03-22-2009, 04:14 PM
Daylight peeked through just ahead, and when Juno—who was currently leading the pack of warriors through the tunnels—spotted it, he had to stop in sheer disbelief. The other three adventurers all slowed to a halt, as well, in something which resembled a domino effect.
“What is it?” Sophia asked, taking a step forward where she was standing beside Juno. At that point, she saw it too. “Oh, God,” she sighed, taking a relieved step backwards.
“We’ve made it, guys,” Juno sighed. “The tunnel ends just ahead. We can see the light!” The Saiyan turned to his other two companions to watch smiles creep across their faces. Then, the group grinned in unison and took off in a giddy run. They all knew that it wasn’t over just because they’d made it out of the tunnels—but after several hours down there, they were extremely pleased to catch some sunlight on their skin.
The quartet practically leapt through the exit, tumbling into the sunlight; it washed over them, and they felt a heavenly heat. Juno looked to the sun, which was now slipping over the eastern horizon. Was it really dawn? Had the ragtag band of warriors really been in the caves throughout the night?
“It seems those soldiers stopped chasing us,” Zena—or whoever she was—noted. Juno looked up in alarm. He’d almost forgotten about the soldiers. He peered into the cave, but no sign of them seemed to be appearing. Why had they just stopped their chase all of a sudden? Another question that needed an answer. He’d been getting a lot of those lately.
A tiny whistle came from overhead. The hybrid looked up, and his eyes widened as he spotted a miniature missile boring down on them. He stumbled to his feet, rushing towards the closest of the three. “Holy sh—” was all he had time to say before the torpedo pummeled the ground with an outrageously loud BOOM.
The foursome was sent flying—Juno and Sophia, the one he had grabbed onto, sailed in one direction, while Zena and Ares were sent careening back towards the cave entrance.
The smoke cleared, and Juno’s eyes flickered open. A blurry image was presented to him, but when it came into focus, he could clearly see Sophia’s impatient face. “Oh, sorry,” he apologized awkwardly, rolling off of her. He stood up and brushed himself off while the priestess looked around. “Where’d Zena and Ares go?” he asked.
“Not sure,” Sophia replied, looking around. For the first time, they got a good glimpse of their surroundings. Juno felt as if he was in one of those old spaghetti western movies—that, of course, just happened to have missiles coming out of nowhere—as he looked at the ghost town.
A vision flashed through his mind, and he looked behind him. He quickly brought his palm up and shot a blast of energy through the cracked window of what looked to be the town’s saloon, and heard the pained cry of someone inside. He rushed into the building, and looked at his prey.
He was donned in the same black attire that the soldiers that had been chasing them were in, and his ki rifle lay by his side. The only difference between him and the other soldiers? He now had a gaping hole in his abdomen, following Juno’s attack. He writhed in pain, squealing pitifully. Sophia hurried inside behind Juno.
“Where are we?” Juno demanded, grabbing the dying man by his collar and hoisting him up to eye level. The soldier spat out blood onto Juno’s black jumpsuit.
“You’re in Olde Town,” he coughed. Juno lifted an eyebrow—Olde Town? What in God’s name was Olde Town? “Watch out, boy—and girl,” he choked, noticing Sophia, “Balrog’s here, and he isn’t going to play nice.” Juno was now even more confused.
“Balrog?” he posed.
“Balrog Tast—one of the boss’s lieutenants,” the soldier spat. “He’s not going to let you get out as easily as you think you will, you arrogant… little… ba…” However, the first syllable of that expletive was also the soldier’s last syllable—his head flopped back, and his pulse slowed. Juno checked it, and soon it morphed from a lethargic beating of the heart to a nonexistant one—the boy was dead.
Sophia stepped back, still unsure about all this killing. Juno stood, and turned to see her fearful expression emblazoned painfully upon her face. She began to tear up, wailing quietly. “Come on, now,” he soothed, “It was necessary. He tried to kill us, Soph, I was just returning the favor.” He grabbed her wrist, and felt her tense up slightly.
Was he going to try and kill her? She knew he’d been putting on an act; she knew it! And now, he had her alone, no one would know, he would say it was the soldier. He pulled her closer and placed a hand on her neck. She tensed up, prepared to fight back if he even tried anything stupid. But suddenly, her suspicions were dissolved when he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“I told you,” he reminded her, “I won’t let anything hurt you.”
Sophia pulled away, slightly embarrassed. Juno ignored her reluctance, feeling a small victory, and stepped past her, opening the door and waltzing back out into the fresh air, finding Zena and Ares standing in the middle of the western-style dirt street.
“Well, well, well,” Ares chuckled, “What have you two been doing since we've been gone?” he asked suggestively, laughing.
Juno scoffed. “Saving our hides and finding out what the heck’s going on, for your information,” the hybrid informed the full-blood. “We’re looking for a guy named Tast. Balrog Tast. He seems to be the head of whatever operation we’ve gotten ourselves involved in here.”
