I'll be up front with you guys. The reason this fic is rated M is because I have plans for scenes with heavy violence, depictions of death and maybe even gore. Also because there are plans for some smut. I've already wrote some... aftersex scenes that have some important emotional plot points. I just wanna know if that'll turn some of you off to this story. I've never written for a community as small as Cross Ange's before so I would like to know what you guys think.
Anyways, second chapter in a month! I haven't done that in a long time.
Alien5703 - Earth 271 Ange Universe and 272 DRAGONs Universe
Hope you enjoy.
Not much, no prob even if the world doesn't change. I'm a cloud that don't have shapes. My password is Out. Of. The. Box!
- Out of the Box
The rest of the day went smoothly for Jamie as the tour continued with Chris, having Reagan alive and well. It brought him to tears seeing her so grown up, and was happier when she joined him on the tour, Hex having given her the rest of the day off. Chris first brought him to the bank, where he surprised the Norma there by already knowing what it was. He gave them a brief explanation of the Annex Republic and how it worked. All Norma had heard of the country, but no one actually knew what went on inside it other than equality for Norma. It made them quite jealous.
"You mean to tell me there's a place I can make money and live life without risking my life weekly?!" Reagan demanded, envious of Jamie's life during the last few decades. Jamie raised his hands to placate her.
"I wouldn't call it a godsend land. A lot of it is infertile, meaning nothing can be grown there, so there's no real good places to live other than coast cities. Doesn't stop people from trying though." Jamie explained. The explanation tempered Reagan for the moment, allowing Chris to start the trek to the next place.
Along the way, Chris was thinking what life would be like in a place like the Annex Republic, 'I've lived here my entire life, so it's hard to imagine a "free" life. Still, I don't think that would be too bad.' She glanced at Jamie, who caught her gaze while talking with Reagan and gave her a warm smile, making her look away with a blush, 'Why did I look at him when I thought that?!'
She then led them to the simulators, where she explained that this is how they train to pilot para-mails. He took a look inside one and whistled, "This is pretty high-tech."
"Pretty sure no other place has these." Reagan informed.
"Pretty sure no other place fights DRAGONs, Reagan." Chris sniped, snickering at the deadpan look that Reagan turned to her with.
"So this is to train for those things in the hangar, right?" Jamie interjected before his sister could fire back at the bluenette. Chris nodded, "It's cool."
"The nausea from it isn't." Chris mumbled. When Jamie gave her a questioning look, she waved it off, "Only happens the first time though."
"Still, I wish I had something like this when I was learning how to ride dirtbikes." Jamie commented, looking over the simulator again, "Had more crashes than I care to reveal."
"Oof, yeah." Reagan said, wincing, "But hey, when it comes to training, you might have the basics down when it comes to piloting these things."
Chris just gave her an unamused stare, "These fly Reagan. Dirtbikes, or any kind of bikes don't. Besides, there's more than one direction you can turn on these things."
"That's why I said the basics. Of course I know they're not the same!" Reagan fired back, feeling like Chris thought she was stupid, "I'm not an idiot!"
"I didn't say you were! I was just saying that dirtbikes aren't the same as para-mails!" Chris said, hoping to placate Reagan. She didn't mean to sound like she was insulting her intelligence. Reagan was one of her favorite people on the base just after her own squad. She just momentarily forgot that Reagan is somewhat hotheaded. She just couldn't help herself from making comments on the things Reagan said. From her interactions so far, it seems her brother is the opposite, only ever losing his cool when he met Hilda.
The siblings had many differences. Jamie was tall, while Reagan was short. Jamie kept his cool at all times, while Reagan was quick to blow her top. As different as they were, it was easy to see them as siblings. They had the same crystal blue eyes, and the same shape of them too, and had the same shade of hair. Such a dark brown it was practically black. Both of them wore their hair long, Reagan's in a low pony with her bangs splitting and framing her face, and Jamie's still growing.
"Girls, I think it's time we moved on. We're burning daylight here." Jamie cut in, reminding Chris that there was still more to the tour.
She took them to Jasmine's Mall next where they were met by the woman herself. She was sitting in a chair by the entrance with a golden retriever at her feet.
"There he is! Arzenal's newest superstar." Jasmine commented as they came up to her.
"Superstar?" Jamie asked, tilting his head, eyebrow raised. Jasmine shrugged.
"It's all I've heard about since lunch. This man, something most girls here have never seen before mind you, is now walking among us Norma. Some of the older girls don't think you belong." Jasmine said, standing up. She was still shorter than him, being around Chris' height of 5'2", "Some are even fantasizing about you." This comment made Chris feel... weird. And not in a good way. It was anger, but she didn't know why.
