“Can’t waste anymore time talking.” Stone broke in when Satellite contacted him. “We need to leave immediately. Satellite says we’ve got fifteen minutes tops. It’ll take five just to get back up. I’ll hold his sword… and this is armor I’ve never seen before.” He said scooping the bundled brown material that felt metallic and of silk fabric at the same time. Steven, you carry him up. Deegen, you go up last to catch if he slips. Sparky, get Ms. Dorgen up and out first.”
“He’s correct. We’ve stayed too long. Get on.” Sparky told her and she quickly saddled in and his wings beat so fast in a hovering motion they blurred like a hummingbird, to fill most of the space of the shaft as he flew up vertically. If the hole was any narrower he wouldn’t have been able to get out without climbing or rely on his partner’s abilities. His flight was still faster than the mechanical ascent of the others. They came out first within three minutes. Followed two minutes later by Stephanie, Stone who helped Steven carry the man and Deegen last.
A wall of red sand billowing up higher than the mountain and further than Renee could see put a trickle of fear in her person. The land was far too quiet for what was coming. As if a great breath was being taken before a disaster destroyed them. It put her in a need to rush, but not so much so as to lose all logical thought.
“Get him in and comfortable so we can get the fuck out of here.” She touched her ear. “Jessica, prep my med bay and make sure all my equipment is warmed up.” She dismounted as Sparky climbed into the shuttle.
“Already done, Sweetheart. After seeing that man’s condition on my screen I knew you’d need everything ready. And I’ve already made the crew aware to back off. Better to keep him calm when he awakes.”
“You’re too good to me, Auntie.”
“Anything for my girl. Muah.” Jessica made a kissing sound.
Renee watched as the two Hunters carried the man into her ship and followed. They lowered three seats and manipulated it into a bed to lay him down on. Stone then placed down the cutlass and strange fabric on the ground nearby.
Sparky’s head snaked into the central chamber to find Renee on her knees checking over her newest patient while the two burly Hunters were in a rushed, but hushed discussion. She then pulled a blanket out of one of the drawers and covered him modestly.
Suddenly Satellite let out a piercing shriek in the silence “BEAST!!!”
Chapter 2
Renee’s green eyes flew wide till they were white all around at the falcon’s scream. It was followed by a deep roar of some large creature. As she turned her head she watched Stone draw his hatchets and dove through the open hatches with a grin. He was instantly followed by Steven and the deadly spear already crackling with electric psionic energy.
Stephanie flew inside after the Hunters went out to engage the Beast. Her already creamy features went ghostly white, her full rosy lips, pale and terrified.
“Initiate take off procedures.” Renee told the other woman in a firm, calm voice. It was a tone that overrode the terror. Stephanie looked at her, swallowed and made way to the cockpit. As soon as she sat down the console lights came alive and she began by activating the engines, dampeners and artificial gravity. “Stephanie, do not leave without me. Sparky, close the cargo hold and stay.”
The Drake hissed in frustration, but pressed the hatch closing button as Stephanie spun around to yell “You can’t go out there!” but was too late as the redhead was already outside.
Renee heard Deegen’s war cry and a roar of more outrage than pain. As soon as she got out to take stock of the situation she froze.
Beasts came in all manner of shapes and sizes. Some were small, others gigantic reaching a rather large hill. No matter the size, all were deadly. Beasts for some reason were attracted to humans and technology and attacked without mercy. These creatures could survive on near any planet and even out in the vacuum of space. Many took on the likeness of familiar Earth creatures due to convergent evolution, but no one can figure out why they attack. They multiply in great numbers and conventional weapons are useless against them.
Of all the worst fucking luck. Groaned Renee absently as she unfroze.
The Beast that attacked easily outsized all three ships combined. A full grown adult. She knew immediately the Hunters were fighting an A-Rank Beast knows as a Salamander. It had four legs as thick as her shuttle’s girth, covered in lethal spines. A thick torso protected by scales stronger than steel. A long barbed tail curled up like a stinger of a scorpion without pincers. On its back were gossamer wings like a dragonfly, but could only carry its enormous girth over relatively short distances. But all that paled in comparison to a grotesque head. It attached to a long neck like a Drake, but had a beak that split four ways and spewed ignited hydrogen liquid to produce a lethal flame reminiscent to napalm.
