Another Disclaimer: Sega owns PSO and all of its NPCs and such. George Lucas owns any Star Wars paraphernalia you might have noticed such as the name Incom T-65. Square Enix owns Sephiroth. I (actually a friend) made up another Cloud though, so they don't own him. And Microsoft owns a certain commercial for Xbox. I think that covers everything for now.
"How much longer is this gonna take?" Cloud asked T-65. They were at the Hunter Training Center. It was the day that Taft would officially become a Hunter.
"Not much," T-65 said patiently. "Their gonna suit him up, give him his Guild Card, and give him a Mag. Then he'll be outta there."
"Man, how long is that gonna take?" Cloud asked impatiently.
"Give 'em 10 minutes," T-65 said, tired of his whining. "Besides, it's not like you got anything better to do."
"Fine!" Cloud said vehemently.
"Congratulations, Xero!" said a Guild staff member. "You are now a HUmar. And here is your Mag. Good hunting!"
"Thanks," said Xero, walking to the waiting room. He found his friends waiting for him in a corner.
"Hey, guys!" he called out to them.
"Taft?" T-65 asked, not recognizing this newcomer. The HUmar had his silver hair weaved in a ponytail. He wore a black outfit with red shoulder padding and was almost as tall as T-65 and a little taller than Cloud.
"Not anymore," he said mischievously. "Taft is dead. I am Xero."
"Dude, cut the crap," Cloud said dryly.
"No, seriously," the HUmar said, showing them his Card. "Witness the rise of Xero."
"Why'd you spell it with an X?" T-65 asked.
"Because…X is one of the best letters," Xero said. "You know… it's tight."
"But that means your name should be pronounced Exero," T-65 argued.
"Don't call me that," Xero said. "It's Xero."
"You know you're just ripping off Sephiroth with the black clothes and white hair," T-65 said.
"Dude, we have silver hair," Cloud corrected, brushing his hair back.
"And I'm not copying Sephiroth," Xero said. "Black just what works for me."
"Whatever," T-65 said indifferently. "You know you're just bein' a faker."
"I'm not a faker, dammit!" Xero screamed. "Just wait and see!"
"Damn, dude, calm down," Cloud said, holding back a chuckle.
"Anyway, you should find a quest to do before you go to Ragol by yourself," T-65 suggested.
"All right, then let's go," Xero insisted.
"Where exactly are we going?" Cloud asked.
"YOU aren't goin' anywhere," T-65 said. "Only registered hunters can go."
"Sorry, man," Xero mock-sympathized. "But you know how it goes."
"Man, how ya gonna be like that?" Cloud fumed.
"Okay X," T-65 said as they arrived at the Hunter's Guild near the Ragol transporter, "this is where we usually come for quests. Around here, they usually have to do with Ragol. You can find other Guilds around the city, though."
"So is this like a waiting room or somethin'?" Xero asked.
"Yeah, basically. The clients put in a quest and the reward. We come here, accept the quest, and wait for the client to see us."
"If this is a waiting room, how come there aren't any chairs?"
"Ya know what? I've never actually thought about that… Either way I don't really care. Just go to the Guild Girl and she'll give you some good quests." Xero followed his instructions, greeting the woman at the desk. The lady checked his registration and pulled out a list of suggested quests for him.
"How about this one?" Xero suggested. "Some lady wants 'her husband, Gizel, to stop wasting money on weapons.' It pays 300 Meseta."
"Only 300 Meseta?" T-65 mused. "…I guess that's a good start."
"It should suffice for such an easy quest," said Galactica, just now entering. "Although, I wouldn't recommend it for a hunter fresh out of training."
"You wanna bet?" Xero asked, not liking the condescension in her voice.
"I would find it hard to believe that you could wager even that amount," Galactica said coolly, using her best language.
"I'll take a piece of that bet," T-65 said. "Everyone puts down 300 Meseta. Whoever finishes the job gets the reward and wins the bet."
"I don't know," Xero said cautiously. "Why should I bet against both of you? You've been hunters longer than me."
"I see that your friend has a brain, T-65," Galactica said, chuckling.
"Nah, he's just bein' chicken," T-65 said, also chuckling.
"Oh, yeah!" Xero yelled. "You're on!"
"So, who will go first?" Galactica asked.
"First" Xero yelled.
"First!" T-65 yelled just behind him. "Damn."
"I will go last, then," Galactica said indifferently. They then had the Guild Girl summon the client. She arrived within a few minutes.
