by Will Wallner
"How can I kill him?" Hunter doubted whether he could defeat such a powerful being.
"Don’t you remember? I gave you the gift. The power to defeat him lies in the secrets of Phthalo Blue." Finally, Hunter learned the name of the power he had been given. "You must harness this power and learn to control it fully. Then you can stand against him and defeat the Alizerin Crimson that plagued this world."
"Alizerin Crimson?" Hunter had seen the red mist which shrouded the dark figure.
"It is the dark energy which that creature draws upon for his power. He controls it, but it is also his master. It is extremely dangerous and will corrupt any human soul it touches. He used this power to destroy my world." The knight made a gesture, implying that the place they were standing represented where he came from.
"Who are you?" Hunter didn't expect to get a real answer. Whenever he'd asked the dark figure this question, he was always met with a cryptic response.
"My name is Toki." The knight replied, to Hunters surprise. "Think of me as your guide and teacher. It took many years to master the power of Phthalo Blue and understand it fully. Now I must pass on that knowledge to you."
"Why me? Who am I?" Hunter knew it was very likely that this time he would not get the answer he was looking for.
"Hunter, I cannot tell you who you are. That truth exists within you and you must find it on your own. This vision will end soon, and I will disappear, but remember, I am always by your side." Toki's spirit vanished into a soft blue mist.
~
The world around Hunter faded to black and he found himself alone in a sea of black. He could hear the sound of his own breath and could see the vapor as it left his lungs. Then something moist touched his cheek.
"What was that?"
He felt his face to check what had touched him but couldn't feel anything. He thought he might have just imagined it, but then it happened again. Something cold and wet touched his cheek.
"Hey stop it!"
From the darkness, Hunter opened his eyes and found himself back in the desert, leaning against the destroyed MAW military vehicle. From the look of the sun, he must have been unconscious many hours, it was now late in the afternoon, but there was something else. There was this constant annoying feeling of some wet, slimy object touching his face. It took a few more seconds for him to regain his senses, but then he realized, something was licking his face! Hunter looked by his side and to his surprise, saw it was Moja. She was licking his cheek.
"This must still be a dream."
Hunter couldn’t believe this was actually reality. He reached out to pet her head. More than anything, he just wanted to check if she was real. The movement from Hunter, signaling that he was alive, made Moja explode with excitement. Her tail wagged uncontrollably and her whole body shook with ecstasy. Hunter rubbed her ears which only made her happier. She couldn’t control herself. She thrust herself on top him and started licking his face all over.
"Moja! Get off!" Hunter was too weak to defend himself and rolled onto his back. He was now alarmingly aware of how weak his body was. He didn’t have the strength to push her away. The hours he lay passed out in the desert had severely dehydrated his body. Along with the injuries he had sustained the night before, meant he was in serious trouble. He was now on the brink of death. As the excitement faded Moja calmed down slightly and stepped off his body. Just the release of this pressure meant Hunter could at least breathe slightly better. Moja walked in a circle around his body, almost like she was inspecting him to try and figure out what was wrong. She paused for a brief moment and then started to howl loudly. Her voice echoed across the desert as she tried to alert anyone for help.
"How did you end up out here in the desert?"
With everything Hunter had been through, he couldn't help but consider that this wasn't really happening. How on earth did Moja manage to find him out in this desert? Did this mean Taz and Nakita were also nearby?
"Moja, I'm in trouble." Hunter reached up and touched her as he lay on the ground. "You can tell, can't you?" Moja continued to howl into the open air. This might have appeared like a useless effort. The desert was completely empty, and they were far off the main road. There was little chance that someone driving by might spot them. She continued to wail. "It's ok Moja, don’t waste your energy." Hunter tried to rub her side in an effort to get her to calm down. He didn't think there was any chance of someone hearing her cries for help, but unknown to Hunter, Moja's acute sense of hearing had picked up a noise somewhere not too far in the distance.
Moja had picked up the low bass frequency of a motor engine headed towards their location. The deep rumble was getting closer and closer. As soon as Hunter heard the noise, he realized he might be in even more danger. If someone was coming, it's very unlikely they would be coming to the rescue, most likely it would be more MAW soldiers. When they saw the scene of destruction and the dead bodies of the two MAW soldiers, they would make quick work of finishing off Hunter. He was defenseless.
Hunter rolled his body against the roof of the tipped over MAW vehicle, hoping he could hide himself long enough until he knew who was approaching. He grabbed Moja and tried to keep her quiet. The sound of tires rolling across the rough desert surface could be heard. Whoever was coming, was getting very close. There was no doubt whoever it was, was close enough to see the destruction left by Hunter from the night before.
