Post by Beryl Roarke on Dec 24, 2014 3:32:48 GMT
He couldn’t believe how much the earth had changed.
The earth he remembered was beautiful, a wonderful planet that housed a myriad of creatures that lived together in absolute bliss. But now, now it was a shadow of its former self. Blood stained the streets, the grass, the earth, everywhere. Decomposing corpses rotted in the back of alleyways. Innocents were viciously hunted down, either for their possessions or to be sold into slavery. Gangs and corrupted syndicates called the shots, and the government ignored the peoples’ cries for help. It was a nightmarish world, and Beryl was now stuck in the center of it.
He had lost his way a while ago. He didn’t even know where he was to begin with, and he wandered aimlessly for half an hour before stumbling upon a peculiar city district. The streets were completely deserted, save for a few sheets of crumpled-up newspaper fluttering through the air. The streetlights flickered ominously. The full moon shined high in the starry night sky. Hunched over from fatigue, the dark-skinned male scooted to a stop. His dark-brown eyes were weary, and if he could have, he would’ve flopped over right then and there for a well-deserved nap. Digging through his pocket, Beryl pulled out his cell phone. It was one of the newest models available, and it was one of the few possessions that he currently had on him. After swiping his hand across the screen once, the device’s screen lit up brightly. The time was displayed in the upper left-hand corner in large, white numbers.
“It’s already midnight?” Beryl muttered, a bit startled about how quickly time had passed. He had to find somewhere to stay for the night. It wasn’t safe being out in the open, especially in a place as ominous as The Memory Road. Shoving his phone back into his pocket, the young adult began to jog lightly down the street. He kept his head on a swivel, knowing that he had to be on his guard. For a moment, he had the feeling that he was being followed, but no matter how many times he peeked over his shoulder, he didn’t find anyone or anything behind him. Beryl shook his head. His nerves were starting to get the better of him. Inhaling slowly, the lad exhaled through his mouth, doing his best to calm himself down. Just as he managed to shimmer down, a booming, deep voice erupted from behind him.
“Bahaha! Looks like we got another one!”
Immediately, Beryl whipped around, his beanie nearly flying off of his head. Standing just a few feet away from him was a terrifying looking Xeno, one that appeared to be some species of bipedal reptile. A crocodile was the closest animal Beryl could pin the stranger to, except he had a shorter snout, orange skin, horns jutting out of the back of his head and a long, prehensile tail sticking out just above his butt. The beast stood around seven feet tall. He wore a simple black sleeveless shirt along with matching black pants and shoes. Muscles rippled through his body and he carried an aura heavy with intimidation. The Xeno smiled, displaying rows of sharp, glistening white teeth. His yellow eyes zeroed in on the much smaller Earthling. “Kid, don’t ‘cha know it’s dangerous to be out here so late?!” the thug taunted, easing his way towards the trembling lad. Beryl took a step back, and then another. His eyes welled up to the size of saucers. As much as Beryl wanted to respond to the stranger, he just couldn’t. Any words that worked their way up his throat were simply shoved back down, almost as if someone had their foot jammed in his mouth. At that point, more people began to slip out of the shadows. Judging from their looks alone and the way they smiled at Beryl with sadistic grins; it was safe to say that they were buddies with the crocodile-looking fellow.
“Y’don’t look yer from around here,” the beast-man replied, taking a moment to examine the dark-skinned male. He chuckled. “Doesn’t matter. I’m sure you’ll make us plenty of cash once we sell you off.” Beryl blinked his eyes. “W-What are you talking about?!” the boy stuttered, barely able to keep his composure. They were planning on selling him?! For what purpose?! The Xeno flashed a fanged smile. “See kid, people pay a lot of money for slaves. Now, I gotta make a living just like everybody else so I decided to get into the slave trade, and I’ve turned out pretty well! A lot of money, slaves that do anything I want, fancy cars, nice house, girls . . .” The list could’ve went on and on. “Anyways kid, you got two choices. You can either come along with us quietly or . . . we can beat the shit out of you and drag you off that way. Your call.”
Beryl pursed his lips. Neither one of those choices was favorable. To make matters worse, he was completely outnumbered as well. His dark-brown eyes shifted from one goon to the next. There were five of them, including the crocodile guy, and they each looked as if they were capable of holding their own in a scuffle. However, the other four weren’t the ones who worried Beryl the most. No, the Xeno was the one Beryl was terrified of. His physique was intimidating enough, and Beryl could vividly sense his power oozing off of him like some kind of overpowering cologne. Still, there was no way in hell Beryl would just . . . give up. Even if he did end up fighting and losing, at least he attempted to fight for his freedom . . . and his life. Sighing, the twenty-three year old slowly shifted into his fighting stance. His right arm and leg were placed in front, while his left leg and arm remained behind. His knees were slightly bent, and his stance closely resembled a boxing stance with some minor differences. Once the horned thug saw the young adult drop into a fighting stance, he smiled so wide that all of the fangs in his mouth were visible. His eyes shined with frightening excitement. “Oooh! Looks like we got ourselves a little fighter!” he jeered, earning an episode of laughter from his fellow slavers. “Tch. Alright kid, let’s see what you got,” the bipedal reptile said, slipping into a fighting stance of his own. The other slavers hovered around the two combatants, ready to interject at any moment.
However, before the duo could begin their fight, a group of robotic figures suddenly teleported to the scene. They appeared between Beryl and the orange-scaled Xeno, and they quickly captured everyone’s attention. “Agh, it’s fucking you four again,” the hybrid growled, obviously annoyed. One of the newcomers immediately spoke up. Their voice was unmistakably female, and her figure, though seemingly cybernetic, was still noticeably feminine. “It’s so nice to see you too, Geel,” the suited woman replied, her voice calm and silky smooth. “I see you haven’t decided to change your despicable ways.” She looked over her shoulder towards Beryl. The young male stared silently at her. “Give up being a slaver? Are you fucking crazy, Celine? What the hell would I do that when I get ANYTHING I WANT FROM IT?!” Geel hollered, his anger suddenly spiking. “You know what, we’re going to kill you right now. You, your friends, your family, everyone,” Despite the weight of the threat tossed their way, the group of freedom fighters remained calm. Instead, they all assumed fighting stances, prepared for one hell of a battle. Geel’s goons mirrored their opponents, all of them incredibly eager to beat the Heliotes’ faces in. “Can you fight?” Celine asked Beryl, watching as the dark-skinned lad nodded in affirmation. “Yeah, I can. I’ll . . .” He paused for a short moment. “I can take Geel.”
