Karma
~ Birth of the Sage Commander ~
By: The Sandwich
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Chapter 6 ~Blazing Eyes~
-== INTERLUDE 06.1 ===-
-= March 24th, 8:06 AM =-
"How is she?" A raven-haired woman, draped in red, asked as she melted out of the shadows of the room. The room's only other occupant, a short, blonde-haired girl in a white and black Buddhist monk robe, did not turn to greet the new arrival, but rather stayed center of the small room. Charms of protection and sealing lined the walls, all empowered by the priestess in the center of the room, yet not one of them had been even stirred by the arrival of the lady in red. The priestess, unsurprised, held an expression of contemplation across her scarred face. She sat in position of meditation, hands clasped together as she focused her energies beyond the room's single transparent wall and towards the 'subject' in the room beyond.
"Clever and bull-headed as always. Even after all this time, I have to wonder what the hell she's made of. I've been reinforcing the seals to the room, but she keeps at it like clockwork." The priestess shook her head. "I always feel bad doing this, watching her - even though she was the one who asked. I mean...how many people have to build prisons for themselves...?"
"Guilt? Oh, stop that. You know we couldn't afford it if she became bonded with anyone accidentally and this is the only way to stop that. The consequences would be terrifying, for all of us, maybe even the League." The black haired woman frowned. "Besides, we've done this for years. Why worry about it now?"
"Yeah, you're right... I suppose I was just thinking too hard again." The strangely robed maiden gave the lady in red an apologetic smile. "Anyway, how was the trip?"
"Eh, boring. Babysat some kids, kept a few Ferals from entering the training grounds. Sasha had a word or two with the teachers about 'incompetent monkeys', and she mentioned something about a nice concrete headache, but other than that..."
"Master Innes wouldn't want you talking of the students that way..."
"Sasha's words, not mine, and she was referring to the teachers, not the students."
"Ahh, I see." The priestess chuckled. "Yes, that does sound like her."
"Still. It was a rather boring year. I was hoping for a few surprises, at least..." The lady in red sighed and turned to leave the room. "Let me go get a cup of tea, then we can switch places. I'm sure you could use some rest."
"Thank you."
Indeed, there was nothing of interest, the lady in red mulled as she walked out of the room. Pure bureaucratics and droll chores. Even if the simple 'chore' would have been impossible for almost anyone else to accomplish, it was still nothing to her. None of the students had interested her, no one there seemed to stand out in any real way. All in all, a dull week.
So...why, the lady in red wondered, as she walked down the familiar halls of her home, did the trip leave her feeling so strangely unsettled?
-==END INTERLUDE==-
[March 24th, 9:46 AM]
The next day, Vikram and his friends found themselves aboard the passenger hovership Qahha-r, flying above the trees towards the White Lotus's northern territories. The seven-count team - three masters, four pokegirls - stood around a table in the airship's passenger room, looking at a map of the league.
"Just a slow, clean sweep through a few different towns, it seems." Dearka had commented on the path. "Mirza, Kakinda, Varpur, Azandar...up towards the northern mountains, looks like."
"Mountains? I don't like mountains." Lynn commented. "Too much hard stone. Too cold."
Yzak rolled his eyes. "Hmph. It can't be any worse than the city, for you."
"You...have a point there."
"I bet we can get a great view, though." Milliaria said enthusiastically.
Naturally, Traxia chimed in as usual. "..."
Vikram shook his head. "We'll cross that when we come to it. They're a long, long ways away, anyway. For now, we should discuss how we'll proceed..."
"Because none of us - save Dearka - have a second pokegirl yet, we should avoid splitting up too much at first." Yzak said, looking over the map thoughtfully. "We'll want at least one well-rested Pokegirl to act as a night watch, and while Dearka's Cameragirl can fill in that role to a point, if all three of our fighting girls are exhausted and we get attacked by something dangerous, we're done for."
"Makes sense to me. Do we stay as a group, then?"
"During the night, we should try and stick within a short distance. As for the daytime, I don't think that we need to go quite that far. For one thing, we will be more obvious as a bigger group, and may scare off captures we could have made or possibly even attract battles we can't win." Yzak shook his head. "For the moment, I suggest we have one of us designated to be the night guard and rotate that role daily. Whomever is the night guard follows one of the others, conserving his or her girl's strength unless it's needed. Once we have more pokegirls, we will be able to split up more thoroughly, and be able to cover a wider area, but for the moment, we should err on the side of caution."
Dearka grinned. "I like it!" Vikram also nodded his assent. "Sounds like a sound plan."
"Now; as for the route. Lynn, you did some reading up on those locations. Can you fill us in?"
"Yes, sir." Lynn stepped forward. "First..."
The discussion continued in earnest. Though they tried to hide it, a ripple of excitement ran through them all. None of them would settle for less than giving their all.
* * *
Landing in Mirza a few hours later, the group disembarked from the airship.
Thankfully, it was yet winter, so the weather was pleasantly cool - as opposed to sweltering - for winters in the White Lotus tended to be comfortably cool at worst, with the exception being in the high mountains. Unfortunately, the pleasant winters were overshadowed by the overwhelming summers. It would only be a few more weeks before the first rains began to fall, and if there was one type of weather the league saw way too much of, it was the rain.
