Munkee TPCG ... thing? Posts: 124 (11/18/01 1:44:39 am) Reply Sugar on the Asphalt - ACT 1 (Chapters 1 to 4) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Hi! This here is a story I'm writing, based on the story from another forum. I though I'd share it with ya'll! As a warning, it is based on the Archie universe, because I started this two years ago in a role-playing forum. Before there was an established SegaSonic and before Archie sucked too much. I hope you like it.) (Oh, and beware, it's REALLY long. This is barely even a fraction of the whole story.) (EDIT: ... I just realized I probably should have put this in the fic forum... oops. Sorry) ACT I – Becoming - “What was the start of all this? When did the cogs of fate begin to turn? Perhaps it is impossible to grasp that answer now From deep within the flow of time… But, for a certainty, back then, We loved so many, yet hated so much, We hurt others and were hurt ourselves… Yet even then, we ran like the wind, Whilst our laughter echoed Under cerulean skies…” -Chrono Cross Prologue– “You say you’ve done it?” “Aye sir. Generations of work, and we completed it.” The dim genetics labortory flickered consistently, as if electricy was hard to come by. Messy tables, littered with test tubes, flasks, and other scientific gibbly-gook, stood awkwardly. Five large tubes stood straight up, like glass pillars, big enough to fit a grown being and filled with a bubbly greenish liquid. Three of them have scraps of organic material floating around. In the fourth is a golden female echidna, parts of her tissue was missing along with her right arm. Her hair has long since fallen out, her eyes shut and looked to have been that way for years. In the fifth tube floated a younger white echidna. She was in much better condition, and looked to be around eight years of age. Her blue hair floated, shoulder length, tickling her chin and wafting around her eyes. Her white robe flowed through the pale green liquid. Arms hanging like dead weights, head tilted slightly to the left. Her tail was around twice the usual length for her species. Pale white dreadlocks floated mid-way down her back. At this fifth tube stood two creatures. A tall man, his species not recognizable by mobian standards. He stood tall, even compared to an overlander. Yet he was covered in fur, his head was rounded, sprouting long white hair, as if it had been void of pigment for centuries. Two horns rooted from his forehead and arched backwards. A long black and brown robe adorned his tall figure, grapling hands with long arched fingers curled to a fist. A reptilian tail curled around on the floor behind him. His eyes were peircing, and shot a sense of superiority into any gazer. The crimson of blood, swirled with a blonde yellow. He was deathly serious as he spoke. “Are you sure?” “Y-yes” The smaller figure stuttered. He was adorned in labortory scrubs. He was a foxish creature, more of Mobian height. “Three days of testing, by four of our best minds. She’s definatly the power child.” They both slowly turned to the girl. She was so small, innocent looking. “So you’re saying she has the power that brought our nation to it’s knees?” The taller one’s voice seemed to have broken from his sternness. “Y-yes” “Can she be controlled?” His head swung back to the scientist, the break in his voice over. The fox tried to control a shudder. “In theory. We still have to make sure the chip won’t fry any part of her mind. There was too much work put into cloning her to start over again.” The robed figure said nothing as he kneeled down and stared into the tube at the girl. “She doesn’t look like Lindsia.” “N-no, sir. Then again, Latoya doesn’t either.” At that both of them looked to the disembered elder woman. “At that note, sir, I would like to turn off the life support on her. She’s suffering, a millenia is a long time to force a mortal to live.” “No.” The tall man stood. “She’s a traitor, I have no sympathy for her. Plus, you may need her if…” He tried to find a word for the younger girl. “Kayla. We named her Kayla.” The robed man paused for awhile, as if considering the possibility of naming it to be an insult. “… should the power child fail.” The scientist stared to Latoya for awhile before sighing “Very well sir.” “Notify me when you complete the chip.” The robed figure turned to leave. “Aye, emperor Kar’had!” He watched his lord leave then exchanged a glance with Kayla. Sighing yet again he too turned to another section of the labortory. The lights went off save the dim green light from the tubes. A quick muscle spasm ran through Kayla. Slowly, she stirred, her head straightening, her arms and legs curling. A moment passed, and slowly a couple of eyelids dragged themselves open to reveal a cool crystalline blue. *** Kayla ran, as fast as her little legs could carry her weight. Surprisingly fast, considering her size and the fact that she spent her life in a tube. She didn’t know what she was running from, she just knew she was scared and she wanted to get away. They shot at her and tried to hurt her. Although she was acting on natural instincts. An explosion of energy, the glass around her shattered, she felt the cold of air for the first time. A loud noise, an alarm. People came seemingly from nowhere. Gunshots, screaming, crashes. Noise pounded her eardrums. A tall robed man stood in her way. His expression and voice scared her. She remembered charging him, and a horn snapping. Looking in her hand, she still held it, the horn from the emperor of a dead race. She didn’t want it, but didn’t feel right dropping it. She ran, through ruins of a long lost once grand city. There had to be an exit, she knew there was one. *** With curious eyes, Kayla gazed over the hilltop to a large mechanical landscape. Like the city from before, but in much better condition, and much smaller. Somehow, it seemed welcoming, then again, anything was in contrast with the last city, the dark forest just outside of it, and the lonely empty plains. With a smile, she began to wander to the city in search of food, shelter, and kind spirits. Her story begins and ends here, in Dran Fortress. But her story opens the doorway to a legacy. Twenty-nine years pass… Chapter 1 – “Salt and Sweat” Almost all at once Dran Fortress exploded in gunfire. The sounds of a forced take-over filled the city. Robotnik was on the ramage, for the second time in this city. The last seige was eleven years ago during the coup. Robotnik ran through Dran Fortress, destroying the citizens in a quick sweep. Since then Dran Fortress became home to one of the seven Freedom Fighter groups on Mobius. This one terrorized his operations on the eastern side of the main continent. Apparently, Robotnik grew tired of the menace and intended to complete the job he had started a decade ago. A dark violet echidna crawled onto a small one story building, hoping to get a veiw of the carnage. His crimson eyes surveyed the area with disgust. On top of the freedom fighters, Dran Fortress became a prime hang-out for outlaws, bounty-hunters, and several even less desirable types. From the look of the battle, the citizens don’t take kindly to losing their slums along with all their former possesstions. A nearby explosion caused the echidna to duck, watching as a golden rabbit ran by. The rabbit passed before he could react. At the sound of more footsteps, the echidna swung his head. This time a squirrel, running seemingly after the rabbit. The echidna timed his steps carefully and jumped from the roof. Perhaps he timed it too well, for the two collided and hit the pavement hard. It took awhile for the squirrel to recover, but not too long for he was on his fight while the echidna was still gasping for breathe. The squirrel took only a moment to size up the echidna. Deep violet, blood-red eyes, adorned in street clothes. He looked to be in his late thirties. A little old to be body slamming people from rooftops. “What the hell are you doing!?” The squirrel yelled while taking just a moment to glance in the direction the rabbit fled. The echidna weezed as he stood slowly. He too studied his opposer. A brown squirrel, auburn hair, dressed in dark clothes and a black leather trenchcoat. He looked to be around eighteen. “I was about to ask you the same thing. There’s nothing that direction.” He pointed the same direction that the squirrel just glanced. “Just an alleyway and a crumbling apartment building.” The squirrel glanced again, this time longer before slowly turning to his informant. ” Why should I believe that?” “Why not?” The echidna raised an eyebrow. “We’re both on the verge of robotiszation.” The squirrel remained silent for a second. “You live here?” “Yeah…” The echidna weezed. “In that crumbling apartment building. My turn for a question, some reason you’re chasing that rabbit?” A pause, “Yeah, he may have some answers for me.” The echidna thought for a moment. “Alright, let’s go…” “Hold on… ‘Let’s’!?” The squirrel backed a step. “Yeah, I have to go home anyway.” “… Alright… for the moment, just ‘cause we’re on the same