ONE FRIDAY NIGHT
THE setting sun shed a large orange hue across the cityscape as the home bound rush hour traffic started to build up along the major thoroughfares, filling the business district with the usual noise and clamour.
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Along the eastern end of the city, the orange light withdrew slowly from an old, forgotten, and abandoned area. The fading sunlight slowly crept away from old derelict buildings as shadows began to slowly hug the blighted structures across a section covering roughly ten square kilometers. The city's former business district now stood stolidly silent and void, staring blankly to the lively west as darkness engulfed her once again. The Bloc has been the site of an epic confrontation between a terrorist group and the nation's Special Forces some five years ago. The devastation was so severe and the experience so unnerving that the area has been cordoned off indefinitely. No one was allowed to go inside the area, no plans ever materialized for its reclamation. The memories of death permeated the place that it effectively kept most people away even with little enforcement.
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Drane jogged down the broken streets of the Bloc, enjoying the freedom of isolation that it offered. He loved this old part of the city, though he was never really from this place. A stranger in a foreign land, people gave him the weird side glances whenever they see his pointed ears and blue hued hair. Wearing a hood helped solve that little concern but Drane ultimately found his solace inside this place. Sure he had friends, more like teammates actually, but he was a solitary soul and he fiercely missed his own people. He has been sent to the "outside world" for a purpose but has yet to receive the final word. Like all that hails from the Scionar race, the nineteen year-old obediently and patiently waited for his purpose. To pass the time, he jogged during dusk to keep his mind off his homesickness and to train his abilities as well.
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Wrapping up the last leg of his run with a right-turn dash down Oak Street, Drane stumbled in surprise as he tried to stop mid-run. Collecting himself after the frantic roll, he stared at the odd figure sprawled in the middle of the street. He slowly approached the thing, not sure what it really was, only to find a charred body lying in front of him. He looked up and around, trying to figure out where it possibly came from. There was no visible fire anywhere, no exceptional smell except for the charred flesh. Could it have fallen from the sky, he wondered to himself. In all the days that he ran this route, he always saw the same things, but he has never encountered any other living person. Drane gave the body a befuddled look, his curiosity getting the better of his judgment. He kneeled and poked it to see if it will move. When it didn't, he contemplated his next step.
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A charred hand suddenly grabbed Drake's right arm in a vise-like grip. Shocked and surprised, the Scionar shrieked and started to scramble away. But the charred body reached out to him with its other arm, silently pulling and clawing, grabbing and clutching. Drane tried to fight back, kicking and pushing away. He summoned his power to come forth to no avail. With panic overwhelming him, Drane made a last attempt to escape.
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Rencell was busy learning the art of the perfect fried egg when he heard the ringing doorbell. Squinting his queer black-colored eyes and reluctant to be disturbed from his attempt at a masterpiece, the Kyrrne shouted impatiently.
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"Ey Neo, can you get the freakin' door!"
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In the living room, enjoying the new episode of his favorite anime series, a disgruntled and grumbling Neo walked towards the door with his eyes glued to the TV. When he opened the door and turned to look, he saw no one standing there. Annoyed by the disturbance, Neo was about to shut the door when his vision caught something from below.
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"Drane! What happened to you?" Neo gasped.
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Lying on the floor, bloodied and bruised, the Scionar raised his right hand to reach for his friend.
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"Somebody beat me up..." he groaned.
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Neo quickly carried his injured friend towards the couch.
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"Rencell!" he shouted worriedly.
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The Kyrrne appeared, half-running at the sound of Neo's worried voice. Rencell stared at the bruised and bloodied Drane and nearly cussed.
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"What the hell happened?"
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Drane started to blurt out the incident, from the dead body to the animated struggle and his lucky escape. Neo and Rencell listened attentively. Asking the exact location where it happened.
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"I'm going to get the first aid kit." Rencell said as he went upstairs.
