Chapter 2: Second Encounter

Fire, and smoke that's all he can see around him, the rubble forming pillars and mounds of destroyed history around him. These people all had homes.. lives now gone in an instant, the smoke was suffocating his eyes hurt from the ash and his lungs burned as he struggled to breathe. His heart pounded in his chest as he searched desperately for any sign of life amid the devastation. his throat burned with each breath. He stumbled forward, his legs weak with exhaustion, his mind reeling from the devastation surrounding him, the impact had come out of nowhere despite the predictions, the lucky ones were the ones who got hit head-on.

In the distance, he could hear screams and cries for help, but they seemed distant as if they were coming from another world. His thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of what had happened. Had there been an explosion? A fire? His memories were hazy, disjointed fragments of images and sounds that refused to coalesce into a coherent narrative.

"Mom! Dad!" he cried out, his voice choked with smoke and despair. But there was no response, only the crackling of flames and the crumbling of buildings. His face was marred with a few cuts, his clothes covered in soot. He was scared but he had to get out of there, he had to find his parents so he swallowed his fear.

He pulled himself up and tried to get to his feet, he winced, before stumbling and looked down to see his ankle was sprained The pain shot through him as he tried to put weight on his injured ankle. Gritting his teeth, Hunter knew he couldn't stay in one place for long. With a determined grimace, he forced himself to his feet, using whatever strength he had left to push through the pain.

Every step was agony, but he pushed forward, driven by the desperate need to find his family and ensure their safety. The smoke stung his eyes, making it difficult to see, but he refused to let it deter him. He had to keep moving.

As he stumbled through the rubble-strewn streets, Hunter's mind raced with a flurry of emotions. Fear, uncertainty, and determination battled for dominance within him. He had to find his parents. He couldn't bear the thought of losing them, not like this.

"Oh and then there's Diamond and Euclase, Diamond is really nice to me and she's super friendly, I think she would love to meet you."

Hunter shakes his head, as Phos's cheerful chatter brings him back to the present as they make their way through the wilderness. He listened to her talk about the school and her fellow gems, trying to distract himself from the memories that threatened to overwhelm him. Hunter's mind was a whirlwind of emotions as Phos led him through the wilderness, her cheerful chatter providing a stark contrast to the turmoil within him.

'Wow, It's been a long time since that night...a really long time' He thought to himself, maybe being back home after being gone for so long caused his brain to resurface those memories

He listened to her talk about the school and her fellow gems, grateful for the distraction it provided from the haunting memories of his recent ordeal. Despite his gratitude, Hunter couldn't shake the weight of his thoughts. The devastation he had witnessed, the loss of his ship, the unknown assailants who had attacked his ship, the strange structure on the moon, the lack of communications, and the strange state of the planet – all of it weighed heavily on his mind. But amidst the chaos of his thoughts, one thing remained clear: he was grateful to be alive, and he was determined to make the most of this second chance.

He had to admit, that Phos's cheerful chatter was a welcome distraction for Hunter, helping to ease the weight of his thoughts as they made their way through the wilderness. He listened intently as she talked about the school and her fellow gems, her enthusiasm infectious.

"Diamond and Euclase, huh? They sound like great gems," Hunter remarked, offering Phos a small smile. "I'd love to meet them."

Phos beamed at Hunter's response, her excitement was evident in the way her gemstone eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "Oh, they're the best! Diamond is really strong and kind, and Euclase is super smart," she explained, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled to meet you, Hunter!"

He nodded in agreement he was interested in meeting them, but he was also curious, Phospholyite, Diamond, Euclase... these were all the names of gemstones, and if he had to make an educated guess they were most likely made from these materials if Phos was anything to go by. The way her eyes and hair sparkled in the sunlight was not unlike a gemstone, they were also the same minty green color that Phospholyite is known for.