Jasmine lightly tapped the dog on the ground with her foot, waking him up, "This lug here is Vulcan. And this is the Jasmine Mall." She said extanding her arms out to show the whole area, "I sell almost anything here. Hell, on Arzenal, if you have enough cash, you can buy anything."
"Anything?" Jamie asked as his eyes honed in on one thing. A black beanie. His beanie. He noticed when he woke up his beanie was gone. Now it seems it was being resold here, "How much for that?"
Jasmine looked at the beanie, knowing why he was looking at it, "I know it's yours kid, but everyone loses their possessions when they come here. You want it, you buy it."
"Huh, and I'm flat out of cash." Jamie said with disappointment in his voice. Reagan huffed as she was saving up for an upgrade for her para-mail, and every dollar counted. She didn't want someone else swiping it, but it did hurt not getting her brother his hat back. Chris however...
"...How much is it?" She tentatively asked. Jasmine arched a brow before inspecting the hat, gauging its price. Eventually she shrugged and turned back to the group.
"Thirty-five bucks." She stated.
"That's a bit steep." Jamie commented, knowing how much it actually cost him. Chris handed over the money nonetheless, "Inflation kills everyone."
"It's not inflation, bro. It's just Jasmine." Reagan told her brother. Jasmine simply gave a smile that said that she wasn't sorry.
Chris was handed the beanie and she took a moment to observe it. It was worn, definitely a couple years old by now, but it was also loved, as evidenced by the stitches that held some spots together. This beanie meant a lot to Jamie. She turned to Jamie and held it out to him.
"Here." She started, a bashful look on her face. Here she is, giving a gift to a boy. It's almost romantic, "Consider this a welcome gift."
He stared at the beanie blankly before breaking out into a warm smile that reddened Chris' face, "Thanks. I'll pay you back sometime."
"N-no! You don't h-have to!" Chris said, trying to assuage the need to be paid back, "It's just thirty-five dollars. I-I can get that back easy."
"Okay, if you say so." He said, fixing the beanie into place. He nodded and smirked when it finally felt right, "Ready to move on."
"Where else is there to go?" Reagan questioned, posing in thought, "The locker room, the prison..."
"Prison? Isn't this. whole place a prison?" Jamie asked, confused.
"It's for punishments like desertion and insubordination. Neither Reagan or I have been." Chris informed as they walked off, Jasmine thanking them for their business.
"Hex has." Reagan said. That surprised Jamie, since Hex seemed like someone who wouldn't get in trouble like that. Reagan continued to explain, "She had a bad argument with Zola, which ended in a pretty violent fistfight."
"Really? I don't remember this." Chris said, trying to recall an incident like that. Reagan shook her head.
"It was a couple years before we were put into deployment. I think it happened when we were nine." Reagan said, vaguely remembering the time. She let out a chuckle, "Zola always says she lost her eye to a DRAGON, that's not what happened."
Chris' visible eye widened as she understood the implication, "No, you don't mean..."
"Yeah, it was Hex. It was the reason she caught prison time." Reagan said, confidently crossing her arms, "Strangely enough, she actually got along better with Zola after she got out."
"So... what? They got into a nasty fight, one of them lost an eye, and now they respect each other? Damn, that's hardcore." Jamie said, admiration swelling for the older goth he met earlier. Chris was stunned. She had always believed the story that Zola had lost her eye fighting off a DRAGON, but to hear she lost it to Hex... well, she didn't think any less of Zola, but now she gained so much more respect for Hex. And fear. She took out her captain's eye, in a fistfight.
"Yep. She got promoted to Captain of 7th Squad a year after that, too. I personally think of everyone in Arzenal, she's definitely top five. She'd be number one if she was actually into being captain." Reagan said, puffing out her chest. She was proud of her captain, and wasn't afraid to show it.
"She said something about that earlier, that it wasn't a position she asked for." Jamie said, remembering when Hex stopped the fight between Hilda and himself.
"Yeah, but you can't deny the results. Not only has 7th Squad had no deaths since she became captain, but we've also become the second best squad on Arzenal, often tying with 1st Squad for most kills and most money earned." Reagan said, smirking at Chris, who scoffed.
"Even tying, you're still second best to us. You said it yourself." Chris snarked back. She sighed and let the squad rivalry go for now, "How about we go to the arcade."
"That sounds like a great idea, Chris. I can remind Reagan what it's like to face me." Jamie said, a sinister smile aimed at Reagan, who gulped.