"Who is my client," the middle-aged woman asked.
"Actually, ma'am," the Guild Girl said, pointing to Xero, T-65, and Galactica, "these three are accepting your quest."
"If one of us fails to complete the quest," Galactica explained, "then the next will make an attempt."
"Well I'm glad to hear that you three can understand my situation," the woman said desperately. "I don't think he knows the meaning of the word 'waste'. He could buy much better weapons earlier if he saved his money, right? He'll listen to you all since you're hunters. Convince him."
"You're up Exero," T-65 said. "Good luck."
"It's Xero," the HUmar said, about to leave.
"Wait a minute," he said, walking back to the woman. "Where is this guy?"
"My husband?" the woman asked. "He may be at the shop, browsing for weapons again."
"Okay," Xero said, taking his leave. He went to the shopping area and saw a man in a blue jacket and orange fleece pants looking at various weapons.
"Are you Gizel?" Xero asked, getting his attention.
"What?" Gizel said, turning around. "Who are you?"
"I'm doing something for your wife," Xero said as professionally as he could. "She says you're buying weapons too often."
"I'm buying weapons too often?" Gizel said, insulted. "Shut up."
"Hey!" Xero retorted.
"Expensive weapons are strong," Gizel explained. "With strong weapons, I can kill expensive monsters, and I can be rich. So it's smart of me to buy better weapons. Understand?" Xero thought for a moment.
"…Ya know, that actually makes sense," Xero agreed.
"Good, good," Gizel said approvingly. "This issue is just between my wife and me. Well, you can go now."
"I guess that was easy enough," Xero thought to himself, walking back to the Guild. He then told the client what Gizel had said. Unfortunately, he did not expect her response.
"I can't believe it," she said, astonished. "He snubbed you?"
"He did?" Xero asked, confused.
"My goodness…" she continued. "What he's saying isn't wrong, but he's not being economical. Take a firm stand! OK?"
"That's it for you Exero," T-65 said, grinning. "You had one chance and you blew it…But don't sweat it; I'll show you how it's done."
"Shut up," Xero fumed. "He made some good points."
"In that case," Galactica said, "T-65 should come back with similar results." T-65 had by now found Gizel and was trying to convince him.
"Another one?" Gizel said. "About me buying weapons too often. Nonsense. Expensive weapons are strong weapons! Strong weapons kill expensive monsters to make me rich! So it's smart to buy better weapons. Understand?"
"Not quite," T-65 said, not falling into the trap that Xero had fallen into.
"Why don't ya understand?" Gizel asked, getting annoyed.
"Because it's not always true," T-65 said sure of himself. "Expensive weapons aren't always stronger."
"But listen," Gizel jumped in. "Even if its attack power isn't very high, it may still be good. For example, it may have a good hitting ratio or accuracy. The most important thing to get is a point for the price you pay. You can't convince me. That's it?"
"But…uh…well," T-65 stammered, trying to make up something.
"I'm not wrong," Gizel stated, returning to his browsing. "Bye now."
"Dammit!" T-65 cursed to himself. He had been truly snubbed by this man. His only hope was that Galactica couldn't convince this guy either. He returned to Gizel's wife to tell her what he had been told.
"Expensive weapons aren't always strong?" she confirmed. "I'm not talking about that. Buying weapons is fine, but he needs to be smart when he buys things."
"I'll take things from here, ma'am'," Galactica said walking off to Gizel.
"Not another one," Gizel said, now frustrated. "For the last time, expensive weapons let me kill expensive monsters so I can be rich! Understand?"
"Let me tell you something," Galactica said firmly. "You, sir, are a fool. You waste money by spending all the time. Have you ever tried standing by a weapon to see how good it really is? Or do you just go out and buy the newest one on the market?
"What?" Gizel asked, disillusioned. "Am I changing weapons too quickly, ignoring cost vs. performance? I…I can't rebut it. You're right…But…I…I can't stop buying weapons… Forgive me."
"This may be harder than I thought," Galactica thought. "It seems that his problem is a little deeper than we all thought." Galactica then reported back to his wife.
"Did he finally understand?" she asked.
"Yes, however, his weapon problem seems to be a bit more serious than we previously suspected," Galactica said. The other two hunters started to see some hope of Galactica's failure.
"Now I know," the client said, having realized what was wrong. "He has a weapon-fetish. But we can't afford to waste money to keep him happy all the time. Tell him NO MORE SHOPPING!"
"Hey, T," Xero whispered. "What's a fetish?"