He looked at Phos's hand that he was holding as she led him towards the school; it was smooth, and not like when you touch the hand of someone who didn't have callouses or someone who didn't go outside and got their hands dirty working. Smooth like a workbench or a rock, and hard, her "skin" didn't mold or to the shape of his hand. He also noticed that the pale color of her "skin" seemed to be from some sort of powder that was coated on her body, since whenever he rubbed his thumb on it, parts of it stuck to his suit.

It was fascinating to him, how something looked so human yet, clearly was not he could only assume the other Gems were like this. His mind raced with different questions, did they need to eat? If not how do they get their nutrients or do they not require any at all? What was their purpose here on Earth? The inner scientist in him wanted to find out everything about Phos and how she worked. The more he thought about it, the more questions seemed to arise, but for now, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing instead on the present moment.

As they continued their journey, Hunter couldn't help but admire the beauty of the wilderness surrounding them. The vibrant colors of the plants and the warm breeze against his face all served as a stark contrast to the desolation he had experienced in the void of space. It was strange, he had expected the Earth to be a lot more industrialized by the time he came back, I mean when he left that was the plan; space travel was even going to be more commonplace.

But now, the air is fresh, and clean even, though he may not exactly remember how the air smelled 2800 years ago, he definitely knew that it was leagues better than it was back then when he was on earth. Hunter's mind drifted back to his memories of Earth, to a time long before his journey through space. He remembered the bustling cities, the towering skyscrapers, and the constant hum of activity that filled the air. It was a far cry from the serene wilderness he found himself in now.

But despite the changes, there was something undeniably beautiful about the Earth he saw before him. The lush forests, the crystal-clear waters, and the vibrant plant life The scent of the wilderness filled his nostrils, carrying with it a sense of serenity and tranquility that Hunter hadn't experienced in a long time. It was a welcome change from the sterile confines of his ship and the harshness of space.

As they walked, Hunter found himself lost in thought, reflecting on the events that had led him to this moment. He had just come back from his mission, he saw that Earth had undergone some extreme changes, now smaller; with six new moons, a single large continent and his ship had been shot down by those strange beings that looked like Buddhist monks that seemed to live on the moon, in that weird structure of theirs, that replaced the Moonbase that was meant to be there...well what an interesting homecoming to say the least.

The juxtaposition between the serene beauty of Earth and the chaos of his recent experiences left Hunter feeling a sense of disorientation. He couldn't help but wonder how much time had passed since he had left Earth on his mission. Everything seemed so different now, yet strangely familiar.

As they walked, Phos continued to chatter excitedly about her life at the school and her fellow gems, but Hunter found it increasingly difficult to focus on her words. His mind was consumed by thoughts of the events that had transpired since his return to Earth.

The attack on his ship by the mysterious beings on the moon, the destruction of the Odysseus-12– all of it weighed heavily on him.

Noticing his sudden silence, Phos squeezed his hand, a little embarrassed of herself for just rambling. "So Hunter, where do you come from?" The young gem tilted her head; her mint-colored eyes twinkling with curiosity about where her new friend came from exactly.

Hunter scratched the back of his head as he thought about how to answer this question "Well I was born here, like you," Sure he was only assuming she was but he guessed that she was. "I was in space for a long time, on a mission."

Hunter saw a flash of fear pass over the girl's face "Like the Lunarians?"

This caused Hunter to look at her in confusion "Lunarians?" he didn't know what a Lunarian was, but it seemed to make Phos afraid

"Yeah, the Lunarians," Phos replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "They're these mysterious beings that live on the moon. They're... not exactly friendly."

Hunter furrowed his brow, his curiosity piqued by Phos's reaction. "What do you mean? What are they like?"

Phos hesitated for a moment, her gemstone eyes filled with a mixture of fear and uncertainty. "They're... strange. They don't communicate like we do, and they're always trying to capture gems and take them back to the moon."