Ugh.
"Alright, everyone, we'll split up here as planned." Yzak said, as a handful of other tamers disembarked the airship behind them and local workers started unloading the other cargo. "I'll go and speak with the elders here and let them know we've arrived, find out if there's anything important about the local area we should know. Dearka, Vikram, you go and stock up on supplies for us. You have the list." He tossed Vikram a credit chip, who deftly caught it, before he gestured to Shiho to follow him and they walked away.
'Elders'? Vikram shook his head.
Lynn looked at the two remaining men curiously. "Since when has Yzak been in charge?"
"He ain't. None of us are." Dearka replied. "But he makes for a better 'face' for the group than either me or Vikram would. In theory, a local blood like Vikram would make more sense, but...I mean, really, imagine! Vikram in charge of diplomacy...we'd be chased out of town in an hour." He made a gesture like an angry man with a pitchfork, and Lynn laughed.
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." Vikram grumbled, but he didn't press the issue. For all he knew, after all, Dearka might be right.
"No problem." Dearka gave Vikram a friendly whack to the back and Lynn laughed at the latter's scowl. "Anyway, let's get ourselves moving before Yzak comes back and orders Shiho to cut our heads off or something."
"Yeah, yeah. Lynn, return." Lynn vanished into her Pokeball as Vikram hefted up his pack. "On to the store, then?"
"To the store."
The shop, simply named Verma's, was a small one, but relatively busy. The two got in and out as quickly as they could, Vikram being as uncomfortable around so many strangers as he was (and they being mutually uncomfortable with him), picking up a number of potions and other supplies, including a handful of Ultra balls that Yzak had demanded in addition to a the normal Pokeballs. "Quality over quantity!" was his creed, and, thinking about it for a bit, picked up a pair for himself. They weren't THAT pricy, after all.
"Any news?" Dearka asked when the two met up inside the Pokecenter lobby.
"It would appear we are in a good place," Yzak said with a smile that usually preceded a classy ass-kicking, "Two major events of late. Apparently, a rogue colony of Annts has been messing with the outskirts - several of the buildings have had major integrity damage and collapsed thanks to them."
Dearka groaned, and Vikram just barely resisted doing so himself. "Annts? Those mindless things?"
Yzak nodded. "The same. I'm not particularly impressed with them as prey, but it should be some easy SLC if we kill off enough of them. Not really much point in keeping them alive, though the queen might be worth selling when we nab her. Now, the second bit of news, though, that's a bit more interesting." The three started walking towards the Pokecenter as Yzak explained.
"One of the storehouses was raided a few days ago. A pack of pokegirls, the locals think some kind of amazon, snuck into town, broke into the storehouse, and left with some supplies before the locals arrived. Very nice and clean, in and out. Nobody was hurt, thankfully, but it's awfully strange, don't you think? Ferals aren't usually so smart."
"You think someone's harem might have done it?"
The silver-haired tamer merely smiled, and that was all the answer they needed.
"Well, then, let's get moving!" Dearka said. "If we're quick, we might be able to get farther into the area than the other squads."
With a resounding cheer, the three headed out into the nearby wilderness.
Several days passed as they traveled, most uneventfully. Yzak was the first to score a victory, returning to the group with a Rack he later named Izumi that evening, much to Vikram's annoyance.
And such it was that Vikram and Lynn stepped boldly into the wilderness.
"Hey, Lynn, have you seen my sandwich?"
Or perhaps not so boldly.
"Why should I know where you put it? I don't eat human foods any longer, remember?"
"That's why I'm asking if you've seen it, not if you've ate it." Vikram griped. They had walked for hours, yet had yet to see a feral in thier path. Vikram was beginning to wonder if they were somehow avoiding him, when the back of his mind twitched.
Turning around, he found, to his surprise, the missing sandwich hovering right in front of his eyes.
Oh, there it is... flickered through his mind, before he became distinctly aware of a pair of inverted eyes, obscured in the deli's shadow, staring back at him with a curious gaze. Long, frazzled hair hung down several feet while tanned sienna hands held the stolen meal, and the Pokegirl - for surely no human would have the ability to be hanging upside-down from a vine by her feet, munching on HIS food - not even a foot away from his face, gave a silly smile.
His analysis complete, Vikram at last had the sense to react.
"HOLY SH-"
< Lynn!!>
The pokegirl blinked in surprise as the vine she clung to snapped, severed by a razor leaf. "Back away! Master!" The pokegirl, however, was hardly slowed, landing in a handstand, finishing off the poor sandwich while she 'walked' over and snatched up a nearby apple for good measure.
"Hey! Give that back!" Vikram complained, even as he leapt backwards to give himself more space as he whipped out his pokedex and leveled it at the figure, though he had a pretty good guess.
Amazonkapoeraa, the Acrobatic Fighter Pokegirl.
Well, looks like we're in the right direction.