"…Ya know, it would make a whole lot more sense if I were the one asking you that question," T-65 said uncomfortably. "It's basically…" Meanwhile, Galactica relayed the news to Gizel.
"Weapon-fetish?!" he asked nervously. "Y…yes, I am!"
"The hardest part is admitting it," Galactica commented.
"Look at this luster!" Gizel said gleefully, showing her a new gun. "Beautiful…I love it. New weapons are so beautiful and shiny. I love buying them."
"Ahem…" Galactica said, trying to get his attention. "In the words of your wife, 'NO MORE SHOPPING!"
"What?" said the crestfallen man. "NO MORE SHOPPING? It's too cruel…"
"Talk to your wife about it," Galactica said, walking back to the Guild.
"It was my only…" Gizel mumbled.
"It's done," Galactica said to the client.
"Thank you," she said. "Was he really that disappointed? I'll allow him to buy weapons later. Good job. Please go receive your money at the Guild."
"It's time for you two to pay up," Galactica said to the silent T-65 and Xero.
"It's only 300 Meseta," T-65 muttered handing it over.
"I coulda' used that money," Xero said. "And I didn't get to fight anything."
"There's no reason why you can't ask again," Galactica said, counting the money. "…You still owe me 200 Meseta."
"You'll get it," Xero assured her. "As soon as I find another quest."
"Very well, then," Galactica said, leaving. "T-65, since he's your friend, I'm holding you responsible."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," T-65 muttered. "Rise of Exero my ass…"
"I've got it!" Xero exclaimed, looking through the list of quests. "This one wants me to 'find a missing hunter on Ragol' and bring him back."
"Go for it," T-65 shrugged. "I've got other stuff to do. Good luck, Exero."
"Don't call me that!" Xero growled.
"Del beats Sinow!" Taya cheered, laying an illustrated card near a different card. "I win!" Taya had visited Misha that day and they were playing a trading card game called Phantasy Monsters, nicknamed Phantamon. They had been playing for about an hour in Misha's room. Taya was wearing a blue and white blouse and denim skirt. Misha had a white T-shirt and brown pants.
"Nice comeback," Misha said, accepting her loss. "Where'd you get that series from? They're pretty rare."
"Anna and Kroe," Taya replied, grinning widely as she gathered her cards. "They let me have 'em for 3 of my Laconium cards. So, it was an even trade."
"You wanna see a movie?" Misha suggested. "I heard that they just released some from the archives."
"Sure," Taya agreed, getting up.
"Then, let's go!" Misha said, exiting the room. "There's this movie called Asses of Fire. It's supposed to be really funny."
"Isn't that rated R?" Taya asked cautiously.
"Yeah, so?"
"Shouldn't we ask your mom first? I don't think we can get in without a grown-up."
"Fine," Misha sighed. It wasn't her style to ask permission for things. Dealing with her mother was never very difficult, though. She led Taya out of the room and to the kitchen, where her mother usually was at that time. They found her reading a cookbook at the table, while a pot was boiling over. She was still trying to cook a decent meal. She had the same blonde hair as Misha, except that it was wavier and tied in the back with a blue ribbon. She was wearing a pink sweater and tan khakis. She was a little over 5 ½ feet tall, taller than the average newman.
"Hi, Mrs. Kuhra," Taya greeted to get her attention.
"Huh…Oh, hi, girls!" she said, snapping out of her tedious reading. "Um…lunch isn't ready yet…"
"We didn't come about that," Misha said, getting to the point. "Could we go see this movie?"
"What's it called?" her mother asked enthusiastically. Taya began to giggle at what the answer would be.
"Um…Asses of Fire," Misha said as innocently as she could. Taya couldn't hold it in and started to laugh, while Mrs. Kuhra blushed.
"I think you're a little too young to see a movie like that," her mother smiled, putting down the book with a giggle. Misha was expecting this sort of response, so she had something ready.
"I'll give you this lollipop," Misha smiled, revealing a red candy.
"Where do you get these from?" her mother asked, unconsciously licking her lips. "You're not supposed to have those." Sweets were strictly rationed on Pioneer 2 because of their addictive and unhealthy nature. However, this law would have been lifted after Pioneer 2 landed on Ragol. Obviously, that hadn't happened yet so the law was still in effect. Not that it was easily enforced.
"It's strawberry-flavored…" Misha said in a singsong voice, waving it in the air "Okay, okay!" her mother relented, taking the lollipop. "You can see the movie. It's probably about donkeys that live in volcanoes anyway. Why else would it have a title like that?"