Hunter could hear the vehicle coming to a stop. Followed by the sound of footsteps walking over the desert surface. From the noise it sounded like several people had exited the vehicle. They were extremely close to Hunter, who was frozen behind the MAW vehicle. They were so close, he could hear their voices. It wouldn’t take long until they discovered him. He gripped Moja tightly and tried his best muster as much strength as he could. Maybe he'd be able to get in one last attack before they swarmed him. He lay waiting, ready to make his final stand. A single set of footsteps approached, whoever it was, they were right on the other side of the overturned MAW vehicle. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
"Don't move!" A soldier stood over Hunter and pointed their gun. The bright sun shone directly in Hunter's eyes so he couldn’t see anything except the outline of the soldier. He squinted his eyes and it was apparent this person looked different from the MAW soldiers he had encountered the night before. Moja growled at the stranger while Hunter held her back, preventing her from attacking. The last thing Hunter wanted was for Moja to get shot. She wasn't a big dog and was hardly intimidating. The soldier just looked at Hunter in silence. Perhaps the sight of a civilian clutching a dog out in the middle of a desert was a confusing sight.
"Please, don’t shoot." Hunter spoke meekly.
"You're not MAW?" There was something strange about the soldier's voice.
"No, I'm not." Hunter tried to identify the uniform of the soldier who stood over him. Of course, he had no clue, but there was something different about this soldier.
"That's good, because if you were, I’d kill you." The soldier lowered their weapon and removed their combat helmet. Then Hunter realized what it was about this soldier that was confusing. This soldier was a woman. "Who are you?" She asked with an assertive voice.
"I got stranded out here in the desert." Hunter tried to think of a convincing story. "I've been badly injured. I crawled behind this wrecked vehicle for shelter."
"Do you know what happened here?" She looked around at the carnage.
"I don't know …" Hunter wasn't sure if he should tell the truth. He didn't know who these people were. It was fairly obvious they were not MAW, but still, he had to be cautious.
"You look like you're in bad shape. You better come with us. We'll take you to a hospital." The soldier then whistled, as if to signal to her comrades. "Over here! I got an injured civilian!" She yelled. Soon after, several more soldiers came to Hunters position, they crowded around, unsure what to make of him. Moja couldn’t help but growl at them. The soldier who had first found Hunter knelt down and reached out with her h
and.
"Don’t worry, we're here to rescue you. We won't hurt you. We're nice people, not like those MAW pieces of shit." The soldier then gently petted Moja, who's ears folded back as if she was unsure. The soldier rubbed her head to try and gain her trust. Then she turned back to Hunter. "My name is Jessie. Me and my comrades are gonna carry you to our truck, your dog can come as well. We have a field medic who can give you something for the pain." One of Jessie's comrades knelt down over Hunter and opened a small metallic case. The medic gave Hunter an injection and he quickly lost consciousness.
Flashback: Mary's Confession
Valley Village, Middle Continent
Day 28 Month 2 Year 2037
(3 Months Ago)
Hunter sat at a small wooden table inside the artists cabin. It was a small wooden log cabin a short way up a mountain, not too far from Valley Village on the western side of Middle Continent. Hunter lived in this cabin for almost four years after he awoke from his year long coma. It was always meant as a temporary residence. He intended to stay there for a short time until his memories returned. They never did. As the years went by, he realized he wouldn’t find the answers he was looking for. He needed to go out into the world and search for the truth. The timing was perfect. One of his closest friends, an orphan called Taz, wanted to travel to Tech City and needed someone to accompany him. Hunter and Taz would leave for Tech City the following day, this was the last night Hunter would spend in the cabin. After he finished his business in Tech City, Hunter intended to carry on exploring the world of Eros.
Hunter looked at the unusual decorations inside the small living area. There were several paintings piled up in every corner, some of those were Hunter's. Just as he was getting ready to go to bed, he heard familiar footsteps coming up small winding path that connected the cabin to the village. It was probably Taz coming for some unnecessary reason. He probably was just bored at the orphanage and wanted to chat to Hunter. When the footsteps reached the entrance to the cabin, Hunter called out.
"Taz! What are you doing here this late?" There was no response. Just silence. Hunter considered Taz might be playing some sort of trick on him. He cautiously stepped out onto the front porch of the cabin. "Taz, stop messing around, I know you're…" Hunter was surprised to see who was actually standing in front the cabin. "Mary, sorry I thought you were Taz."
"I hope I'm not disturbing you." Mary grinned at Hunter, almost laughing at being mistaken for Taz. She was a young woman who worked as a nurse in the village. Since the arrival of Tiberian orphans, she had worked in the orphanage to help look after the children. Mary cared for Hunter after he was brought to Valley Village. She watched over him for a long time while he lay in a coma. Back then, she was still just a teenager, but now she stood as a woman. Her long blond hair shimmered in the cool evening breeze. It had been some time since Hunter had last seen her. She looked even more beautiful than what he remembered.