Lynn's eyes bulged as the girl, apple held bitten in her mouth, began to run away - while still on her hands. The sheer weirdness of the sight stopped her for a second, before she charged after the fleeing girl. "You have got to be kidding me! "
"Wahooo!" The girl leapt into the air, landing on her feet and catching the apple in-hand, before she jumped up into the trees, swinging up on one of the vines. Lynn was right behind her, pulling herself up by a vine of her own, throwing leaves everywhere, but the girl just laughed merrily and batted them away.
What is this?! Lynn growled in frustration. Can't I do anything against her?!
Finally managing to grasp one of the girl's arms with a vine and pull her in close, Lynn struck out towards the amazon's face, hoping to stun her for just long enough-
But the blow missed wildly, as the girl spun around Lynn's outstretched arm, turning the vine grapple to her own advantage. Landing on the other side of the branch, the tan-skinned Amazon delivered a solid elbow strike to the back of Lynn's head, before the grip of the vines on her arm eased and she hopped away once more.
"Guh!" Lynn reeled, trying to regain her bearings, a well-placed vine the only thing that kept her from falling from her lofty perch. She found the girl a few trees away, jumping from branch to branch excitedly, waving to her.
"Wahooo~!"
"You annoying little...."
< What are you doing, Lynn? That is not a foe that you can best up-close! You have to strike from a distance!> Vikram called up to her telepathically. < You are not a brawler!>
"I'm trying!" She roared, firing off another volley of vine whips. "Why do we always have to fight the girls that can just laugh off my attacks?!"
"Grrr..." Vikram gritted his teeth. Picking up a fist-sized stone, he heaved it up into the trees as high as he could, not attempting to strike the Amazon (for that would surely have been foolish), but simply to get it within Lynn's reach.
< One slingshot special, coming up! >
"One WHAT?" Snatching up the stone with one of her vines, Lynn's eyes lit up in sudden understanding. Bending a nearby branch into an impromptu sling with her vines she launched the stone towards the Amazon, a squall of leafy razors right behind it.
"Zhao??" The amazon stared at the strange green girl, readying her makeshift weapon, in curiosity before whirling into motion, smacking the stone back towards Lynn with the back of one hand as she bounced away from the incoming leaves. Lynn barely dodging out of the way of her own stone.
"Gee, great idea, Master!"
< Seemed like a good idea at the time. > Vikram muttered.
"Iiii!!" The brown-skinned girl shook her hand, feeling the sting of the hit, before smiling and bounding towards the plant-type like a hurricane, smacking her clean off the branch and tumbling down towards the forest floor. She impacted several branches along the way, landing with a pained thud upon the ground.
Pain shot through Lynn like a wildfire, as she struggled back onto her feet. "Sh-shiho's... given...worse...than...this..." She said. "I will...not..."
And then the Amazon was in Lynn's face, and Lynn found her self desperately on the defensive as a shower of blows lashed out at her, hitting her with numbing force that seemed to sap the very strength from her limbs. Leaves flashed out of her hands as quickly as she could create them, trying to force distance between her and her nimble opponent, but she simply danced out of the way each time.
< You need to distract her! She's too powerful for you to win in a straight fight! Use your lust powders to slow her reaction times!>
"SHUT UP!" Vikram rocked back on his feet from the angry rebuttal. Vine whips shot out in rapid-fire, attempting to steal the offensive from the wild amazon, but it was too little, too late. Lynn yelped as the amazon spun in front of her, knocking her feet out from underneath her and causing her to fall flat on her back. Lynn screamed in pain as her bulb was compacted under pressure.
"LYNN!" Vikram watched in horror as Lynn struggled to her feet, barely able to move. The Amazon, however, had already leapt into the air, a complete vertical spin that had her inverted in the air, in the perfect position to make what Vikram swore should have been an impossible kick, sending a heavy stone of her own rocketing toward's Lynn's head -
And this time, Lynn didn't try getting up.
"Lynn!!" Vikram's ready Pokeball slipped from his hand, his strength gone. My first independent battle, and I've already lost? So quickly?
Don't screw with me!
He glanced at his 'watch.' Should I call them? Innes's warning flashed in his head once again, but he set his jaw and stubbornly ignored it.
...No. Dearka and Yzak are too far away. If there's a way out of this, they'd arrive for nothing, and if there isn't, I'd already be dead. Either way, I have to figure this out on my own. He swallowed hard. Besides, I doubt they'd fare much better against this monster. She doesn't seem all that aggressive. Maybe, just maybe... He turned to look at the Amazon as she flipped towards him, swallowing hard -
"Waaai! Zhao win! Zhao win!"
Wha?
Vikram stared in disbelief as the girl hopped around in front of him in...celebration?...An expression of light-hearted joy on the girl's face. "Fun game! You play, too?"
"I...uh..." You have got to be kidding. She thought this was a game? Of all of the... Vikram's jaw dropped, and he would later be very glad Dearka hadn't been around at the time. If he'd seen the stupid look on Vikram's face then, Vikram would likely have never heard the end of it.
And so, caught up in the situation, he laughed.
He laughed and he laughed, practically ignoring the tan-skinned girl in front of him and nearly keeling over. A huge grin crossed his face. Yes, yes, I understand now! This was how it was meant to BE!