“Are you sure?” the young woman questioned. “He’s strong. None of us have been able to defeat him yet.” The Xeno didn’t just look like a brute. He was a proficient fighter and he was definitely smarter than he looked. “I’m sure. You four are risking your lives to save mine. The least I can do is at least attempt to fight him.” Beryl explained, taking a step forward. His dark-brown eyes were fixated on the beefy reptile. “I can sense his power. I don’t know the exact value but it’s more than mine. Still, I won’t let that stop me from trying to beat him.” Even though she had doubts of Beryl’s abilities earlier, Celine admired his courage. The dark-haired woman smiled underneath her battle suit. “Alright. We’ll take the others then. Best of luck to you,” she said, her comrades squaring up three of Geel’s fellow slavers, leaving one for Celine to deal with. As she turned to face her opponent, Beryl took several steps forward, placing him only three meters or so away from Geel. After adjusting his grey beanie, the twenty-three year old dropped back down into his fighting stance, his facial expression completely stoic and focused. Geel could hardly contain his excitement. His tail flickered back and forth, and his slit-shaped pupils dilated. “You’re honestly entrusting your lives in this scrawny ass kid!?” Geel laughed with a toothy smile. “Alright! Doesn’t matter to me!!”
Suddenly, the Xeno lurched towards the Earthling, his form engulfed with a blazing-orange aura. He flew through the air, yet his feet were barely off the ground, and Beryl was nearly caught off-guard by Geel’s sudden approach. The dark-skinned boy threw up his guard, just in time to block the beast’s mammoth fist that was heading straight for his jaw. Pain shot up his arm, and before Beryl knew it, he and Geel were exchanging a flurry of punches, kicks and blocks. At that time, the others had already begun their fights at well, and The Memory Road suddenly turned into an all-out Battle Royale. Beryl was surprised that he was able to keep up with Geel’s attacks, and he wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Even Geel cocked an eyebrow once he noticed that the little human wasn’t a complete pushover. “I guess you aren’t just a little weakling after all!” the Xeno said, simultaneously blocking a hard left punch. “But you are NOTHING compared to ME!” With that, Geel plowed through the human’s guard, smashing him in the chin with a bruising right elbow. Stunned and dazed, Beryl stumbled backwards, his vision jittering all over the place. Before he could even recover, Geel grabbed his shirt and chucked him straight into the air. The lad flew upwards like a ragdoll, the world spinning wildly around him. Beryl cracked open an eye, just to see Geel hovering several feet above him, waiting for his ascent. The humanoid male clasped both of his clawed hands into a double-axe handle, ready to smash Beryl back down to the bloody pavement below.
“I have to do something!” the twenty-three year old thought, teeth gritted. Just as he was about to reach Geel’s striking range, the dark-skinned male suddenly shimmered out of view. The Xeno widened his yellow eyes in surprise. “What the fu-?!” Geel sputtered, head whipping back and forth. He then turned around completely, only to meet Beryl’s fist socking him right in the jaw. A loud thump echoed through the air, a true testament to the force of the blow. The seven foot tall Xeno was pushed back a couple of inches. He kept his face turned away and Beryl waited in silent anticipation for his opponent’s reaction as he landed back down towards the ground. After a few seconds, Geel turned to face Beryl. A small trail of blood trickled out of the corner of his jaw. Scoffing, the slaver cleaned himself up with the back of his hand. “Lucky shot,” he grumbled. Beryl didn’t respond. With a sharp-toothed smirk, Geel raised his arm out in front of him, his palm open and facing Beryl. The twenty-three year old blinked, mildly confused. Red energy sparked in the Xeno’s hand before manifesting abruptly into a small sphere of volatile ki. Startled, Beryl managed to barely dart out of the way, causing the sphere to spiral off and crash into a nearby building. However, just as he did that, Geel anticipated his movements and took the opportunity to capitalize on the kid’s screw-up. Flickering out of sight, the massive monster appeared right in front of Beryl, wasting no time in driving his knee straight into the young adult’s gut. All of the air rushed out of Beryl’s body in one sudden motion, and he couldn’t do nothing but clasp his torso in agonizing pain. Smiling, the Xeno rammed his fist into the back of the human’s head, sending Beryl speeding across the ground. Dust, debris and blasts of air shot outward once Beryl connected with the ground, causing Celine, the rest of the freedom fighters, and Geel’s lackeys to pause their battles for a moment to gaze in surprise.
“No!” Celine cried out, reacting just in time to block a blow thrown by her thuggish adversary. Pleased, Geel began to descend so that he could get a closer look of Beryl. The twenty-three year old laid in the center of a small-sized crater, bruises and cuts littering his body. With a cough, he managed to summon up the strength to push himself up to a seated position, and from there, onto his feet. Even then, his legs shook and his arms quivered. His chest heaved up and down, and his breathing became labored. Parts of his clothing were ripped. “Heh, not bad. Not bad. I thought that was lights-out for you for sure.” Geel commented, descending until his feet touched the ground. He took several steps forward, coming to stand right in front of the much shorter human. Looking down at the injured fighter, Geel cracked an unusually bright smile. “You know, you don’t have to make this hard on yourself. Just give it up, will you? I’ll sell you off as a privileged slave instead.” The scary part was that Geel wasn’t joking. Not all slaves were treated badly. Some were actually treated well, in comparison to others, and had relatively decent lives. Beryl said nothing in response to Geel’s offer. With a soft grunt, he reassumed his fighting stance once more, much to Geel’s amusement.