path at the moment.” The squirrel started to walk down the alleyway. “Wait…” The echidna quickly caught pace, walking next to his new accomplance. “I don’t know your name.” The squirrel took a glance at him before turning forward again. “Mondo.” He said. “And you?” The echidna contemplated the chances of someone named ‘Mondo’ and decided to repay falsity with falsity. “Munkee.” A question only seeped from Mondo’s lips when gunfire broke out again. They both paused only a second before breaking into a sprint. *** An earth-shaking moan came from the creature. The golden dragon hovered in the air, screaming in pain as a squadron of Swatbots fired upon it. Lasers scorched it’s flesh, send blazing pain through his nerves. Blood seeped between layers of burns. With another bellow, he arched his back, crashing a group of swatbots with his heavy tail. But still, the shots seemed to keep coming. With a last moan, the dragon stopped his wings and fell to the ground, the pavement shook beneath his weight. At that moment Munkee and Mondo entered the scene. The perplexed echidna looked around slowly, “Where’s that rabbit?” Mondo motioned to the dragon, “That IS him.” “Wha-?” “Later. Right now, he’s in danger.” And the squirrel charged head-long into a group of robots. Munkee gave one last confused look before grabbing deholstering his handgun from his belt. With a quick dash he found direct aim with a swatbot. Squeezing the trigger, a small lead slug flew from the barrel of his gun, so fast it looks invisible to the naked eye, represented by a mere flash of white line. The small lead shard slipped below the robot’s face plate, severing the wires connecting the cerebral section and the main body. The Swatbot’s football shaped cranium tossed into the air, and landed with a metallic thunk on the asphault. The body followed suit, bending at the knees and collapsing forwards. The echidna caught, just along the outside of his peripheral vision, the sight of a squirrel slamming a robot’s head into a wall, crushing it with his bare hands. And for the first time he noticed the medallion around Mondo’s neck, glowing red now. Perplexed yet again, he turned his head to the young squirrel. With a odd show of strength, Mondo landed a kick to another robot, crumbling the chest plate. A laser burn to the shoulder woke Munkee to reality. With a yelp of pain, he turned to his new aggressor and barely caught time to avoid the second shot. He dove behind a dumpster, breathing heavily and cursing at his new shoulder wound. Peeking around the edge he caught a perfect shot and took it. Swinging around the dumpster he let another bullet from his pistol. The leg joint of the SwatBot busted, and the calf sailed off in a random vector. The echidna took a quick sprint to point blank range and fired a bullet in the tender neck region. The Swatbot’s lights shut off with a whir. The alley went quiet. Munkee looked up to see Mondo give him a quick glance before turning the dragon. “Give me a hand.” The echidna approached the two. “A hand with what?” “This guy’s got some sort of super healing, I need you help holding him down if he gets fiesty when he comes to.” “WHAT? Hold down a full sized dragon?” Munkee’s eyes went wide. “On top of that… I thought he was a rabbit.” “He could be. If he wanted to.” The squirrel looked up. “He’s a shapeshifter, could be anything he wants to be. Well, any living animal. I think a dragon is his base identity.” “Oh.” Munkee looked at the creature. He was breathing heavily, a good sign, at least he was alive. Most people would die from a fourth of the wounds this guy sustained. “Is he a friend of yours.” “As much as you are.” “Huh?” “In other words: No.” “Oh.” “But, he’s an ally, on rough terms at least. A bounty hunter.” The squirrel sat down, resting against a wall. “So why are YOU chasing HIM?” Munkee leaned against an opposite wall. “I think he might have some answers to a couple of questions I have. At least the Bounty Hunter network might.” “Ah.” They were silent for going on ten minutes. Mondo, of all people, broke that silence. “You said you live around here.” “Yeah, just down there.” He pointed to the one building in the alley with lights on. “All alone?” “No. I have a daughter.” He sighed, still looking at the building. Mondo looked at him for awhile. “Why the hell are you hanging around me then? You have a daughter to go take care of.” Munkee looked back. “You said you needed help.” “That’s before I knew you had a family. When I thought you were just some old geezer attached to this place for god know’s what reason.” “Thanks,” The echidna responded sarcasticly. Mondo shrugged, “Self-esteem destruction is what I’m good for. Now go take care of your girl. And if you are planning on evacuating, I have to drag a dragon around, so I can’t go far.” “Was that an offer of help?” “If you want think it was.” “Thanks,” With that, Munkee ran towards the far apartment building. *** Two fingers locked a shell into the shotgun. It clicked into it’s place pleasantly. The hand shut the loading chamber of the gun and armed it with a pump. The echidna girl swung her custom shotgun over her shoulder. She gathered her ammo reserves into a small bag, wrapping the cord around her palm to keep it in place. She stood up, blowing a lock of blue hair from her eyes. With a determined look in her crystalline blue eyes she left her room, unknowing she’d only return to it once more. Heading into the main room, she flipped on a surveillance monitor, catching a quick reflection of herself before it turned to static. Her fur was light pink, nearly white. Her blue hair cut just at eye level. Her dreadlocks went shoulder length and stayed a flat length. ‘The camera’s are out.’ She concluded in her mind before standing again. ‘The situation’s getting worse. Where are we going to go from here if we lose Dran Fortress?’ She sighed, flipping open a metal window covering and staring out to the chaos. ‘And where’s Dad?’ As if by cue the door opened and the violet echidna rushed in. “Renee!” “Right here, Daddy.” She turned to face him, attempting a false smile. He sighed. “We need to go. This isn’t getting good. The other freedom fighters are already on their way out. We’re all that’s left.” “Alright,” She said with a frown, “I just need to get a few…” The girl was cut off as a horrible noise entered audible range. A hovercraft engine. Their hearts nearly stopped operation as the Swatbot carrier came up level with the window. “RENEE! Get out!” Munkee yelled just as the window shattered and chaos shook the room. *** “You’re lucky to be alive, Bahamut.” Mondo said, still sitting where Munkee last saw him. The dragon groaned, lifting to his feet. “Whatever.” His voice was deep and chilled with apathy. Everything you’d expect from a shape-shifting bounty hunter. The squirrel’s eyebrows lowered, his eyes flared. “Look, I risk my ass for you, and all you can say is ‘whatever’. You could have died, and I would never really have noticed. But I decided to be a ‘nice guy’ and save this @#%$ up.” Bahamut snorted at that. “Yeah right. You saved me because you’re stuck on some fantasy that I have information for you.” Mondo stood up, his expression back to normal. “Yeah, that sounds about right. But the point is… you owe me now.” “Right…” The dragon began to tend to his rapidly healing wounds. “…if you can keep up with me until I get to a Bounty Hunter Network terminal, I’ll get you that information, and then you can leave me alone.” “Sounds like fun.” The squirrel let out a crooked smile. “So where do we go from here?” “Nowhere. I need a moment to change forms. This isn’t the best way to make covert escapes.” Bahamut laid back down and he closed his eyes, concentrating all his power into the transformation. Mondo let out a ‘hmph’ and leaned against the wall. He watched the dragon slowly shifting formation. Fur began to grow from his back, the claws rounded, the tail shortened, ears began to grow. About halfway through the transformation, something hit Mondo. Something fast, and hard enough to knock him to the ground. When his vision cleared, the squirrel could see a pink echidna who had rounded the corner, directly into him. She seemed more dazed than he was. After getting to his feet he held out a hand. “You alright?” A little cautiously she took his hand. “Yeah… I guess.” “You should watch where you’re going.” He smiled, but only for a second. “Yeah, no @#%$, einstein.” Her eyes lowered. “Unfortunatly I had more on my mind than guys who like to hang out in an alley during a hostile siege.” Mondo tilted his head a little. “Well there goes the magic of the whole situation.” Renee paused for a moment. “What?” Quick on the defense Mondo changed the subject. “Nothing. What are you running from?” The girl arched an eyebrow, “What do you think? Look around... see that building?” “The old hamburger place?” “No… the building that’s.. you know. Big and on fire.” “Oh, that one. Musta missed it.” “Yeah, you see those killer robots all over it?” “Yeah…” They exchanged glances for a moment before Mondo talked