Suddenly, his laughter stopped. The amazon stared at Vikram curiously as he, again seemingly oblivious to her, he retrieved Lynn with the crimson light of her pokeball, and plopped down upon the ground. The amazon frowned, wondering why the man in front of her was suddenly being so boring, when Vikram opened up his pokepack, pulled out another sandwich, cracked open two sealed cans, and patted the ground next to him.
"If you can't beat 'em..."
"Here. You're hungry, right?" Vikram smiled as a delighted smile appeared on the girl's face and she sat down, happily munching on the offered sandwich. "Here."
The amazon looked at the offered canned drink curiously. Vikram took a sip of it and then held it out again. "See? Drink." The tanned-skinned girl took the drink, sniffed it for a second, recoiling at the unexpected fizzy sensation, then took a gulp.
"...get 'em drunk."
The 'Kapoeraa blinked, surprised at the drink, before giving off a hearty "Wahooo!" and chugging the drink down. "Is good!"
Vikram gave a devilish smile, and held out another can.
* * *
A few hours later, Yzak and Dearka returned to find a severely ragged-looking Vikram resting against a tree. His clothes were scuffled and haphazardly placed, as if only barely being able to care.
"Pramesh, why didn't you meet us at the assigned poi-" Yzak frowed. "What train hit you, man?"
"No kidding. Dude, what happened to you?"
Vikram chuckled slowly, shaking his head. "Not quite a train." He shook the pokeball in his hand lightly. "Just a busy day."
"Where's Lynn?"
"Resting in her ball. She got knocked out hard pretty hard. I think she's going to need a healing cycle."
Yzak stared. "You're kidding. Then how'd you...?"
"Tricks of the trade, Yzak, tricks of the trade." He continued to chuckle...before he closed his eyes. "Glad you're here, though...we're...really...tired..."
"And...I still...never...had...lunch..."
And with that, the clutches of exhaustion caught him.
* * *
Early the next day, Vikram woke to the sound an earthquake localized in his stomach. He nearly leapt up out of his sleeping bag, and seconds later, was caught square on the face by an apple Dearka quickly tossed his way.
I hate mornings.
"G'dagh!" He recoiled from the hit, but quickly recovered and picked up the offending fruit, biting into it with vengeance and glaring at Dearka all the way.
"Hah-hah, got yah!" Dearka laughed as Vikram eagerly bit into the apple. "Good to see you have your appetite."
"I ALWAYS have my appetite." Vikram declared after the fruit was gone and he reached inside his pokepack for something more. "And rest assured I'll remember that. Anyway, where's Yzak? He leave already?"
"I'm right here." Yzak's voice called from behind him. "What the hell was yesterday about, you bastard?"
Wincing, he turned to face his eagle-eyed companion. "Ah, good. Sharp and ready as ever."
"And you're dancing around the point as usual. Must not be THAT hungry." Vikram scowled at Yzak's remark.
"Oh, very well. Lynn was overwhelmed by a feral, and so I resorted to getting the feral drunk and taming her on the spot." He shrugged.
"Drunk?" Yzak's eye narrowed. "I didn't know you brought sake with you."
"I didn't. That's why I'm glad you two are still around." The two looked at Vikram curiously. It was Dearka that got it first.
"An Amazon! That, er... Amazonkapawhatzit that gets drunk from carbonated drinks!"
"Kapoeraa, Dearka. Ka. Po. Eh. Raa."
"Yeah, that one." Dearka agreed, unphased by the correction.
Vikram nodded, before lifting up the pokeball containing his first catch. "Correct. Now, it might be a coincidence, but the feral I captured was indeed a 'Kapoeraa. If she happens to have some connection with the raiding group...what do you think that means?"
"Don't bore me with meaningless questions, Pramesh. We could just ASK her."
"I doubt it will be that easy..."
"Just ask her already! If she does have a lead, I want to follow it!" Yzak hmphed.
Vikram laughed, "Well, then, if it's so easy, would you two mind having your girls cover, just in case she's uncooperative?"
They nodded, and Traxia stepped a few feet back, her arm-cannon ready.
Now, Vikram took the time to look over the girl. She was a bit on the short side, perhaps 5'2, which put her about even with Vikram, who was hardly impressively tall himself. Her skin was a light coffee tan, with small but firm breasts topped with chocolate nipples. with hardly an ounce of unnecessary fat to be seen. Her hair was cut short, but unevenly. Kind of cute, in an Edo sort of way, for she looked like she had some of the ancient Chinese ancestry in her. Not a local girl.
"Raaa?" The girl looked around, confused at the sudden change in surroundings.
"Tch." Yzak slapped himself on the face. "Of course. Feral shock."
"That's right." Vikram grinned.
"Don't 'That's right' me!"
Turning around to the sound of his voice, Zhao noticed Vikram and her face brightened. The back of his mind twitched as her form rapidly closed the gap between them.
Oh shit.
"Kapaaa!" "Gwaagh!" *thud*
Yzak snickered as the amazon tackled Vikram to the ground, snuggling him happily. "I see that she likes you just fine."
"O-Oy, Zhao! Give me a break for a minute, that fall hurt!" Vikram blushed as Zhao continued to snuggle against him with a happy smile.
"Amaza! Mazamaza kapo!"
I can't understand a word you're saying, girl!