"We still need someone to go with us," Taya said, entertained by the exchange. "Mom, I'm going to see a movie!" Misha's big sister, Daniela, called out. This was the perfect opportunity.
"Take Misha and Taya with you," her mother said, licking the candy. "Mom!" Daniela objected, stomping into the kitchen. "I'm going on a blind date!" Daniela had red-orange hair that was long enough to cover part of the left side of her face. She wasn't as tall as her mother. She wore a tan vest over a white, sleeveless shirt that ended just above her navel. She also had puffy, white harem pants.
"It won't be any trouble at all," her mother said, not paying whole lot of attention. "You don't have to baby-sit them."
"She bribed you again, didn't she?" Daniela asked dryly, eyeing Misha. "I'll take them as long as they don't say anything."
"What's his name?" Taya asked, trying to ease the tension.
"Not that it's any of your business," Daniela answered more calmly, "but his name is Cloud."
"Please don't let it be who I think it is," Misha prayed.
"It's probably him," Taya said, still smiling nervously.
Meanwhile, Xero's client, Zidd, had finally arrived. Apparently, Zidd sent a rookie Hunter named Ash out to do some research on Ragol. When he didn't come back, Zidd went to the Hunter's Guild for help.
"So I want you to rescue him," Zidd said, prompting Xero to get started. "Not by yourself," he said, stopping the HUmar.
"As long as it isn't an escort," Xero thought. He didn't like escort missions. Not in videogames and not in real life.
"Please go with that hunter over there," Zidd said, pointing to a very tall, purple Android standing by the door. "First of all, can you bring him over here?"
"Uh…hey," Xero waved nervously, after walking to the hunter. He was the tallest person that Xero had ever seen and one of the most intimidating. Most of his metal plating was purple, with some silver here and there. The bodysuit material that was uncovered by metal was black and showed fit muscles. On his forehead were three glowing dots in a triangular pattern. The Android also had narrow, yellow, glowing eyes that brightened and dimmed with his emotion. Besides his eyes, he didn't have a face at all.
"Are you Xero?" he responded in his low but unthreatening voice. "It's the first time I had a partner."
"Same here," Xero said nervously. The Android didn't act very threatening. His appearance, however, was still very much intimidating.
"Zidd asked me to do this job first," the purple being stated matter-of-factly. "Unexpectedly, he told me I'd have to work with someone else. I had to say YES as he is my client." Both then walked back over to Zidd, who was going to explain why he wanted two hunters.
"Xero, he's Kireek, your partner for this quest," Zidd explained. "He is a HUcast. He's a pro. Perhaps you can learn a lot from him." He then turned to Kireek.
"Kireek, I know you are unhappy," Zidd apologized, "but I need two hunters for this. One has to retrieve the data disk that I asked Ash to get. The other is to help Ash return if he is injured. This is my personal agenda. It has nothing to do with business. Ash is my cousin. I don't want to lose him. Please understand."
"…I have no choice," Kireek shrugged. "Come, Xero." The two hunters then made their way to Ragol via transporter.
They appeared in a clearing behind a laser gate. It prevented animals from being able to move too freely. Xero only had a green Saber, the weakest kind, and a simple purple Mag. Kireek, who did not have a Mag, had a large, purple scythe.
"Here come the wild animals of Ragol," Kireek warned, as they neared the fence. "Don't let them surround you!"
"Okay…" Xero said, nervously. It was his first time doing a job like this. He didn't want to mess up in front of a pro. He gathered his courage and ran through the gate toward the nearest of three Boomas.
With his Saber, he took a mighty swing at the beast…and missed completely. Lucky for him, the Booma had been facing the other direction with its back to him. Xero then decided to make a better-aimed attack. He slashed the beast twice, burning its flesh.
"Yeah! How ya like that!?" Xero shouted at the animal. It was now facing him and about to swing its paw, when Xero slashed at it again. The Booma flinched and before Xero could make another attack, it struck him across the face, knocking him to the ground.
"Son of a…!" Xero started, in pain. Then, with a slice from Kireek's blade, the creature was split in two, spilling innards all over the ground. Xero got to his feet before the juices touched him. He took a quick Monomate and ran towards the remaining Boomas. The element of surprise was gone, so he thought it wise to rush them.
"Aaaahhh!" he cried, as he took another big swing, hoping to hit both of them. Instead, his photon blade missed again, merely singing their fur. They struck him to the floor before he could let out a curse. While he was on the ground, he attempted to sweep their legs with his weapon. He only caught one leg, noting that he only heard a single snarl. He rolled away, and got up.