"Please, come in, what brings you here this late in the evening?" Hunter waived his arm, inviting her into his home. She sat at the old wooden table. Hunter felt a little nervous so remained standing.
"I hear you're leaving tomorrow with Taz to check on Malcom in Tech City?" She asked.
"That's right. Taz is convinced something is wrong, so I agreed to accompany him." He nervously pottered around his small kitchen. "Can I offer you something to drink?"
"I'm fine, thank you. I know Taz can be very determined when he sets his mind on something." She hesitated for a moment. Trying to think of the words she wanted to say. "I just wanted to come say goodbye before you left."
"Oh, I see." Hunter felt there was more to what she was saying. "I should have come to say goodbye before I left. That was wrong of me." He wasn't sure if it was right to address the subject out in the open. More than anything, he cared for Mary's feelings.
"I knew you would try to slip away quietly. Hunter, after you're done in Tech City, you're not coming back to the village, are you?" Her eyes peered into his soul and knew what his intentions were. She knew she would never see him again.
"Mary, I'll never forget the time we spent together. You nursed me back to health. I'm forever grateful, but you know I don't belong here. There's something inside of me, searching for the truth. I can’t stay here any longer. What I'm looking for is out there." Hunter looked out from the window of the cabin which overlooked the valley beneath. The view was simply breathtaking.
"You don't need to explain, I understand. I just wanted to say goodbye and see you one last time." She swallowed before making her final confession. "I didn’t want to let you leave without telling you that at one point in time, I was in love with you." She finally said out loud what Hunter knew all along.
~
Hunter awoke on a make shift stretcher inside the back of a cargo truck. He bounced around as the truck drove over the uneven desert surface. Moja stood by his side, unable to sit or relax. They were surrounded by a dozen soldiers. Now, seeing them all up close, he was even confused as to who they were. No two of their uniforms looked the same. They were soldiers, there was no mistake about it, but they liked a group of mercenaries. They were mostly men, with a few woman soldiers mixed into the group. Jessie watched over Hunter and tried to reassure Moja that she was safe.
"Good, you’re awake. Don’t worry I kept your little fur ball safe." Jessie rubbed Mojas back. "Listen, I know you're not feeling good, but my commander wants to speak to you."
"Um, sure, what does he want to know?" Hunter was barely awake and thought cautiously about why they would want to speak to him.
"He just has some questions about what happened to you and that MAW vehicle." She looked at him, and Hunter knew she was suspicious. "Also, those two dead MAW soldiers, you don't know anything about those do you?" All of sudden, Jessie seemed a lot more intimidating, and Hunter was now very much awake.
"Well, I, ugh," before Hunter could answer, a man who looked almost like a pirate, or a cowboy, came from the from the driver's compartment of the truck.
"What Jessie is trying to say is, did you kill them?" The commander spoke with a twang and exuded arrogance. His appearance was an eclectic mixture between a rock star and a mercenary. He had curly black, greasy hair, a goatee, and a leather jacket adorned with skulls. It was clear he'd been in many battles. Parts of his body had been replaced with artificial robotics. A bionic eye patch covered one eye. "I find it hard to believe you just happened to be stranded out in the middle of the dessert and came upon two dead soldiers and a destroyed military vehicle. It's far more likely that you were involved somehow. So, I'll ask you again, did you kill them?"
Hunter froze for a moment, conflicted on how he should answer the question. His instincts told him that he should tell the truth. It was clear these people were not associated with MAW Corp and Jessie's comments implied they were not allies.
"I had no choice. They attacked me and I defended myself. I didn’t mean for them both to die, but it is what it is." Hunter swallowed nervously after confessing his sins. The cowboy mercenary smiled.
"That was the correct answer!" He laughed as Hunter felt slightly relieved. "MAW is our enemy. We hunt them down to make them pay for their sins." He held out his bionic hand to Hunter, who accepted it. The metallic plates felt cold and rigid. "My name is Larvos, the former leader of Crimson Blade."
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED
In the Desert between Tech City and Tiberia, Middle Continent
Day 11 Month 4 Year 2037
It was approaching nighttime out in the desert. This incredibly long day was finally nearing its end. Viper drove his highspeed vehicle with Simon nervously giving directions. Viper resisted the urge to take a stimulant to keep himself awake. He could barely function. All within this single day, he had secured the crashed ship in Berlin and neutralized the infected ship's captain. He had then travelled to Tech City to investigate what had happened to the Overlords. He listened to Simons story, and despite being full of holes, he believed he was starting t
o understand what had happened. Now he was driving out in the desert, to inspect the scene which Simon had described. He knew he should have probably left for the following morning and got some proper rest, but it was too important. Viper's obsession with finishing his mission kept him going.