"'Zhao'?" Yzak frowned. "That name sounds Edo."
"Yes. That's her name. At least, that's what she called herself, and the name of the girl who so completely defeated me is a good name to keep." A thumbs up drifted from Vikram's prone form. "Now please Get. Off. Of. Me!"
"Zon." Zhao slowly, but not without a sulk, slipped off of him.
"Whew." Vikram sighed, then patted the tanned girl on the head.
"In any event, what do we do now? From the sounds of it, Lynn needs rest at the least."
"Lynn needs more than rest - she needs sunlight. Can we find an open clearing around here for her to rest at for a while?"
"Yeah, back there a ways." Milliana said, pointing into the woods.
"I'll get her set up and then we can discuss what we're going to do." Vikram said. They walked to the clearing, where he released Lynn and winced at the wounds.
"Nghh...Vikram?!" Lynn gasped. "You're okay!" She winced as jolts of pain shot up her back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Chill. You need to rest and regenerate. Just relax and hold still. I'm going to use a potion to ease the brunt of the wound, but then you need to get some sunlight, you hear?" He shook the potion for a second and began to spray.
"Alright..." She lay down on the ground as the potion's chemistry began it's work.
"But, master, what happened to that girl? How did you escape?"
"Escaped?" Vikram smirked. "Meet your new partner." Vikram pointed up at the girl leaning over Lynn's head, who greeted Lynn with a friendly "Raa!"
"YEEK!"
* * *
"So where do we go from here?"
"I'm not sure. Do we wait until Zhao can speak?"
"Would you CHILL a moment, woman?!" Yzak barked at Zhao, who was bouncing and cart-wheeling around like a Wigglymuff on a sugar high, humming some sort of song as she went.
"Phbbbbt." Zhao stuck out her tongue at Yzak and continued her bouncing.
On an impulse, Vikram turned to Zhao, jumped forward towards her. "Hey, Zhao. Are there any other amazons around here?"
"Ama?"
"Yes, amazons. Err. Friends?"
Zhao looked at Vikram strangely, before her face lit up. "Kapa! Kapa!" She pointed out into the forest and charged into it.
"Hey, wait!" Yzak growled. "Darn impulsive girl. I'm glad she's yours."
Vikram snickered. "Do you think you can handle yourself here alone, Lynn?"
The boobisaur nodded. "Yeah, I should be fine. I won't be caught off guard next time."
"Good girl. Alright then, what are we waiting for?"
"Certainly not her, " Dearka commented, looking at the Amazon running in place ahead of them.
Is that what you call patient impatience? Vikram wondered idly, as he picked up he bags.
"What about Lynn?"
"I told her to get some rest. She should be fine until we return, so long as she isn't distracted."
"Let's go! Your damn girl's gonna be leaving us behind!" Tossing a pokeball into the air, Yzak called out to Izumi, who quickly took flight after the wild amazon.
"Alright, alright!"
The seven pressed on through the jungle for several hours. They had to force Zhao to stop once, for everyone was quite tired from the quick pace, but before too long they found themselves in the center of a great clearing next to the riverside, hidden in the shadow of a cliff from which the river poured down in a great waterfall.
Suddenly, tanned forms fell from the trees all round them, others sneaking out from behind cover, from behind the waterfall, several bearing weapons. Six, twelve, eighteen...Vikram's blood ran cold as over a dozen, perhaps nearly two dozen Amazons appeared around them in the blink of an eye, angry and threatening. A pair of them even sported bows, and were watching the skies, carefully watching Yzak's Rack as she eyed the them, trying to make sense of the situation. Vikram didn't even bother trying to gage the strengths of those around them, there were so many that any form of battle would have been a joke.
They were surrounded.
"No...way..." Even Yzak's voice was strained with disbelief.
"On the other hand," Vikram mused, looking oblivious, though it was as much a cover for his own fears as it was anything else. "Maybe I should have waited. Or asked a better question."
"You think of this now?!"
Hey, you didn't think of it, either.
"M-Master, your orders?" Even the normally unflappable Shiho's voice was trembling slightly.
"Poeraaaa!" Zhao waved at them happily, before looking at them strangely, as if confused as to why they seemed so angry. "Era?"
"Well, you've really done it now, haven't you, Zhao?" One of the amazons called out in a loud voice. Unlike the others, however, who mostly wore very little - if anything at all - she was of a lighter complexion, and wore a suit of fine leather and chain hid much of her form. Vikram almost would have wondered if she was human, so plain in appearance she was and how out of place she seemed among the rest of the group, but when her gloved hands lifted over her shoulder a tremendous and wide greatsword, fully five feet in length and shining from hilt to tip with a flickering blue flame that seemed to flow within the core of the weapon itself, entertaining any such ideas flew from his mind. "I told you not to go running off so far from everyone and now look what you've gone and done."
"You can sp-?!" Yzak stared at the plain woman who stared back down at them along the length of her great blade.
"Why are you so surprised?" The girl said, interupting him. "Not every Pokegirl you will find in the wild is Feral, you know, or bounded by the usual limitations of one." The amazon leader said, a frown on her soft face.
"Dearka. Yzak. Tell your pokegirls to stand down and put down their weapons. And recall Izumi before she gets skewered over there."