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Neo asked more questions. The more information gathered the better the judgement call, this is what he learned as a trained Vezinian. He scolded Drake about how crazy and stupid he was and started to babble on the protocols of engagement and went on his traditional big brother tirade.
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"You should have known better man." Neo grumbled worriedly.
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Drane meekly nodded his head. Neo is one of the seniors of the group. Assigned to keep an eye on him and guide him in the ways of the world. It has been almost a year since they all came together, formed under the guidance and sponsorship of the Hirogimo Clan and BenJim Enterprises.
"Where's the first aid kit?" Neo shouted.
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But no Rencell answered his call.
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************************************************
Rencell stood in front of the derelict building, staring at the ruined facade. The sunlight has nearly disappeared from the place, leaving it gloomier and darker by the minute. But Rencell was unperturbed, his anger burned for the beating his friend received.
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Rencell and Drane were the closest of the four, enjoying common interests that developed into a special bond of friendship over the last months.
Rencell's eerie black eyes burned with a mystical light, reflecting his indignant resolve in his white iris. He joined this group because he owed Neo a favor for saving his life. And even though the hippie Vezinian never really obligated him, he felt a sense of weird magical empathy when he witnessed Neo and their robotic friend Vezdra together in action. This quirk called to him like an old yet unknown song, so he forced his way into the team to discover how it is connected to his life calling. In the process, he gained a close friend and bonded with the group, completely puzzling him so much more as to his true destiny under the Weave.
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He rubbed his beard out of habit, shaking the memories aside, Rencell took a step inside, determined to search for the person who hurt his friend.
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Inside the dark building's ground floor, the Kyrrne focused his senses to detect anything unusual. Convinced that the area is empty, he started to proceed up the concrete stairs. On the second level, more concrete pillars stood across the large open floor space of the unfinished building.
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"Each pillar could hide that monster." he thought to himself. So he carefully moved around, intently observing every shadow, every sound, every possible motion as he has seen Neo done countless of times. He gave out a breath of relief as he concluded that this floor is empty as well.
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He turned around towards the stairs when his breath got caught up in his throat. In front of him stood a humanoid creature, its eyes bulging from the sockets. It was hissing a rotten smell with a crackling sound like meat on a grill coming out of its body.
Rencell cussed as he called forth his innate magical powers.
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"I swear I'm gonna beat up that guy!" Neo grunted as he applied the first aid on Drane's wounds. The teenager silently accepted the painful administration. Not wanting to further anger the Vezinian.
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The doorbell rang.
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"That should be Vezdra. Finally someone with common sense in this group."
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Neo opened the door and found Rencell sprawled on the floor, much worse for wear than Drane was nearly an hour ago.
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"What happened to you?" Neo asked in shock.
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"Somebody beat me up too." Rencell replied meekly.
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Neo's face registered a mix of shock, frustration, and anger. "That's what you get for being an ass!" he smacked Rencell on the head.
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"Owww. I'm hurt man." Rencell complained as Neo dragged him inside.
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Drane failed to hide his laughter in time and got a smacking himself.
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"You fools! Where's your common sense? Fighting an opponent all by yourself." Neo berated both men. "I should beat you up myself if I had the mind. Wasting all the team work training shit."
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"Should we call Vezdra?" Rencell asked as he searched the medicine kit.
"But of course! What else is the right thing to do?" Neo retorted incredulously. "I'm going to get Vezdra and look into this. You two patch up." as he slung on a leather jacket.
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With that, Neo left the apartment and went on his way.
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************************************************
Neo ultimately found himself in front of the derelict building.
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"Never let another race do what a Th'ao should do. That's what my grand dad used to say. No one does fighting better than a Th'ao, and by hell I am one." Neo repeated the mantra silently like a birthright.
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"Those two weaklings. One freaking opponent." he said shaking his head. "Vezdra will laugh his butt off on this." he grumbled as he strode towards the dark building, the gathering wind blowing his long thick hair.
