08-11-2015, 10:20 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-20-2016, 07:59 PM by Enzo Matrix.
Edit Reason: Adding Quest Tag
)
The sun was just rising on Cinnabar Island when Matrix and AndrAIa's boat approached one of the few docks on the island. Almost immediately they could tell this place was much more low tech than any of the Empire's civilizations scattered across the Vasty Deep. But to them that was a good sign. It meant there was likely little to no Imperial influence here, and that was what they wanted in a place where they could settle down for the time being.
Matrix jumped from the boat, landing on the dock while AndrAIa stayed at the controls. He found a few cleats and tied the boat's ropes to them, securing it tightly to the dock. As he stood up, he heard the motor die down. AndrAIa hopped down to the dock with little trouble, landing next to Matrix.
"Quiet, here," Matrix commented, looking around the area they'd arrived in.
The small port looked like it was home to two or three fishing vessels, at most, though none of them were there at the moment. Instead the small pier was completely empty, except for a some fishing supplies scattered about. Matrix stepped over a few nets, with AndrAIa following him off the dock and onto dry land.
"It's a little creepy," AndrAIa had to reply, feeling that something in the air just wasn't right.
They took a few steps onto the dirt, observing the area as they did. The dock simply led to a dirt trail, giving them the option to go left or right. If they continued straight, they would walk right into a large rock wall situated about fifty yards from them. Plenty of bushes and shrubbery were scattered along the side of the trail, as well. Matrix paused for a moment, wondering which route to take, before suddenly his instincts kicked in. All of a sudden, he knew they weren't alone.
"AndrAIa!" Matrix immediately shouted, holding his left arm out to the side, preventing her from walking past him. She got the point and stopped right away.
As he made his realization the cliff face began to move, and three rock beings stepped out of their perfect camouflage. Matrix couldn't believe he missed something hiding in plain sight like that, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. In an instant, Gun was in his right hand, while he was positioning himself between these creatures and AndrAIa. AndrAIa, herself, was reaching for her expandable trident on her belt.
Matrix's robotic eye was quickly scanning and assessing these three foes, but as that was happening more unusual creatures began emerging from hiding places all over the area. He couldn't believe he'd walked them right into an ambush. His eye told him that the center, snake-like rock being was called an Onix, and that it was flanked on either side by Geodudes. He looked around to see they were completely surrounded, and even saw a serpent creature he quickly identified as a Gyrados floating in the water, behind their boat. They were trapped.
One of the creatures stepped forward, a blue skinned dinosaur that upon a scan Matrix learned was called a Yoshi. This Yoshi creature had two black equipment straps running across it's chest, at the center of each were pistols, and it appeared tools and ammo took up the remaining space. He did not draw his weapons simply because it was obvious he didn't need to. Matrix, on the the other hand, kept his own firearm trained on it.
"Who are you?" the Yoshi abruptly demanded, locking eyes with Matrix.
"Enzo..." AndrAIa hesitantly said from behind him. Matrix could hear the sound of her trident extending as her back pressed against his. They didn't have a lot other options.
"Some welcoming party," Matrix replied sarcastically.
"If you're from the Empire, you've made a big mistake," the Yoshi instantly said back, his eyes narrowing as he spoke.
"Empire?" Matrix responded, clearly confused and caught off guard by the accusation.
"Wait, we're not Empire!" AndrAIa shouted from behind Matrix, stepping to the side and turning to face the Yoshi now. She saw an opportunity to end this confrontation peacefully, so she was going to take it. "We're here because we're trying to stay away from the Empire!"
The Yoshi's eyes narrowed even further, indicating suspicion towards that comment.
"Then why are you here?" the Yoshi asked, now shifting his eyes to AndrAIa occasionally, but still keeping most of his attention on Matrix and his gun.
"She just told you," Matrix snapped back, still seething with anger over this situation.
The Onix let out a low growl. It was getting tired of this stand off. AndrAIa sighed, because she was too. She suddenly retracted her trident into it's much smaller carry mode, and clipped it to her belt. Once she did that she stepped forward and put one hand on Matrix's right arm and another on his shoulder. Matrix tensed up at her touch, but she gently pushed his arm down so the barrel of Gun was pointing at the dirt. It seemed to defuse the situation a little bit, because the surrounding creatures all stepped back a little bit and seemed to relax slightly.
"Please, listen," AndrAIa continued. "We've only been in this Omniverse a little while, and we ended up here in the Vasty Deep. We've been looking for a place away from Imperial influence where we can get our bearings."
The Yoshi silently listened, but when it made no further movements AndrAIa just continued.
"Look, we just want to lay low and figure this world out," AndrAIa explained. "We'd like to just take shelter in your home for a little while, if you'll allow us."
The Yoshi stood there for a moment, it seemed to be contemplating what she said for a moment. Finally, it spoke up.
"This is Cinnabar Island," the Yoshi explained. "We have nothing to do with the Empire, and we do everything in our power to keep it that way. Your boat looks like Imperial tech, so we were on alert as soon as you came near the island. The Empire has been trying to get a foothold here, sometimes aggressively."
"It's because we stole it," Matrix answered, letting go of his gun and letting it snap to his hip.
The Yoshi nodded. "We'll take you to the main settlement, let you talk with the council. They may be willing to let you stay, if you can earn your place. It's their call."
"Fine by me," Matrix replied, though he was unimpressed by the idea he might have to jump through some hoops. However, he would hear them out.
AndrAIa felt much better about the situation, so she gave a gracious nod and a smile. "Thank you. I'm AndrAIa, and this is Matrix."
"Syril," The blue skinned Yoshi replied with his own name, then nodded his head down the trail. "Follow me."