"C-c'mon, you think I h-haven't gotten better in the last ten years?!" Reagan said, visibly shaking as she got flashbacks of being five years old all over again. Her brother was merciless when it came to games. She even used to tell stories to those she played with on Arzenal about her brother, striking fear into their hearts. Standing around an arcade cabinet were three of the girls that Jamie briefly saw earlier when he reunited with Reagan.
The one not playing right now was a girl with long deep blue hair and seemed to be the youngest of the three. The one on the right in the player two position had short pale blonde hair and was intently staring at the screen, gritting her teeth as she seemed to be losing. The final one had long, shiny, silver hair and a confident smile as it appears she was winning against the blonde. She looked almost ethereal. Hearing the new group approach, the bluenette turned to them before getting her friends attention. The two turn to Jamie and his group and the silver-haired girl leaves the game to greet them.
"What's up, I'm Chelsea, the Vice-Captain of 7th Squad. You're Reagan's brother right? She talks about you a lot. Never thought I'd meet you." She said. Her voice was relaxing as she spoke in low tones. Jamie shook the hand she offered.
"Yep, that's me. Jamie's my name. I never thought I'd get here, or that I'd see her again." Jamie said, casting a glance at Reagan, who beamed.
"Good to have you here. This is Ingrid," Chelsea introduced, pointing her thumb to the bluenette, who waved shyly, "And that is Maizy." She said, pointing to the blonde, who was crossing her arms and had a pissed look on her face, "Don't mind her, she gets pissy when she loses. Ingrid, can you go find Tanya? Tell her her girlfriend is upset."
"Okay. Kitchens, right?" Ingrid asked, guessing the purplette's location. Chelsea nodded, and Ingrid took off. Chelsea turned back to Jamie.
"So how are you doing? Adjusting well? I see you've already got a gift." She said, noting the beanie on the teen's head that wasn't there before. Jamie nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, I've been treated well. And I already thanked Chris for this." He said, pointing to his hat. Chris blushed in embarrassment at being mentioned, as well as seeing Chelsea's teasing smile, "Nice of her to do that."
"Well, I assume you're here because the tour's over and you want to have some fun, right?" Chelsea asked. When the trio nodded, she stepped aside and gestured for them to enter the arcade, "Then don't let us stop you. I think Maizy's had enough of a thrashing for one day."
"Oh, fuck you." Maizy muttered and she and Chelsea left. A moment passed before Chelsea stopped and turned to Jamie.
"By the way. Your squad has been decided." She said. Jamie, Reagan, and Chris listened intently for what Chelsea was about to say. Chelsea smiled, "Welcome to 7th Squad, Jamie."
She turned and left with Maizy while Reagan cheered and Chris gave a muted sigh, her gaze downcast, "Damn it. Just when I thought I could have another friend."
"You say that like being on different squads stops us from being friends." Jamie said as they stepped into the arcade. Chris looked up at him, eyes wide before she nervously looked away.
"I'm not exactly the most sociable of people." She admitted. She jolted when she felt him put his hand on her shoulder, her gaze snapping up to his.
"Well, that's too bad. You're my first friend here, so I'm not keen on leaving you alone." He said, giving her a bright smile. It made her lose her anxiety and feel happy.
Chris smiled, mirroring Jamie's smile, "Then I'll hold you to it. If you don't, you owe me thirty-five dollars." She said, referencing the price of Jamie's beanie. The brunette laughed, loud and genuine, which caused Chris to laugh with him. They laughed heartily before a shout drew their attention from their joy.
"OH SHIT!" Jamie and Chris looked to Reagan, who was acting frantic as she looked at some kind of handheld device, "I forgot I was meeting Joey at this time! Gotta go, bro! See ya at dinner!" She said before she raced off. Jamie and Chris just stared before Chris took out a similar device from her pocket. Jamie looked at it in wonder.
"What's that?"
"It's a cellphone. Apparently it's Old World technology and it only works on base. Call anyone, send text messages to anyone, it even tells time." Chris explained as she looked at the time. 4:48 PM, 'It's that late already?'
"It's like mana communication, but in a device... Cool." Jamie said as Chris let him examine her phone.
"You should have one in your dorm when you go there later. Everyone gets one, but they're a recent creation. Or... recreation." Chris explained, shrugging her shoulders. Jamie gave her her phone back and she pocketed it. She gazed at the arcade before turning to Jamie, "Wanna start?" She said, nodding inside.
"Where do we start?"
It was dinnertime when Jamie met the final member of Squad 7: Joey. She was about 5'5", with shoulder length forest green hair and mint green eyes. She greeted him with all the coolness in the world and they immediately got along. Chris had gone off to eat with her squad, so Jamie was sat with his new squad. Reagan was on his right, Hex on his left, Chelsea next to her, and across the table in order was Ingrid, Maizy, and Joey. Dinner had gone as normal as could be, the food cooked by Maizy's girlfriend Tanya, which made it much better than passible, but since things began to wind down, something kept gnawing at Jamie, and it involved his sister. Once everyone was done eating, he let Reagan know, and by extension the rest of his squad, how he got to Arzenal.