“So that’s how it’s gonna be huh?!” Geel roared at the top of his lungs. His eyes were wild with malicious intent. Rearing back his right fist, the Xeno launched a punch straight for the center of Beryl’s face. However, before the strike could connect, the Earthling caught the reptile’s fist, squeezing it tight. Not wanting to give Geel a chance to react, Beryl used his other hand to grab Geel’s arm. With a forceful tug, the young adult flung the beast over his shoulder, causing him to go flying through the air. Even though it was a well-executed counter, Geel was able to recover with moderate ease. Righting himself up in the air, the Xeno was about to hurl an energy blast Beryl’s way until the boy suddenly reappeared in front of him out of nowhere. Changing his course of action, Geel was able to react quickly enough to Beryl’s flurry of blows, and it only took a second before the two were caught in another fierce exchange of blocks, dodges and strikes. From below, the group of Heliolites watched in suspense, the four of them already managing to deal with Geel’s allies. Celine quivered beneath her suit of cybernetic armor. “I can’t believe it. Can . . . can he actually do it?” she wondered. If Beryl managed to win, it would’ve been an enormous step in the right direction of her and every single living being the Corporation has wronged. Before, she didn’t bother getting her hopes up. After all, the kid would’ve gotten messed up if she and the rest of the crew hadn’t showed up. But now, that same boy, the same one who was trembling in fear, was holding his own against a fearsome opponent, one that neither she nor the others had any sort of chance of beating themselves. Was he the one that her group had been looking for? Was he the one that could help them actually have a chance at succeeding those goals? She wasn’t entirely certain but she hoped with all of her might that Beryl was the one.
After forcing Beryl to give him some breathing room with a well-placed kick, Geel began to send a swarm of ki blasts Beryl’s way. Holding his ground, the dark-skinned male zeroed in on each individual blasts. He raised his arms, continuously batting each of the blasts away from him. He didn’t deflect them away wildly though. No, he made sure to aim them away from Celine and the others and also away from any nearby buildings. He didn’t want to endanger his allies or cause any unnecessary destruction. Realizing a short break in Geel’s ki barrage, Beryl took a risk and began to zip forward. He maneuvered through the energy spheres the best he could. One nicked his shoulder and another managed to singe his side. Scrunching his face in obvious pain, the lad continued onward, managing to get within striking range. Clutching his right fist tight, the twenty-three year old socked the Xeno right in the jaw, making him abruptly stop his wave of ki blasts. Capitalizing on his counter, Beryl threw a left elbow towards Geel’s right cheek, thus forcing his head to snap in the opposite direction. Afterwards, the dark-skinned male kept his left arm out. He bent it so that his elbow was pointing straight forward. He balled his left hand into a fist and clasped his right hand over it. Using his right hand for extra stability and power, Beryl drove his left elbow right into Geel’s chin, sending him careening backwards into a nearby building.
“Amazing!” Celine breathed. Her comrades chatted amongst themselves, they too impressed by Beryl’s display of power and skill. Geel crashing into the skyscraper wasn’t enough to make it collapse but it did send shards of glass and pieces of concrete spraying out into the dirty streets. The scene turned deathly quiet. Celene stirred restlessly. “Is . . . is it over?” she whispered, her eyes locked on the damaged building. Beryl hovered in the air, hunched over from both injuries and fatigue. Blood seeped slowly from a cut on his forehead. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. He sure hoped his attack was enough to put Geel out of commission. That was the best that he could muster up, and he literally put his entire being into that powerful combination blow. Really, Beryl thought that combo up on the fly, but now after using it, it was a damn good combo attack that he could definitely put to good use. He made a mental note to revisit it, that is, if he managed to get out of this whole situation alive and not a slave.
Suddenly, there was movement in the building. Beryl sensed it. A few seconds passed, and a figure emerged from the fresh hole blasted in the skyscraper’s upper floors. “I can’t believe it!” Celine exclaimed, awe-stricken. Geel was still very much alive, conscious, and extremely pissed off. He floated through the air slowly towards Beryl, his bright golden hues wide with fury. “YOU LITTLE PUNK!!” Geel screamed. His deep voice seemed to carry for miles and miles. “I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!” It was official. Geel had officially gone off the deep end. His pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks. His fangs were bared in an insane grimace, a mix between a smile and a snarl. Clasping his clawed hands together, the Xeno began to focus his power. At first, nothing happened, but after a second or two, ki began to spark to life between his palms. The cackling grew more intense until the ki manifested into a small red cube. It started out tiny but rapidly grew in size, until it was the size of Geel’s hands ( which were already the size of dinner plates ). Flicking his thumbs, the beast-man divided the cube in half, causing two equally sized cubes to hover within both of his palms. “Haha. I can’t believe I’m actually using this to kill you! You! A stupid kid!” It was easy to see that Geel had completely lost it. “But that doesn’t matter! I’m going to blow you to fuckin’ smithereens!” the Xeno laughed, almost finished preparing his ultimate attack. Beryl frowned in concern. His body was busted up; it was surprising that he was even able to remain afloat. As much as he wanted to defend himself, he just couldn’t. He barely had enough in him to stay up in the air, let alone remain conscious. Was this really going to be the way he was going to die? Even when he was staring death in the face, the twenty-three year old managed to muster up a soft smile. Well, he did his best, did he? Besides, he never knew that he could fight like that, and that alone was enough to give him a bit of solace in his last minutes of living.
He closed his eyes, not wanting to see his body ripped into bloody ribbons from the force of the ki blast. However, Celine and her fellow Heliolites abruptly appeared around Beryl. They assumed a square formation with Celine being in the center right next to Beryl. In that brief moment, just as Geel unleashed his beam, the five Heliolites concentrated their power in that split second to teleport them and Beryl away. The searing-hot beam of ki continued onward into the distance for seemingly a mile or two before finally dissipating. Afterwards, Geel kept his arms outward, breathing hard with fatigue. He would’ve been glad and smirking that sinister grin of his if he had vaporized that stupid brat. However, he knew something was off. Those Heliolites from before; they managed to save that Earthling. Enraged, the reptilian male growled. He descended back towards the ground, only to see that his slaver buddies were either unconscious or dead. The seven foot tall Xeno clutched his hands into tight fists. He was going to find that dark-skinned kid, and make him pay dearly for all of the shit that he put Geel and his friends through.