Seemingly inconsequential to the great Beast were three Hunters. Their well worn armor fully activated. Around the collar their helmets had already unlocked from collar mode and refitted to helmet. The helmets were made of the densest metal, but were rather paper thin without lowering the protective quality. Only eyelets allowed any glimpse of who was inside. Their armor when in full combat mode made for an airtight suit that prevented fire and poisons from seeping in. nanites, microscopic machines, built into the suits repaired most external superficial damage relatively quickly. Major damage took longer. If damage was too severe and doesn’t start repairing it means the host died. Beasts unfortunately are all capable of killing. Armor worn by Hunters simply will last longer.
Renee’s armor would not stand a chance up against a Salamander Beast.
It was far too strong.
Deegen and Steven were busy keeping its attention occupied. Deegen had one hand cracking a whip and another holding the ring-blade, both crackling with psionic energy, the only means to slay a Beast. The Salamander’s curved tail slammed to the ground, its stinger plunging into rock with no resistance. Steven barely avoided the strike, vacating the space not a half second earlier.
Being so close, Steven spun his flail around, its chains locked out straight with centrifugal force combined with more crackling blue-white lightning. Before the Salamander could extract and coil around for another stinger strike, Steven’s heavy ball connected and released all its full energy into the venom-sack which blew the entire end of the tail off.
The Salamander hissed a scream. Then spewed a torrent of flame. The two Hunters dove in opposite directions, not willing to take a full brunt of flame. They didn’t stay still. Moving fast kept them alive.
Renee though found herself staring down the oncoming orange wall of heat.
It pissed her off. Not today asshole!
Summoning her own great reserves of psionic energy she crafted a kinetic barrier that electrically sparked as soon as fire made contact. She manipulated the shape into a wedge to effectively divert the fire straight up. Her move also saved the nearby fighters. She held the barrier in place and would deal with the Salamander if she could, but not without endangering the Hunters doing what they do best.
She held position, readying any number of chemical solutions should the men need it.
Satellite swooped down when it launched more fire and latched his sharply curved talons into one of six ruby eyeballs and ripped it away before it threw its head down to crush him.
Using Deegen and Steven as bait, Stone had managed to sneak around and started climbing the spikes sticking out over its thick limbs. It was too distracted as he then climbed the hard body scales to get up on its back. Readying his enormous hatchets and sending energy into them turned the azure colored crescent blades into crackling weapons of destruction. Purple blood dropped down from the stump at the end of the tail and covered most of his armor.
Then all stopped for Stone as the Beast went still. He realized too late he didn’t go undetected. The long neck made it turn over on itself with a suppleness he didn’t know it had. Then its maw opened. Stone felt true fear and knew it was too late as darkness des
cended. He closed his eyes and awaited for the inevitable.
“Nooo!!!” Renee shrieked at the top of her lungs the moment the Salamander went still and started turning its long neck.
Hearing panic in the female’s voice woke the slumbering, skeletal giant. Panic set in when he didn’t see her there. Many things still made no sense, but he knew he didn’t like that distressed sound. In a flash he was on his feet and looked down when something clanged on the floor. Words popped into his head as he looked at the object. Sword. Black color. Weapon. Cut. Kill. Protect. Defend. Female protect. Kill to protect female. His thoughts flowed in an alien way. Unbidden, but didn’t feel wrong. Hardwired instincts combined with all the new information he suddenly now had. He didn’t understand everything, but what he did was enough. He thought while looking at the object. Sword. Long flat cuts. Hurts. Round bottom, hold safe. No hurt. Handle. Hilt. Handle make cut better. Cut good.” He reached down and as soon as thin, bony fingers circled around the hilt the entirely black cutlass began to sparkle like a galaxy of stars. It felt natural in his hand. The handle was comfortable and made just for him. Heavy, but just right.