"What?! Are you INSANE, Vikram?!" Yzak glared. "We are surrounded!"
< 'This just in!' I kinda noticed, Yzak! > Vikram's mental voice thundered. < If this falls into fighting, we are doomed, and we will find no convenient bridge to drop on their heads in a place such as this! Tell your girls to stand down!>
He tried to ignore the dark look Yzak sent his way.
"Why did you come here?"
"The village of Murza was raided by Pokegirls. Our job is to stop them."
"Yzak!"
"Thieves? If that is what you want to call us then yes, we are thieves." The Amazon leader called out. "But just what do you plan to do about it? You, who kidnapped one of our tribe?"
The group of Amazons closed in around them. Yzak tensed, and Shiho fell into a deep stance, ready to draw and strike at any moment. He frowned. No amount of luck would get him out of this mess if things regressed into violence.
Vikram fell to one knee and lowered his head. "Believe me or not. We -" Vikram strongly emphasized the we " are not your enemy. We did not come here to hurt any of you. Please allow us merely to ask a question."
"Why should we trust you? Your friend captured one of our sisters."
"Firstly, you are mistaken. The one who captured Zhao was not my friends, but me. As for your question, I have but one answer. Because we are the weak ones!" Vikram said, surprising the group with the force behind those words, "We who have no choice but to rely on the powers of others to survive! Surely you understand the need to protect those important to you. We borrow power from others just as you borrow strength from each other!" Vikram stared at the amazon leader. "In any event, as I said, the purpose of our visit was not to bring trouble, but simply to seek answers."
The amazon leader looked down at them. For a long minute, Vikram feared that she would decline, but at long last, she took her sword and slid it back inside of the great sheath behind her back. The rest of the amazons seemed to follow suit, backing up several feet and relaxing somewhat. He released a sigh of relief, before the short amazon leader spoke up again.
"What is your question?"
"Your group raided the nearby village a few nights ago, but they have never had trouble with your group before. Has something happened to your home, that has forced you into this area?"
The amazon leader gasped and her vision darkened. Yzak looked at Vikram in complete surprise, while Dearka simply smiled and nodded in understanding.
"You have good intuition, boy. Yes. We were forced from our home...not by the doing of either human or pokegirl, but by a cursed red stone."
A what? Vikram frowned. "Go on."
"One of our number found it one day, and shortly afterwards went berserk. She holed up for a while, and we left her be, hoping that she would come to her senses, but...the next time we saw her, she had-" The leader's voice fell. "...changed."
"Changed?"
"The stone had fused with her...transformed her into some sort of monstrous demon."
""Eh?"" The three tamers looked at each other in surprise. < Demon? You mean, like an infernal? I've never heard of an Amazon evolving like that. Some sort of new stone evolution, you think?> Vikram asked his companions telepathically, and they simply shrugged. This was beyond their experience, too.
Vikram noticed that Zhao had suddenly seemed to shrink, looking at the ground. "Zhao? What's wrong...?"
"Mama..."
The surprise that Zhao had recovered her speech was nothing before the word she had spoken.
"Mama?! You mean..the one that found the gem was-?!" A shiver ran down Vikram's back.
"Her mother." The leader's voice quivered with anger and frustration. "She truly had become a demon - powerful, and nearly impossible to harm. She killed several of us and destroyed our home. We defeated her, but...several more of us were injured as she died, and we had no way of treating so many wounded at once..."
She swallowed. "We did the only thing we could do - we left."
"And you ended up here."
The leader nodded. "We arrived here to find a new home, but it is not easy to find food for so many of us here, and many of us were injured, so I...led some of us in to steal supplies from the town." She chuckled. "Doors don't mean much to me."
I bet they don't. Vikram thought, eyeing the great blade on her back. At least that explains the raid - but it makes sense.
"Now then...if that answers your questions, then we have only one last thing to do. Return Zhao to us, and we will be on our way." the Amazon leader said, putting one hand on the handle of her weapon again. "I have no interest in harming anyone, but I understand what it is like to have a Master. She will only leave you now if you tell her to."
"Do it, Vikram." Yzak said crossly. "We have things to do."
"Give her up? You speak as if it is my choice."
"Whose else could it be?"
"The choice." Vikram said firmly, "Is Zhao's and Zhao's alone. I captured her and tamed her, but if she does not wish to join me, then she is free to go as she pleases..."
"What choice?!"
"Then ask her! Do you not have faith in her? Zhao beat me, you know. She's stronger than any of us." Vikram said with a laugh. "Why don't you just ask her what she wants to do?"
"You know she will not listen now. You are her master now, aren't you?! I cannot keep her safe if leaves my protection!"
"Does Zhao need your protection? Does she WANT your protection?"
The amazon leader's face darkened. "I know what you're trying to do. And it won't work." She lifted up her great blade, and raised her other hand as if preparing to signal-
"Zhao! Come on! We are leaving!"
"No." Zhao's flat refusal stunned the amazon leader. "Zhao will not follow Yuni anymore."
