Yes, this story is still going! i am actually really happy with the second half of this chapter, the first i feel like i give too much away, for those reading Forgotten Heroes. anyway, do enjoy!
Present
Thorntail Hollow
I trotted across the grass toward the small water fall flowing out of the structure on the hill. The Thorntail had said that a woman had lived in an under ground borrow hidden behind the waterfall. A woman that walked and moved like myself and Fox who hadn't been see in well over two weeks. The couple dozen meter walk took no time at all, stopping at the water fall.
"Sam, can you give me a scan?" there was silence for a few seconds before a feminine voice responded.
"As the dinosaur said, there is cave behind this water fall. are you scared to go in or something?" I rolled my eyes before stepping through the curtain of water.
"Of all the things I could have smuggled off the Bastogne, I had to smuggle the wise cracking AI." I reached the other side to find a damp but smooth ramp, coated in moss. The tunnel stretched a few meters before sharply veering to the right and disappearing. I flicked the light on my rifle on before I went deeper in, a small HUD display of Sam's avatar appearing in my vision. She had taken the form of someone who had been a close friend of both us, with long brown hair, uncharacteristically loose and uncontrolled, with a very slight curl to it that made it seem styled. Her brown eyes fit perfectly with her hair and rounded face, as well as her darker skin. She had always been a small girl, even in body armor, not that the avatar was wearing that. The outfit the AI had chosen was a tank top and cargo capris, white and black and grey cameoed respectively.
"oh you love me. If not only for being able to see Maria whenever I show up." I closed my eyes for a second, shoving the memories that name brought up aside.
"No, I keep you around because you're useful." I stalked down the corridor, wishing she would disappear. My light illuminated a half lit room inside, with a single unglazed window straight across from me in the earthen room. To the right was a small cot and an old, beaten up, U.N.S.C. munitions crate. There was a datapad on top of the crate and I slowly approached, picking up the small instrument. "Sam, see if you can power this thing up." As I spoke, I pulled a cord off my tactical pad embedded in my left wrist armor and plugged the datapad in. it took several second to boot up, but when it did, the first thing it displayed was an image. It was of a trio of friends that made my heart drop out at the sight of one of them. The blonde haired girl on the right of the picture had died in my arms ten years ago today. The black haired girl in the center was alive and on Earth, married to a member of my old squad. I had re-met her in a bar on Reach after Actium's fall. The third girl in the image had gone missing when Actium fell, and although she was familiar to me, I had never known her very well, never even learning her name. How did this datapad and crate get here? The thought crossed my mind as I slid the loose lid off the crate, on top of the pile of junk inside being an M-6 series handgun, slide forward. I picked the weapon up and racked it to find it was empty, a few empty ammo boxes inside the case. Aside from that, there were a few empty rations cases, nothing inside seeming of importance. I frowned, wondering where the woman could be until a pair of rapid, echoing booms came through the window. I cursed and disconnected from the datapad before walking toward the exit. "Get anything useful from the datapad Sam?"
"I'm afraid not. A few journal entries, but they stop six years ago. From what I can gather, the owner's name is Natalie Roland, and she was stranded here when the liner she was on crashed here. A few of the entries mention barely getting off Actium during the battle, and a few theories about the ship crashing from battle damage." I absently nodded, waiting for her to continue. "Apparently a few others survived the crash, but were killed by a Sharp Claw scouting party, including two soldiers. That's where the pistol is from, the rifles were all empty."
"Roger that. Guess we'll need to ask around for more information. Now let's go see what that moron got into." The avatar of the AI finally disappeared as I stepped through the water fall and back into the open air.
Three Weeks Prior
Suarian Skies.
Krystal tried to shield her eyes from the raging rain storm the cloud runner was flying through, barely able to hold onto the strangely shaped leather saddle mounted on it's back. It was slick to the touch, soaked by the rain.
"How long until we reach the palace!?" she shouted at the top of her lungs, barely able to hear herself over the din of the storm and the beating of the creature's wings.
"Maybe an hour if we are lucky!" as he finished, something in the cloud ahead of them glowed a brilliant scarlet before a massive red fireball ripped out of the cloud bank, headed straight for them. The cloud runner suddenly dropped, Krystal nearly losing her seat as it dodged the shot. Instinctively, she grabbed the staff off her hip and extended it, ready to fire back as soon as a target presented itself. Out of the rain came a large seaborne warship, modified with wings and a massive propeller on the back. The prow of the warship had a giant dinosaur like head that roared at them, just before letting loose another fireball at them.
"Don't dodge!" as she spoke, she used the staff to create a blue hued shield of light, covering both herself and the cloud runner. The fireball detonated on the barrier, washing around it like an angry river splashing across a rock, just before dissipating. "Let's take that ship down, get us behind it!"
"But that is General Scales Flagship!" the Cloud runner started ducking and weaving, trying to run away from the vessel.
"Exactly! This is our chance to destroy it!" the cloud runner groaned in protest, but complied, looping about and ducking as another fireball ripped past, singing Krystal's fur. Within a second or so, they were whipping past the hull of the ship, Krystal being forced to hug the creature's neck as it rolled over one of the long sail like wings. As soon as they were behind the vessel, she started firing fire blasts the size of large fruit at the rearward propeller. The massive thick blades began warping and bending as she hit them again and again, just before a sharp crack drew her attention, a Sharp Claw on the rear deck was firing a rifle at them. Several more were lining up to do the same when she fired at them, the brilliant red blasts ripping through them and the sails behind them. As soon as they were dispatched, she opened fire on the prop again, seeing the blades sag and fall from the hub. Her smile faded as the ship accelerated, swinging around as fast as a space craft so the bow 'dino' gun could fire on her. she snapped off a pair of blasts into it's open maw just before it could fire, flame spewing from it's neck as it exploded. "Drop me on the vessel!"