Hunter's eyes widened in surprise at Phos's words. "Capture gems? Why would they do that?" As Hunter thought about it, he remembered that the creatures that had shot him had a surprising amount of jewelry, Lunarian...it on the nose for a name don't you think, well it's better than moon people he guessed. So he was shot down by Lunarians, who live on the moon, and from what he could guess that strange structure on the moon that took the place of Moonbase Alpha

Phos hesitated, unsure of how to explain this to Hunter. The Lunarians were a mysterious and enigmatic group, and their intentions were often difficult to discern. Especially since they didn't really try to communicate with them.

"They... they believe that gems are beautiful and precious," Phos explained, her voice tinged with sadness. "They see us as works of art, and they want to take us back to the moon to... admire us."

Hunter's brow furrowed in confusion. The idea of beings from the moon coming to Earth to capture gems seemed surreal to him. "But why? What do they do with the gems once they're on the moon?"

Phos shrugged, her expression troubled. "I'm not sure. No gem who has been taken has ever returned, so we don't really know what happens to them."

Hunter's mind raced with questions. The Lunarians' behavior was unlike anything he had encountered before. What could drive a species to such extremes? And what did it mean for him, now that he was back on Earth? Also now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen any people, or any sign of human activity, even this path they were going on towards Phos's school, there was no dirt road no sign of human activity. Sure that can be chalked up to this place just being untouched by human industrial works, but it was quite concerning.

Before he could dwell on these questions any further, Phos's cheerful voice broke through his thoughts. "But hey, enough about them! Let's talk about something more fun."

Hunter chuckled, grateful for the change of subject."Yeah, you're right, how about you tell me what you were doing out here going for a walk?"

Phos's eyes sparkled with excitement as she launched into her story. "Oh, I was actually out here on a mission! Sensei gave me the important task of creating a natural history encyclopedia for the school. I'm supposed to catalog all the plants and animals I can find, but..." she trailed off, a hint of frustration creeping into her voice.

"But what?" Hunter prompted, curious about what could be troubling Phos.

"Well, it's just... there's so much to catalog, and I have no idea where to start," Phos admitted, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I've been wandering around for hours, but I've barely made a dent in my list."

Hunter nodded sympathetically, understanding Phos's frustration, he understood the pain of long and tedious schoolwork, especially during spring break.

'Damn you Ms. Ramirez and those 50 paged essays' The astronaut thought to himself, like seriously who does that, breaks coming up and you give those poor kids homework to do over it. Hunter shook his head, deciding not to continue to curse out his old physics teacher and focus on Phos's plight.

"I understand, it sounds difficult. But on the bright side, you've already found me! That's one interesting discovery for your encyclopedia, right?" He said with a smirk, trying to cheer up the girl.

Phos couldn't help but laugh at Hunter's attempt to lighten the mood. "You're right! Meeting you definitely counts as an interesting discovery," she agreed, a smile brightening her face. "Maybe I'll even dedicate a whole chapter to you in my encyclopedia."

Hunter chuckled at the idea. "I'd be honored," he replied, giving a small playful bow "and hey, if you need any assistance with your encyclopedia, I'd be more than happy to lend a hand."

Phos's eyes lit up with gratitude at Hunter's offer. "Really? That would be amazing! I could use the help," she exclaimed, her enthusiasm evident in her voice. "With your knowledge and my... uh, keen eye for detail, we'll have this encyclopedia finished in no time!"

Hunter smiled warmly at her enthusiasm, glad to have made a positive impact on her day. "Of course, consider me your official encyclopedia assistant," he declared with a smirk, he was more than willing to help since Phos was already helping him out, with her finding his crash site and taking him to meet her sensei. The least he could do was help her out a bit. Though he did have his own motives besides helping out his new friend, he wanted to get a better look at what was alive currently since from what he saw in space this was the only land mass on the entire planet. The current ecosystem is vastly different than he was most likely used to, and collecting data would help him figure out what may have happened while he was gone.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Phos straightened her posture, her determination shining through. "Alright then, let's get to work! We've got a whole world of plants and animals to catalog." Phos had a bright smile at the idea of being able to complete what was assigned and be useful for once, like the other gems.