Beryl couldn’t even remember what had happened. One moment, he was floating in front of Geel, just about to get blasted to the Other World by an ungodly powerful ki blast. Now, he was in some sort of technologically advanced base. He stirred awake, and he found himself lying on a rather comfortable bed. A woman decked out in flashy cybernetic armor loomed over him. “You’re awake,” she said calmly with a warm smile. Beryl placed a hand on his head. “Ooohhh,” he moaned. Every part of his body ached and throbbed. “Don’t move around too much. You still need a lot of rest,” the female commented. “You were amazing back there. I can’t believe you were actually able to damage Geel like you did back there.” Beryl blinked his eyes. Wait, so he wasn’t dead? “Wait. How did you –““It’s a special technique we got. Basically, we teleported you out of the way of the blast. We couldn’t just sit there and watch you get vaporized.” the alien explained with a giggle. “My name’s Celine. What’s yours?”
“Beryl,” the twenty-three year old replied with a nod. “Listen. I want to thank you. You saved my life twice and I just want to say thank—“With a sigh, the lad’s head plopped back down on his pillow. His eyes closed shut and his chest rose and fell with a familiar rhythm. He was fast asleep. Celine stifled a laugh with a dainty hand.
If anything, Beryl earned more than a little nap. A whole lot more.
Hours passed before the twenty-three year old woke up again. The morning sun peered through the sleek building’s windows. It cast its rays over the lad’s eyes, causing him to stir. Beryl slowly cracked his eyes open before rubbing them softly to wipe away his eye boogers. He had to have slept for a while, eight or nine hours maybe? However long it was, he definitely needed it; he didn’t realize how fatigued he was before and that made him wonder how he was able to even fight the way he did. Raising his body into a seated position, the young male took the time to look around the room he was in. Technological devices lined its perimeter with what seemed like a central computer in the middle. Scattered about were various pieces of furniture, along what seemed like a flat-screen television fit into the wall. From these observations alone, Beryl thought this place was somebody’s home or some kind of laboratory.
Before he could get out of the bed, he heard the automatic door open with a mechanical hum. The same woman from before, Celine, stepped into the room. She immediately eyed Beryl and cracked a smile. “Good, you’re awake,” she said, genuinely relieved. Beryl did take quite a beating yesterday; Celine was unsure if he needed intensive medical treatment or not. However, her uncertainty diminished once she saw the lad’s condition. “Are you feeling better?” she asked, crossing her lean, toned arms. “Yes,” Beryl replied, taking the time to roll his shoulders to test for any noticeable pain. Admittedly, he was still a bit sore but it was nothing too serious. “Nothing is broken. I’m just a little sore.” That alone was plenty of reassurance for Beryl. “That’s great! I was worried about you to be honest,” Celine admitted, strolling over towards the room’s central computer. She began to clack away on its keyboard. “I’m sure you’re wondering about everything that’s going on right now. You know, with the whole demon invasion and the Army’s mobilization.” The dark-skinned boy nodded in affirmation. Everything had been so chaotic lately seemingly without a cause. First, the Royal Army blasted the shit out of almost of all of Earth’s cities with missiles. Now, crazy demons were flooding the planet, eating and mauling anyone in their sights. It all seemed like some kind of demented, twisted nightmare. “I honestly have no clue what’s going on,” Beryl stated, staring down at the bed’s covers. “What’s with all of the . . . demons anyways?” Celine stopped typing for a short moment. “They’re the Emerald Dragon, a group of demons who intend to place the Earth under their rule. They’re currently in the process of wiping out all resistance, that is, anyone who is capable of defending themselves. They don’t want to risk any sort of uprising happening,” the brunette explained, her hazel eyes skimming over the data file displayed on the computer’s monitor. “The situation right now is worsening. We don’t know much longer Earth can keep the Emerald Dragon at bay. The worst case scenario is that the Emerald Dragon manages to take over. If that’s the case, I can assure you that life will be over as we know it.”
Beryl became deathly silent. His eyes widened to the size of full moons. He didn’t realize that things were this serious. In Hope, things seemed to be under control. Sure, there were demon attacks every once in a while but the guards managed to handle them whenever they popped up. After Celine’s explanation of the current situation, things sounded so hopeless. “So that’s it? Earth’s done for?” Beryl asked. “Not necessarily. We just have to go after their higher-ups. Once they’re out of the picture, it’ll be much easier to take out the rest of the Emerald Dragon. You’ve already shown that you’re more than capable of handling yourself in a fight. I’m sure that you could go out there and help do just that.” The compliment brought a small smile to Beryl’s face. “Yeah, the only thing is that I’m horrible when it comes to using ki. Those fancy blasts everyone does, I can’t do that. So, I just have to fight the “old fashioned” way: straight martial arts.” It made him an extremely unorthodox fighter instead, but it didn’t make him any less effective just because of his inability to mold ki into ranged, energy blasts. Celine smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with that; you don’t need all those fancy attacks to win a fight. Actually, the basics and fundamentals is what gives you an edge in combat.”
That statement alone made Beryl think. He dipped his head down, his facial features shielded from view. Celine smiled once more. "Remember that and you'll go far." As she said that, the surroundings started to warp and twist as if time and space were being squashed together. Soon, nothing was discernible; everything was just a muddled mess of color. Then, Beryl shot up from his bed, dark-colored eyes wide. He rose a hand to shield his face from the bright morning sun shining through his window. His head whipped left and right.
... Was it just a dream?
It had to be; he was awake now, truly awake. However, he could've sworn that he had waken up before. It had to be a false awakening. Still, that dream was far too realistic and ... terrifying for Beryl to just brush off. The destroyed city, the slavers, the blood-covered bodies and streets decorated with gore ... It all seemed so real and yet thankfully, it was just a dream.
However, it wouldn't remain a dream for long. No, not at this rate. If anything, that very dream was a reminder as to why Beryl pushed himself to pursue the research of Ki and to find out every little morsel of information that he could regarding the mysterious and otherworldly power.