again. “So you’re saying that you’re running from those killer robots.” Renee found no need to answer that. The squirrel looked at the building again. “Hey… that’s the building that echidna went to…” And he slowly looked at the girl. “Wait, are you her?” “Who?” “Munkee’s daughter.” The girl was silent. “You… know my dad?” Mondo shook his head. “Not really. We met for about ten minutes before he ran to your house. Where is he?” She looked at the building, her emotion impossible to read. “I-I don’t know. Hopefully not still in there. And even more hopefully not with them.” She turned back to Mondo, her eyes had expanded, the sarcasm gone. “He shoved me out the door and told me to meet him outside town. Just up north.” “Good.” Bahamut now intervened, a full rabbit. “That’s where I’m going, and it saves me the trouble of arguing with loverboy here about you.” Renee was surprised. “You’re gonna escort me?” “No,” The bounty hunter said quickly. “I’m letting you tag along. Because it’ll save me some trouble with THAT tag-along.” Mondo just gave him a dirty look. “We should go, we’ve already been in this spot too long. Munkee TPCG ... thing? Posts: 125 (11/18/01 1:46:20 am) Reply Re: Sugar on the Asphalt - ACT 1 (Chapters 1 and 2) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2 – “With your grain” “I like your medallion.” “Huh?” Mondo replied intellegently, half confused from the question, half dazed by the fact that no one had said anything for ten minutes flat. “Your medallion.” Renee restated, trying a different wording, just incase. “I like it. It’s pretty.” The squirrel looked down at his necklace. A silver chain, at the end sat a cirlcular ornament and a green gem in the middle. It was kind of heavy. “Where’d you get it?” She tried a more specific question. Mondo shook his head and stopped fingerin the medal. “I… don’t know…” “Oh?” Renee raised an eyebrow. “You’ve just had it since you were concieved?” “Possibly,” The squirrel shrugged. “But my memory doesn’t go that far back.” “How far back does it go?” Mondo looked as if he was in aganizing thought. “About two weeks, after that it’s just cloudly. All I know farther than that is that my parents are dead, murdered. And if I can find out who killed them, maybe the rest of my history will fill itself in.” “Oh… I’m sorry.” The girl looked away remorsefully. The squirrel shook his head again. “Don’t worry about it.” “It’s just…” She started to say, reaching into her pocket. “…your’s looks a lot like this necklace my mother gave me.” She held up a very similar medallion. Mondo stared at it surprised for a moment before yet again, they were interupted at the fruit of a conversation. “Would you two shut up?” Bahamut gave them a cold look. “This isn’t some social picnic. We’re on the verge of death here.” No one said anything for a moment. “Anyway…” The hare continued. “This road is blocked off and the nearest alternate is too far of a detour. We’re going to have to go through one of these ruined buildings.” *** With a groan, Bahamut called out. “Hey, one of you free-loaders… I need a hand with this thing.” A large boulder of debris blocked a crucial doorway. It took the full combined effort of the three to move it, and the sight they found caused their jaws to hit the ground. Dust flew through the air thick as water, the ground was ragged and smould-ering, and light was nonexistent. “Can I ask you something?” Renee’s eyes lowered at Bahamut. “Did you TRY to pick out the most damaged building in town? Cuz’ you seemed to have found it.” “You can walk on your own, you know.” Bahamut said with a dirty look, and arguments stopped. Renee followed close behind Mondo who was trying to do the same with Bahamut. Her feet carefully prodded every step to ensure she would be falling to her death on a loose board, or concaving debris. The dust stung her eyes and scratched her nose horribly. Thanks to what miniscule light they had, she could tell they were going up, and the dust would clear farther up. Forty-five minutes had passed before they made it to a lighted area. Five stories up, the wall had been blown to nothingness here, and the ceiling had large chunks missing. The night sky was filled with smoke, and the only light came from a few rare suviving artifical lights. The sound of warfare and fighting was beginning to die down. “I don’t know if that’s a good sign or not…” Renee approached the hole in the wall more closely. “It’s not.” The hare added firmly. “Woah…” Mondo interjected. “How can you be so sure? Maybe the people here put up a good fight, held back the tyrant and all that.” Bahamut laughed. “Hah! Yeah right. Look, Robotnik hit with all his might. This city didn’t have a chance to hold up. You can’t fight the entire world, and that’s what Robotnik is.” “But…” “Mondo, he’s right.” Renee’s head bowed, gloomy shadows almost seemed to shroud her. “But nothing was in vain. A little more fighting, and a little more of our people could escape. Escape to be able to live, and someday… reclaim what is ours.” The squirrel gave a curious glance to Renee. “I guess you’re right. But, it doesn’t help this remorse I feel.” “Whatever, you’re living in a fantasy, girl.” Bahamut snorted. “We’re a dead race, just give it a little time, and this world will be blackened by his rule. This is how our continium chose it. The sooner you accept the course of time, the easier the fall will be.” And the hare turned around to continue onward.” Both Mondo and Renee watched him leave before looking at each other simitanously. The squirrel perked his head slightly as he spoke. “Still doesn’t help this feeling against my heart. Why do I feel like I failed?” “Maybe it has something to do with your past.” Renee hopped off the pile of debris she had been standing on. “Maybe you promised yourself something, something you can’t obtain. Now you blame yourself for not obtaining it. All subliminal, in a deep recess of your brain you don’t know about.” The echidna followed in Bahamut’s tracks. “Come on. Sooner we get back on the road the better.” And she disappeared into the same dark doorway as the hare. Mondo looked remorsefully out the opening in the concrete. The clouds of dust moved for just moment, and a full blue moon peeked out at the squirrel. And at that moment he had vision: So many people… Civilians… Women… Children… All cold… Dead… Blood lined his mouth, stained his teeth… His dagger let out one last drip of the burghendy liquid… … And Freddy smiled… “What the hell is taking you so long!?” Mondo awoke again, the moon was gone, and a rabbit yelled from a nearby doorway. “Hurry your ass, or I’m leaving it!” Bahamut stomped back into the darkness. Mondo turned to go, giving one last glance, for one last second, in a false hope to see the moon again. *** “Finally! I was getting worried!” Munkee exclaimed as the three came into veiw just around a street. A hour had passed now since they left the ruined building. The sounds of war was calming. Renee embraced her father gladly, saying not a word about the earlier situation. “Great, we can go now.” Bahamut retorted quickly. Munkee sighed, “I see you survived. Thank you for my daughter.” “Forget it.” The rabbit practically snorted. “I did nothing, she could have made it just fine on her own. We were just going the same direction.” Mondo shook his head. “Wait… who’s this ‘we’ you keep saying?” He smiled. The bounty hunter just peered back at him. “We should go get your information so I can go back to being free.” Mondo frowned. “Alright, you’re right.” He smiled to Renee, “I guess this is goodbye. It’s really a shame I’ll never see you again.” The echidna girl smiled back, shrugging a shoulder. “Who knows? It’s a small world.” They both thought they heard Bahamut mumble something, but they ignored it. Renee continued, “So I’ll see you guys later.” “Not if I’m lucky.” Bahamut grumbled, starting to walk away. The squirrel just shook his head and smiled. “Yeah…” As the two strangers began to walk off, their departure was short. Robotic voices shot across the streets. Swatbots entered the scene from every angle, cutting off both roads and any alley. Two hovercrafts, and a walker accompained the infantry. And from the direction they had come from originally, a egg-shaped robot floated a foot above the ground. It’s armor plated green, long jointed legs dangled slightly. A jet at the back kept it floating, a pair of jets on each foot kept it oriented. A laser sight scanned the area, targeting each of the Mobians as it passed over them. Two long arms came from an armored shoulder piece, one ending in a hand, the other ending in a large plasma rifle. It spoke to itself, repeating the information it received from it’s scans. It’s information was being transmitted to the other soldiers. “Four mobians detected. One echidna, one squirrel, one hare, one unknown. Three firearms detected. Handgun, TGF-64 Robo-make 3230 in echidna’s possession. Shotgun, make unknown, in unknown’s possession. Laser pistol, TGL-21 Robo-make 3225, in hare’s possession. Squirrel is unarmed. Hold your fire.” Mondo and