Hunter smiled in agreement, as they walked, Hunter couldn't help but marvel at the diversity of plant life that surrounded them. Tall grass rustled and swayed in the gentle breeze, while colorful flowers dotted the forest floor, their petals glistening in the sunlight. It was a far cry from the barren landscapes of space.

Phos, too, seemed to be in her element as she eagerly pointed out various plants and flowers, her enthusiasm infectious. "Look at this one, Hunter!" she exclaimed, bending down to examine a small cluster of wildflowers, the flowers seemed to be some sort of rose if Hunter had to guess, it had large beautiful white petals and seemed to able to produce some sort of red fruit. The young gem pulled out her book and started writing in her book, cataloging the flowers; Hunter crouched down pulled up his wrist, and pressed a button on his suit as a blue light scanned the flowers.

Phos couldn't help but look on in curiosity at Hunter's actions. "Wow, what's that?" she asked, curious about the device he had used to scan the flowers, her gemstone eyes twinkling in interest at the strange device.

Hunter grinned, proud to show off his technology. "It's a scanner built into my suit," he explained, tapping the device on his wrist. "It can analyze and catalog various objects, from plants and animals to geological formations and more. It's come in handy on more than one occasion."

As he was explaining what the device was a holographic screen from his wrist flickered to life, displaying detailed information about the wildflowers they had just scanned. Phos's eyes widened in amazement as she examined the holographic display, her excitement palpable. The screen was displaying detailed information about the flowers he had just scanned. The screen showed the flower's scientific name, common name, habitat, and various other details Hunter could tell it wasn't a standard Rosa alba, a white rose, apparently from what the scan had told him it had crossbred with some other fruit-bearing flower a long time ago, leading to it being able to produce this bright right berry, he should take a sample for analysis.

Phos gasped in amazement, her eyes wide with wonder at the useful strange device on her new friend's wrist

Whoa, that's so cool!" she exclaimed, leaning in closer to get a better look at the holographic data. "I've never seen anything like it before. you just point it at something and you know everything about it?"

Hunter chuckled at Phos's excitement, pleased to see her so impressed by his technology. "Yep, that's pretty much how it works," he replied, giving her a smirk as he tapped his wrist. "It's a handy tool for cataloging and studying the world around us. And it looks like this flower is a bit of a hybrid, interesting." He made a mental note to collect a sample for further analysis as he tapped a few buttons on the holographic display to bring up more information on the plant.

Phos's eyes sparkled with excitement as she absorbed the information, which was adorable to him. "That's amazing! With this, we'll be able to catalog everything in no time," she exclaimed, her enthusiasm bubbling over. "Sensei will be so impressed when we show him what we've accomplished." The young gem then grabbed her new friend's hand again and started dragging him around.

"Come on let's hurry up and finish, then we can go show Sensei and everyone else" She had a large grin across her face, finally she could do something right and prove to everyone else she wasn't 'lazy' or 'useless'. She can help out too, it was with Hunter's help sure, but it was alright, most Gems had partners and he was helping her, so, that obviously meant he was her partner, yeah totally so it still counts.

Hunter couldn't help but laugh at Phos's enthusiasm, her energy was infectious, and he found himself smiling despite the weight of his own thoughts. He allowed himself to be dragged along by Phos, her excitement driving them forward as they continued their mission to catalog the flora and fauna of the wilderness.

"Hey Phos can I try something?" he decided he might as well ask now, to see something and satisfy his growing curiosity "Can I scan you?"

Phos stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening with surprise at Hunter's request. "Scan me?" she echoed, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "Um, sure, I guess. What exactly are you going to scan?"

Hunter gave her an apologetic smile, realizing he might have caught her off guard with his request. "Just your composition, like what you're made of. It's purely out of curiosity, I promise," he reassured her, hoping to ease any concerns she might have.

Phos nodded, though she still seemed a bit unsure. "Okay, go ahead then," she said, holding out her arm for him to scan.