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First floor.
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Second floor.
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All clear.
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Neo's Vezinian training and senses were on high alert as he ultimately found his target on the third level. Sitting at the center of the barren third floor was a humanoid figure, seemingly on a yoga pose with legs crossed together.
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"Hey you!" Neo said with as much authority he could muster.
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"Hey asshole!" he repeated on the same tone, but the figure remained sitting, head stooped down.
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"Fine." Neo moved in to attack with a wind-up punch, a wild and heavy swing attack that is proven to smash a dozen wooden planks.
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Neo's punch met flesh, specifically the strange man's palm that effectively held his attack in place.
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Surprised, Neo barely survived his opponent's counter attack as he flew across the room, thrown in one quick motion. Neo landed on his feet and hands, sliding against the dusty floor as his fingers dug against the concrete, halting his slide. He pushed against the floor and thrust himself forward towards the sitting man, kicking the floor to add momentum. As he approached, he punched and kicked and punched in one great motion, delivering nearly two dozen quick blows. His opponent blocked and dodged and rolled along with Neo's attack, nearly negating all but two of his attacks. Both men landed on their feet a few feet from each other, face to face.
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"Now that I have your attention..." Neo remarked but his opponent suddenly moved, its face inches from his nose, eyes glaring red, breathing sulfur. It tried to bear hug him, but Neo blocked both arms and delivered a swiveling axe kick against his opponent's right shoulder as he moved backwards. The kick connected perfectly, driving the strange man down the floor.
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"Hah!" Neo shouted. He took a stance out of his favorite anime idol, waving his arms and legs, wiping his nose with his thumb.
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The strange man stood up, his right arm limping against his body. He growled like a tiger or some weird animal. The growl became louder and louder as he repeated it in quick unison, like barking or howling. The fourth growl came like a shock wave that ripped the concrete from the floor and pillars. Neo crossed his arms in front of him as the wave threw him back all the way across the opposite wall.
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Sprawled on the ground, Neo saw hundred of cuts on his hands and arms. He touched his face to confirm the sensation.
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"This looks bad..." he said to himself as he felt the cuts across his face. He looked up, just in time to see his opponent charging. He grinned, raised his right arm and pointed it to his charging enemy. Tiny particles began materializing around his arm, like pellets or marbles.
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"Eat this!" he shouted as the particles flew towards his opponent.
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The strange man felt the bite of the particles digging against his raw flesh. He felt an unnerving sensation, he felt pain for the first time. Pain since that fateful day. The memory and realization, more than anything, stopped him on his tracks. He looked at his body, this new body, and saw wounds but no blood. Anger consumed him, rising like bile. Memories fueled this anger that grew into another roar.
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Neo was pushed back against the wall as another shock wave hit. The wall behind him cracked against the force of the attack. Neo fell along with the debris, landing on his back against the street. His bones seemed to have cracked in some places, his body ached in burning sensation. Still he managed to look up and saw a hand creeping out of the hole on the third floor.
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His instinct took over, as he forced himself to stand and run.
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"I hope they are okay." Drane said.
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"I'm sure they have beaten that guy's ass by now. Neo and Vezdra are strong." Rencell answered as he ate his fried eggs. "Want some?"
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The doorbell rang. Drane shot to his feet. "It's them!"
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Both men ran to the door. As Drane opened it, they both saw a disheveled man sprawled on the ground.
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"Somebody beat me up." Neo said as he lost consciousness.
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Vezdra's mobile phone started ringing.
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"Hello." he said absently, as he browsed the pages of his review notes.
Rencell's voice droned over the phone in a rush.
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"Wait, wait, wait. What happened again?" Vezdra asked, paying more attention this time.
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"Somebody beat us up." Rencell stated flatly, annoyed with the fact that he had to repeat himself, more so with the fact that he had to indicate he got beat up too. The Kyrrne rattled off the story from Drane to Neo's encounter and told Vezdra that he needs to get home fast.
