03-06-2015, 09:17 PM
What exactly was I getting out of helping a little bunny girl, considering that it was so unlikely that the two of us would ever see each other again? I doubt anyone would believe that it was out of the goodness out of my heart, nor would I believe it myself. I've been told that selfless kindness bring great rewards, but the hobo who did so was trying to convince me to buy him smokes. I've met plenty of good people who became soldiers and gone home as jaded and hateful or in a box. Good deeds were not high up on my priority list most of the time. But at that moment, I felt like I had to. Maybe it was because Lopunny reminded me of Daisy, maybe it's that I didn't want to have a bad reputation attached to me by being cold to someone and that spreading to someone else. Perhaps there was just the smallest chance that I was alone in a crowded world, and I wanted someone to anchor me down to reality. Hey, don't give me that look. I can be poetic. Sometimes. If I want to.
Blondy and I helped the brown furred lady once she's summoned the device ousting herself as a prime but I couldn't care less about that. My slightly inebriated friend focusing on more of the "entertainment" side of smart phone ownership while I tried to steer her towards the pier. I could have just told her, but this was a "give a fish, teach to fish" kind of situation. She was better off with a lifeline, or so my combat training told me. She was kind of clueless at first, but she seemed like a fast learner, and was already experimenting with it once I was done with showing her the GPS (OPS, maybe?) and gave her my contact info. She put it away and thanked us profusely, then left for her destination.
Not going to lie. It felt good.
The waitress finally showed back up, holding a bowl in her hand which she dropped down in front of me. I looked down at the potential dinner and my heart sunk when I saw what it was. Little tentacles floated around in a brown broth, while what I assumed was a verity of sea vegetable bobbed along side.
"Squid soup?" I asked with muted distress and nausea, with flashbacks to another disgusting tentacled thing. Perhaps ordering the cheapest meal was not the smartest thing I could do. Snow on the other hand looked on with clear amusement while I was sure Kito was hiding his own behind his stoic look.
"Squid soup" The waitress confirmed with a little smile, who I gave the payment and tip and sat to eat my "dinner". I quickly gulped it down with the displeasure you'd expect from choking down rubbery tubes and seaweed, and hoped it wouldn't come back up later. With that, I decided it was time to hit the dusty road.
"Kito, you have fun, and don't get in trouble," I told the ninja tyke. I'm sure he'd get far, however that would work. He gave me a respectful nod, probably ready to get into trouble "And Snow" Only NOW did I know his name, and it was when he told Lopunny what his dataverse contact was. I lacked any good advise for the man, so I just went with the default "Don't get too drunk" He seemed to understand, and gave a toast with what reminded of his mixed drink. I picked up my gear, donned my helmet once more, and I was off again into Costa del Sol.
Slipping back into the crowd, I kept my eyes out for the next distraction. There wasn't much her for a trained soldier. Surfing stores, diving schools, lots of things involving water. That's expected, but the water wasn't something I wanted to be in right now. Curio shops lined the streets, from vapid merchandise to some tribal trinkets that were about as real as everything else in this artificial world. I was between debating just to get the hell out of here when a voice called out from the other side of the street.
"Test your skill, test your skill! Out range the Hunter in a game of skill and win a prize!" The voice shouted out, something about it magically allured me towards the caller. Not just metaphorically, I'm sure. I was pulled into a crowd which packed tightly around a booth, decorated in gaudy decorations making a caricature of a savanna plains and covered in ads for a place called the Goldwell Pier Resort, which judging by the scantily clad women wrapping themselves around slot machines was probably this place's equivalent of Las Vegas. Or at least Reno. From a stage jutting out from the front of the booth stood a humanoid lizard perched behind a podium, she being the caller than attracted everyone here. Brilliant emerald and yellow scales contrasted with the dark red and star patterned black of her ringleader's outfit. Beside her was her associate, "The Hunter". Appropriate, as the meathead looked like every hunter stereotype known to man. Hat with animals teeth in it, camo clothing, bandoleer, handlebar mustache, pelt across the shoulder of some bear like creature even though it was too small to be one. The only thing he was missing was the orange vest. The crowed look intimidated by him, and the challenge the ringleader gave. I was less that impressed.
"Does anyone here think they can beat the Hunter himself at sharpshooting?" The lizardwoman dares the people gathered, eyeing them over for any takers. Judging by the rather embarrassed looks the crowd members gave, most of them didn't. I wasn't exactly ready to jump into it either, but then I didn't need to show off. I was the best soldier here, I knew that, and I didn't need to prove that to anyone.
"You'll receive a complementary prize just for participating," She tried to sweeten the pot "But, those who succeed get this unique and gorgeous weapon" The Hunter holds up a black plastic weapon case, opening up to reveal a modern military grade double barreled shotgun. Aside from vaguely wondering if that's legal, I couldn't help but think how much the weapon reminded me of the super shotgun. When I looked over the body, my eyes grew wide as I saw the USSMC etched into the side. It WAS a super shotgun.
Well, I wasn't going to let any of these idiots have it.