Phos watched with fascination as the holographic display showed various data about her composition. Hunter read the data with interest his hand on his chin as she leaned in closer to get a better look. "What does it say?"

Hunter activated the scanner on his suit and pointed it at Phos's outstretched arm. A soft blue light emitted from the device as it began to analyze her composition. After a few moments, a holographic display appeared, showing detailed information about Phos's gemstone body.

Hunter studied the data on the display, intrigued by what he was seeing "Well, you really are made entirely from phosphophyllite" He let out a small chuckle when he saw her pout.

"I could have told you that you know, what you didn't believe me?"

Hunter couldn't help but laugh at Phos's response, her playful pout only adding to her charm. "Sorry, sorry," he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I believe you now. It's just fascinating to see the data laid out like this. And he had to admit it was quite strange, intriguing, but to find a being completely and utterly made up entirely of a gemstone, yeesh I guess a lot can change in 2800 years.

Hunter turned his attention back to the holographic display, scrolling through the data to find more information. It looked like her body was primarily composed of hydrated zinc phosphate, with small negligible traces, of aluminum oxide, and silicon dioxide according to the various readings on the display amd theree seemed to be something else something a bit more organic but microscopic that he couldn't really identify.

This was definitely interesting if Phos was like this Hunter surmised that the other Gems most likely had a similar composition on with their respective gemstone. As Hunter was engrossed in the data in front of him, Phos couldn't help but glance over his shoulder, most of the words on the screen made no sense to her. As Hunter examined the data on the holographic display, Phos watched over his shoulder, her curiosity piqued despite not understanding most of the technical jargon. He did see a familiar number, that was the bane of her existence.

3.5

Her face crinkled at the site of the number, it was something she disliked being mentioned, let alone seeing a constant reminder of how she can't fight, how, unlike the harder gems who can go out and patrol to help and fight the Lunarians, she's too brittle for something like that only delegated to after tasks. Hunter noticed the younger Gem's downtrodden look and a look of concern passed over his face. He didn't mean to make her feel uncomfortable, crap maybe he shouldn't have scanned her.

"Hey, Phos are you alright?" He put away the scanner, maybe it was a gem thing to not look at each other's personal information or something, maybe he had invaded her privacy or something when he scanned her and she only agreed because she didn't want to seem rude. As he was racing through his head chastising himself for making her upset, the young gem shook her head.

"Oh, it's nothing." She tried to reassure him with a smile which he didn't believe, something clearly bothered her but she wouldn't say anything, Hunter didn't know if that was to not hurt his feelings or if she was alright and he was just looking too deep into this. "Honestly I'm fine, now come on let's finish up with the encyclopedia alright? We have to introduce you to the others and sensei" The young gem dusted herself off with a smile on her face and made her way to another patch of flowers.

Hunter wanted to ask more questions to make sure, but decided not to pry, despite them hitting it off pretty well, they were still strangers who barely knew each other. He should maybe wait a bit longer till they are closer and know more about one another before he starts digging around her issues, so reluctantly he stood up and followed her as they continued to walk in the direction of the school, cataloging more and more species for the encyclopedia.

As they walked, continuing to fill up the encyclopedia as they made their way back to the school, Hunter marveled at the diversity of life around them, scanning various plants and animals with his suit's built-in scanner. Phos eagerly took notes in her book, her excitement palpable with each new discovery. But Hunter couldn't help but make a mental note of the lack of any man-made structures, not a single road, sign house, or anything like that. Only a wide stretch of plains with flowers and the occasional tree, he didn't say anything but it didn't help his growing concerns.

'Where is everyone, god first the lack of a moonbase on the moon, now there are no buildings at all this is starting to become some horror sci-fi' He let out a sigh as he finished scanning a bug, and to make matters even weirder a good chunk of these species he didn't recognize; there were also no large herbivores or omnivores, except for the bugs besides that, he hasn't seen a single vertebrate. No fox, no rabbit, no elk or deer, no mountain lion, no wolves nothing no birds were singing, it was creepy that this picturesque wilderness seemed devoid of any signs of human or animal activity.