Because if he didn't, then his nightmare would become a reality and that was something he could not afford to happen under any circumstance.
The earth he remembered was beautiful, a wonderful planet that housed a myriad of creatures that lived together in absolute bliss. But now, now it was a shadow of its former self. Blood stained the streets, the grass, the earth, everywhere. Decomposing corpses rotted in the back of alleyways. Innocents were viciously hunted down, either for their possessions or to be sold into slavery. Gangs and corrupted syndicates called the shots, and the government ignored the peoples’ cries for help. It was a nightmarish world, and Beryl was now stuck in the center of it.
He had lost his way a while ago. He didn’t even know where he was to begin with, and he wandered aimlessly for half an hour before stumbling upon a peculiar city district. The streets were completely deserted, save for a few sheets of crumpled-up newspaper fluttering through the air. The streetlights flickered ominously. The full moon shined high in the starry night sky. Hunched over from fatigue, the dark-skinned male scooted to a stop. His dark-brown eyes were weary, and if he could have, he would’ve flopped over right then and there for a well-deserved nap. Digging through his pocket, Beryl pulled out his cell phone. It was one of the newest models available, and it was one of the few possessions that he currently had on him. After swiping his hand across the screen once, the device’s screen lit up brightly. The time was displayed in the upper left-hand corner in large, white numbers.
12:00 AM.
“It’s already midnight?” Beryl muttered, a bit startled about how quickly time had passed. He had to find somewhere to stay for the night. It wasn’t safe being out in the open, especially in a place as ominous as The Memory Road. Shoving his phone back into his pocket, the young adult began to jog lightly down the street. He kept his head on a swivel, knowing that he had to be on his guard. For a moment, he had the feeling that he was being followed, but no matter how many times he peeked over his shoulder, he didn’t find anyone or anything behind him. Beryl shook his head. His nerves were starting to get the better of him. Inhaling slowly, the lad exhaled through his mouth, doing his best to calm himself down. Just as he managed to shimmer down, a booming, deep voice erupted from behind him.
“Bahaha! Looks like we got another one!”
Immediately, Beryl whipped around, his beanie nearly flying off of his head. Standing just a few feet away from him was a terrifying looking Xeno, one that appeared to be some species of bipedal reptile. A crocodile was the closest animal Beryl could pin the stranger to, except he had a shorter snout, orange skin, horns jutting out of the back of his head and a long, prehensile tail sticking out just above his butt. The beast stood around seven feet tall. He wore a simple black sleeveless shirt along with matching black pants and shoes. Muscles rippled through his body and he carried an aura heavy with intimidation. The Xeno smiled, displaying rows of sharp, glistening white teeth. His yellow eyes zeroed in on the much smaller Earthling. “Kid, don’t ‘cha know it’s dangerous to be out here so late?!” the thug taunted, easing his way towards the trembling lad. Beryl took a step back, and then another. His eyes welled up to the size of saucers. As much as Beryl wanted to respond to the stranger, he just couldn’t. Any words that worked their way up his throat were simply shoved back down, almost as if someone had their foot jammed in his mouth. At that point, more people began to slip out of the shadows. Judging from their looks alone and the way they smiled at Beryl with sadistic grins; it was safe to say that they were buddies with the crocodile-looking fellow.
“Y’don’t look yer from around here,” the beast-man replied, taking a moment to examine the dark-skinned male. He chuckled. “Doesn’t matter. I’m sure you’ll make us plenty of cash once we sell you off.” Beryl blinked his eyes. “W-What are you talking about?!” the boy stuttered, barely able to keep his composure. They were planning on selling him?! For what purpose?! The Xeno flashed a fanged smile. “See kid, people pay a lot of money for slaves. Now, I gotta make a living just like everybody else so I decided to get into the slave trade, and I’ve turned out pretty well! A lot of money, slaves that do anything I want, fancy cars, nice house, girls . . .” The list could’ve went on and on. “Anyways kid, you got two choices. You can either come along with us quietly or . . . we can beat the shit out of you and drag you off that way. Your call.”
Beryl pursed his lips. Neither one of those choices was favorable. To make matters worse, he was completely outnumbered as well. His dark-brown eyes shifted from one goon to the next. There were five of them, including the crocodile guy, and they each looked as if they were capable of holding their own in a scuffle. However, the other four weren’t the ones who worried Beryl the most. No, the Xeno was the one Beryl was terrified of. His physique was intimidating enough, and Beryl could vividly sense his power oozing off of him like some kind of overpowering cologne. Still, there was no way in hell Beryl would just . . . give up. Even if he did end up fighting and losing, at least he attempted to fight for his freedom . . . and his life. Sighing, the twenty-three year old slowly shifted into his fighting stance. His right arm and leg were placed in front, while his left leg and arm remained behind. His knees were slightly bent, and his stance closely resembled a boxing stance with some minor differences. Once the horned thug saw the young adult drop into a fighting stance, he smiled so wide that all of the fangs in his mouth were visible. His eyes shined with frightening excitement. “Oooh! Looks like we got ourselves a little fighter!” he jeered, earning an episode of laughter from his fellow slavers. “Tch. Alright kid, let’s see what you got,” the bipedal reptile said, slipping into a fighting stance of his own. The other slavers hovered around the two combatants, ready to interject at any moment.
However, before the duo could begin their fight, a group of robotic figures suddenly teleported to the scene. They appeared between Beryl and the orange-scaled Xeno, and they quickly captured everyone’s attention. “Agh, it’s fucking you four again,” the hybrid growled, obviously annoyed. One of the newcomers immediately spoke up. Their voice was unmistakably female, and her figure, though seemingly cybernetic, was still noticeably feminine. “It’s so nice to see you too, Geel,” the suited woman replied, her voice calm and silky smooth. “I see you haven’t decided to change your despicable ways.” She looked over her shoulder towards Beryl. The young male stared silently at her. “Give up being a slaver? Are you fucking crazy, Celine? What the hell would I do that when I get ANYTHING I WANT FROM IT?!” Geel hollered, his anger suddenly spiking. “You know what, we’re going to kill you right now. You, your friends, your family, everyone,” Despite the weight of the threat tossed their way, the group of freedom fighters remained calm. Instead, they all assumed fighting stances, prepared for one hell of a battle. Geel’s goons mirrored their opponents, all of them incredibly eager to beat the Heliotes’ faces in. “Can you fight?” Celine asked Beryl, watching as the dark-skinned lad nodded in affirmation. “Yeah, I can. I’ll . . .” He paused for a short moment. “I can take Geel.”