Then he felt a strange sensation, like being tired when he stood too fast last time. He knew deep down he wouldn’t last long and had to act. The sensation flowed to the sword unbidden, but not in any way concerning.
This all happened in roughly a second and her scream made him react, not think.
Finding a hole to escape, he ran out to find her again. The female was smaller than him, much smaller. Smelled nice, calming. He knew it was her though he didn’t know what happened to all her long curly red hair. She wasn’t like the smaller female with blonde hair and blue eyes who didn’t smell like the one with red hair. She stood in a dusty, but still white suit that hugged her large body. She wasn’t like the frail other one. Red hair had thick legs, strong shoulders and a wild fierceness that drew him. Round hips, a not too narrow waist and large breasts made him desire her. But she was still small and small meant weak. Weak meant prey.
He was not prey.
Then he saw the nature of her scream. The other large, dangerous males looked different, but the creature was why the red one screamed in panic. Then he noticed the largest of the men about to be eaten. She not want other male dead. He protect her too from creature. I help. He thought quickly and found his mouth watered at the sight of the great thing. Food. Hungry. Eat.
“Drop Female!” he yelled.
Renee didn’t bother doing anything other than do what a strange new voice told her, but as she looked over a shoulder she saw the naked man standing just outside her ship carrying nothing other than the black shining sword in his left hand, brought it back around his right shoulder and cut through empty air.
Energy gathered within the cutlass dropped to the single edge during the swipe and an arching blue electrical wave diagonally flew from the hacking motion. The wave grew wider the further it went, passed through Renee’s barrier, barely missed Deegen and Steven trying to move in and save their leader from being eaten and slid to a grinding halt.
The energy slash met the Beast’s neck arched over itself too intent on consuming Stone to witness what would be its end. What little energy that remained in the strike was just barely enough to slice through its scaled neck in two places, near the base of its chest and behind its skull. Without signals from the Beast’s brain its body fell in three new pieces.
Stone’s eyes opened when the ground he stood on shook and relaxed. There was no pain, but as he realized he hadn’t died he turned to find the severed head three times his size sliding down and away off the body. He had been in some close calls, but nothing like this. He still didn’t go into silent shock till he turned when seeing the man they just discovered walking in his direction.
Renee didn’t seem to know how to get back up as she saw those amber eyes awake again. He didn’t look at her as he started walking towards the carnage. Seeming to sniff like a dog. She was at a total loss for what just happened.
Deegen took several steps back to give the odd man some room, but didn’t let go of his whip or blade. He didn’t even get a single passing glance as the frail man kept walking, struggling with each step. As if tiring more and more, but no one stopped him.
He made way directly for the severed skull, hunger guiding him to where to feast. He was thankful not to have needed to roll the head over. With failing strength he knew there would be just a single chance. Taking both hands on the hilt he plunged the cutlass with minimal resistance through scale and skull and gave a twist to create a hole. Then extracted the weapon and let it fall on the ground.
With a sickening slurp he drove his arm deep into the brain and got a handful of the matter, pulled it out and started eating in massive chunks. Starving. His left arm covered to the armpit in purple blood. He did it again and again.
“What the fuck?!” Exclaimed Steven who was sickened. “Beast meat I’d understand, but brain? I know that shit is lethal poison.”
“To ninety nine point nine eight percent of humanity it is.” Stone confirmed as he jumped down. He lowered his helmet back into a collar in his armor with a look of reverence. “Men, I think we are in the presence of an ancient Beast-eater Hunter. Likely one of our forefathers. He took it down with one strike. I know of only fifteen living Hunters that can bring down an A-Rank Salamander in one move without a kinetic blast from that distance.”
“Impossible!” Scoffed Steven, but no one needed to tell him otherwise. Seeing was believing and he wouldn’t be in denial for long once adrenaline wore off.
Satellite’s gory talons clamped on Stone’s shoulder to say “We need to get out of here yesterday! It’s going to hit any moment.”
Heads turned to the no longer not so silent sandstorm barreling at them. And that wasn’t all. In the dust cloud of flying sand were a dozen more Salamanders all using the storm to fly right at them.