Despite the beauty of the wilderness, Hunter couldn't shake the unease that gnawed at him. The lack of any signs of human or animal life was unsettling, especially considering the vibrant ecosystem they were cataloging. It was as if the land itself was frozen in time, untouched by the passage of centuries. As he finished scanning another flower he decided he should ask Phos about it.

"Phos, have you noticed anything... strange about this place?" Hunter asked, his voice low as he glanced around at the empty landscape.

Phos paused, her expression thoughtful as she considered Hunter's question. "Now that you mention it, it does seem a little quiet, doesn't it?" she mused, her gemstone eyes scanning the horizon. "But I'm not sure what you mean by 'strange.' This is just how it is" The girl shrugged as she finished cataloging another species of plant, to her this was normal there wasn't anything weird.

Hunter nodded, understanding Phos's perspective. For her, this world was normal, but for him, it was a stark contrast to what he remembered of Earth. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. It's just... different from what I remember," he admitted, his gaze lingering on the empty landscape. After all, she had grown up in this environment, so to her, it was probably just the norm. But for Hunter, who had been away for so long, the lack of any signs of life was disconcerting.

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe I'm just overthinking things," he admitted with a sheepish smile. "It's just... different from what I remember." As he took in the landscape he was once again taken aback by its natural beauty something he was not accustomed to, compared the the hustle and bustle of the city, even with his not-so-stellar memory considering how long ago it was, he could still remember the scent of food from street vendors, the bright neon lights, the massive skyscrapers, the sound of traffic and people.

'Not that this was bad, different isn't always bad' He reminded himself, most people would kill for a view like this, especially how clean the air was it was like there were no humans at all like everything had been washed away. He chuckled at that, what a terrifying thought, humanity being gone good thing that was all it was, a thought. As he was lost in his thoughts he saw something out from afar a few meters from them in the sky.

It was a large black spot, that was slowly growing larger and larger till something came out of it, Hunter was faced with the familiar sight of a cloud-like platform coming forth, carrying on top of it a humanoid-looking figure with pale, smooth skin and flowing clothes adorned with bands and beads that seemed to have a pinkish shade to them. It was a Lunarian, but it was bigger and seemed to be wearing fancier headgear and clothes, in its hands was a large bowl, and it wasn't alone, unlike the one who had shot down his ship.

On the platform, Hunter noticed other Lunarians who appeared smaller and had a more normal size, resembling the one who had previously shot down Odysseyus-12. They carried various objects, ranging from trumpets to flags, but the ones with weapons, such as spears and bows, caught Hunter's attention the most. Seeing the Lunarians descending from the sky filled Hunter with a sense of fear and unease.

The sight of the Lunarians emerging from the sky filled Hunter with a sense of dread. He instinctively reached down to his legs for a weapon and his suit responded to his wishes by activating a small compartment on his thigh, revealing a sleek, futuristic-looking firearm.

He gripped it tightly, his heart pounding in his chest as he prepared for the worst. He had trained with various weapons during his time in space, but he never really used them and they were more for the worst-case scenarios, and they were all on the Odysseyus-12, which was currently faceplanted in the dirt, leaving him with only this pistol and a large knife stored in a compartment at his calf. He kept his breathing steady, his eyes fixed on the approaching Lunarians.

Phos, noticing the change in Hunter's demeanor, followed his gaze and gasped in horror at the sight of the Lunarians. "Hunter, we need to hide," she whispered urgently, her voice trembling with fear as she glanced around for cover. Hunter nodded grimly, his mind racing as he scanned the area for a place to take cover. Finding none, Hunter realized that they were out in the open with no cover.