"Ha!" he yelled, lunging at one Booma. The blow knocked it away, but left him vulnerable to the adjacent Booma. Kireek effortlessly cut its torso off before it could do anything. Xero was able to get in one more attack on the remaining Booma before Kireek finished it off.
"How…?" Xero was about to ask before three Savage Wolves leaped out from behind them. Knowing that Kireek would decimate everything, Xero got in a quick attack on the nearest wolf before Kireek cut it in half. It was quite obvious that Xero would be lucky if he killed anything at all with Kireek around. Fortunately for him, the Android didn't stray very far from Xero. The HUmar was fast enough to make a quick attack on each wolf before Kireek destroyed them.
"Be careful," the HUcast said, looking around. "Even if you defeat one group, another one may be hiding near you. Watch the radar. Prepare for battle so you don't get surrounded."
"Wait a minute, what radar?" Xero asked, looking confused.
"It's on your ISL," Kireek said pointing to Xero's left arm.
"A what?" Xero questioned.
"Inventory Status Link," Kireek explained. "It also has a map of the area you're in along with other information that you might need to know. Didn't they teach you anything in training?"
"…No," Xero lied, fiddling with the device on his arm. Among other things, it showed his stats, his Mag's stats, his items, his weapons, and even his experience level. He hadn't been paying full attention to his training instructors. Kireek was obviously giving him a crash course battle training.
"That's the door switch," Kireek said, pointing to the purple glowing object. "In some areas, you must defeat all the enemies to unlock the door. Perhaps it's a security reason… Other doors can be unlocked through switches."
"What about these boxes?" Xero said, pointing his Saber at the blue metal cubes.
"Those may or may not hold some useful items," Kireek responded. "It's a good idea to look through them to save your Meseta. Personally, I don't bother with them."
"Looks good to me," Xero said, picking up Monomates and Meseta. Afterwards, they opened the purple gate with the corresponding switch and continued their search.
Daniela opted to take the girls in the hover-car. She would have dropped them off before going on her date, but she would've risked being late for her date. To her, first impressions were the most important. She left Taya and Misha in the vehicle while she went to pick up her date.
"Just because it's his building doesn't mean it's who I think it is," Misha assured herself.
"It's probably him," Taya said, looking out the window.
"You're not helping," Misha said with annoyance. "I can't stand Cloud! He's just so…so…him!"
"Nimbus isn't that bad," Taya said, smiling again.
"You're just saying that to be nice," Misha replied. "And because the bum visits you and your brother almost everyday.
"So do you," Taya pointed out. "And I liked you before you started visiting."
"…Good point," Misha relented, slumping into the seat. "How do you do it, Taya?"
"Do what?" Taya asked obliviously.
"Be so nice to everyone," Misha said. "Even the jerks. "
"…I don't know," Taya responded after thinking for a second. "I guess it's just my nature."
"Wish I could do that," Misha commented.
"Well, they're coming out," Taya said, looking out the window. "It's Nimbus."
"Awww…" Misha said, burying her face into the seat and latching onto Taya.
"It'll only be a few minutes," Taya said, patting her friends back. Daniela led Cloud back to her hover-car, deciding not to tell him about the guests. Cloud was wearing a black, buttoned shirt and baggy jeans.
"Nice car," Cloud complimented, noting the recent wax job on the vehicle.
"Uh…Cloud, there's something I should tell you," Daniela said nervously, getting her keys.
"Sure, what's up?" Cloud asked obliviously.
"This is so funny!" she nervously forced a laugh. "You see, I have to drop off a couple of people, so they'll be with us until I drop them off at the theater. It's just my little sister and her friend.
"Okay," Cloud said, still oblivious. Daniela unlocked the doors and got in, hoping that the girls wouldn't screw things up. Cloud got in the car not suspecting anything. Then he made the mistake of looking in the backseat to see the guests.
"What are you two doing here?!" he exclaimed.
"Trust me," Misha said, flipping him a one-fingered salute. "It's no joyride for me either."
"Hi, Nimbus," Taya waved, smiling while putting Misha's finger away. "Daniela is Misha's sister."
"Don't tell me you all know each other?" Daniela groaned.
"Unfortunately, yes," Misha said begrudgingly. "Taya is related to Cloud, somehow."
"Just sit tight and don't say anything," Daniela ordered, starting the car. "You two aren't going to screw this up for me."
