest 2 only a short while after the FOmarls. During her entire time on Ragol, none of Nol's questions had been answered. She believed that the input device would tell her what she wanted to know.
"Let's connect to Pioneer 1's network," she suggested. As had happened before, access was denied.
"That's strange," Chronos commented.
"Why can't we get to its main computer?" Nol asked. "How about local data?"
"I'll try," Chronos said. "…Do you notice a pattern?" he said, looking at what he found.
"All the records, data findings, everything…" she said, astonished. "They all end at the exact same time. Exactly when the explosion happened. Yet there are no marks of the explosion. Pioneer 1 is nowhere to be found. Has it been destroyed?"
"I honestly can't say," Chronos admitted.
"I came here to discover the truth," Nol continued. "But instead of getting answers, I'm only getting more questions. I'm not even sure if the people of Pioneer 2 should know the truth at this point. The situation is starting to become scary. To tell you the truth, I'm terribly frightened."
"May I suggest that we return to Pioneer 2?" Chronos said.
"…Yes," she said. "That's enough. Your quest is over. Take me back to Pioneer 2. I should be getting back to the residential area before someone gets suspicious."
Mina entered the gate first and, sure enough, there were two Hildebears inside, both with their backs turned. Before they could turn around, she unleashed 20 rounds of blue photon bullets, killing one Hildebear. The last 8 rounds restored a portion of her Technique energy. Alicia used a quick Barta to slow down the other Hildebear. Mina would have a harder time casting Techniques when a Soul Assault occupied both of her hands. But she managed to cast her own Barta by pointing her foot at the Hildebear. The moment it died, three more leaped onto the scene, surrounding the Forces.
"Watch out, Alicia!" Mina yelled, casting Gibarta on one of them. It shot out ice chunks and cold air at the beast with a wider angle and higher altitude than Barta. The animal immediately froze to death. Mina then started blasting an adjacent Hildebear with her guns.
Meanwhile, Alicia attempted a Barta on the third Hildebear, which had landed behind her. She cast it repeatedly as fast as she could to keep it from coming too close. When it did get uncomfortably close, she backed up a bit and continued to attack. After the sixth Barta, it finally died. She sighed of relief just as Mina finished off her target.
Then four Hildebears jumped out. Three surrounded Mina. The fourth one nearly landed on Alicia, knocking her back. It immediately swung at her. She was able to weather the force of the blow with her Barrier and stun it with another Barta. She backed up a bit and then used Gibarta. The Hildebear was unable retaliate immediately, so Alicia tried to do another Gibarta. Unfortunately, all that she emitted were a few snow flurries. She had used up much of her energy casting so many Bartas in quick succession. The Hildebear didn't care.
"Ugh!" she groaned, as it sent her tumbling back with another punch.
Mina was having her own set of problems. The Hildebears had landed so close that they didn't have to walk anywhere to strike her. She was able to block many of the blows with her Barrier, but the Hildebears gave her no escape route. Fortunately for her, the blows that she couldn't block didn't hurt as much as they would to an inexperienced hunter. She also had a hard time attacking back. Three Hildebears that didn't attack simultaneously made it difficult to fire back, not to mention cast a Technique.
Alicia knew to get up quickly after getting knocked down. She rolled out of the way just as the primate's fist slammed into the ground. This was the time to run. She couldn't run back out the gate, since the Hildebear was blocking her way. So, she ran towards a short path opposite of the gate. While she ran, she consumed both a Monomate and a Monofluid. She then ducked into a small clearing to the right of the path. By that time, the Hildebear had lost interest in her and decided to join in the pummeling of Mina. Catching her breath, Alicia noticed a creature next to her. It was the baby Hildebear they had seen before.
When they looked at each other, it cried again. This time it didn't run off. Unfortunately, its cry summoned two more adult Hildebears. One decided to join the others. The other Hildebear moved in Alicia's direction.
It was a bad idea to be backed into a corner, so she met it head on. She stopped it with a quick Barta before it could block off the path. Slipping out, she ran in Mina's direction. Despite Mina's strength, she knew that Mina would wear out sooner or later. The preoccupied Hildebears ignored Alicia. She could see that Mina couldn't fight back and needed a chance to retaliate. Alicia got as close to one of the behemoths as she could without touching it. Then she cast Gibarta, which wasn't as impressive as Mina's but did what it was supposed to do. Since the Hildebears had gathered so closely, the blast of ice bits hit them all. While Mina did get a quite a chill from the icy attack, she knew that this was her chance.
"Thanks," she said, taking the pause in their attack to retaliate with Rabarta. It was an advanced ice Technique that blew ice all around her. All of the Hildebears who had jumped her froze solid. Their frozen carcasses still blocked her exit.