It was painful, telling everything in full, but what hurt the most was telling Reagan what happened to their parents. He watched as his sister's eyes slowly widened as her mind processed the information, and it was quick that the tears came. The cafeteria went silent as everyone solemnly watched the hothead of Squad 7 break down into sorrow and tears. Jamie hugged his sister, a hand patting her head to soothe her and reassure her of his support. He was thankful for Reagan being at Arzenal, for as deadly as it is, at least she never had to see her parents be killed. That horrible honor was solely Jamie's. Jamie looked up and locked eyes with Chris, and his eyes told her everything she needed to know about the situation.
"Woah, I've never seen Rey break down like that." Vivian said, shocked at the scene before her. None of the girls had ever seen Reagan this torn up about something before. Ersha especially felt her heart hurt as she watched the younger girl cry.
"Why is she clinging to that bastard? They already together or something?" Hilda asked, still cross at Jamie from their interaction earlier. Hilda shuddered as she felt a cold glare on her and when she turned, she was surprised to see Chris glaring at her.
"She's his sister, you dumbass. Anyone can tell just by looking at them. Or are you too tunnel visioned on Jamie that you didn't see that?" She said, a small growl in her voice. This surprised everyone. Chris was normally timid and agreed with Hilda, and they saw how she had a sharp tongue, but her anger was never aimed at the redhead. Seeing Chris angry with her left Hilda speechless.
Vivian, oblivious to the tension, took that moment to ask her next question, "Okay, but why is she crying?"
Chris' anger was snuffed out as a downcast look took over her face, "Because he probably just told her that their parents died." She said somberly. Rosalie gaze moved from Chris to the siblings, watching their sadness and comfort of their squad. She was present when the two reunited, and now felt sorry for them. She broke her gaze with a sigh.
"Well, at least they didn't see their parents die." She said, but her eyes widened as she heard Chris take a sharp breath, "Are you kidding me?!" She exclaimed as anther of her guesses was correct, and turned her stare to Jamie again. Not only was he blamed for torching his town, but he watched his parents die, too?, "Fuck. That's fucked up."
"I suppose it's a good thing most of us never knew our parents," Salia started, glancing at Hilda, who did know her parents and was still silent after Chris chewed her out, "And so we'll never know what that pain is like."
"That's a bit callous." Ersha told the vice-captain, but sighed nonetheless, "Still, that is true."
Throughout the ordeal, 1st Squad Captain Zola remained silent throughout. At one point, she caught Hex's eyes, and the message within them was clear: Leave him be for now.
Zola rolled her eyes and shrugged.
Hex sighed as she knew that was the best she was going to get. She turned her attention back to the siblings. Reagan's sobbing had died down, now simply just whimpers, each of which added another crack to Hex's already breaking heart. Chelsea and Ingrid had already come around to embrace the siblings, the story of the loss of their parents, witnessed by Jamie himself, shook them to their core. Chelsea was very much like Ersha, and so she had a very motherly side to her, being one of the primary child caregivers on base, and Ingrid... she's had a crush on Jamie ever since Reagan first spoke about him. Add in the fact that she's a massive bleeding heart, and she was one of the first to lend a shoulder to cry on.
"Alright, everyone." Hex said, getting everyone's attention. She stood, seeing all eyes on her, "I think it's time we tuck in for the night. Tomorrow we've got the simulators, so one of you make sure you grab a bucket for Jamie."
This lightened the mood, as well as drawing a scoff from Jamie("It can't be that bad, right?" No one answered him, but their grins told him everything, "Shit. And I thought Chris was joking."), before everyone went their separate ways. Jamie and Hex made sure to see Reagan to her room, which she shared with Joey, before the captain led the male to his new quarters. Jamie caught a few of the dorm rooms open as he followed the older woman, likely so that the girls staying in them could peek at him, having never seen an actual male before.
"You don't seem bothered with the stares." Hex stated, glancing back at Jamie. The brunette shrugged.
"Got used to them when I entered highschool." Jamie started, catching another girl staring at him, resulting in her blushing and slamming the door shut, making him chuckle, "The school didn't get enough funding, so that resulted in co-ed locker rooms. It was very awkward at first, but over time you-"
"Get used to it?" Hex finished for him. He nodded and she continued, "Same here. I came here when I was sixteen, and I had trouble adjusting. Hell, I had to adjust being around so many people." She explained, feeling that creeping feeling of nostalgia, "I lived in the country. So far away from human civilization that the only reason they caught me... well you know the story."