"Speaking of screwing…" Misha began teasingly.
"We'll be good," Taya assured, covering Misha's mouth. The craft lifted off and zoomed toward its destination. During the flight, no one had spoken a word, leaving tension in the air.
"The brat's probably thinking of a plan to ruin my date," Cloud thought to himself, scowling at Misha's reflection in the door mirror. When she noticed him looking at her, she stuck her tongue out and looked in the other direction.
"Goddamn I hate you, Cloud…I hate you so very much," Misha thought. "I'd better not end up being related to you. Otherwise, I'll have to kill myself."
"They better not screw this up," Daniela thought. "All the candy in the universe wouldn't save her from me."
"Why is everybody so mean to each other?" Taya thought. "Why can't everyone just be friends?"
"Hey, Misha," Taya said, breaking the silence. "Do you know the muffin man?"
"Aw hell," Cloud whispered to himself. They were going to sneak in a nursery rhyme without actually singing it.
"The muffin man?" Misha asked.
"The muffin man!" Taya said, winking.
"Do I know the muffin man?" Misha pretended to think. "That lives on Cherry Lane?"
"We're here!" Daniela slammed on the breaks. "Everybody out." They all got out and entered the box office to buy tickets.
"Cloud, could you buy our tickets?" Daniela asked. "I need to pay for them. They're trying to see some movie called Asses of Fire."
"That one's funny as hell," Cloud said, getting an odd look from Daniela.
"Maybe we should see another movie," Misha whispered to Taya. "If he likes it, it's probably crap."
"Three for Asses of Fire," Daniela said casually to the android clerk.
"Ma'am, you do realize this is an R-rated movie, right?" she asked the Newman. "That means it's may be full of violence, sexuality, harsh language, and other adult content that wouldn't be suitable for children. I'm going to need some identification."
"I'm nine years old," Daniela said, showing her ID. "I'll be the accompanying adult."
"The little ones seem to be a bit young for this movie," the clerk advised. "This movie includes adult content that may not be…"
"Just give me the tickets," Daniela interrupted, putting down her Meseta."
Meanwhile, Cloud had been standing in another line when he noticed someone familiar standing in front of him.
"Hey, T-65," he called, getting the RAcast's attention. "What's up, dude?"
"Oh…uh…hi, Cloud," T-65 said a little nervously. "Just…checkin' out a movie."
"Well, I'm here on a date," Cloud said triumphantly, ignoring Misha's audible grumbling. "What're you tryin' to see?"
"Um…Alisa III," T-65 said nervously.
"Same one I'm seein'," Cloud laughed, noticing the coincidence.
Then he added in a whisper, "'Cept I'm only watchin' it for the date. You know…with it bein' a chick-flick and all. What's your excuse?"
"It…looks interesting," T-65 said, thinking about how little truth there was to his statement. The whole truth was that he had only agreed to the movie at the suggestion of the pink RAcaseal in front of him. But he wasn't about to let Cloud know that.
"Hunh," Cloud exhaled lightly, giving him an odd look. "I didn't know you were into that type a stuff. I guess that it won't be so bad then. As long as it isn't too sappy."
Back on Ragol, Kireek had just finished teaching Xero how to attack enemies more accurately. Just in time, too. Xero had missed quite a few enemies that day and was starting to become a liability to the HUcast.
"Did you learn the trick?" the Android asked, having watched Xero make practice swings. "Two easy attacks then a heavy attack as a finishing blow. This is one example"
"Swipe, thrust, slash," Xero said, performing the attacks. "Alright, let's go." They went into the next area, which was also the largest. Boomas made their presence known and began their approach. Xero made the first attack with his new stance, hitting one Booma with the three attacks he had just practiced. Blocking the Booma's retaliating swipe, Xero hacked at it with another set of attacks, killing it. Then, he got in some quick attacks on the other Boomas before Kireek killed them in one swing. When a couple of Rag Rappies fell onto the scene, Xero used the combo to put one down.
"This is pretty messed up," he noted, seeing Kireek chop off the other bird's antennae. When a Monest landed, Xero only bothered to attack it once. Then he concentrated on the Mothmants that came out and into his range. Even though, they couldn't do much damage, the bugs were very annoying. Kireek managed to kill three of them in one swing, along with cutting the stalks from under the Monest. After it fell, both Hunters swung at it to finish it off. Xero had improved quite a bit.
After looking through some supply boxes, Xero found several disks. They weren't data disks.
"What are these?" he asked, holding them up to Kireek.