Hunter's grip on the pistol tightened as he flicked it from stun to lethal, he locked eyes with the Lunarians who were only a few hundred meters away from them, now that he got a closer look at them. He can see how truly strange they look, they are human-like, with the Buddhist influence on their way of dressing apparent and they seem to just radiate light, giving off the appearance of being divine.

But they felt alien to Hunter, the lack of pupils, the eerie peacefulness they gave off, and the lack of rising and falling from their chests showing they didn't breathe, explains how the one who shot down his ship was doing fine in the vacuum of space, cheating but no time to be butt hurt, these Lunarians it was like staring into the uncanny valley, they were perfect physically but they felt like they were something someone should never see, the music playing from a few of the smaller Lunarians reminded him of texts describing how angels arrived with fanfare.

Hunter's mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan. He knew that they needed to find cover and quickly assess the situation. He saw the Lunarian's gaze shift towards him. It was similar to the one in space. The large Lunarian didn't seem to react to him, only staring at him blankly. However, the smaller ones exhibited a range of emotions, either mimicking the large one's indifference or displaying curiosity towards him. But their gaze quickly shifted from him towards Phos, Hunter saw the young gem freeze up in fear, paying no mind to her fear, the Lunarians paid no mind to her fear and readied themselves to do what they came out to do, collect gems. The smaller armed Lunarians pulled back their spears and drew their bows, aiming them directly at Phos.

Hunter sprang into action without hesitation, pulling Phos behind him and raising his pistol in defense. Without hesitation, Hunter raised his pistol, aiming at the nearest Lunarian. He fired a shot, hitting one of the armed Lunarians square in the chest. The Lunarian stumbled backward, letting out a surprised cry but he didn't let up firing a few more shots from his weapon The other Lunarians reacted swiftly, some rushing to help their fallen comrade while others unleashed a barrage of arrows and energy blasts in Hunter's direction. Hunter ducked and dodged as best he could, returning fire whenever he had the chance.

He grabbed Phos, hand tightly and pulled her close as his space suit helmet covered his head completely, and he activated the hybrid thrusters and gyro stabilizers in his boots as vents opened up on his calves and the bottom of his soles, as they were lifted off the ground, allowing him to move with incredible speed and agility, dodging the incoming attacks. Phos clung to him, her eyes wide with fear as they narrowly avoided the incoming fire, he already saw what those arrows had done to his ship, and that was with shielding boosted to the max, it would likely piece through his suit and Phos like a hot knife through butter.

Spotting a large rock formation nearby, Hunter made a split-second decision and propelled himself and Phos toward it using his thrusters. With the thrusters engaged, Hunter maneuvered them behind a large boulder, using it as cover from the incoming attacks. Phos clung to him tightly, her gemstone eyes wide with fear as she watched the chaos unfolding around them. Hunter's mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan, they were outnumbered and outgunned, and he needed to get Phos to safety. Just as another volley of arrows and spears flew past them, narrowly missing their target. Hunter quickly scanned their surroundings, looking for any sign of the Lunarians' next move.

"Phos, stay close to me," he said, his voice firm as he glanced around for an escape route. "We need to find a way out of here." Phos nodded, her grip on Hunter tightening as she followed his lead.

Using his suit's enhanced agility, Hunter darted from cover to cover, dodging incoming attacks as he tried to find a way out of the ambush. The Lunarians were relentless in their pursuit, their attacks growing more coordinated as they closed in on their targets. But Hunter refused to give up, sure he had just met her earlier today, but he would be damned if he let Phos be taken by these things, she had offered to help him despite being a complete stranger to her, it was the least he could do for her.

"Phos, stay here and stay hidden," Hunter instructed, his voice firm as he checked the amount of charges he had left in his pistol it was fully charged, mostly due to the fact he barely ever used it. "I'm going to try to draw their attention away from us. When I give the signal, run towards the school and don't look back."

Phos was tempted to protest to say she could help too, but seeing how unflinching he was, she merely nodded, a downcast look plastered on her face, once again always being sidelined for her own good. She let out a sigh, she understood why, Hunter probably didn't even think of her as useless like the others, he was most likely just looking out for her. Didn't mean it was a blow to her pride, she wanted to help, to show that she was useful.