"Terminal sickness. Self sacrifice." Jamie succinctly summarized. Hex nodded.
"And I'll tell you now, a lot of Norma use each other for stress relief." Hex said, pointing down a hallway to the right. Looking down it, Jamie saw Rosalie, Hilda, and Chris follow Zola into a room. On the way in, Chris caught Jamie's eyes and she waved at him. He raised a hand in acknowledgement back and she went in. Hex's words then caught up with him.
"Wait, stress relief? You mean..." He trailed off. Hex nodded, making Jamie grunt, "Well, I guess when you could die any day..."
"That's why I like you. You're quick, catch on easily." Hex said with a smirk before she cleared her throat, "And before you ask, no, I'm not saying I'm into you. You're not exactly my type."
"What, am I too handsome?" Jamie jested. Hex let out a snort that devolved into a laugh.
"No, too young. You're, what, seventeen?" Hex asked. Jamie nodded, "I'm twenty-six. Nine years is too big of a gap."
"Ah, that's fine. You're not my type either." Hex raised a brow at his statement, which he elaborated, "Too sisterly."
Hex laughed again, "Well I'm glad."
"Back on the subject of locker rooms, I've kind of learned to turn my brain off and get done with my business. If I don't focus on it, I don't really acknowledge it. So I should be good when we hit the showers tomorrow, so long as I'm in the stall farthest from Reagan." Jamie explained, getting back on topic. Yet his brain couldn't get the image of Chris entering what he assumed was Zola's quarters, and the words stress relief. Could it really be...? Ugh, better to shelve it for now and sleep.
"Seems like you've already got it figured out. Besides, you'll most likely spend some time hurling into a bucket, so you can focus on that." Hex said before stopping in front of a door, "Anyways, here we are."
Jamie pushed open the door to reveal a small room, furnished with basic things like a dresser, a bed, and a barred window, "Hm, homey."
"It's yours now. Up until you get a roommate, or are able to purchase a suite." Hex said before yawning, "Here's an insider tip. I'm selling." Jamie turned to look at her, "Big room with no one to share it with is awfully lonely. I'd rather have a room like this."
"Then why'd you get it in the first place?"
"Because Zola got one too."
Ah, the rivalry, "Then I'll be sure to save up."
Hex yawned again "Ugh. I'll be getting you up early, probably with a custom ridersuit that Vera just woke up and started working on."
"Ridersuit? I'm guessing those are needed?"
"To pilot a para-mail, yes. Anyways, goodnight, see you in the morning." Hex said, turning to walk away.
"Night to you too." Jamie said, taking his jacket off and tossing it on the bed he wasn't going to use. Hex stopped and turned back to Jamie.
"One more thing. And this is a warning." She said, grabbing Jamie's full attention, "I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're new. Over the next eight weeks, I'm going to grind you down and train you just as hard as I train the others."
Jamie felt a shudder go up his spine, but grinned nonetheless, "Good. The DRAGONs aren't going to be easy either right?" Hex shook her head, "Then give me all you've got."
Hex smiled sadistically, "Don't come to me begging for mercy." and with that, she shut the door. Jamie laid down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow was going to be the start of hell, he knew that much.
Quickly, the exhaustion of meeting so many people in one day caught up with him and knocked him out for the night.
A few hours later and a few hallways down, Chris lay in bed with Rosalie after a session of somewhat unfulfilling sex. Rosalie didn't notice, having had Chris work her sexual magic on her, rendering her unconscious. Chris was on the edge of sleep, yet all she could think about during the last few hours was Jamie.
Chris was generally terrified of men, let alone humans, yet spending the day with Jamie showed her how fragile those fears were as he shattered them with each moment they spent together. He made her feel so happy today, and she wanted more.
This also caused her guilt, however. It wasn't fair to Rosalie, having her plans with Chris thrown out the window, and then her partner wasn't even fully into the fucking. It felt good, but unfulfilled. Like all of a sudden she was missing something. Or someone.
Chris let out a silent sigh. Truthfully, she didn't feel too guilty. She and Rosalie weren't even girlfriends, so there really was no problem, it just wasn't fair to Rosalie.
'Whatever. What she doesn't know won't kill her.' She thought, too tired to realize how callous her thoughts were. She fell asleep, the image of crystal blue eyes and dark brown hair filled her head.
Cold.
Winters in the uncharted region north of the Annex Republic were bone chillingly cold. But to those who have acclimated to it, it was normal.
That is where we find one lone human, lying in the snow, eyes scanning everything before him as if searching for something.