Matrix and AndrAIa watched as the Yoshi began to walk down the trail, and the other creatures in the area began to disperse. AndrAIa shot one last look back at the boat, hoping their temporary home would be safe for the time being. They slowly began walking after Syril, wondering if the whole trail had hidden defenders. Even more importantly, they wondered what awaited them at this village.
Matrix jumped from the boat, landing on the dock while AndrAIa stayed at the controls. He found a few cleats and tied the boat's ropes to them, securing it tightly to the dock. As he stood up, he heard the motor die down. AndrAIa hopped down to the dock with little trouble, landing next to Matrix.
"Quiet, here," Matrix commented, looking around the area they'd arrived in.
The small port looked like it was home to two or three fishing vessels, at most, though none of them were there at the moment. Instead the small pier was completely empty, except for a some fishing supplies scattered about. Matrix stepped over a few nets, with AndrAIa following him off the dock and onto dry land.
"It's a little creepy," AndrAIa had to reply, feeling that something in the air just wasn't right.
They took a few steps onto the dirt, observing the area as they did. The dock simply led to a dirt trail, giving them the option to go left or right. If they continued straight, they would walk right into a large rock wall situated about fifty yards from them. Plenty of bushes and shrubbery were scattered along the side of the trail, as well. Matrix paused for a moment, wondering which route to take, before suddenly his instincts kicked in. All of a sudden, he knew they weren't alone.
"AndrAIa!" Matrix immediately shouted, holding his left arm out to the side, preventing her from walking past him. She got the point and stopped right away.
As he made his realization the cliff face began to move, and three rock beings stepped out of their perfect camouflage. Matrix couldn't believe he missed something hiding in plain sight like that, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. In an instant, Gun was in his right hand, while he was positioning himself between these creatures and AndrAIa. AndrAIa, herself, was reaching for her expandable trident on her belt.
Matrix's robotic eye was quickly scanning and assessing these three foes, but as that was happening more unusual creatures began emerging from hiding places all over the area. He couldn't believe he'd walked them right into an ambush. His eye told him that the center, snake-like rock being was called an Onix, and that it was flanked on either side by Geodudes. He looked around to see they were completely surrounded, and even saw a serpent creature he quickly identified as a Gyrados floating in the water, behind their boat. They were trapped.
One of the creatures stepped forward, a blue skinned dinosaur that upon a scan Matrix learned was called a Yoshi. This Yoshi creature had two black equipment straps running across it's chest, at the center of each were pistols, and it appeared tools and ammo took up the remaining space. He did not draw his weapons simply because it was obvious he didn't need to. Matrix, on the the other hand, kept his own firearm trained on it.
"Who are you?" the Yoshi abruptly demanded, locking eyes with Matrix.
"Enzo..." AndrAIa hesitantly said from behind him. Matrix could hear the sound of her trident extending as her back pressed against his. They didn't have a lot other options.
"Some welcoming party," Matrix replied sarcastically.
"If you're from the Empire, you've made a big mistake," the Yoshi instantly said back, his eyes narrowing as he spoke.
"Empire?" Matrix responded, clearly confused and caught off guard by the accusation.
"Wait, we're not Empire!" AndrAIa shouted from behind Matrix, stepping to the side and turning to face the Yoshi now. She saw an opportunity to end this confrontation peacefully, so she was going to take it. "We're here because we're trying to stay away from the Empire!"
The Yoshi's eyes narrowed even further, indicating suspicion towards that comment.
"Then why are you here?" the Yoshi asked, now shifting his eyes to AndrAIa occasionally, but still keeping most of his attention on Matrix and his gun.
"She just told you," Matrix snapped back, still seething with anger over this situation.
The Onix let out a low growl. It was getting tired of this stand off. AndrAIa sighed, because she was too. She suddenly retracted her trident into it's much smaller carry mode, and clipped it to her belt. Once she did that she stepped forward and put one hand on Matrix's right arm and another on his shoulder. Matrix tensed up at her touch, but she gently pushed his arm down so the barrel of Gun was pointing at the dirt. It seemed to defuse the situation a little bit, because the surrounding creatures all stepped back a little bit and seemed to relax slightly.
"Please, listen," AndrAIa continued. "We've only been in this Omniverse a little while, and we ended up here in the Vasty Deep. We've been looking for a place away from Imperial influence where we can get our bearings."
The Yoshi silently listened, but when it made no further movements AndrAIa just continued.
"Look, we just want to lay low and figure this world out," AndrAIa explained. "We'd like to just take shelter in your home for a little while, if you'll allow us."
The Yoshi stood there for a moment, it seemed to be contemplating what she said for a moment. Finally, it spoke up.
"This is Cinnabar Island," the Yoshi explained. "We have nothing to do with the Empire, and we do everything in our power to keep it that way. Your boat looks like Imperial tech, so we were on alert as soon as you came near the island. The Empire has been trying to get a foothold here, sometimes aggressively."
"It's because we stole it," Matrix answered, letting go of his gun and letting it snap to his hip.
The Yoshi nodded. "We'll take you to the main settlement, let you talk with the council. They may be willing to let you stay, if you can earn your place. It's their call."
"Fine by me," Matrix replied, though he was unimpressed by the idea he might have to jump through some hoops. However, he would hear them out.
AndrAIa felt much better about the situation, so she gave a gracious nod and a smile. "Thank you. I'm AndrAIa, and this is Matrix."
"Syril," The blue skinned Yoshi replied with his own name, then nodded his head down the trail. "Follow me."
Matrix and AndrAIa watched as the Yoshi began to walk down the trail, and the other creatures in the area began to disperse. AndrAIa shot one last look back at the boat, hoping their temporary home would be safe for the time being. They slowly began walking after Syril, wondering if the whole trail had hidden defenders. Even more importantly, they wondered what awaited them at this village.