"Zhao?! What are you-"
"Zhao will not follow Yuni anymore!" Zhao repeated, leaping into a battle stance and placing herself between Vikram and 'Yuni'. "Zhao is strong! Zhao no need Yuni's protection! Zhao will go where Zhao wants!"
"Zhao challenge!"
Suddenly, the amazons around them began to hoot and howl. Yuni groaned in frustration, cursing the day she had taken leadership over the tribe, cursing the 'kapoeraa and their wild ways. Oh, how she wanted to just ignore it!
Vikram felt a surge of pride as the amazon stood up to her Yuni, but at the same time, it was embittered by a sense of melancholy. How much of this was simply because she was a pokegirl, and not because of him? For a second, he wondered if he had done the right thing, but he quickly silenced those musings. He had no room for doubt!
"Challenge accepted!" Yuni yelled out, slamming her greatsword onto the ground, fire leaping out of the cracks in the ground the mighty blade had formed. The amazons around them hooted again in excitement. "If I win, you stay!"
"If Zhao win, I go!" Zhao's form didn't even flinch at the sight of the magnificent sword.
Wouldn't flipping a coin be easier?
"First one to land a strike!" The circle of amazons widened, backing away from the two combatants. Vikram's group quickly followed suit, watching from the trees.
"Oy, oy, oy. 'First to hit?' How is anyone supposed to take a 'hit' from a weapon like that?" Dearka leaned over towards Vikram. "You sure she can handle this?"
"Honestly? No idea. I don't even know what kind of pokegirl their leader is, though I suspect she's a 'Wu."
"No idea." Yzak said, the tone of his voice one of disgust.
Vikram smiled. "Zhao said it best herself. That girl is strong. If her leader does not have faith in her abilities, then that means she is nervous. Zhao is not."
"Look!"
In a flash, the battle had begun.
Even Yzak had to give an appreciative sigh as Zhao danced about, avoiding the great flaming strikes that lashed out towards her at a speed no human could hope to duplicate. Amazons around them chanted together in song, an impromptu beat rising in the wilderness.
For all of her agility, however, Yuni followed Zhao like a shadow, step by step, move for move. Zhao nimbly avoided the great blade time and again, but could close no distance, could do nothing but defend against the furious offense of a girl who, Vikram realized, was just as mobile, if not more so, than Zhao was. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut as Zhao slowly found herself cornered by the flashing blade as the more experienced of the two fighters slowly became clear.
Zhao smiled sadly, looking towards the swordswoman before her, her .
"...Zhao will never forget you, Yunica-mama."
Yuni froze into place, the grip on her blade weakening ever so slightly. "Eh...?!"
And in that instant, Zhao struck, a surge of chi lashing out from Zhao's punching hand, knocking the great blade from her hands and into the river, where a pillar of steam began to rise from where the blade impaled itself into the ground. Yuni gasped as Zhao charged in, trapping Yuni in a tight embrace, which Yuni, defeated and resigned, swiftly returned. Both girls fell to their knees and began to cry.
They both knew that they would probably never meet again.
A melancholic mood fell over Vikram as he watched the scene. Again, he wondered if what he was doing was right, 'room for doubt' be damned.
"Hmph." Yzak shook his head and began to walk away. "I'll be back at the camp." None of the amazons moved to stop him. Patting Vikram on the shoulder, Dearka and givng him a thumbs up, Dearka soon followed after Yzak, leaving the lone Pramesh behind to sort out the aftermath.
A few minutes later, Yuni walked up to Vikram, her sword once again within it's sheath behind her back, as Zhao began to say her goodbyes to the rest of the tribe.
"I will do my best to keep anyone from the village from chasing after your group." Vikram volunteered. "I cannot speak for my companions, but I will do my best anyway."
"Thank you, stranger. We do not want conflict with the village - we simply wish to be left alone. If Zhao is willing to trust you, I should as well. Besides..." She paused. "I do not know why, but I feel like I can trust your words." Yuni said softly. "It is strange."
To that, Vikram could say nothing.
"I had a tamer once. It was several years ago now. He was a good man, before he passed away. It's funny. Of everything I thought I'd do with my life, I never dreamed I'd end up becoming the leader of a bunch of other amazons. I'm a domestic-born, you know." Yuni chuckled, and stood up. "I'm counting on you to take care of her."
Thirty seconds later, the Amazons had scattered into the woods, and with exception of the insects and the birds, the forest was silent, leaving only Vikram and Zhao within the clearing.
"Zhao..." Vikram asked quietly. "You called Yuni 'mama'?"
The tanned girl nodded, a small smile on her face. "Zhao has mother who raised me, and Zhao has mother who protects us all."
"Hoh~? I see." Vikram nodded. "What am I, then?"
"Hmmm..." Zhao thought for a moment. "Zhao not know. You have name?"
Stunned, Vikram laughed, embarrassed. "I haven't introduced myself to you yet, have I? I'm Vikram."
"Biikram!" "Gwagh!" *thud*
This is going to happen to me alot, isn't it?
"Err...no, Vikram." Vikram said, trying to push Zhao up from his prone form, without much success.
Zhao tried again, her face screwing up as she concentrated. "Bikram...Bi...Bii.."
"Name hard!"
Vikram laughed and shook his head. The two stood up, and Vikram slung one arm around Zhao as the two of them began walking back to camp.