This is Wolfgang Einz. He once lived in Rosenblum, and thought very much like the humans of the world, but one day, he and his parents abruptly moved away from their home to a remote town in the cold unmapped region north of the AR. It was a Norma friendly town, and Wolfgang hated it. He took every opportunity to disparage and belittle the Norma there, yet they seemed to pay his insults little mind. It was also a hunting town, where everyone needed to help if they were to survive. And it was on his first hunt that Wolfgang's entire world changed.
He set out with a Norma a few years older than him. Wolfgang was taught how to shoot a rifle before this incursion, yet he was far from the sniper we was in the present day. The cold had gotten to him too, so he didn't have much to say, simply glaring at the Norma as he followed her.
"Stop." She commanded, holding up a hand. Wolfgang, still in his human supremacy mindset, ignored her and kept moving forward, intent on finding a deer, killing it, and ending this hunt, "Hey! I said stop!"
"I don't listen to you, Norma." He bit back right before he slipped and fell down a hill, getting snow everywhere. Some got on his face, giving him that painfully cold sensation that only went away when it melted. Eventually he stopped rolling, and he laid on the ground, breathing heavily. He soon sat up, groaning as he looked around, "Ugh, damned Norma couldn't even be bothered to help me." He stood up and brushed the remaining snow off of himself, looking around all the while. His eyes narrowed as he took in his surroundings and considered his situation, "Though, perhaps numbers would be the better choice."
He shrugged, picked up his rifle, and walked on. Keeping his hands in pockets and rifle slung over his shoulder, he walked over fallen trees and large rocks. Eventually, worry started to take hold of him, as it was becoming increasingly obvious that night was coming. The bleak cloud-covered landscape was losing light, and loathe as he was to admit it, if he didn't find that Norma, he was going to die out here. He couldn't contact anyone with the Light of Mana to find him since, well, he didn't even know where he was. He took a breath and shook his head. He was just starting to calm himself when he heard a growl, and froze.
That wasn't a stomach growl. Wolfgang turned. It was a bear. With Wolfgang in its sights. The human slowly backpedaled as the bear prowled towards him at a similar speed. Stricken with fear, Wolfgang forgot about the gun on his shoulder as he turned and raced to the hill. The bear charged him, and unable to get any sort of grip on the snowy slope, the animal swatted him aside, rocking him and sending him tumbling and landing painfully on some rocks. He gasped for breath as he scrambled across the ground away from the bear. He felt a warm wet substance run down his face, and as he looked at the snow he realized it was his own blood.
"F-fuck!" He couldn't think about healing himself as the bear was upon him again, teeth bared for a bite. Thinking quickly, Wolfgang grabbed a fallen tree branch and blocked the bite attempt, but the bear still had the human pinned down, paws on the sides and it's weight looming over him. He was beginning to lose the fight when a shot echoed out, cutting through the bear's shoulder and sending some blood onto Wolfgang's face.
The bear howled in pain and turned to the thing that shot it. There, standing a few meters away was the Norma. The Norma saved him.
"Over here, jackass!" She shouted. The bear growled before pacing towards her, "Yeah, that's it. Come 'ere." She muttered before it started to run at her. Wolfgang sat in silence, stunned. A Norma just saved him. He berated her and put her down, and yet she still saved him.
He watched the Norma fight the bear, watching as she dodged it's charges and swipes, firing off a few shots that seemed to have little effect, 'It's going to catch her soon enough. It's hellbent on killing her, just like me. It's like it doesn't care that... we're... different.' Wolfgang's eyes widened as he had a revelation that shattered his entire world, 'It doesn't care. To it, we're the same. Nature... doesn't care if you're human or Norma.' His eyes found his rifle a few feet away, and he moved to grab it. He picked it up and set down on his knee, moving the scope to his eye. He soon found the fight through the scope and like he predicted, the Norma was losing ground. He took a breath and tracked the bear's head movements, 'Nature doesn't care if you're human or Norma, it will try to kill you all the same. Maybe so, but not today.'
He pulled the trigger, and the shot rang out. In the next second, the bear fell over, dead. Shot through the skull, it's blood staining the snow around it. Red on white. The Norma gasped for breath, tired from her fight, before eventually looking to where the shot came from. She saw Wolfgang approaching her and was wary about what he might say or do, but was shocked when he offered a hand to her. She looked to his bleeding face and saw him nod, making her choose to take his hand. He pulled her up before glancing down at the bear.
"Is that good enough for a hunt?" He asked, looking to her. She nodded an affirmative, which made him smile, "Good, then I didn't bleed for nothing. Are you okay though?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. You seemed to have changed your attitude towards me though." The Norma commented, resulting in Wolfgang sighing.