“Are you sure?” the young woman questioned. “He’s strong. None of us have been able to defeat him yet.” The Xeno didn’t just look like a brute. He was a proficient fighter and he was definitely smarter than he looked. “I’m sure. You four are risking your lives to save mine. The least I can do is at least attempt to fight him.” Beryl explained, taking a step forward. His dark-brown eyes were fixated on the beefy reptile. “I can sense his power. I don’t know the exact value but it’s more than mine. Still, I won’t let that stop me from trying to beat him.” Even though she had doubts of Beryl’s abilities earlier, Celine admired his courage. The dark-haired woman smiled underneath her battle suit. “Alright. We’ll take the others then. Best of luck to you,” she said, her comrades squaring up three of Geel’s fellow slavers, leaving one for Celine to deal with. As she turned to face her opponent, Beryl took several steps forward, placing him only three meters or so away from Geel. After adjusting his grey beanie, the twenty-three year old dropped back down into his fighting stance, his facial expression completely stoic and focused. Geel could hardly contain his excitement. His tail flickered back and forth, and his slit-shaped pupils dilated. “You’re honestly entrusting your lives in this scrawny ass kid!?” Geel laughed with a toothy smile. “Alright! Doesn’t matter to me!!”
Suddenly, the Xeno lurched towards the Earthling, his form engulfed with a blazing-orange aura. He flew through the air, yet his feet were barely off the ground, and Beryl was nearly caught off-guard by Geel’s sudden approach. The dark-skinned boy threw up his guard, just in time to block the beast’s mammoth fist that was heading straight for his jaw. Pain shot up his arm, and before Beryl knew it, he and Geel were exchanging a flurry of punches, kicks and blocks. At that time, the others had already begun their fights at well, and The Memory Road suddenly turned into an all-out Battle Royale. Beryl was surprised that he was able to keep up with Geel’s attacks, and he wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Even Geel cocked an eyebrow once he noticed that the little human wasn’t a complete pushover. “I guess you aren’t just a little weakling after all!” the Xeno said, simultaneously blocking a hard left punch. “But you are NOTHING compared to ME!” With that, Geel plowed through the human’s guard, smashing him in the chin with a bruising right elbow. Stunned and dazed, Beryl stumbled backwards, his vision jittering all over the place. Before he could even recover, Geel grabbed his shirt and chucked him straight into the air. The lad flew upwards like a ragdoll, the world spinning wildly around him. Beryl cracked open an eye, just to see Geel hovering several feet above him, waiting for his ascent. The humanoid male clasped both of his clawed hands into a double-axe handle, ready to smash Beryl back down to the bloody pavement below.
“I have to do something!” the twenty-three year old thought, teeth gritted. Just as he was about to reach Geel’s striking range, the dark-skinned male suddenly shimmered out of view. The Xeno widened his yellow eyes in surprise. “What the fu-?!” Geel sputtered, head whipping back and forth. He then turned around completely, only to meet Beryl’s fist socking him right in the jaw. A loud thump echoed through the air, a true testament to the force of the blow. The seven foot tall Xeno was pushed back a couple of inches. He kept his face turned away and Beryl waited in silent anticipation for his opponent’s reaction as he landed back down towards the ground. After a few seconds, Geel turned to face Beryl. A small trail of blood trickled out of the corner of his jaw. Scoffing, the slaver cleaned himself up with the back of his hand. “Lucky shot,” he grumbled. Beryl didn’t respond. With a sharp-toothed smirk, Geel raised his arm out in front of him, his palm open and facing Beryl. The twenty-three year old blinked, mildly confused. Red energy sparked in the Xeno’s hand before manifesting abruptly into a small sphere of volatile ki. Startled, Beryl managed to barely dart out of the way, causing the sphere to spiral off and crash into a nearby building. However, just as he did that, Geel anticipated his movements and took the opportunity to capitalize on the kid’s screw-up. Flickering out of sight, the massive monster appeared right in front of Beryl, wasting no time in driving his knee straight into the young adult’s gut. All of the air rushed out of Beryl’s body in one sudden motion, and he couldn’t do nothing but clasp his torso in agonizing pain. Smiling, the Xeno rammed his fist into the back of the human’s head, sending Beryl speeding across the ground. Dust, debris and blasts of air shot outward once Beryl connected with the ground, causing Celine, the rest of the freedom fighters, and Geel’s lackeys to pause their battles for a moment to gaze in surprise.
“No!” Celine cried out, reacting just in time to block a blow thrown by her thuggish adversary. Pleased, Geel began to descend so that he could get a closer look of Beryl. The twenty-three year old laid in the center of a small-sized crater, bruises and cuts littering his body. With a cough, he managed to summon up the strength to push himself up to a seated position, and from there, onto his feet. Even then, his legs shook and his arms quivered. His chest heaved up and down, and his breathing became labored. Parts of his clothing were ripped. “Heh, not bad. Not bad. I thought that was lights-out for you for sure.” Geel commented, descending until his feet touched the ground. He took several steps forward, coming to stand right in front of the much shorter human. Looking down at the injured fighter, Geel cracked an unusually bright smile. “You know, you don’t have to make this hard on yourself. Just give it up, will you? I’ll sell you off as a privileged slave instead.” The scary part was that Geel wasn’t joking. Not all slaves were treated badly. Some were actually treated well, in comparison to others, and had relatively decent lives. Beryl said nothing in response to Geel’s offer. With a soft grunt, he reassumed his fighting stance once more, much to Geel’s amusement.