"Those are Technique disks," Kireek answered. "They are used to learn Techniques. When you cast a Technique, it uses up TP but it rarely misses."
"What's TP?" Xero asked, not remembering from his lessons. "Toilet paper?"
"…Technique Points," Kireek said, wondering whether he was talking to a real hunter or not. "An approximation of your TP is shown on your ISL…on your shield arm."
"And HP stands for Hit Points?" Xero asked, looking at his stats.
"Actually, it stands for Health Points," Kireek corrected.
"Same difference," Xero said. "…How come you didn't use any Techniques?"
"Unfortunately, androids can't use Techniques," Kireek said, looking down. "I envy those who can."
"So, do I just study these Techniques in my spare time or something?" Xero asked, clueless.
"Put it in your ISL and download it," Kireek said, becoming weary of the HUmar. "If you have the right requirements, you should be able to use the Technique." Xero was only successful in downloading the disk with Barta. He needed more mind power for the others.
They went through another gate. The area only had more supply boxes and scattered Meseta. Xero went straight for them, not suspecting a thing. Kireek knew better, though. As Xero was bending to pick up an item, a wolf leaped in front of him. Four wolves surrounded the Hunters.
"Don't let them get behind you!" Kireek warned. Xero was busy trying slash at the wolf in front of him. It moved to his side, trying to flank him. It was decapitated by Kireek.
"Dammit!" Xero cursed. "…I wonder what Barta does?" He aimed at another wolf and sent the gust of cold air towards it. The wolf also moved out of the way, just like the other one.
"Dammit!" Xero cursed again. Kireek had already killed the other two wolves. Xero wanted to at least land a hit on this one. Since it kept trying to get behind him, he about-faced and did a blind attack. After hearing the sizzle of flesh, he carried out the rest of the attack. Slowing the hound to a halt, he unleashed more attacks, finally killing it. As soon as it keeled over, a Gobooma shot up in front of him.
"Holy shit!" Xero exclaimed, jumping back from its snarling face.
"Don't panic!" Kireek said, cutting into two other Goboomas. Surprisingly, they didn't die right away, even after having very large gashes across their bodies. They got close enough to attack Kireek, even though he blocked all of their attacks.
"You must be losin' it," Xero joked, finishing them off with one strike each. The monster he had originally faced was moving in on him from behind. Then he did something unexpected. He kneeled to the ground, twirled his Saber backwards, and stabbed behind himself. It went straight into the abdomen of the monster. Kireek caught on and swung his weapon just over Xero's head, and through the vanilla colored mammal.
"That was clever," Kireek complimented. "You aren't such a newbie after all."
"Hmph!" Xero grunted and thought to himself, "At least I can use Techniques."
They entered the last room and the first thing they saw was a young man lying on the ground near his activated Saber. He had brown hair and an orange, yellow, and black suit. He was a HUmar. It was Ash. He was pretty scratched up.
"Wh…who is it?!" Ash painfully spoke. "I don't know who you guys are, but be careful… They're…still hiding around here."
"Who's hiding?" Xero asked. Ash was unable to respond, going unconscious. Then both Xero and Kireek heard a noise up ahead at a dead end.
"I can hear something," Kireek said, his eyes narrowing. "A growl?" Both cautiously walked in battle stance toward the deep puddle of water ahead. Then they noticed something in the water. It was the disk.
"It's quiet…too quiet," Xero thought. "This is too easy." He then walked toward the disk as if he were going to pick it up. When he got within a few inches, three Barbarous Wolves sprang out from all sides. He immediately knelt and swept their feet with his Saber. The yelping animals jumped back, giving Xero breathing space. Putting the Saber in water also emitted a bit of steam, making Kireek unsure of whether or not to attack, for fear of hitting Xero. Xero then struck each of the Wolves and ducked out of the steam and behind Kireek.
"They're all yours," Xero said, motioning Kireek into the dissipating steam. Kireek made a low swing into the fog. The dying roar of Wolves and the red color spreading through the puddle confirmed their demise. Xero then picked up the disk. Kireek walked back to Ash and sprayed him with a Moon Atomizer. Surrounded by stinging, yet revitalizing mist, Ash was able to painfully get to his feet. Xero walked back to see if the HUmar was okay.
"Thank you," Ash said, breathing a bit roughly.
"It's okay," Xero stated. "Thank Zidd."