"Let's just say I've had a revelation of sorts. It tried to kill us in the same way because it saw us as equals. I realized then that the only ones that see humans and Normas as separates beings are ourselves. All they see is that we look the same, talk the same, and even act the same. So what's to say we aren't the same?" Wolfgang explained. The Norma's eyes widened at his revelation, but understood it and smiled. Wolfgang looked down, away from her eyes, "I'm sorry, I never bothered to remember your name. Can you tell me again?"
"It's Hayden. Hayden Crane." She said with a soft smile.
"Nice to meet you Hayden. Now let's get this back to town." Wolfgang said as he looked at the bear corpse, "But how are we... wait, I've got an idea."
He raised his hand up and using the Light of Mana, shot a ball of light up into the sky, similar to a...
"A flare! That's genius!" Hayden exclaimed, "People back in town would definitely see that."
"Now we just have to wait." Wolfgang said. However, as soon as he said that, multiple growls came from the forest. Spinning around, Wolfgang and Hayden noticed the clearing was surrounded by wolves. However, Wolfgang wasn't worried in the least, "How about we add more meat and fur to the haul?"
"That's an idea I can roll with." Hayden said before raising her rifle.
That was years ago now. Wolfgang had grown into a fit young man, and was vastly more skilled at hunting and shooting. He perfected a maneuver where he would hook himself to a tree and stand upside down, waiting for his prey. He could quickly kill multiple bears in succession, each with one shot. A pack of wolves were no problem for him. But today, he was going to meet something he never believed could ever exist.
Earlier that day the trappers went out to check the traps when they noticed one missing, leaving a red stain of blood on the snow. Wolfgang and Hayden were sent out to track it down, since they were a part of the hunter corps. That is what Wolfgang has been doing for the last hour, following blood trails and, strangely enough, scratched up trees, meaning whatever tripped the trap was capable of flight, but was unable to truly get airborne. Hayden was a few meters to the east, following Wolfgang's lead.
Hearing a commotion up ahead, over the hill, Wolfgang called out to Hayden, "Hold. Somezing's up ahead." Another thing he gained with time was an accent, one that could be described as lightly 'Germanic' in the old world before Mana. Hayden nodded and crouched, ready for whatever would happen. Wolfgang cautiously climbed over the hill and looked down. His eyes widened as he couldn't understand what he was seeing.
It looked like a very large pink lizard with wings. It was bigger than any person. Yet the thing that drew Wolfgang's eyes the most was the trap on it's leg. It was a standard bear trap, but it managed to semi-cripple the strange beast. Most of all, it was crying out in pain. He slowly approached the lizard, it apparently not hearing him due to being too focused on the pain until Wolfgang stepped on a twig. It's head shot up at him while Wolfgang cursed his carelessness. He too a breath and shouldered his rifle, showing it he had no intentions of harming it.
"Hello, zere. You're not vat ve vere hoping to catch." He said slowly. He caught it's eyes. They were scared, and were going to lash out if Wolfgang made a move it didn't like, "Look, I'm going to help you. I see you can't get zat trap off, so if you'll let me, I can do zat for you."
The creature growled at him, but didn't do anything else and let him approach. He carefully approached and right as he reached the trap, he heard a growl. It wasn't the growl of the creature before him, it was familiar. And annoying. Wolfgang groaned as he turned his attention to the hills surrounding this clearing. The creature's gaze followed his and saw they were surrounded by wolves. They were probably attracted by the blood the creature had shed in it's attempts to take flight. He took out a short wave radio and activated it, "Hayden, I've got a problem. I found an injured... creature, ze one zat sprung ze trap, but ze blood it left behind attracted more zan one pack of wolves. Good as I am, I can't hold off ze packs and free zis zing, too many of zem to do both. Care to assist?"
"I got your back." She responded before the radio clicked off. The wolves started to race down the hill while Wolfgang pocketed the radio. He unslung the rifle and dropped three of the wolves before he realized the numbers weren't favorable.
"Damn! Okay, I'm going to try and free your leg. As soon as I do, you fly off, okay?" He told the lizard. It looked at him, seemingly contemplating the order before nodding. This caused Wolfgang to smirk before setting down and trying to pry the bear trap free. The wolves were closing in when shots rang out, killing a few more of them. A few wolves stopped and turned to see behind them was Hayden, sat up on the hill, and changed priorities, charging her instead.