"Ah, a challenger!" The reptile exclaimed as I vaulted up the stage, staring down the jackass calling himself "the Hunter". The Pansy, more like. "And a collector of fine weapons, as well! Surely, this will be a match to remember" I stood in front of the booth, where inside a row of targets, each one further way from us than the one before it, connected to machinery rested while two laser weapons sat on the ledge.
"Do I have to uses these peashooters?" I asked aloud, not at all happy if I had to use them rather than the weapons I was so used to, and the host gave me a sheepish smile.
"Insurance reasons" Was all I got. I shrugged it off. I'll beat this jackass with them anyway.
We both took our stances at the front of the booth, own sights aimed at the targets as the machine holding them came to life. They moved in a set pattern that was simple to follow. Which made me wonder why no one had won the shotgun yet. These kind of games were always rigged in favor of the house, and I had to figure it out quickly. The onlookers and host fell silent as they waited for the action, and in a flash a flag swooshed across out line of sight to signal the start.
We both fired at the same time, the closest target letting out an electrical buzz as the laser hit them and receded back into the machine. I was quicker on the tap with the second one, but the shot went wide and hit the back wall while "the Jackass" hit his. The sights were off. I should I have figured that out before, but I had to work with it now. I couldn't fix a sight on the fly like this without just making it inaccurate in the other direction. Assuming they'd even let me without calling me a cheater. I fired again, another miss but I was homing in on the zone. But while I was one down the Hunter had already knocked over five. But I once I found the right spot, picked my kill zone and fired on any target and came over it. I had an advantage: While mr. hunter was too busy trying to knock them over in sequence, I hit any that fell over my firing lane with only instinct. I quickly caught up and surpassed the other competitor. As he was desperately trying to hit the last two, I scoped out the finally target to finish it's pattern over my cross-hairs, and a little green flag flew up as I claimed victory.
The crowd cheered, the reptilian host clapped, even the Hunter was a bit impressed at how I managed to catch up to him. He handed me the black case, and gave me a nod of respect. I wasted no time in examining the weapon inside. The Super Shotgun. Double barreled death incarnate. A familiar click as I opened up the barrels and closed them again bough a wave of nostalgia as I though of the damage I've done with this weapon. I was almost ready to strip clean it then and there when the lizardwoman walked to my side.
"Congratulation on the win. And of course, your participation reward as well" She handed me a ticket for one free night at the Goldwell Pier Resort. Free night, but everything else would probably leave with nothing but your underwear. I pocketed it and tried to pay her no mind and I walked off the stage. But I heard her follow me down, and I turned to face the ringleader. It seemed she had other plans.
"We could always use a man like you around the place. Perhaps I could offer you a job-" but before she continued, I raised my hand and stopped her.
"Look, I'm just trying to find my way around here. The only thing I want to to find Omni and give him a piece of my mind. Unless you can offer than, I'm not doing any jobs for anyone" I put my foot down, but her toothy smile only widened as she heard that.
"I know a way to help you with that..."
Blondy and I helped the brown furred lady once she's summoned the device ousting herself as a prime but I couldn't care less about that. My slightly inebriated friend focusing on more of the "entertainment" side of smart phone ownership while I tried to steer her towards the pier. I could have just told her, but this was a "give a fish, teach to fish" kind of situation. She was better off with a lifeline, or so my combat training told me. She was kind of clueless at first, but she seemed like a fast learner, and was already experimenting with it once I was done with showing her the GPS (OPS, maybe?) and gave her my contact info. She put it away and thanked us profusely, then left for her destination.
Not going to lie. It felt good.
The waitress finally showed back up, holding a bowl in her hand which she dropped down in front of me. I looked down at the potential dinner and my heart sunk when I saw what it was. Little tentacles floated around in a brown broth, while what I assumed was a verity of sea vegetable bobbed along side.
"Squid soup?" I asked with muted distress and nausea, with flashbacks to another disgusting tentacled thing. Perhaps ordering the cheapest meal was not the smartest thing I could do. Snow on the other hand looked on with clear amusement while I was sure Kito was hiding his own behind his stoic look.
"Squid soup" The waitress confirmed with a little smile, who I gave the payment and tip and sat to eat my "dinner". I quickly gulped it down with the displeasure you'd expect from choking down rubbery tubes and seaweed, and hoped it wouldn't come back up later. With that, I decided it was time to hit the dusty road.
"Kito, you have fun, and don't get in trouble," I told the ninja tyke. I'm sure he'd get far, however that would work. He gave me a respectful nod, probably ready to get into trouble "And Snow" Only NOW did I know his name, and it was when he told Lopunny what his dataverse contact was. I lacked any good advise for the man, so I just went with the default "Don't get too drunk" He seemed to understand, and gave a toast with what reminded of his mixed drink. I picked up my gear, donned my helmet once more, and I was off again into Costa del Sol.
Slipping back into the crowd, I kept my eyes out for the next distraction. There wasn't much her for a trained soldier. Surfing stores, diving schools, lots of things involving water. That's expected, but the water wasn't something I wanted to be in right now. Curio shops lined the streets, from vapid merchandise to some tribal trinkets that were about as real as everything else in this artificial world. I was between debating just to get the hell out of here when a voice called out from the other side of the street.