“So that’s how it’s gonna be huh?!” Geel roared at the top of his lungs. His eyes were wild with malicious intent. Rearing back his right fist, the Xeno launched a punch straight for the center of Beryl’s face. However, before the strike could connect, the Earthling caught the reptile’s fist, squeezing it tight. Not wanting to give Geel a chance to react, Beryl used his other hand to grab Geel’s arm. With a forceful tug, the young adult flung the beast over his shoulder, causing him to go flying through the air. Even though it was a well-executed counter, Geel was able to recover with moderate ease. Righting himself up in the air, the Xeno was about to hurl an energy blast Beryl’s way until the boy suddenly reappeared in front of him out of nowhere. Changing his course of action, Geel was able to react quickly enough to Beryl’s flurry of blows, and it only took a second before the two were caught in another fierce exchange of blocks, dodges and strikes. From below, the group of Heliolites watched in suspense, the four of them already managing to deal with Geel’s allies. Celine quivered beneath her suit of cybernetic armor. “I can’t believe it. Can . . . can he actually do it?” she wondered. If Beryl managed to win, it would’ve been an enormous step in the right direction of her and every single living being the Corporation has wronged. Before, she didn’t bother getting her hopes up. After all, the kid would’ve gotten messed up if she and the rest of the crew hadn’t showed up. But now, that same boy, the same one who was trembling in fear, was holding his own against a fearsome opponent, one that neither she nor the others had any sort of chance of beating themselves. Was he the one that her group had been looking for? Was he the one that could help them actually have a chance at succeeding those goals? She wasn’t entirely certain but she hoped with all of her might that Beryl was the one.
After forcing Beryl to give him some breathing room with a well-placed kick, Geel began to send a swarm of ki blasts Beryl’s way. Holding his ground, the dark-skinned male zeroed in on each individual blasts. He raised his arms, continuously batting each of the blasts away from him. He didn’t deflect them away wildly though. No, he made sure to aim them away from Celine and the others and also away from any nearby buildings. He didn’t want to endanger his allies or cause any unnecessary destruction. Realizing a short break in Geel’s ki barrage, Beryl took a risk and began to zip forward. He maneuvered through the energy spheres the best he could. One nicked his shoulder and another managed to singe his side. Scrunching his face in obvious pain, the lad continued onward, managing to get within striking range. Clutching his right fist tight, the twenty-three year old socked the Xeno right in the jaw, making him abruptly stop his wave of ki blasts. Capitalizing on his counter, Beryl threw a left elbow towards Geel’s right cheek, thus forcing his head to snap in the opposite direction. Afterwards, the dark-skinned male kept his left arm out. He bent it so that his elbow was pointing straight forward. He balled his left hand into a fist and clasped his right hand over it. Using his right hand for extra stability and power, Beryl drove his left elbow right into Geel’s chin, sending him careening backwards into a nearby building.
“Amazing!” Celine breathed. Her comrades chatted amongst themselves, they too impressed by Beryl’s display of power and skill. Geel crashing into the skyscraper wasn’t enough to make it collapse but it did send shards of glass and pieces of concrete spraying out into the dirty streets. The scene turned deathly quiet. Celene stirred restlessly. “Is . . . is it over?” she whispered, her eyes locked on the damaged building. Beryl hovered in the air, hunched over from both injuries and fatigue. Blood seeped slowly from a cut on his forehead. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. He sure hoped his attack was enough to put Geel out of commission. That was the best that he could muster up, and he literally put his entire being into that powerful combination blow. Really, Beryl thought that combo up on the fly, but now after using it, it was a damn good combo attack that he could definitely put to good use. He made a mental note to revisit it, that is, if he managed to get out of this whole situation alive and not a slave.
Suddenly, there was movement in the building. Beryl sensed it. A few seconds passed, and a figure emerged from the fresh hole blasted in the skyscraper’s upper floors. “I can’t believe it!” Celine exclaimed, awe-stricken. Geel was still very much alive, conscious, and extremely pissed off. He floated through the air slowly towards Beryl, his bright golden hues wide with fury. “YOU LITTLE PUNK!!” Geel screamed. His deep voice seemed to carry for miles and miles. “I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!” It was official. Geel had officially gone off the deep end. His pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks. His fangs were bared in an insane grimace, a mix between a smile and a snarl. Clasping his clawed hands together, the Xeno began to focus his power. At first, nothing happened, but after a second or two, ki began to spark to life between his palms. The cackling grew more intense until the ki manifested into a small red cube. It started out tiny but rapidly grew in size, until it was the size of Geel’s hands ( which were already the size of dinner plates ). Flicking his thumbs, the beast-man divided the cube in half, causing two equally sized cubes to hover within both of his palms. “Haha. I can’t believe I’m actually using this to kill you! You! A stupid kid!” It was easy to see that Geel had completely lost it. “But that doesn’t matter! I’m going to blow you to fuckin’ smithereens!” the Xeno laughed, almost finished preparing his ultimate attack. Beryl frowned in concern. His body was busted up; it was surprising that he was even able to remain afloat. As much as he wanted to defend himself, he just couldn’t. He barely had enough in him to stay up in the air, let alone remain conscious. Was this really going to be the way he was going to die? Even when he was staring death in the face, the twenty-three year old managed to muster up a soft smile. Well, he did his best, did he? Besides, he never knew that he could fight like that, and that alone was enough to give him a bit of solace in his last minutes of living.
He closed his eyes, not wanting to see his body ripped into bloody ribbons from the force of the ki blast. However, Celine and her fellow Heliolites abruptly appeared around Beryl. They assumed a square formation with Celine being in the center right next to Beryl. In that brief moment, just as Geel unleashed his beam, the five Heliolites concentrated their power in that split second to teleport them and Beryl away. The searing-hot beam of ki continued onward into the distance for seemingly a mile or two before finally dissipating. Afterwards, Geel kept his arms outward, breathing hard with fatigue. He would’ve been glad and smirking that sinister grin of his if he had vaporized that stupid brat. However, he knew something was off. Those Heliolites from before; they managed to save that Earthling. Enraged, the reptilian male growled. He descended back towards the ground, only to see that his slaver buddies were either unconscious or dead. The seven foot tall Xeno clutched his hands into tight fists. He was going to find that dark-skinned kid, and make him pay dearly for all of the shit that he put Geel and his friends through.