The remaining wolves however were almost upon Wolfgang and the creature. Trying his hardest to pry the trap apart, it wasn't moving as much as he liked. Just as the wolves jumped to their feast, the wing of the creature swiped at them, knocking them a distance away. However, the swipe didn't kill them, as they got back up. Thankfully, Wolfgang managed to snap the trap off of the creature's leg, to which it immediately took off, lifting up into the air. It kept it's gaze on Wolfgang as it raised itself higher. Wolfgang watched it rise before he snapped to attention and slung her rifle out again, picking off the wolves who were coming back. The packs were thinning quickly now that both Wolfgang and Hayden were shooting them down.
Seeing that the human and Norma were easily dealing with the wolves, the creature flew off before perching high on a tree, watching them through the foliage, out of sight.
As the last of the wolves fell, Wolfgang took a breath. Hayden jogged over to join him, looking around the clearing, "There's three less packs in this forest now." She commented offhandedly before turning to Wolfgang, "What was that thing you were protecting?"
"I don't know. It vas like some kind of... dragon from zose ancient stories. But it vas much smaller." Wolfgang said, deep in thought, "However, I still don't quite believe vat I saw."
"Yet you still saved it." Hayden said, lightly punching Wolfgang's shoulder with a smile.
"Of course, it didn't deserve to be caught in zat trap." Wolfgang responded before slumping, "I'm tired now. Let's head back and have ze scavengers bring zese back."
"Not like we could take them ourselves." Hayden said. Three whole packs of wolves was too much for them to carry back by themselves.
The DRAGON watched them closely as they headed back in the direction they came from, chatting lively. She was lost in the world, separated from the others when she didn't reach the singular, 'That was close. That many wolves would've done me in. I still don't have a way back to my world. Maybe... I could stay with where those two live. For a while at least. They don't seem too bad, and it's only temporary. Those big coats they wear will help cover my wings and tail too. Yeah, that's a plan.'
The next day proved to be interesting for Wolfgang as someone new appeared at the village. It was a girl, who seemed to have the necessary clothing for the reigon, but no one seemed to know where she came from. She was of similar height to Hayden, and had short, wild, vibrant green hair, and dark eyes. She noticed him and walked up to him.
"Hey, what's up. I'm Viper, I'm new here." Viper said, introducing herself. Wolfgang raised his eyebrow with a smile. An odd name to be sure, but 'Wolfgang' wasn't common either.
"I see zat. Vere do you come from?" He asked, but before she could answer, someone else answered.
"Somewhere far from here." Wolfgang turned to the mechanized voice and saw a man with a mask on. He walked over to Wolfgang and held out his hand, "Good day, my name is Briar, and I'm here to talk to you about what you saw yesterday."
That caused Wolfgang to freeze. Only Hayden knew what happened yesterday, having told the trappers it was a bear that tripped the trap, but even then she barely knew anything, "How do you know vat happened?" Wolfgang asked, suspicious. Viper herself was watching the stranger with suspicion. Something about him felt familiar to her. And not in a good way.
"Would you like to know what you saw?" Briar asked, "I will warn you, you will have to leave your town if you accept."
Wolfgang contemplated the offer. Ever since discovering the creature, he felt something bigger happening. This was his ticket to find out, but it required him to leave all he knew. But still, he had to know what that was, "You'll tell me everyzing?"
"Every. Single. Thing." Briar stressed. Wolfgang took a calming breath before answering.
"Tell me. Vat vas it zat I saw?"
Another new guy! Don't worry too much about Hayden though, she's only here for this chapter. Viper though, you can probably guess what she is. It's pretty obvious.
Anyway, new end chapter segment: Character profiles!
First up, the goth of Arzenal, Hex!
Name: Hex
Full Name: Helena Kaminski
Age: 25(Currently)/26(Main Story)
Birthday: October 31st
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 127lbs
Ridersuit Color: Black
Casual Attire: Long sleeve Arzenal jacket, Brown fingerless gloves, Black pants, White Arzenal boots
Hair: Black messy bob cut parted to the left
Eyes: Dark Purple
Likes: Occult, ghosts
Dislikes: Spices, Zola's open sexual advances
Para-mail: AZ-ZZR520 (HX) Hauser Hex Custom
Squad: 7
Position: Captain, Heavy Ordinance
Hex is one of the oldest surviving Norma on Arzenal, her careful and observant behaviors saving her on life as well as the lives of her squadmates many times. However, captaincy was a position she never wanted, and has subtly been looking for a way to pass the responsibility onto someone else. The arrival of Jamie has given her the perfect opportunity to see if he has what it takes to lead the squad. Her view on humans is vastly different to everyone else's on Arzenal, having lived with her family until the age of sixteen. Her human sister dying to a terminal illness has molded Hex's views on people, in a way that she sees all people as individuals. That is why she never listens to the judgements of others, preferring to learn for herself and make her own.