Post by Hyoza on Aug 15, 2014 12:32:50 GMT
Hyoza had long since left the town behind - along with the bodies of Ghirash and his crew. His time with the crew had been dominating his thoughts since he left. In truth, he owed his life to the crew. Without their training and protection, he would likely have been killed by Arcosian Imperial agents long ago. He had barely evaded execution almost a dozen times before Ghirash had picked him up - back when he worked as a mercenary. The crew traveled across the galaxy together, met new and interesting cultures, and then beat them up and took their valuables. Good times. He had decided that he regretted the turn of events that had led him to his current situation. True, he was more powerful now than he likely would have been if he'd stayed with the crew, but the pirate's life was the life for him. Now, he was stuck on this little planet with no ship, almost no money, and no knowledge of his surroundings or the native people.
Hyoza now found himself gliding above a mountainous region - carpeted with pine trees wherever there was room for them to grow. He could see so sign of civilization, and the sun was setting. However, on the horizon he could see a thin plume of smoke rising up into the red sky. He decided to check it out, and potentially take advantage of some local hospitality. Speeding up, he soon reached the source of the smoke - a large wooden cabin, nestled at the edge of a lake - totally alone, miles from any other humans. A strange place to live, Hyoza thought. Most life forms sought the company of their own kind, it was a rare and unusual individual that would remove themselves so totally from the rest of their race. The irony of this thought occurred to Hyoza shortly afterward - he was himself an outcast from Arcose, hunted for many years after he left their home world.
He set down on the dirt track leading up to the cabin, and walked quietly to the door, knocked firmly several times, and waited. No answer was forthcoming, and after several minutes, he tried the handle. The door was not locked, so Hyoza stepped inside. He whistled, to announce his presence, but nobody came to meet him. He could sense no energy anywhere nearby either, and concluded the house must have been left recently. It was either that or, more worryingly, the occupant may have died.
The cabin interior was basic, but welcoming. There was a warm fire blazing in the fireplace, and several stuffed animal heads mounted on the walls, which were covered by layered planks of wood. There were several comfortable-looking armchairs facing the fire, and the windows were hidden behind heavy curtains. It was a cozy little spot, perfect for a nap. But the ex-pirate didn't feel comfortable yet, he needed to know who was in the house, and where they might have gone. The rest of the cabin was made up of a series of rooms branching off from a central corridor behind the main room. Hyoza went along, checking in each of them, finding little of interest - just well-kept spare bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and finally - a locked door.
Intrigued, and convinced that there was nobody in to disturb, Hyoza gave a firm tug, ripping the door handle out of its position, and then pushing the now unlocked door open.
He was instantly assailed by the coppery smell of blood - and there, in the middle of this otherwise-bare room, were piled almost a dozen corpses, all human, of varying ages and genders. They each had gaping holes through their torsos, from which had oozed the blood which now drenched their piled carcasses. Hyoza wrinkled his nose at the stomach-turning smell. It was hardly the most horrific thing he had ever seen, but there was something undeniably sinister about such a serene place playing host to such terrible acts. Who might have done this? And would they be a threat to him? He decided he was unwilling to find out, and turned to leave.
Unfortunately, a very large something was blocking the door. It looked somewhat like a human male - but larger than any Hyoza had ever seen - almost eight feet tall, and with an extremely heavy build. Its skin was a pallid patchwork of stitches and staples, and he was clad in a heavy black greatcoat, thick fabric trousers and heavy iron-clad boots. Its clothes were torn and frayed in dozens of places, and caked in the brownish stains of dried human blood. Here and there - the seams on its face had split, and beneath could be seen not bone - but glinting metal, stained slightly with long-dried blood. The man's bald head slowly lowered to gaze at the diminutive Arcosian, steely blue eyes briefly flashing red.
Before Hyoza could make any attempt at communication, the man-thing slammed a palm into his chest, sending him hurtling through the window, which shattered as he collided with it. Before he could pick himself up from the shards of glass and window-frame, the thing had burst through the cabin wall, sending debris flying in every direction. Hyoza shielded his eyes, only to have a fist slammed into his gut so hard he was sent hurtling up into the air. He tried to stop himself and take flight, but suddenly a massive hand was wrapped around his ankle, dragging him back to the ground. Before he could react, he was hurled back into the cabin, smashing into the piled bodies with a wet thud.