Beryl couldn’t even remember what had happened. One moment, he was floating in front of Geel, just about to get blasted to the Other World by an ungodly powerful ki blast. Now, he was in some sort of technologically advanced base. He stirred awake, and he found himself lying on a rather comfortable bed. A woman decked out in flashy cybernetic armor loomed over him. “You’re awake,” she said calmly with a warm smile. Beryl placed a hand on his head. “Ooohhh,” he moaned. Every part of his body ached and throbbed. “Don’t move around too much. You still need a lot of rest,” the female commented. “You were amazing back there. I can’t believe you were actually able to damage Geel like you did back there.” Beryl blinked his eyes. Wait, so he wasn’t dead? “Wait. How did you –““It’s a special technique we got. Basically, we teleported you out of the way of the blast. We couldn’t just sit there and watch you get vaporized.” the alien explained with a giggle. “My name’s Celine. What’s yours?”
“Beryl,” the twenty-three year old replied with a nod. “Listen. I want to thank you. You saved my life twice and I just want to say thank—“With a sigh, the lad’s head plopped back down on his pillow. His eyes closed shut and his chest rose and fell with a familiar rhythm. He was fast asleep. Celine stifled a laugh with a dainty hand.
If anything, Beryl earned more than a little nap. A whole lot more.
Hours passed before the twenty-three year old woke up again. The morning sun peered through the sleek building’s windows. It cast its rays over the lad’s eyes, causing him to stir. Beryl slowly cracked his eyes open before rubbing them softly to wipe away his eye boogers. He had to have slept for a while, eight or nine hours maybe? However long it was, he definitely needed it; he didn’t realize how fatigued he was before and that made him wonder how he was able to even fight the way he did. Raising his body into a seated position, the young male took the time to look around the room he was in. Technological devices lined its perimeter with what seemed like a central computer in the middle. Scattered about were various pieces of furniture, along what seemed like a flat-screen television fit into the wall. From these observations alone, Beryl thought this place was somebody’s home or some kind of laboratory.
Before he could get out of the bed, he heard the automatic door open with a mechanical hum. The same woman from before, Celine, stepped into the room. She immediately eyed Beryl and cracked a smile. “Good, you’re awake,” she said, genuinely relieved. Beryl did take quite a beating yesterday; Celine was unsure if he needed intensive medical treatment or not. However, her uncertainty diminished once she saw the lad’s condition. “Are you feeling better?” she asked, crossing her lean, toned arms. “Yes,” Beryl replied, taking the time to roll his shoulders to test for any noticeable pain. Admittedly, he was still a bit sore but it was nothing too serious. “Nothing is broken. I’m just a little sore.” That alone was plenty of reassurance for Beryl. “That’s great! I was worried about you to be honest,” Celine admitted, strolling over towards the room’s central computer. She began to clack away on its keyboard. “I’m sure you’re wondering about everything that’s going on right now. You know, with the whole demon invasion and the Army’s mobilization.” The dark-skinned boy nodded in affirmation. Everything had been so chaotic lately seemingly without a cause. First, the Royal Army blasted the shit out of almost of all of Earth’s cities with missiles. Now, crazy demons were flooding the planet, eating and mauling anyone in their sights. It all seemed like some kind of demented, twisted nightmare. “I honestly have no clue what’s going on,” Beryl stated, staring down at the bed’s covers. “What’s with all of the . . . demons anyways?” Celine stopped typing for a short moment. “They’re the Emerald Dragon, a group of demons who intend to place the Earth under their rule. They’re currently in the process of wiping out all resistance, that is, anyone who is capable of defending themselves. They don’t want to risk any sort of uprising happening,” the brunette explained, her hazel eyes skimming over the data file displayed on the computer’s monitor. “The situation right now is worsening. We don’t know much longer Earth can keep the Emerald Dragon at bay. The worst case scenario is that the Emerald Dragon manages to take over. If that’s the case, I can assure you that life will be over as we know it.”
Beryl became deathly silent. His eyes widened to the size of full moons. He didn’t realize that things were this serious. In Hope, things seemed to be under control. Sure, there were demon attacks every once in a while but the guards managed to handle them whenever they popped up. After Celine’s explanation of the current situation, things sounded so hopeless. “So that’s it? Earth’s done for?” Beryl asked. “Not necessarily. We just have to go after their higher-ups. Once they’re out of the picture, it’ll be much easier to take out the rest of the Emerald Dragon. You’ve already shown that you’re more than capable of handling yourself in a fight. I’m sure that you could go out there and help do just that.” The compliment brought a small smile to Beryl’s face. “Yeah, the only thing is that I’m horrible when it comes to using ki. Those fancy blasts everyone does, I can’t do that. So, I just have to fight the “old fashioned” way: straight martial arts.” It made him an extremely unorthodox fighter instead, but it didn’t make him any less effective just because of his inability to mold ki into ranged, energy blasts. Celine smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with that; you don’t need all those fancy attacks to win a fight. Actually, the basics and fundamentals is what gives you an edge in combat.”
That statement alone made Beryl think. He dipped his head down, his facial features shielded from view. Celine smiled once more. "Remember that and you'll go far." As she said that, the surroundings started to warp and twist as if time and space were being squashed together. Soon, nothing was discernible; everything was just a muddled mess of color. Then, Beryl shot up from his bed, dark-colored eyes wide. He rose a hand to shield his face from the bright morning sun shining through his window. His head whipped left and right.
... Was it just a dream?
It had to be; he was awake now, truly awake. However, he could've sworn that he had waken up before. It had to be a false awakening. Still, that dream was far too realistic and ... terrifying for Beryl to just brush off. The destroyed city, the slavers, the blood-covered bodies and streets decorated with gore ... It all seemed so real and yet thankfully, it was just a dream.
However, it wouldn't remain a dream for long. No, not at this rate. If anything, that very dream was a reminder as to why Beryl pushed himself to pursue the research of Ki and to find out every little morsel of information that he could regarding the mysterious and otherworldly power.
Because if he didn't, then his nightmare would become a reality and that was something he could not afford to happen under any circumstance.