Bahamut had by now slowly back up with the other two. They stood practically back to back, no idea what to do. And their blood turn cold when the egg-bot spoke. “Surrender yourself to robotiszation quietly, and your pain will be minimal.” The only response they got was a long silence broken by a shotgun fire. The walker shattered, a large hole straight through the main body. The hole was solid and large, as if it by one big bullet instead of a group of shotgun pellets. The metal around the hole was melting. The walker crumbled at the knees, falling forward, and smashing into the asphalt. Renee’s shotgun was smoking, she held it out by one hand, perfect aim at the walker. Drawn too fast for the sensors to respond on the sluggish walker. But definatly not to slow for the Eggbot or the Swats. “BREAK!” She screamed just a second before the robots let loose all their weapons. The four all ran in opposite directions. Bahamut dove around a dumpster, quickly drawing his laser pistol. He sighed, and fired back, hitting several Swatbots, but only destroying a few. Munkee had no better luck, trying to hide in an abandoned building and firing with his handgun. Mondo seemed to be the worst for a moment, as he barely avoided the laser fire and hid behind another garbage facility. He clutched his medallion tightly and something in him began to change. His eyes flipped to a yellow. When he let go of the medal, it was glowing. A new vigor rushed through his vein. With a spring, the squirrel bounded over his cover, taking a few Swatbots unprepared with insane speed and strength. He smashed one’s head, and used it to knock down another. With his bare hands, he crushed a robot chest plate against a brick wall like a tin can. When the lump of metal fell, a dent in the bricks was also visible. Renee however seemed to be very under control. While in mid-sprint s loaded a bright yellow shell. Once it was locked, and the shotgun was loaded, she turned, facing the five or six Swatbots chasing her. Holding out the gun, she lobbed off the round, a brillant blue streak of lightning broke out, branching off and striking all of six of the tightly compacted robots. The charred lumps of metal crumbled forward, hitting the concrete. *** The battle was lasting far too long. There were too many robots, and not enough allies for the group. The hovercrafts and the walker were down, but there seemed to be no end to the Swatbots and the Eggbot was relentlessly irritating. Renee was bruised a battered when her and Mondo had finally met up again, falling back to back. Munkee and Bahamut’s backup helped somewhat, but not nearly enough. “We’re dead.” Mondo panted. “All this and it comes out like this… ain’t life a bitch?” Renee huffed, wiping a trail of blood from her eye. “It’s not hopeless yet, we need to take out that Eggbot.” “I thought you just said it was NOT hopeless.” Mondo said sarcasticly. “We don’t have chance of even hitting that thing. It flies too high, moves too fast, and as too many little cretins protecting it.” Renee fired another shot and set to work reloading quickly. “I got an idea.” She fumbled for a shell. “Go find my father and tell him to aim for the Eggbot’s hover jet. I’ll take care of the Swatbots, all you have to worry about is the speed.” “What!?” Mondo would have flipped if he wasn’t currently in a compromising situation. “I’m not just going to leave you with a horde on your back!” Renee stepped forward, surprising Mondo when his support left his back. “GO! Now, before I kick you in the right direction.” He was about to argue again but no words left the squirrel’s lips. Instead he decided to turn 180 and find the elder echidna. Renee lowered her eyebrows, glaring around her, shotgun armed and ready. A trail of blood fell between her eyes, sliding around her nose and dripping from her chin. She gritting her teeth, letting out a loud scream as she fired another lightning round into several robots. All at once the Swatbots crowded in, and Renee was press-ed for time. She only got one more round off before she was incap-able of reloading. She began to take on laser shots. Her fur and flesh scorched where the plasma bolts made contact. Blood began to seep slowly from every portion of her body. The echidna dropped to her knees, taking on pain upon pain upon pain. Her lips seperated and a crimson liquid slowly dripped from them. Renee’s fists tightened, her eyes turned violent. With a loud scream an electric surge flew from her body, sending with it a large shockwave. The Swatbots all fell, a terrible blow threw into them. A last ditch effort from her soul, Renee collapsed, her life signs depleting. *** “What was that?” Munkee said frantically before Mondo could explain the plan. “I… don’t know.” The squirrel panted, “I can only hope it’s a bunch of Swatbots blowing up.” He looked at Munkee closer now. “We got a plan.” The echidna looked almost surprised. “Yeah? Lay it on me.” “We need to take that thing out.” Mondo said, pointing to the Eggbot. “Renee said to have you shoot out it’s hovering thingy.” He waited for a moment as the echidna looked at the robot in silence. “Well… can you do it?” Munkee looked back at the squirrel solemnly. “If I can’t we’re @#%$ up the ass.” And with that he took out his gun. Mondo stayed quiet, partially because he knew the echidna needed to concentrate, and partially because that last comment took him unprepared. An eternity seemed to pass, sweat dripped down the squirrel’s face as the echidna aimed carefully. One shot fired, the Eggbot didn’t respond at all. The second shot fired, and a small spark could be seen off it. Only for a spilt-second however, as the third shot spewed forth and the hover engine combusted and the bot tumbled. Mondo cheered. “Now for my part.” The squirrel left his cover in a charge, ignoring the Swatbots, he had a goal. His medallion began to glow again. And he was gone from sight in amazing speed. He bounded off a set of debris, went over a three foot wall and landed just next to the Eggbot’s crash site. The freeway’s bridge crossed over another road. Eleven years ago this road was full of commuting workers, going back and forth meaninglessly day in day out. Mondo wished he could be like that. Now all there is, is a cracked concrete plane, suspended by crumbling pillars. The robot picked itself up, finding Mondo quickly. “You wish to fight unarmed?” Mondo was taken a little off guard at that, apparently it was installed with an artifical intellegence drive. “Yeah,” He responded, “I guess I do.” “I pity you, stupid creature.” The robot’s laser locked onto the squirrel. “I will make this quick.” It fired a missle, locked for Mondo. With amazing speed, the squirrel ducked behind a concrete seperation wall between the street’s lanes. The missle contacted and shattered the barrier wall. Immeadiatly the Eggbot let loose a shower of laser bolts. This too, Mondo attempted to overcome. He eventually bounded over the wall again and dashed for the robot. Reflexes like a cat, he grabbed a hold of both the robot’s arms and laid a knee to the torso. Surprisingly leaving a dent, Mondo continued, laying a foot into the left knee. The robot quickly regained the advantage, using the fact that Mondo was holding it’s arms to it’s advantage, it spun and tossed the squirrel into the concrete. Mondo weezed, the air left his body. He rolled slowly and pushed himself up, stumbling to shaking feet. He came up level with a cannon barrel. And with a grumble he took all the energy he had left, stepped backward then threw himself into the robot. They both flew through the wall that seperated the freeway from the nearby apartment buildings, landing the bot in a pile of debris and flinging Mondo just a foot away from said pile. “Ugh…” He coughed, throwing the blood that had taken residence in his month out. Yet again, he stumbled around to find a barrel pointing at him. Although this time it was twisted, damaged, and inoperable. And the Eggbot seemed to know this. It’s arm dropped to the side, and it slowly stepped down from it’s pile and quickly locked Mondo’s neck between it’s fingers. As he was being held against a concrete wall, the squirrel took note of the markings on the Eggbot’s torso: E-106 “Omega” “I hate you.” The squirrel said, rather patheticly, given his situation. “The feeling is mutual…” Omega responded. It seemed to be busy calculating something. It’s visual sensors flashed for moment. “Self-destruct activated.” Mondo’s eyes went wide. He let one last super charged kick to the robot’s abdomen and pried himself free and hit the ground flat. Scrambling to his feet, he ran, just out of the dead zone. He flipped forward as the shockwave threw him forward,and he hit the asphalt stomach first. A few minutes passed before the squirrel gathered enough air in his lungs to stand back up. He could see the ruins of the robot, only it’s cannon arm intact, both legs gone, part of the torso shredded, it’s visual sensors were gone. Stumbling forward, Mondo intended to spit on it. By the time he got in spitting range a sense of dread