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"Wait for me to get back home." Vezdra said, as he calmly collected his stuff. Gathering his thoughts and the information that was just mentioned.
As his mind went to work in simultaneous motion with his hands, Vezdra arrived in a decision as his neural processing AIM chip calculated timing and the pros and cons.
With a derived conclusion calculated by his internal exa-processor, he went to the place that Rencell mentioned.
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It was past nine in the evening when Vezdra arrived at the place.
He scanned the area, looking attentively around. He saw a hole on the wall up above, debris, trash, and dozens of dark corners as the moon bathed the place with its light. He walked inside the building with confidence, cracking his fingers. His large chain necklace jingling across his neck.
Nothing of any import was noted on the first and second floors, the third floor showed some signs of a struggle highlighted by the gaping hole. The Simulus looked around with his blue and green eyes, his internal computer chip calculating angles as it simulated the previous battles in the area.
Vezdra went up the unfinished floor and into open air, concluding that the enemy must still be in the area. And there, standing under the moonlight was a naked figure with hands raised up, basking under the moon rays as if worshiping the celestial body.
Vezdra cracked his fingers and neck as he stood across the man. It turned to face him. The Simulus ran an identity match with his airnet connection program, but nothing came out. The naked man looked at his opponent from head to toe.
Both understood.
The man screamed, Vezdra rolled hard to his right, swiftly pushing his hands against the floor and flipped his body on the air towards his opponent's side. He pointed two fingers and shot an energy beam towards his enemy before he landed. The man jumped forward and rolled as the ground where he stood was burned with a large hole, the concrete still hissing from the intense heat.
The man charged towards Vezdra as he landed, delivering a wind-up punch. Vezdra raised his left arm to block the attack and fired an energy beam from his right palm that enveloped his opponent, his battle simulator software working in overtime.
Hissing and burning flesh crackled as Vezdra saw two arms come out of the smoke to envelope him. He tried to block it but the vise-like grip caught him. Vezdra tried to shoot energy beams from his hands but the bear hug immobilized him.
As the smoke cleared with the wind, a burnt face emerged and screamed right in front of him. The point blank shock wave rattled Vezdra, nearly stunning him with the damage it inflicted. His ears and nose bled, his face suffering cuts all over. He strained to break free from the man's damaging grip but he couldn't. He felt the grip tighten, squeezing the life out of him.
Vezdra tried one last time to break free by butting his head against the opponent.
Vezdra landed on the ground, weakened from his injuries. He saw his opponent attempt to grab him again. Vezdra fired all his remaining energy beams and shattered the ground where he laid. He fell with a strong thud on the third floor, his opponent following him through the large crack he created. Before his opponent could land, Vezdra made a dash for the old hole on the wall and jumped out of the building.
23%. That's what his battle simulator showed. A twenty three percent chance of winning.
The Simulus coolly decided his future course of action as he landed on the street.
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Neo, Rencell, and Drane all waited patiently for Vezdra to arrive from the university as they contemplated their next move. Each one putting his two-cents worth of opinion on how they should act against the target.
As the door bell rang, all three jumped to their feet, eager to get things going.
They opened the door and saw a bloodied Vezdra standing there.
"What...?" Neo started, but Vezdra's raised hand stopped him abruptly.
"Don't even think about saying it." The Simulus grunted in a deathly tone that drained the remaining blood from the heads of Drane and Rencell.
Everyone stepped aside as Vezdra walked in, sat on the couch, took the medicine kit, and started nursing his superficial wounds as his internal repair system worked intensively.
His friends silently sat around him.
"Who is that guy?" Rencell broke the silence.
"He is a nameless one..." the Simulus flatly stated as he stared blankly on the TV, his internal scrolling vision still not showing any identity match.
Drane felt a knot tighten inside his chest at the mention of the term 'nameless one'.
"We need a plan." Neo said coldly.