“Well then, let’s go,” the self-claimed real Zena barked.
“What is it?” Sophia asked, taking a step forward where she was standing beside Juno. At that point, she saw it too. “Oh, God,” she sighed, taking a relieved step backwards.
“We’ve made it, guys,” Juno sighed. “The tunnel ends just ahead. We can see the light!” The Saiyan turned to his other two companions to watch smiles creep across their faces. Then, the group grinned in unison and took off in a giddy run. They all knew that it wasn’t over just because they’d made it out of the tunnels—but after several hours down there, they were extremely pleased to catch some sunlight on their skin.
The quartet practically leapt through the exit, tumbling into the sunlight; it washed over them, and they felt a heavenly heat. Juno looked to the sun, which was now slipping over the eastern horizon. Was it really dawn? Had the ragtag band of warriors really been in the caves throughout the night?
“It seems those soldiers stopped chasing us,” Zena—or whoever she was—noted. Juno looked up in alarm. He’d almost forgotten about the soldiers. He peered into the cave, but no sign of them seemed to be appearing. Why had they just stopped their chase all of a sudden? Another question that needed an answer. He’d been getting a lot of those lately.
A tiny whistle came from overhead. The hybrid looked up, and his eyes widened as he spotted a miniature missile boring down on them. He stumbled to his feet, rushing towards the closest of the three. “Holy sh—” was all he had time to say before the torpedo pummeled the ground with an outrageously loud BOOM.
The foursome was sent flying—Juno and Sophia, the one he had grabbed onto, sailed in one direction, while Zena and Ares were sent careening back towards the cave entrance.
The smoke cleared, and Juno’s eyes flickered open. A blurry image was presented to him, but when it came into focus, he could clearly see Sophia’s impatient face. “Oh, sorry,” he apologized awkwardly, rolling off of her. He stood up and brushed himself off while the priestess looked around. “Where’d Zena and Ares go?” he asked.
“Not sure,” Sophia replied, looking around. For the first time, they got a good glimpse of their surroundings. Juno felt as if he was in one of those old spaghetti western movies—that, of course, just happened to have missiles coming out of nowhere—as he looked at the ghost town.
A vision flashed through his mind, and he looked behind him. He quickly brought his palm up and shot a blast of energy through the cracked window of what looked to be the town’s saloon, and heard the pained cry of someone inside. He rushed into the building, and looked at his prey.
He was donned in the same black attire that the soldiers that had been chasing them were in, and his ki rifle lay by his side. The only difference between him and the other soldiers? He now had a gaping hole in his abdomen, following Juno’s attack. He writhed in pain, squealing pitifully. Sophia hurried inside behind Juno.
“Where are we?” Juno demanded, grabbing the dying man by his collar and hoisting him up to eye level. The soldier spat out blood onto Juno’s black jumpsuit.
“You’re in Olde Town,” he coughed. Juno lifted an eyebrow—Olde Town? What in God’s name was Olde Town? “Watch out, boy—and girl,” he choked, noticing Sophia, “Balrog’s here, and he isn’t going to play nice.” Juno was now even more confused.
“Balrog?” he posed.
“Balrog Tast—one of the boss’s lieutenants,” the soldier spat. “He’s not going to let you get out as easily as you think you will, you arrogant… little… ba…” However, the first syllable of that expletive was also the soldier’s last syllable—his head flopped back, and his pulse slowed. Juno checked it, and soon it morphed from a lethargic beating of the heart to a nonexistant one—the boy was dead.
Sophia stepped back, still unsure about all this killing. Juno stood, and turned to see her fearful expression emblazoned painfully upon her face. She began to tear up, wailing quietly. “Come on, now,” he soothed, “It was necessary. He tried to kill us, Soph, I was just returning the favor.” He grabbed her wrist, and felt her tense up slightly.
Was he going to try and kill her? She knew he’d been putting on an act; she knew it! And now, he had her alone, no one would know, he would say it was the soldier. He pulled her closer and placed a hand on her neck. She tensed up, prepared to fight back if he even tried anything stupid. But suddenly, her suspicions were dissolved when he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“I told you,” he reminded her, “I won’t let anything hurt you.”
Sophia pulled away, slightly embarrassed. Juno ignored her reluctance, feeling a small victory, and stepped past her, opening the door and waltzing back out into the fresh air, finding Zena and Ares standing in the middle of the western-style dirt street.
“Well, well, well,” Ares chuckled, “What have you two been doing since we've been gone?” he asked suggestively, laughing.
Juno scoffed. “Saving our hides and finding out what the heck’s going on, for your information,” the hybrid informed the full-blood. “We’re looking for a guy named Tast. Balrog Tast. He seems to be the head of whatever operation we’ve gotten ourselves involved in here.”
“Well then, let’s go,” the self-claimed real Zena barked.