The monstrous being charged again, but this time there was enough distance for Hyoza to react, and he fired off several ki blasts, before leaping to his feet. The creature was not slowed by the blasts, and Hyoza managed to duck under a right hook, delivering a strong kick to the monstrosity's gut. Unlike the yielding surface of an organic's stomach, this creature's abdomen was rock hard, and it was completely unfazed by the strike. Hyoza had but a moment to gawk at the power of this cybernetic freak show before he was smashed to the floor with a hammer-blow, the impact splintering the floorboards and causing the walls to shake.
Hyoza desperately needed to put some distance between himself and this freak so he could transform. He couldn't sense its energy due to its artificial nature, but he knew it clearly outclassed his suppressed form. He began to focus his ki into a Brave Gatling attack, orbs of crimson light forming at his fingertips as the towering cyborg reached down to grasp his leg. Hyoza seized the opportunity, placing his fingers around the thing's skull and unleashing the beams. It recoiled, a terrifying grating, mechanical scream reverberating through whatever passed for its vocal chords now. Sparks issued from its head, and the patchwork of skin had been completely burned away in several places, exposing the smooth metal beneath.
Hyoza used his tail to sweep its legs out from beneath it before launching himself through the hole in the wall and into the lake. Diving down, he began to build his ki, preparing to break the seals on his power and transform. Thankfully he had no need to breathe, or this would have been a very vulnerable position to take indeed. With his ki focused, he commenced the transformation - his body painfully contorting and stretching, slowly expanding into his far more imposing second form. The now-rather-brutish-looking Arcosian burst from the waters of the lake to find the cyborg bearing down on him once more. This time, when they exchanged blows, his attacks definitely made an impact. He managed to tear one of the abomination's hands off after a deftly-avoided chop, slamming the rigid mechanical appendage into its ribs. Smoke began to rise from the cyborg's increasing number of wounds. It was clear Hyoza now had the advantage, and he was sure to capitalize on it as much as he could. He delivered a powerful blow to the back of the android's head, slamming it into the sludge on the shores of the lake. As it weakly attempted to recalibrate its systems and drag itself from the muck, Hyoza dropped onto its head, grinding the metallic skull into the smothering filth.
Just as he prepared to deliver a decapitating blow, Hyoza was struck from behind by a powerful ki blast. reeling from the attack, he spun to find the source of the assault. Three more humans - or more likely, cyborgs - were approaching him at great speed. He kicked the damaged cyborg into the water and hurled a barrage of ki blasts towards them, quickly retreating back into the house. he could hear them shouting to each other as he head inside, finding a small trapdoor beneath where the corpses had been piled. He dropped down into the dark cellar beneath, dragging a corpse over the door before closing it. Now, in the secluded darkness, he could transform again. His ki focused and swirled about him once again, a bright red corona of energy surrounding him and illuminating the cellar. Even as his body was wracked with painful spasms and the agony of metamorphosis, he could not help but stare at the horrors all around him. The cellar was filled with grotesque cylinders of preservative fluids, protecting various body parts, organs and partially-dissected bodies from the ravages of decomposition. Some were in the process of having cybernetic components grafted onto them, and various mechanical apparatus were scattered around the cellar amidst the cylinders. What the hell was going on here?
At last the pain subsided, and his third form was fully assumed. Without a further moment's hesitation, Hyoza burst through the ceiling, and then through the roof of the cabin, hurling ki blasts with wild abandon. The cyborgs dodged with ease and continued their advance. These ones seemed better-programmed and designed than the first, which he assumed was likely posted as a sentry due to its relatively inhuman appearance and more primitive construction. One of them was dragging the fallen sentry back from the lake, he noticed. They certainly seemed to be allies. He had no time left to think on the matter, however, for the pair were upon him, fists and feet flying at blinding speeds.
Hyoza struggled to avoid their blows, which were far more precise and measured than the heavy-handed, poorly-calculated attacks of the freak show that had attacked him before. They were definitely of a better design than the other was, he realized. However, his raw power was enough to handle them. He managed to slap one away with his tail, before striking the second with a powerful ram from his massive skull. As they were both hurtling away from him, he began to charge his Brave Gatling technique, one hand pointed at each of the cybernetic attackers. By the time they were closing in again, he had built enough energy to do some serious damage. The spheres lanced outward as bright beams of penetrating fire, puncturing the abominations in a half-dozen places and sending them crashing to the forest below. But even as they fell, he heard mechanisms begin to whirr as they went into overdrive, and their eyes, flashing red, opened once more.