"Test your skill, test your skill! Out range the Hunter in a game of skill and win a prize!" The voice shouted out, something about it magically allured me towards the caller. Not just metaphorically, I'm sure. I was pulled into a crowd which packed tightly around a booth, decorated in gaudy decorations making a caricature of a savanna plains and covered in ads for a place called the Goldwell Pier Resort, which judging by the scantily clad women wrapping themselves around slot machines was probably this place's equivalent of Las Vegas. Or at least Reno. From a stage jutting out from the front of the booth stood a humanoid lizard perched behind a podium, she being the caller than attracted everyone here. Brilliant emerald and yellow scales contrasted with the dark red and star patterned black of her ringleader's outfit. Beside her was her associate, "The Hunter". Appropriate, as the meathead looked like every hunter stereotype known to man. Hat with animals teeth in it, camo clothing, bandoleer, handlebar mustache, pelt across the shoulder of some bear like creature even though it was too small to be one. The only thing he was missing was the orange vest. The crowed look intimidated by him, and the challenge the ringleader gave. I was less that impressed.
"Does anyone here think they can beat the Hunter himself at sharpshooting?" The lizardwoman dares the people gathered, eyeing them over for any takers. Judging by the rather embarrassed looks the crowd members gave, most of them didn't. I wasn't exactly ready to jump into it either, but then I didn't need to show off. I was the best soldier here, I knew that, and I didn't need to prove that to anyone.
"You'll receive a complementary prize just for participating," She tried to sweeten the pot "But, those who succeed get this unique and gorgeous weapon" The Hunter holds up a black plastic weapon case, opening up to reveal a modern military grade double barreled shotgun. Aside from vaguely wondering if that's legal, I couldn't help but think how much the weapon reminded me of the super shotgun. When I looked over the body, my eyes grew wide as I saw the USSMC etched into the side. It WAS a super shotgun.
Well, I wasn't going to let any of these idiots have it.
"Ah, a challenger!" The reptile exclaimed as I vaulted up the stage, staring down the jackass calling himself "the Hunter". The Pansy, more like. "And a collector of fine weapons, as well! Surely, this will be a match to remember" I stood in front of the booth, where inside a row of targets, each one further way from us than the one before it, connected to machinery rested while two laser weapons sat on the ledge.
"Do I have to uses these peashooters?" I asked aloud, not at all happy if I had to use them rather than the weapons I was so used to, and the host gave me a sheepish smile.
"Insurance reasons" Was all I got. I shrugged it off. I'll beat this jackass with them anyway.
We both took our stances at the front of the booth, own sights aimed at the targets as the machine holding them came to life. They moved in a set pattern that was simple to follow. Which made me wonder why no one had won the shotgun yet. These kind of games were always rigged in favor of the house, and I had to figure it out quickly. The onlookers and host fell silent as they waited for the action, and in a flash a flag swooshed across out line of sight to signal the start.
We both fired at the same time, the closest target letting out an electrical buzz as the laser hit them and receded back into the machine. I was quicker on the tap with the second one, but the shot went wide and hit the back wall while "the Jackass" hit his. The sights were off. I should I have figured that out before, but I had to work with it now. I couldn't fix a sight on the fly like this without just making it inaccurate in the other direction. Assuming they'd even let me without calling me a cheater. I fired again, another miss but I was homing in on the zone. But while I was one down the Hunter had already knocked over five. But I once I found the right spot, picked my kill zone and fired on any target and came over it. I had an advantage: While mr. hunter was too busy trying to knock them over in sequence, I hit any that fell over my firing lane with only instinct. I quickly caught up and surpassed the other competitor. As he was desperately trying to hit the last two, I scoped out the finally target to finish it's pattern over my cross-hairs, and a little green flag flew up as I claimed victory.
The crowd cheered, the reptilian host clapped, even the Hunter was a bit impressed at how I managed to catch up to him. He handed me the black case, and gave me a nod of respect. I wasted no time in examining the weapon inside. The Super Shotgun. Double barreled death incarnate. A familiar click as I opened up the barrels and closed them again bough a wave of nostalgia as I though of the damage I've done with this weapon. I was almost ready to strip clean it then and there when the lizardwoman walked to my side.
"Congratulation on the win. And of course, your participation reward as well" She handed me a ticket for one free night at the Goldwell Pier Resort. Free night, but everything else would probably leave with nothing but your underwear. I pocketed it and tried to pay her no mind and I walked off the stage. But I heard her follow me down, and I turned to face the ringleader. It seemed she had other plans.
"We could always use a man like you around the place. Perhaps I could offer you a job-" but before she continued, I raised my hand and stopped her.
"Look, I'm just trying to find my way around here. The only thing I want to to find Omni and give him a piece of my mind. Unless you can offer than, I'm not doing any jobs for anyone" I put my foot down, but her toothy smile only widened as she heard that.
"I know a way to help you with that..."
![[Image: oGzCtPC.png]](http://i.imgur.com/oGzCtPC.png)