Phos nodded silently, understanding the necessity of Hunter's plan even if it stung her pride. She watched as Hunter prepared to draw the Lunarians' attention away from them. As he moved into position, Phos took cover behind the rock formation, her gemstone eyes darting nervously between Hunter and the advancing Lunarians. With a deep breath, Hunter emerged from cover, his pistol raised as he began firing at the approaching Lunarians. His shots were precise and calculated, aimed to disrupt their advance and draw their attention away from Phos.

"Hey, you reject monks, I'm over here!" He yelled out taunting the Lunarians his pistol trained on them. "We have some unfinished business since you shot down my ship"

The Lunarians reacted swiftly, turning their focus towards Hunter as they unleashed a barrage of arrows and energy blasts in his direction. Using his enhanced agility and reflexes, Hunter dodged and weaved through the incoming attacks, the thrusters on his jet boots letting him skate across the air like he was on ice at top speeds. As Hunter engaged the Lunarians, Phos watched from her hiding spot, her heart pounding with worry for him.

She knew she had to trust in his abilities, but the sight of him facing off against the otherworldly beings filled her with a sense of helplessness, as she cursed at her uselessness and inability to do anything to help, that's when she got an idea. She clenched her fists, willing herself to stay calm and focused, she could just find one of the harder Gems to help, she probably didn't even have to run back to the school, there should be a few who were just patrolling around the area.

'Come on Phos, you got this' She tried to psyche herself up before, making a run for it she just hoped that Hunter would still be okay by the time she found help

Meanwhile, Hunter continued to draw the Lunarians' attention away from Phos, his movements fluid and calculated as he evaded their attacks. He maintained a steady stream of fire from his pistol, aiming for weak points in their defenses whenever he could find them. The Lunarians, though initially caught off guard by Hunter's tactics, quickly adapted to his movements, their attacks growing more coordinated as they attempted to overwhelm him. He barely was able to dodge the volley of spears and arrows, his shots while they seemed to be damaging them, weren't deterring the Lunarians.

"Tch persistent bastards' "He cursed as he tried his best to dodge the constant barrage, he was getting tired, who could blame him, it had been a while since he had to move like this he spent most of his time on the ship either fixing it or in cryosleep. He avoided muscle atrophy by making sure to work out every time he was up and the artificial gravity helped, but still didn't mean he wasn't kinda out of shape from the underuse of his body. "God I wish I had a bigger gun." He muttered as he landed a few more shots "But, might as well try to get as much data as possible" he concluded focusing now on the Lunarian's reactions to his shots.

They flinched and cried out; so they definitely felt pain, but they didn't seem to have any lasting damage from one shot. His eyes then darted to another Lunarian who seemed to be a bit more damaged due to his actions, so repeated trauma will cause them to take lasting damage, maybe he just needs more firepower, a pricing weapon, or slashing one to cleave through them in one shot. As Hunter laments, wishing he had more firepower than this pistol, out of the corner of his eye he sees Phos, making a run for it not that he blamed her. He had told her to run, besides he could win this right?

Right on cue he barely dodged another spear from the Lunairans, grazing his suit, cutting through carbon fiber fabric, and leaving a shallow cut on his side. Hunter gritted his teeth as the spear grazed his side, the sharp pain jolting through him. He knew he couldn't afford to let his guard down, not with Phos relying on him to create a distraction. Ignoring the stinging sensation in his side, he pushed through the discomfort and focused on the task at hand.

'God I miss my ship'

AN

So do i Hunter so do I, anyway sup dudes and dudettes, yea another chapter crazy, but i was feeling great and on a roll so i got to writing, hope you enjoyed it. Also this chapter was way longer so i had to split it, the next chapter is basically halfway done so i should post again next week. After that ill do one of my other fics, so yea ciao