fell on him. The right eye light came back on, and it fired it’s cannon, one last time. The weapon exploded from the overheated shot. The robot lost all power. Blood flew from the squirrel’s lips. He made no noise as he backed up, grabbing his chest. Blood seeped from the area just between his rib cages. He stepped backward, his life drained, and he fell forward. Munkee TPCG ... thing? Posts: 135 (12/9/01 2:53:19 pm) Reply Chapter tres -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3 – “Freddy Blackwood” “She’s not in good condition, man.” Bahamut leaned over the girl, checking her pulse. “I don’t know if she’s going to survive.” Munkee said nothing as he leaned over his daughter. He was in a state of disbelief. His mind was dazed, his heart broken. With almost a squeak he pleaded. “Renee… not you too. I can’t lose you… you’re all I have left.” Bahamut sighed and stood up. He walked to the edge of the building they were by. He reached into his pocket pulling out a package and retrieving his last cigarette. Placing it between his lips, he went to thinking. This is what happens when you establish bonds. It’s like attaching yourself to an anchor, when it goes down, you drown. He pulled out his lighter and struck the igniter on his leg. Shielding the flame with his other hand he lit the end of his cigarette. With a flick of his wrist, the lighter went out. Where was that squirrel anyway? Probably dead too. Crazy son of a bitch going up against a fully armed Eggbot one-on-one. The rabbit pulled in a breath of smoke, blowing it out quickly. This was shaping up to be a BAD day. “Holy @#%$!” Could be heard at the same time a creepy flashing noise was. Bahamut spun around, nearly dropping his cigarette in the process. Munkee had jumped back, staring wide-eyed as a white portal, shattering all laws of space time, ripped open in front of him. A ghastly voice echoed from the other side. “We need the girl…” He dropped his cigarette in surprise as Renee floated from the asphalt. With a startled expression he ran up to Munkee and the portal. The echidna was broken from his dazed confusion as his daughter began to float. “Renee!” He yelled, running in her direction. “Not now!” The voice screamed, chilling the two mobians blood. A bolt of energy slammed Munkee in the chest. “We of the Forbidden must seek our prize. This girl is our power child.” Munkee stood up just as Renee disappeared into the portal. “Where are you taking her!?” “The Forbidden Zone.” A new voice came now, from a white sillohette. His voice was deep and rough. The head looked as if it had spines, like a hedgehog. “Come for her, Jon. I dare you.” The portal slammed shut. *** Mondo weezed as he sat up. Not more than five minutes had passed since he had been shot. He grabbed at his chest, the blood was still fresh, and very cold. He felt the pain, every ounce of it, and still was alive. How…? He stood up and everything hit him like a head rush. The robotiszer… he had been thrown into it only half a day ago. Before that he remembered, blood stained his hands. People died, all at his will. He lived on the blood of others. His medallion glew red, his eyes shot open, a bright yellow, his pupils catlike. His lips seperated, revealing a set of fanglike top canines. He had in fact been dead for two centuries now. Hundreds of people died at his hands. He was unstoppable, until twelve hours ago when he was stupidly caught and thrown into that cursed machine. It stole his memory, everything but his parents. Who had killed his parents? Strangely, that still did not come to him. But now, at least he didn’t care. He was Freddy Blackwood. Creature of the night. Devourer of souls. He smiled, a cold, sinister smile as his hand dropped from his chest, the wound healed. *** ‘What the hell is going on?’ Was all that was running through Munkee’s mind as he walked in dazed state, barely aware enough to follow Bahamut. But he was far too confused for tears to form in his eyes, else he’d be overwhelmed at the moment. The golden hare however, was looking for answers. What happened to Mondo? It’s too quiet now, the fight must have ended. But who won? And why should he care? The second was an easy one. If that robot won, Bahamut would have another problem on his hands standing between him and ditching this shitty excuse for a cratered city. Of course, if Mondo won, he’d have to go through the trouble of researching that damn information he’s so obsessed over. Frankly, Bahamut prefered the latter. Unfortunatly, reality was neither outcome, although ghastly similar to both. “Hey, hey, hey.” A cocky, although familiar voice came from down the street. The squirrel, of all people, stood ahead of them, a tilt to his head and a sideways smile across his lips. His auburn hair blew eerily in the wind. His eyes held a creepy expression, but still shown the same cool blue as always. “There you guys are.” He moved a step forward, his trenchcoat flowed as if he pur-posely moved to exaggerate the wind. He sized up the group for a moment before adding in, “Where’s the chick?” His smile didn’t fade as those words left his mouth. Bahamut didn’t respond, he was too busy exaiming their ‘ally’. His coat was burnt in several areas, holes scorched in parts. His clothes had similar marks, but not nearly as damaged. The fact that his coat was black concealed a good ammount of obvious damage. “That’s… a question without an answer…” The echidna answered, too dazed to think. Bahamut smacked himself mentally for not warning Munkee. This wasn’t looking good. The wind felt wrong, his dragon instincts told him that. “Oh, a riddle.” The squirrel’s slated smile didn’t fade for a moment. “I like riddles. But this might not be the best time for them. We probably need to be… running or some @#%$.” “No, it’s not a ri—“ Munkee was cut short as a cloud of dust and light flashed before their eyes. Just obvious enough to gather at-ention, but nothing they had to shield their eyes from. “It’s no use.” A new voice came, but from farther down. The dust cleared, revealing their new ‘companion’. A fireant, mysteriously enough. “This isn’t the same man you knew. I suggest you leave.” Bahamut looked at them confusedly for a moment. “What? What’s going on? I’m not going to just let you order me around!” The ant kept his attention on the squirrel. “WE DON’T HAVE TIME!” His voice was amazingly powerful for such a small body. “Run! NOW! I’ll explain later.” Munkee and Bahamut exchanged be-wildered glances when the ant yelled again. “NOW!!!!” Slowly at first they backed up, before turning tail and sprinting. All the time, Freddy never lost his smile. “Now, Alex, that was uncalled for. Now I have to hunt them down all over again, and they’re suspicious now.” The ant’s eyebrows were as low as they got. “You won’t get them. This is not your destiny.” Freddy laughed, loudly. Nothing more. The ant leap onto a pile of debris, just eyelevel with the squirrel. “There is a reason I got you into that robotiszer.” The squirrel laughed again. “I just knew that was you that turned me in. All these years, you still expect to finish me off.” The ant shook his head. “Quite the opposite. Freddy, your time as a great destroyer and devourer of life is over. You have another purpose now.” “Hah” The squirrel let between closed lips as he swung his arm out at the ant. His fist hit only rock and dust, the fireant was gone. He let out a ‘hmph’ and dusted his clothing. “They got enough of a head start. Now it’s time for some fun.” He sprung with his right foot, and began down the road. *** They’d been running for ten minutes when Munkee suddenly burst out. “Hold up!” He shook his head, trying to keep pace with the hare. “What are we doing? Two strangers, running from a stranger, because another complete stranger told us to. I don’t get it.” Bahamut breathed in heavily and responded. “You’re welcome to be alone anytime you wish.” Munkee lowered his eyebrows and retorted in an annoyed tone. “That’s not what I meant, and I’m sure you know that.” The hare nodded, “Yeah, but I don’t think you realize the true scope of this situation. That guy has just gone crazy, possibly blood thirsty. If we don’t run, we’ll probably end up dead.” “Oh, running won’t help.” The cocky voice again. They got to a stop just at the right distance to see Freddy perched on shattered wall. “Damn… you guys are slow. That was like, a thirty second head start, and I beat you by two minutes.” The squirrel dropped from his perch. “Not to mention damn stupid. Running straight isn’t the best way to lose a pursuer.” Slowly, he began to approach them. One small step at a time, his eyes a violent yellow, long fangs accenting his obnoxious grin. Munkee had barely gotten into a defensive stance when the vampire was on him. Freddy laid a strong slam across the echidna’s face followed by a series of lighter slugs. “Come on… it’s not fun when you just take it.” The squirrel said with a trace of malice. Almost immeadiatly, the echidna dropped under a punch and delivered his fist across Freddy’s skull. The vampire barely registered it, but