"okay, but be careful Krystal!" she nodded as the Cloud runner angled over the deck, Krystal sliding off it's back. She landed on the back deck, right where the steering wheel was, tumbling back to her feet on contact. Three Sharp Claw were there, one manning the wheel, one with a long rifle, the other, bulkiest one, with a sword on it's hip and a massive pistol in it's hand. She ran toward the officer, swiping the pistol from it's hand with the bulbous end of her staff, side stepping off beside the creature to keep it's buddy from firing at her. in one smooth motion, she brought her staff around as she pivoted away from the officer, ramming the spear point back and into the Officer. She heard it scream before it fell, rolling to the side to dodge the rifle discharging behind her. the low grade powder left a thick cloud of smoke, hiding Krystal for a second before it was blown away. but a second was all she needed, rolling to her feet and firing a fist sized fire blast into the riflemen's chest. The final Sharp claw released the wheel and was about to pick it's mace up when she slashed the back of it's neck with her staff, sending it slumping onto the wheel. She grimaced, able to sense the fading pain of the opponents she had just killed, the exact moments of their deaths vividly left in her mind. She had felt similar in the past, but only once before had she been the source of it. she quickly shook it from her mind, running down one of the side stairways and onto the main deck. The ship groaned and creaked as it swayed back and forth, just like a ship at sea. Half a dozen powerful large bore cannon sat on each side of the ship, making up the primary siege weapons the ship was equipped with. In front of her was another staircase leading to a small platform, the extreme right and left flanks having small swivel cannon set on the rails straight forward of the stair well was a large room, closed off from the ship by a door. This door was currently on fire, spewing flames out of the cracks. On the corner rails formed by the top of the stairs, were two wooden poles, lanterns swaying from rings at the tops of them. About halfway down the length of the right hand pole was a wrought iron cage, with a small young Cloud runner inside. She rushed to the top of the stairs and carefully slid the bulbous end of the staff through the bars, so to direct the potential blast away from the dinosaur within.
"Cover your eyes, young one!" the cloud runner did so and she blasted the cage door open, quickly tugging her staff free. The small creature leapt out and took flight, managing to keep up with the ship in flight.
"Thank you, strange being. Please, you must save our people, stop General Scales! He's…." her voice stopped as the door beside them burst open, a massive slim Sharp Claw striding out as if the flames were nothing. His left hand was replaced with a pair of long sharp sword like claws, a massive sword being clutched in his right. His tattered vest and cover looked as if had been leather before, but was charred and ripped, his green tinged skin below seeing unharmed by the fierce flames scorching behind him. In one incredible motion, he darted forward, Krystal barely managing to bring her staff up for a block in time to keep from being sliced in half. However, the strike had so much force behind it that it cast her down the steps, her staff being caught by the wind and disappearing.
"My Staff!" her hand followed it's path out of her sight, feeling as if a part of her had been ripped away in that instant. She heard a loud cruel laugh and her head snapped over to in front of her, seeing General Scales start marching down the stairs toward her.
"And who is this delicious smelling creature I find scampering around the deck of my ship!?" Krystal quickly scooted away from him as he reached the main deck, his massive three clawed feet leaving chunks missing from the wood as he dug them in.
"You wont stay in power for long, Scales! Some day, someone will stop you!" he glanced at the empty cage at the top of the stairs, speaking as if she hadn't said a word.
"And I see you let my little 'pet' loose." Her head clunked up against the main mast, sending a shock of pain reverberating through her body. As she unintentionally rubbed her head, he suddenly lunged forward, picking her up by her neck and ramming her into the mast, his clawed hand causing a splintering dent in the thick wood. "You are nothing! I rule this world and there is no one who can stop me!"
"You rule is false! Fueled by fear and brutality! It will not last!" he laughed as he casually strolled over to the edge of the ship, throwing her about like a rag. He suddenly pulled her face right up to his, speaking softly but incredibly menacing.
"I rule this planet by fear because those insignificant whelps don't know there places! And yours is nothing more than a splattered memory on the ground below us!" he shouted the last sentence, throwing her over the side rail of the ship, a scream ripping out of her lungs. Suddenly, she felt something solid beneath her, catching it the second she felt it. she smiled as she realized that it was the Cloud Runner that had brought her here.
"Nice catch, Rose!" the creature smirked, a small twinkle in his eye.
"You didn't think I'd let you fall did you?" she smiled as he drifted up level with the rail of the ship, the cloud runner keeping pace with the ship. Scales had turned his back to the rail, startling when she shouted.
"Maybe next time, General!" she cackled as he rushed to the railing, swinging his clawed arm at them but too late, for the cloud runner was already peeling away, disappearing into the storm. "Think you can still find the palace in this?" the bird like dinosaur nodded, already angling toward a dark shape looming out of the storm.
"Yes, it's up ahead there. I'll drop you there, but I cant help you after!" she nodded, remaining silent as he flew on. The storm seemed to lesson suddenly around the palace, the massive mountain top stone structure looming over the landscape like a massive guardian. Sections of the once beautiful stonework were blown apart and collapsed, scattering rubble across the area. There was a platform large enough to land a small transport that the Cloud runner flew too, landing on the edge and letting Krystal slide off. "Be Careful, there are still Sharp Claw all around." She smiled to him as she responded, patting his side.
"Thank you, and farewell, friend." The Cloud runner nodded before dropping off the ledge and flying away, drifting around on the wind as it slowly shrank to a dot to disappear into the storm.