Hyoza had held them off so far, but he could not win this fight if it dragged out any longer. Not willing to risk further battle, he began to bombard the cabin and the surrounding area with ki blasts, slowly withdrawing up into the air as he did so. The cabin was quickly reduced to smoking, blackened debris, and the cyborgs rose no more. However, they were certain to have self-repair mechanisms, and he doubted there had been enough power in his assault to claim a lasting victory. Ready to get away from the horrifying place and its ghoulish owners, Hyoza sped off into the night sky.
Looked like he wouldn't be sleeping after all.
Hyoza now found himself gliding above a mountainous region - carpeted with pine trees wherever there was room for them to grow. He could see so sign of civilization, and the sun was setting. However, on the horizon he could see a thin plume of smoke rising up into the red sky. He decided to check it out, and potentially take advantage of some local hospitality. Speeding up, he soon reached the source of the smoke - a large wooden cabin, nestled at the edge of a lake - totally alone, miles from any other humans. A strange place to live, Hyoza thought. Most life forms sought the company of their own kind, it was a rare and unusual individual that would remove themselves so totally from the rest of their race. The irony of this thought occurred to Hyoza shortly afterward - he was himself an outcast from Arcose, hunted for many years after he left their home world.
He set down on the dirt track leading up to the cabin, and walked quietly to the door, knocked firmly several times, and waited. No answer was forthcoming, and after several minutes, he tried the handle. The door was not locked, so Hyoza stepped inside. He whistled, to announce his presence, but nobody came to meet him. He could sense no energy anywhere nearby either, and concluded the house must have been left recently. It was either that or, more worryingly, the occupant may have died.
The cabin interior was basic, but welcoming. There was a warm fire blazing in the fireplace, and several stuffed animal heads mounted on the walls, which were covered by layered planks of wood. There were several comfortable-looking armchairs facing the fire, and the windows were hidden behind heavy curtains. It was a cozy little spot, perfect for a nap. But the ex-pirate didn't feel comfortable yet, he needed to know who was in the house, and where they might have gone. The rest of the cabin was made up of a series of rooms branching off from a central corridor behind the main room. Hyoza went along, checking in each of them, finding little of interest - just well-kept spare bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and finally - a locked door.
Intrigued, and convinced that there was nobody in to disturb, Hyoza gave a firm tug, ripping the door handle out of its position, and then pushing the now unlocked door open.
He was instantly assailed by the coppery smell of blood - and there, in the middle of this otherwise-bare room, were piled almost a dozen corpses, all human, of varying ages and genders. They each had gaping holes through their torsos, from which had oozed the blood which now drenched their piled carcasses. Hyoza wrinkled his nose at the stomach-turning smell. It was hardly the most horrific thing he had ever seen, but there was something undeniably sinister about such a serene place playing host to such terrible acts. Who might have done this? And would they be a threat to him? He decided he was unwilling to find out, and turned to leave.
Unfortunately, a very large something was blocking the door. It looked somewhat like a human male - but larger than any Hyoza had ever seen - almost eight feet tall, and with an extremely heavy build. Its skin was a pallid patchwork of stitches and staples, and he was clad in a heavy black greatcoat, thick fabric trousers and heavy iron-clad boots. Its clothes were torn and frayed in dozens of places, and caked in the brownish stains of dried human blood. Here and there - the seams on its face had split, and beneath could be seen not bone - but glinting metal, stained slightly with long-dried blood. The man's bald head slowly lowered to gaze at the diminutive Arcosian, steely blue eyes briefly flashing red.
Before Hyoza could make any attempt at communication, the man-thing slammed a palm into his chest, sending him hurtling through the window, which shattered as he collided with it. Before he could pick himself up from the shards of glass and window-frame, the thing had burst through the cabin wall, sending debris flying in every direction. Hyoza shielded his eyes, only to have a fist slammed into his gut so hard he was sent hurtling up into the air. He tried to stop himself and take flight, but suddenly a massive hand was wrapped around his ankle, dragging him back to the ground. Before he could react, he was hurled back into the cabin, smashing into the piled bodies with a wet thud.
The monstrous being charged again, but this time there was enough distance for Hyoza to react, and he fired off several ki blasts, before leaping to his feet. The creature was not slowed by the blasts, and Hyoza managed to duck under a right hook, delivering a strong kick to the monstrosity's gut. Unlike the yielding surface of an organic's stomach, this creature's abdomen was rock hard, and it was completely unfazed by the strike. Hyoza had but a moment to gawk at the power of this cybernetic freak show before he was smashed to the floor with a hammer-blow, the impact splintering the floorboards and causing the walls to shake.