turned back to make eye contact with Munkee. “Not bad… not…” A new hit came from his left, this time the squirrel spun a full twist. He barely established his feet on the ground again. He had just enough time to dodge Bahamut’s second blow, and bring his own foot to the hare’s stomach. Freddy grinned and spun in circle, delivering his upper arm to the bounty hunter’s head. The rabbit hit the pavement, blood shot from his lips. He groaned as a kick landed against his ribs. “Come on tough man!” Freddy yelled with enjoyment. “Where’s your badass now? Guess who’s the badass now!” He landed another kick to the bounty hunter’s gut. “All you are is a dumbass!” He was about to deliver a blow to the rabbit’s skull when the street erupted in boom. Blood sprouted from his shoulder like a splash. The squirrel screamed as he dropped to his knees, his grin gone. “@#%$!!!” Munkee replaced his handgun as he lifted the rabbit to his feet. “Come on, we have to run.” And they were gone. Five minutes had passed before Freddy stopped screaming and his obsenities slowed to around two a second. He dropped to a sitting position. With a grimace he took off his coat, noticing two holes through the right shoulder. He was thankful, the bullet passed through, must have missed the bone. He didn’t have to remove the little shard of lead. He replaced his coat, not bothering to cover the wound. Standing, he grumbled, letting a moment pass as he exaimed the area. Finally he picked it up, the smell of blood. Bahamut’s, on the ground where he was being pummeled. The vampire grinned, he could track them still. The bitches weren’t going to get off that easily. *** With a grunt, the two mobians pulled open the scrolling warehouse door. Quickly they entered the dusty building and shut the door behind them. Weezing they looked around the building. Crates upon crates upon crates upon some slightly bigger crates right next to a couple smaller crates that looked like they could contain some more even smaller crates. It was amazingly dusty, and most likely had not been used in the decade since Robotnik’s coup. “Come on, we can hide around here somewhere.” Munkee motioned to Bahamut to follow. It took a few minutes of exploring to find a good place to sit down. And when they finally did, neither of them knew much of what to do. “Now what?” the echidna finally asked with a sigh. “Now, I guess we just sit here and wait to die either by a robot or that crazy bastard.” Bahamut added unhelpfully. “Wrong answer.” Another puff of smoke and light, and the ant from before popped before their eyes. “Now, you’ll make a fire, get warm and listen. Maybe you’ll survive.” *** The fire danced little red highlights across the three’s faces as they were barely situated. After a few introductions, Munkee was convinced that the ant, Alex, wasn’t going to kill them at the moment. Bahamut wasn’t so sure. “So, what’s going on here?” The hare laid out flat and coldy, hoping to get a quick response. He wasn’t so lucky. “To understand the answer to that, you have to know a lot more about this guy than you currently do.” Alex sat on a crate just at eye level with the healing bounty hunter and the confused echidna. “While he looks to be younger than both of you, maybe around seventeen or eighteen, he is in fact closer to two hundred and fifty years of age.” Pausing to see any reactions he continued on. “He is currently in a state of in-between. Just around twelve hours ago he was subject to Robotiszation. The mental reprogramming in it somehow screwed with Freddy’s mind. Give him back his conscience they he lost centuries before, but leaving his vampiric nature.” “So your saying he’s nice now?” The hare interjected with a raised eyebrow. “The Barney the Dinosaur of vampires?” “And, I’m sure if I’m buying this vampire crap…” Munkee continued from Bahamut’s statement. “It’s not an easy thing to buy into.” Alex sighed. “But it’s something you’ll need to get used to. And understand.” “Enlighten me.” Bahamut commanded sarcasticly. “First of all, facts and fiction about the vampires. Facts: they react violently to sunlight and holy objects. A stake in the heart will turn one to dust. They have ungodly regenerative abilities. They feed on blood, and can turn their victim to a vampire if blood is exchanged between the two. “Now for the other side. They can NOT be hurt by garlic. They can’t fly, they don’t have to be invited in your home. If you kill their master, they will not revert to normal. They can’t control you with their magic ‘eye stare’ or whatever. You don’t HAVE to use a stake to kill them, it’s just the prefered method.” No one said anything for a moment. “So Freddy here is different?” Munkee asked. “Right, he regained his conscience, like I said, around half a day ago. However, after his fight with the robot he was pushed to the edge of full death. When that happened his medallion tapped into his vampire abilities that laid dormant from the robotiszation. In the process it kinda pushed his soul to the side.” Bahamut sighed. “So what do we need to do?” Alex stood up. “Aim for his necklace.” In a cloud of dust the ant was gone. Barely a second passed when the door opened, and the squirrel’s voice cooed in creeply. “Come out, come out, wherever you are…” *** “Hmph, “ Freddy grunted as he kicked over the charred remains of old clothing that had illuminated his prey only a few minutes ago. “Hiding huh? You guys might as well give up now… you’re not getting away.” He hopped onto a box, overlooking the dusty warehouse. Sniffing the air he picked up a general direction and went for it. Reflexes like lighting, Freddy nearly shattered the crate with a swing. Munkee yelled as he shot from his hiding spot, just out of the way of a large wooden box hitting the ground where he once stood. He barely got time to turn to Freddy before his neck was locked and his body held against another crate. The squirrel held with such a grip, the echidna could hear the wood planks crack behind him. Thankfully, Munkee was not alone. With a snap, a two-by-four found itself breaking against the squirrel’s skull. The vampire lost his grip just well enough for Bahamut to land a second blow. Unfortunatly, that’s all he got before Freddy landed a headbutt and began pummeling. Now, with sufficent distance between him and the vampire, Munkee pulled out his handgun, insuring it was armed. All he needed now was a clear shot. Bahamut attempted to block the vampire’s punches, succeeded at times, failing much more. When he saw Munkee remove his weapon, an idea came to him. The hare let a blow through, giving him sufficent time to cut Freddy’s left leg out from under him. Stumbling for balance, the vampire was easily manipulated into a headlock. Bahamut held with all his strength, about to lose his catch any moment. But a moment was all that they needed, the medallion was in perfect range. Munkee, realizing this opportunity, quickly set up aim. Freddy also came to the conclusion this would not be a good situation. With a growl, the squirrel placed his hands on Bahamut’s shoulders and flipped out with his feet. As he flipped, Freddy used his right foot to knock the gun from Munkee’s grasp. The handgun flew past Bahamut and against a far pile of crates. Freddy meanwhile was now fully out of Bahamut’s grasp and facing both his adversaries at once. “Now that was interesting.” Freddy chuckled. “You guys are fun. I haven’t had this much action since Lydia.” The vampire frowned when the only semblence of a response was a signal from Bahamut to Munkee. He guessed by the waving of a hand to Freddy, that it was an attack command. That and the fact that both of them immeadiatly rushed him were the biggest give aways. Realizing the two-pronged frontal assualt coming, Freddy stepped back and ripped a metal pole from a nearby storage shelf. He used it quickly to shield himself from Bahamut’s punch. Directly afterward, he spun the pole downwards, blocking a kick. Then Munkee hit from the other side, and chaos broke loose. A direct punch blocked from the echidna, and Freddy swung just right to nail Bahamut in the gut, who now slid to the side. The vampire now concentrated on Munkee. Three swings, barely avoided by the echidna before one was landed to the leg. The violet echidna cringed as Freddy brought his pole up to make one last blow. As he swung downwards it got caught and he stopped. Munkee took his chance and landed a blow to Freddy’s gut. Royally pissed off, Freddy kicked hard with his left foot, ripping the pole from it’s captivity. His right foot as the axis, the squirrel spun a full 360. Munkee barely got the time to jump, just over the spinning support beam of death. He hardly landed, hitting surprisingly hard. Freddy stopped his revolution, facing Bahamut who’s hand was bleeding from having a pole ripped out from it. The squirrel, growling went full on at the golden hare. Barely avoiding the frantic pole swings, Bahamut finally ducked, grabbed the metal bar and yanked it from Freddy’s grasp. Unfortantly, this made the vampire pissed enough to kick Bahamut’s arm hard enough to forced him to drop the pole. Using his momentum, Freddy swung his other foot into the rabbit’s chest. This move left him facing the other direction, just in time to see an echidna aim his gun and fire. The vampire’s medallion shattered in a flash of light, the pieces of precious stone and metal flew into the air accompanieds by a swirl of blood and green light. When all calmed down, Mondo was left with a hole in his chest that would cause him a lot of pain when he woke up. In the meantime, the vampire dropped to his knees and smacked into the floor. Munkee TPCG bronze Posts: 199 (3/27/02 1:38:40 am) Reply Chapter cuatro -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (This took a long time for me to get back into. Sorry. I included a recap if you don't want to read the whole thing again.) (Munkee: Lives in Dran Fortress. Around 30-some-odd years old. Has a daughter, and apparently a long standing life in Dran Fortress. He's a sharp shooter and knows most of Dran Fortress. Renee: Munkee's daughter. After a battle with a squad of Swatbots she was wounded and abducted by a mysterious force. Mondo: Real name Freddy Blackwood. A vampire. Last chapter he turned hostile and turned on the others. Lost his memory. 