“Go! Go! Go! Get to the ships!” Stone commanded while running.
The man didn’t move as he continued gorging on his kill with ravenous need.
“Move your bony ass!” Steven yelled, only to get punched in the sternum when he touched him. The blow had some weight behind it, but not enough to do more than sting. Steven grabbed the man’s waist in one arm and sword in the other after making his spear collapse and drop down to little more than a dagger sheathed in his lower back. Steven then ran for all he was worth to the shuttle carrying the man.
Too weak to get free, the man just relaxed and came to a similar need to flee. He saw more prey coming, but he could not stop another, let alone a swarm bolstered by deadly sands. In the other direction he looked to see her standing by an opening, waving them to hurry. Boat? Boat with wings. Mast. Double furled sail unwinding. Flying sailboat? He tried making sense of what he was being carried to. To the right he saw two much smaller fighters rising off the ground piloted by the two men with black faces. Their ships were similar to the big one, only with wider wings carrying weapon pods underneath. Cannons. The fighters were much more angular, sharper. Their sharply angled triangular sails unrolled and filled to make them circle off the ground.
Steven practically sprinted through the opening and unceremoniously dropped both burdens while Renee closed the exterior and interior hatches. The Hunter jumped into his seat saying “Let’s get the fuck out of here.” And activated the shuttle’s thrusters to full burn, angling the bow at a direction opposite the storm of death and up in the grey sky. The shuttle felt no change inside as it just missed being consumed by the storm. The fighters were keeping pace, flying backwards shooting the fire breathing Beasts with psionic cannons that tore them apart.
Renee though was on her knees in front of the strange person covered in Beast blood with flecks of Beast brain crumbs around his mouth. Her stomach clenched, but she resisted licking him clean. He suddenly sat up and touched her clear helmet’s faceplate, smearing it with blood. Last thing she expected to hear was a deep voice ask “Unhurt. Female unhurt
?”
Renee found herself at yet another loss. He’s worried. That shows empathy. How is this possible? Those eyes are so sexy and his voice is so deep. Like gravel met baritone and made a baby that lodged his throat. Stars, that voice is panty dropping worthy.
“Unhurt?” He asked again, clearly expressing confusion twin to her own.
“She’s fine.” Stephanie said and stopped moving when his head whipped around to her. “You saved us. We won’t hurt you… ummm? Do you have a name?”
“Name?” He cocked his head when he didn’t find the blonde woman a threat. “What’s name?”
Stephanie shot Renee a look that said ‘I was right.’ She sat down to witness tension in his shoulders relax. She touched her breast. “A name is what we go by so as to let others know who we are and to gain our attention if they need us. Did you understand that?”
“Some.” He rubbed his neck. “Hurts. Thump thump here hurts.” He turned to Renee. “Female’s touch took away hurt. Again?” He looked close into Renee’s vibrant eyes of the most unique emerald. A small, pert nose over full rosebud lips were marginally dropped as she never expected to hear him talk.
“Uh, Renee? Stars to Renee!” Stephanie snapped her fingers to pull her out of a storm of wild thoughts.
“Wha…?”
“He’s in pain. I thinks he wants to you touch him again. Even I know human contact eases pain. Remember when you did a brain scan. Do it again.”
“Again?” He did sound in pain now that she recovered. Her left hand touched his head and he closed his eyes to make that humming sigh sound. “No hurt so much.” He said much more softly.
Renee’s chip began another scan and not even being ten minutes, changes already showed. “Steph, you were right. The part of our brain that controls speech is much more active. He’s learning and committing language to long term memory.”
“It’s the multi-tool on his arm. But I know of only the president of Galicom and the Emperor ever being able to bond an original to themselves. We’ve reverse engineered it, but we’ve yet to completely harness the full capabilities of an original. I heard what Stone said about him being an ancient Hunter and he may be correct. Not everything was recorded in the original birth of the program. He isn’t a clone since I see a belly button so no laws were broken. He very well could be a lost Hunter. Having not one, but three original creations means he was filthy rich back then.”
Cutlass Sharpened Page 4