"Your wel…ugh!" Alicia said just as the Hildebear behind her struck her to the ground.
At the sound of Alicia in pain, the frozen Hildebears were instantly incinerated in a huge explosion of fire. The sphere of Mina's Rafoie was bigger, louder, and hotter than Chronos's. She ran out of the fire and, leaping over Alicia's fallen form, tackled the Hildebear, amazingly knocking it on its back.
"Take this!" she screamed angrily, as a faint purple aura surrounded her. Standing on the fallen ape, she fired her Soul Assaults at pointblank range in its chest and head area. Needless to say, it died quickly. Still unsatisfied, she dropped her weapons and charged purple energy into her hands, as her aura became stronger. A dark cloud moved out of her hands and reduced the carcass to ashes in a purple flame.
"Anyone else?!" she cried out to the forest in anger. There was only the sound of rain.
"Alicia, are you okay?" she asked worriedly, kneeling next to Alicia. "Say something."
"Cough That hurt," Alicia said wearily. Her hat had fallen off and her hair was matted across her face.
"Can you stand up?" Mina asked gently.
"It didn't hurt that much," Alicia said, smiling a bit as she started to stand up. "Ouch!"
"What is it?" Mina asked, holding on to her.
"I'm pretty sure my rib is broken," Alicia said, wincing a little. "I'll be fine."
"This should help," Mina said, casting Resta to heal Alicia and her own bruises…
"Thank you. That feels better," Alicia said, feeling her side. "I have something to show you." Picking up her hat, she led Mina over to the baby Hildebear, which had not moved.
"Look at it," Alicia said. "It doesn't look like its parents are feeding it."
"And it looks like it got hurt too," Mina commented, noting its bruises.
"Aww, what hurt you, poor baby," Alicia said, petting it. "Its parents don't seem to be taking care of it. It probably won't survive such a harsh environment. In all my years, I've never seen such strange behavior in animals…" She paused for a moment, thinking to herself.
"So…What now?" Mina asked, trying to break the silence.
"Mina…tell me the truth," Alicia said nervously. "Do you think we should take the baby with us? Back to Pioneer 2?"
"Hmm…" Mina thought to herself. "Well…it's probably not such a good idea. For one thing, a lot of people would be angry with us for bringing it. Secondly, we don't have a place to put it. But, I can see why you would want to take it."
"No, it's okay," Alicia said wearily. "I shouldn't make decisions based on my one-sided sympathy…That's what I hated at the Lab."
"You didn't like having to hire hunters to do the Lab's dirty work," Mina clarified. "I can empathize with that… Wait a minute," she said as a thought just entered her mind. "'Hat-ed'? Are you quitting?"
"I already quit," Alicia said somewhat bitterly. "I don't like their secrecy. I will continue to study the animals of Ragol…without the Lab. I'm ending this quest," she said, using a Telepipe. "Let's go home."
"I see," Mina said solemnly, stepping into the Telepipe.
"You can collect your reward at the Guild," Alicia said as they stepped out of the Telepipe.
"Wait, before you leave, I have some things for you," Mina said. She ran to collect her money, and then ran to the shops. When she came out, she made a quick stop at the Check Room and came back to Alicia.
"If you plan on going to Ragol more often," Mina began, "you'll need these." She then began taking out various supply boxes.
"You don't have to do this," Alicia said modestly.
"First, I want you to sell off that useless Stick," Mina said. "This Pole is longer and more powerful. This Heart Handgun should help you attack from a distance and refill your ki. Here are some Barriers, Frames, and slot items to help you along. Oh, and some Technique discs! These should be useful!"
"Mina-chan…" Alicia said, her voice softening.
"One more thing," Mina said. "This is a Scape Doll. You can only use this once. If you ever…die prematurely, heaven-forbid, this doll will be destroyed instead of your life. Hopefully, you'll never have to use it."
"Thank you," Alicia said, hugging her little cousin. "I'll become stronger just like you. It's the only way for us to solve the mystery of Ragol."
Notes: You didn't think that I would kill off anybody that quickly, did you? Maybe some throw away character, but not my masterpieces (or Sega's….yet). I hope I'm getting better at this action stuff. FYI, that "-chan" thing refers to a person's close friend. Have you noticed how the military don't like hunters?
On the next (okay) episode of PSO Sidestory: Xero, formally known as Taft, has finally become a Hunter. That doesn't mean that he's any good. After some embarrassment, he gets some unexpected training. Forget those people from the beginning. This one's about Xero and his associates. And his associates' associates. An entire episode about him and his peeps, it's "Xero Story." Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer…Only Toonami!