250+ years old. Alex: A fire ant with some connection to Mondo. Gave the others some clues to vampires last chapter Bahamut Dragons: A bounty hunter. Normally a dragon but can change form. Currently a golden hare. He's been pressured by Mondo for information on his parents. Situation: Dran Fortress is a freedom fighter town. It underwent a seige during the last three chapters and is slowing down at the moment.) Chapter 4 – Our hearts, littering the topsoil “Freddy… don’t fail me Freddy…” Mondo was dazed. She was calling out to him… his oldest of acquaintances… “Jesse?” His voice was weak, his mind was confused, and his eyes were blind. “Where are you?” “Come on Freddy… you should know that. It’s only been a day.” The voice faded, Mondo was left with his thoughts. His memories… Slowly his vision blurred into reality. His first sight was not a pleasant one, an angry hare, and staring right into his pupils. “Give me one reason not to break your neck right now.” *** Mondo’s wrists were tied together. He sat on a crate, staring at the ground. His mind was still dazed, but slowly, little pieces of memory returned. “You won’t be able to get out of this town.” Bahamut raised an eyebrow, hoping this was the squirrel’s excuse. “Why not?” Mondo sighed, barely finding the willpower to speak. “Because now that the freedom fighter group is gone from Dran Fortress, the underworld can easily come into power. There’s a large vampire world existing in this very town.” Munkee stood up, paying close attention to the vampire. “Start from the beginning…” “The beginning?” Mondo looked up. “Yeah, I guess that’s the best idea.” “A week ago, me and one of my acquaintances came upon a intercepted signal from Robotnik to his underlings in this region. Considering the large amount of the undead in this region, my ‘friend’, Jesse, decided to come here in hopes of fulfilling some prophecy or something. “She told me to come along, however she had to hurry ahead. I took my time and came here less than twenty-four hours ago, just in time for Robotnik’s siege. That’s when I was captured and robotized, returning my ‘soul’.” “So what’s this have to do with keeping us from leaving?” Bahamut asked impatiently. Mondo tilted his head to the bounty hunter. “We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Robotnik’s most likely set up his new camp here. It would be suicide to fight through him to get out of here. Meanwhile, on the other side, the vampires of Dran Fortress will be on the move now.” “Where’s your point coming in?” The hare lowered his eyebrows, losing his patience. Mondo glared back. “I’m saying, you’ll need me to help you through the undead. With my connections, I could get you past them and out.” *** The slums of any town were never a pretty sight. Trash, drugs, the poor, the sick, everywhere. However, Dran Fortress was known for having a larger slum ratio than most. Add on to that: two sieges from Robotnik and the fact that vampires dominate the place and you’d get a part of town that could kill a person through atmosphere asphyxiation. Vampires aren’t known for their cleanliness. But they can be if it’s needed. The slums had no sign of a violence or blood. But Mondo knew, in the buildings, below the streets, there was sights a person could live their whole life without seeing. And sights that would ruin one’s life. Feeding was just the beginning of the disturbing rituals. The squirrel shuddered slightly, trying to knock the visions from his head as he knocked on the door. He turned to Munkee and Bahamut. Munkee looked anxious, Bahamut looked skeptical and hostile. Mondo had been trying to play off more than he gave in to. He was disturbed mentally, and close to breaking down. He still had practically no memories. He didn’t really know who Jesse was; he just knew they went way back. He didn’t really know vampires either. He knew their weaknesses; he knew what happens when they’re alone. He also knew the medallion protected him from the sunlight and that he got it from Alex. Alex was another matter. He remembered meeting the ant a few days just before the robotiszation. The ant gave him the medallion and was able to fight off the vampire. And still, he didn’t know who killed his parents. But now, he assumed it must have been a lot longer time ago than he originally thought. His own age was a mystery to him. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” A female feline’s head poked from behind the door. Long brown fur, auburn hair like Mondo, lime green eyes, Jesse was practically a beauty queen. Her head immediately dropped back into the house. A moment passed before Bahamut couldn’t resist a comment. “THAT’s your connections? Fuck this. I’m leav—“ He was interrupted when the door shattered into wood chips and flew off, knocking Mondo onto the ground. The feline emerged again, a wild expression on her face. Her eyes had turned yellow and large fangs now shown obviously as she spoke. “Where have you been!?” Violently, she lifted the squirrel by his collar. “Here I am, waiting three weeks patiently for you. And now you just waltz up?” “Set him down!” Bahamut screamed at the feline, his rifle aimed and charged. “All we need is out of this shit town. So set the kid down, and we’ll be on our way.” Jesse ignored him. She was busy. “And let me guess, you lost the medallion too didn’t you? What happened to you!? Freddy the horrible… all you had to do is get one medallion from one little ant. How could you mess that up!?” Ah yes, that’s right: Alex didn’t give me the medallion, I took it. Then again, it was a little too easy to get from a creature that breathes fire and teleports. Mondo thought for a moment before waking to reality. His plan to play it safe through the vampire world had failed, before they even knew he had a conscience. He had to improvise, and unfortunately, his adrenaline was building. And causes two things: 1) An increase on the smart ass-o-meter and 2) and increase in vampiric abilities and tendencies. “Oh yeah, did you need that for something?” Both Munkee and Bahamut gave Mondo the ‘what-the- fuck-are-you-doing?’ look. The one people usually give when they are too dumb struck to say “What the fuck are you doing?” He looked off into the sky casually, considering he was being held up by his jugular. “Yeah, I mistook it for some toilet paper.” He looked at Jesse and shrugged. “What can you say? Accidentally flushed the damn thing. Clogged my drain for a long time.” Jesse smiled vilely, immediately killing Mondo’s flow. “You’ve got your soul back…” She chuckled. “And let me, guess, someone destroyed that medallion while it was on you.” Now she laughed all out. “This is better than I hoped!” With a swing, she tossed the squirrel into Bahamut. The feline spun in a circle happily. “The savior! You have the key to the savior in you! Now we don’t even have to go through the trouble of the ritual, you’ve done it for me!” She began to sing happily as she pranced off to a darker section of town. “Lala-la-la-la-la…” “Wait! Jesse!” Mondo called out, scrambling to his feet. He practically stumbled as he chased after the cat. Munkee’s eyes went wide. “Mondo! Get back here! Don’t go off!!!” He kicked a piece of trash. “God dammit.” Turning to Bahamut he motioned. “Come on, we need to help him.” “Correction: You need to help him.” The hare stood. “I’m done, I’m finding my own way out of this shittown.” Munkee’s eyes widened even more. “You’re just going to abandon him!?” With just a nod from Bahamut, Munkee pressed his case. “Even after all he did to help you!?” “I already paid him back! I helped him get his ‘soul’ or whatever you want to call it back! I don’t own him anymore!” “FINE!” Munkee yelled in the bounty hunter’s face. “I see where this is going! The world’s a shit hole, so we might as well abandon one another and fuck