Hyoza desperately needed to put some distance between himself and this freak so he could transform. He couldn't sense its energy due to its artificial nature, but he knew it clearly outclassed his suppressed form. He began to focus his ki into a Brave Gatling attack, orbs of crimson light forming at his fingertips as the towering cyborg reached down to grasp his leg. Hyoza seized the opportunity, placing his fingers around the thing's skull and unleashing the beams. It recoiled, a terrifying grating, mechanical scream reverberating through whatever passed for its vocal chords now. Sparks issued from its head, and the patchwork of skin had been completely burned away in several places, exposing the smooth metal beneath.
Hyoza used his tail to sweep its legs out from beneath it before launching himself through the hole in the wall and into the lake. Diving down, he began to build his ki, preparing to break the seals on his power and transform. Thankfully he had no need to breathe, or this would have been a very vulnerable position to take indeed. With his ki focused, he commenced the transformation - his body painfully contorting and stretching, slowly expanding into his far more imposing second form. The now-rather-brutish-looking Arcosian burst from the waters of the lake to find the cyborg bearing down on him once more. This time, when they exchanged blows, his attacks definitely made an impact. He managed to tear one of the abomination's hands off after a deftly-avoided chop, slamming the rigid mechanical appendage into its ribs. Smoke began to rise from the cyborg's increasing number of wounds. It was clear Hyoza now had the advantage, and he was sure to capitalize on it as much as he could. He delivered a powerful blow to the back of the android's head, slamming it into the sludge on the shores of the lake. As it weakly attempted to recalibrate its systems and drag itself from the muck, Hyoza dropped onto its head, grinding the metallic skull into the smothering filth.
Just as he prepared to deliver a decapitating blow, Hyoza was struck from behind by a powerful ki blast. reeling from the attack, he spun to find the source of the assault. Three more humans - or more likely, cyborgs - were approaching him at great speed. He kicked the damaged cyborg into the water and hurled a barrage of ki blasts towards them, quickly retreating back into the house. he could hear them shouting to each other as he head inside, finding a small trapdoor beneath where the corpses had been piled. He dropped down into the dark cellar beneath, dragging a corpse over the door before closing it. Now, in the secluded darkness, he could transform again. His ki focused and swirled about him once again, a bright red corona of energy surrounding him and illuminating the cellar. Even as his body was wracked with painful spasms and the agony of metamorphosis, he could not help but stare at the horrors all around him. The cellar was filled with grotesque cylinders of preservative fluids, protecting various body parts, organs and partially-dissected bodies from the ravages of decomposition. Some were in the process of having cybernetic components grafted onto them, and various mechanical apparatus were scattered around the cellar amidst the cylinders. What the hell was going on here?
At last the pain subsided, and his third form was fully assumed. Without a further moment's hesitation, Hyoza burst through the ceiling, and then through the roof of the cabin, hurling ki blasts with wild abandon. The cyborgs dodged with ease and continued their advance. These ones seemed better-programmed and designed than the first, which he assumed was likely posted as a sentry due to its relatively inhuman appearance and more primitive construction. One of them was dragging the fallen sentry back from the lake, he noticed. They certainly seemed to be allies. He had no time left to think on the matter, however, for the pair were upon him, fists and feet flying at blinding speeds.
Hyoza struggled to avoid their blows, which were far more precise and measured than the heavy-handed, poorly-calculated attacks of the freak show that had attacked him before. They were definitely of a better design than the other was, he realized. However, his raw power was enough to handle them. He managed to slap one away with his tail, before striking the second with a powerful ram from his massive skull. As they were both hurtling away from him, he began to charge his Brave Gatling technique, one hand pointed at each of the cybernetic attackers. By the time they were closing in again, he had built enough energy to do some serious damage. The spheres lanced outward as bright beams of penetrating fire, puncturing the abominations in a half-dozen places and sending them crashing to the forest below. But even as they fell, he heard mechanisms begin to whirr as they went into overdrive, and their eyes, flashing red, opened once more.
Hyoza had held them off so far, but he could not win this fight if it dragged out any longer. Not willing to risk further battle, he began to bombard the cabin and the surrounding area with ki blasts, slowly withdrawing up into the air as he did so. The cabin was quickly reduced to smoking, blackened debris, and the cyborgs rose no more. However, they were certain to have self-repair mechanisms, and he doubted there had been enough power in his assault to claim a lasting victory. Ready to get away from the horrifying place and its ghoulish owners, Hyoza sped off into the night sky.
Looked like he wouldn't be sleeping after all.