"Wha? Zidd?" Ash said with annoyance. "Now I know why you guys are here… He always treats me like a kid… I completed the quest, but suddenly, they attacked me here. Monsters appeared and I dropped the disk. I couldn't do anything."
"Well, you're okay now," Xero said, trying to sound professional.
"How vexing!" Ash said, still annoyed. "I appreciate that you guys came to save me but I…"
"I'll take this boy with me," Kireek said to Xero. "You deliver the disk to the client. Then, we can finish this job…. Xero…train yourself."
"Oh, I will," Xero assured.
"Become much stronger to impress me," Kireek said a little condescendingly. Then he began to laugh lightheartedly, which made Xero a little uneasy. But at least he knew that Kireek was an okay guy. Kireek took Ash through a Telepipe. After searching the area for any more treasure, Xero went through the Telepipe and headed for the Hunter's Guild. Inside were Ash and Zidd.
"Kireek left already after receiving the Meseta," Zidd said a little nervously. "Phew… I have never seen such an intimidating android. It was like that android was built for battle."
"I know what ya mean," Xero said, handing him the disk.
"Thanks," Zidd said with a nod. "Ash is enduring the pain, since he won't go see a doctor. You can get your reward at the Hunter's Guild."
"Thank you," Ash said. "I'll keep practicing."
"You do that," Xero said, getting his Meseta. He had completed his first quest. It wouldn't be his last, as he decided to look for more quests that day.
Meanwhile, Misha and Taya had gotten into their movie. There was a reason why the clerk had warned Daniela about the content. It was more than anyone had expected. So far, the two main characters were singing a song about which one…well, you'll see.
"Shut your fucking face, uncle fucka! You're a cock-sucking, ass-licking uncle fucka! You're an uncle fucka, yes its true. Nobody fucks uncles quite like you."
"Shut your fucking face uncle fucka! You're the one that fucked your uncle, uncle fucka! You don't eat or sleep or mow the lawn, you just fuck your uncle all day long." Then the two characters began farting and laughing hysterically while continuing the song.
The girls sat wide-eyed with mouths agape. They were speechless. Some of the audience reacted similarly. Some left the theater. Others laughed their heads off.
Things were going a bit better in the movie, Alisa III. It was basically a historical drama about one of many doomed ships that escaped Palma just before the planet was destroyed. The massive "worldship" was so big, that comparatively, Pioneer 2 would be insignificant.
"Sir!" said a member of the crew in the control room. "We're getting distress signals from the other ships."
"What is it?" the captain barked.
"…Oh no!" the crewman exclaimed. "A Dark Force is attacking them one by one. It stowed away on one of the ships! It's already destroyed 56 out of 400 ships, sir"
"How is that possible?" the captain wondered aloud. "Set a course out of the system at once!"
"Sir?" the navigator asked, surprised. "What about Mota and Dezo?"
"This ship will last in deep space long enough for us to find a new home," the captain explained. "Perhaps we will return to Algo someday…" Then the entire ship shook.
"It's on board!" one crewman cried.
"Try to contain it!" the captain ordered. "If it's going to destroy us too, we'll make sure that it doesn't stay in Algo!"
"Sucks to be them," Daniel thought as she watched the movie. Even though she knew the movie would end up being a tragedy, she couldn't help but find the story a bit sappy. Then again, she didn't pick this movie. Cloud thought that she would like this "chick-flick," so he suggested it. Cloud's reaction to the movie was unexpected to both himself and Daniela.
"Cloud?" Daniela whispered to his tear-stained face. "Are you…crying?"
"No," he sniffled. "I…I just got something in my eye. That's all… Just something in my eye…"
"Are you sure?" Daniela asked, resisting the urge to laugh. She knew that he was lying.
"I'm fine," he choked, wiping tears off his face. While Daniela was amused at this, she was also impressed by his sensitivity. Perhaps the date hadn't been ruined after all.
Notes: This was pretty much a long joke. But it's a joke that affects the story! We've got a new hunter who has some potential. And we've also got some light romance that probably won't affect the story in any meaningful way. What's the point you ask? I've gotta throw them a bone, okay? Also notice that the rating had to go up because of potty language. It beats censoring myself or getting this story removed.
On the next (good) episode of PSO: Sidestory: It's still the same leisurely day. They're out of the theater and off somewhere else. Misha and Taya try to repress what they saw, T-65 has "the talk" (from a person that should be in every chapter dammit), and Xero learns that it's a good idea to use the buddy system, all in "Life's a Killer." Don't forget to wear clean underwear… For the power of undergarments, there's no power greater than X.