each other over! Because that’s how we SOLVE PROBLEMS!!!” Munkee turned around. “You can go do whatever you want. I’ll be busy trying to make the world better.” Munkee ran off in the direction Mondo and Jesse went, leaving Bahamut. *** Mondo ran into the doors just as Jesse had shut them. He could hear something locking on the other side. He cursed and banged on the door for a moment before giving up on that idea. Slowly he backed up and took a good look at the building. A twisted cathedral: at one time it allowed the people of the slums to have someplace to go and find salvation from their lives. They would listen to the priest and pray for divine intervention. Now, it was torn from two battles and time. The wood was termite infested, it’s glass windows shattered long ago. It was now used by creatures of the night for their demented rituals. Giving up on finding an alternate entrance already, Mondo kicked at the door. “ Dammit!” “Stay calm… you’ll get in when she’s ready…” Mondo turned around to a depressing sight. A couple dozen vampire junkies surrounded him. Probably high on something, or not recently feed or something; they looked extremely dangerous either way. The squirrel backed into the large cathedral doors and watched the vampires. When none of the began to advance he began wondering. Why are they doing? Are they waiting for something? “Sorry to make you wait dear…” Mondo looked up to see a second depressing sight. Jesse sat in the broken rose window. She held a twisted dagger, and twirled it slowly in her hand. He flinched as drop of red liquid dropped on his nose. The squirrel shook her blood off him. “We’re ready for you now, kitten…” The door clicked and opened behind him. Mondo turned around for a second and turned back just in time to see a couple dozen vampires coming his way. He suddenly wished he had waited for the other two. *** Munkee hit a dead end. The cathedral was shut tight, and no amount of bullets or bare-fisted tantrums would get him in there. Besides, he didn’t really need to, the doors began to open on their own. Or rather, from inside. The echidna’s jaw dropped. He didn’t expect this. A tall decaying creature emerged from the building. Humanoid, the creature had the face of a radioactive acid victim. It was seven feet tall, lanky, and what looked to be rotting. Beside him, Jesse trotted with a grin on her face. Munkee backed up a moment, feeling very nauseated over the creature. Then he caught sight of Mondo inside the cathedral, shackled to table of some sort. He was bleeding freely from the wrist. A couple of vampires seemed to have fun playing with him. Looking back at the savior, the echidna saw his only real choice of actions. Taking in a long breath, he began a sprint. He shot past the left side of the savior, the side opposite to Jesse. He practically slid into the cathedral. As soon as he could he took a shot, directly into one vampire’s forehead. Not enough to kill the beast, but it would incapacitate him for a few moments. The other one he hit real quickly in the gut and shot similarly. Approaching Mondo, Munkee was frantic. “Are you alright?” He immediately set to ripping the leather straps off the vampire. “I’ll… heal in… a couple… minutes…” The squirrel said. “Alright…” Munkee found a loose piece of cloth around and wrapped it around Mondo’s wrist, hoping it could help somehow. “Will you be fine here for a moment?” “Yeah…” The squirrel rolled from the table and onto his knees. “I’ll be good…” Without further word, Munkee left and found himself face to face with the savior again. Cursing he unloading the last of his clip on the beast. Shot after shot just seem to have been absorbed into the creature. When the gun began to click, the savior laughed. His laugh was chilling, deep throated and sickening. With a wave of his arm, the creature flung Munkee clear into a nearby wall. The echidna hit the ground with a groan. The smell of burnt fur filled his nostrils. With wavy eyes, the echidna could see a smoldering portion of fur where the savior had touched him. “Ugh… this guy’s got to have a weakness…” He said as he simultaneously found a cross his wife had given him ages ago. *** Mondo got to his feet. The wound was just beginning to heal. It ached, but it was slowly dulling into a throb. He took a moment to watch the situation before knocking over the ritual table and breaking off a leg. He readied his make shift stake and began to charge at the savior. He didn’t make it out of the cathedral before Jesse had him pinned. “What are you doing, love?” Jesse grinned, baring her fangs at Mondo. “This is our future. Why are you fighting this? He will make the world ours, people will be our food. This is the way it’s meant to be. You’ll never have to fear holy water or light again.” The squirrel struggled. “Sorry, I’ve seen the light. When was the last time you could walk out into the sun? It feels so good to feel that warmth on you. Better than a thousand feedings.” “Hah!” Jesse exclaimed. “You probably don’t even remember your last feeding!” Mondo delivered a knee to the feline’s gut and tossed her from him. Quickly he delivered another kick to her head, and yet another to the gut. She fell down, hopefully unconscious. *** Munkee backed up slowly, as the savior advanced. He held his cross by the chain, swinging at the creature with little result. They react violently to sunlight and holy objects Fire hurts. Alex’s lecture choose a perfect time to enter Munkee’s memory. The echidna leapt back from the savior’s last attack, and kneeled over. He dipped the cross into a pool of oil that had conglomerated on the street. Reaching into his shoe, Munkee pulled out a small high-powered laser. It wasn’t plasma, so it wouldn’t work as a weapon. But it did make a beam of light a couple times hotter than what a magnifying glass would do. Pointing it at the cross, he caused it to submerge in flames Swinging the metal cross now by it’s chain, the savior stopped. He didn’t advance any more, but didn’t seem too threatened by the cross. Fortunately, at that point a plasma blast shot from behind Munkee and hit the vampire lord in the eye. The savior screamed in pain. He opened his other eye to see a golden hare with a plasma rifle emerge from behind a dumpster. For the first time he spoke. “You shall perish for that!” He ignored Munkee and began to bound forward to Bahamut. He only got twenty feet before a second divine intervention was on his back. He had forgotten his defenses to the rear and a stake thrust through his back and straight into the savior’s heart. He screamed a bone-chilling yowl of pain as Mondo immediately leapt off of the creature’s back. Flames erupted from where the stake had protruded. They consumed his body, turning it to ashes. The skin and muscle burned of his skeleton. The skeletal remains crashed on itself, turning to pile of white powder. The wind swept through and carried off the ashes slowly. The three unthanked vigilantes stood around their accomplishment in awe. They’d get no thanks for this act. No parades, no chicks, nothing. But yet, they may have just saved the world. Then again, if saving the world were this easy… someone else would have done it eventually. The only real response they got was from Jesse, who was standing just by the cathedral doors. “Look what you’ve done Freddy! You’ve shattered our dreams…” She was too upset now to fight him, or take out her anger. But an evil thought entered her head. She grinned maliciously. “I hope you’re happy. You have no medallion to hold your soul onto with. Eventually your demonic side will take over. And when that happens, you’ll come to me. But you’ll have no savior to turn to. For you destroyed him.” The three just gave her a dumbfounded look as she entered the cathedral and disappeared. “So…” Munkee intervened after awhile. “…I guess we split now?” “Yeah…” Mondo said slowly. “Let’s go…” The three all left the alleyway side-by-side. None of them said anything. Munkee didn’t ask Bahamut why he came back. No one asked who Jesse was. They just walked off, to the east. -End Act I- Munkee TPCG bronze Posts: 200 (3/27/02 1:45:31 am) Reply Credits -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (If you go the the original threads, remember there's a lot of creative liberties. I mean a lot.) Credits… This translation… Todd Ponder Characters… (In order of appearance) Todd Ponder: ACT(s) 1 _____Karhad _____Kayla _____“Munkee” _____Renee Roy Hansen: ACT(s) 1 _____Freddy “Mondo” Blackwood _____Alex _____Jesse _____The savior ; “Hellbringer” “Bahamut Dragons” (Real name unknown): ACT(s) 1 _____Bahamut “Duo Prower” (Real name unknown): ACT(s) 1 _____E-106 – ‘Omega’ ; “The Eggbot” Original Threads: ACT I- (Prologue not found in roleplay) Dran Fortress (Pre-chapter 1. Background for Mondo and Bahamut) pub1.ezboard.com/fsonicrp...ID=3.topic Becoming (Chapters I, II, and III) pub1.ezboard.com/fsonicrp...ID=6.topic Becoming II – “Resolution” (Chapter IV) pub1.ezboard.com/fsonicrp...D=21.topic I'll add an art section later. I have to make the page first...