"I see we have a lot of work to do."
-----------------------------------------------------
"He is generous yet unable to lead,
He is loving yet unable to give orders.
He is chaotic and unable to bring order
They are like spoiled children.
They cannot be employed."
- Sun Tsu, The Art of War
Chapter 6: Blazing Eyes - End
And at last, the journey begins! This chapter also marks the first Interlude, important segments which cover events taking place without with Vikram or those inside his harem, but are still of great importance.
White Lotus Squad Watch: This sturdy, reinforced steel watch is waterproof and recharges through kinetic energy (thus requires no charge). In addition to functioning as a perfectly good watch (analog or digital), it has a two other, special functions. The watch acts as a GPS unit, and can change from watch mode to map mode, which then displays a very simple 'map' of sorts showing the cardinal directions and the relative location of any other watches attuned to the same 'group'. The final function of the watch allows the wearer to send a either a standard or distress signal to all of the watches linked with it. However, the final two functions only work in an area with satellite coverage, and are thus unusable in most leagues. Price: TBD.
Important Pokegirls:
AMAZONKAPOERAA, the Acrobatic Fighter Pokégirl
Type: Very Near Human
Element: Fighting
Frequency: Uncommon (Edo, Forest, Silver River, Slot, White Lotus), otherwise Very Rare
Diet: Omnivore, prefers vegetables or fish
Role: Jungle strike teams
Libido: Average (Desire typically is ranked High)
Strong Vs: Bug, Dark, Ice, Rock, Normal, Steel
Weak Vs: Flying, Psychic
Attacks: Power Break, Mach Punch, Hurricane Kick, Chi Blast, Northern Axe Kick, Southern Axe Kick, Counterstrike
Enhancements: Enhanced Strength (x2), Enhanced Agility (x6), Enhanced Endurance (x5)
Evolves: Herokapoeraa (normal), Acrobabe (Psi-Crystal)
Evolves From: Tyamazon (battle stress; special)
The thrill of battle, the thrill of dance. The Amazonkapoeraa is a breed of energy and impulse, living life from one simple pleasure to the next, be it a rousing battle, a heart pounding dance, good food, or an energetic taming. If there's one thing for sure, where there is an Amazonkapoeraa, you will not find peace and quiet!
Easily identified by their slim stature, always-tanned skin and typically dark hair, the Amazonkapoeraa breed is a relatively recent rediscovery, found to live in the deep regions of the surviving rain forests and other thick, wet forested areas. Amazonkapoeraa diets are typically omnivorous, to take advantage of their usual habitats. They are particularly fond of fruits and fish, which they typically hunt for in river areas.
The Amazonkapaoeraa is relatively simple to keep happy, if one can keep up with them. Because of their overly playful, energetic, and often teasing nature, the Amazonkapoeraa is often an incredibly frustrating pokegirl to handle, either as an opponent or as a tamer. Many tamers have commented that having one is like owning a localized whirlwind - few can keep up with them in their wake, and little is left unrustled.
Like all Fighting-types, they have a rivalry with other Fighting-types Pokégirls as to which one is the best fighter. Unfortunately, their contributions to the inter-Amazon rivalries is the worst of the bunch. If the Amazonchan and Amazonlee are like cats and dogs, the energy of the Amazonkapoeraa is constant and non-discrimnatory, likening them, one tamer has commented, as more like annoying mosquitoes that would get the cats and dogs to ignore each other if only it meant they could swat down the mosquito first.
While Amazonchans concentrate on strong punching attacks and Amazonlees are focus on speed and kicks, the Amazonkapoeraa are agile, acrobatic fighters capable of fighting with fist or feet. They do all sort of jumps and rolls during a fight, staying light on their toes almost at all times. This combat style tends to look like a bizarre form of dance, striking out as opportunity arises or with vicious counters, and indeed, it often is one, as the instinctual skills of the 'Kapoeraa specialize in the wild, dance-influence martial art of the Capoeira, from which it is believed the breed took it's commonly misspelled name from in years past. Their movements are designed to keep the Pokégirl's attacking options open, as well as to keep from being struck by any attacks. If struck, they can usually roll with it to keep from getting hit with the majority of the attack's power, lessening the damage that they take.
This energetic nature leaves them weak, however, to being ignored, as it typically frustrates them and will typically cause them to redouble their efforts to evoke a response. This has lead the breed towards a - one-sided - rivalry with the Amazon-wu, as the 'Kapoeraa typically shun most weapons and the Amazon-wu's normal reaction to the Amazonkapaoeraa's wild antics is to ignore them altogether. It is considered the mark of a good Tamer to get both a 'wu and a 'kapoeraa to work together, which is considered almost as difficult as getting an Amazonchan and an Amazonlee to do the same.
Like other Amazon-subtype Pokégirls, Amazonkapoeraas have an odd dietary quirk: carbonated beverages are alcoholic to them. The more soda they drink, the more drunken they become, until they finally pass out. However, in accordance to their lighthearted and energetic natures, they accept most defeats in stride, pleased in a worthwhile battle, regardless of outcome. On the few occasions that they do become thoroughly saddened, by a crushing defeat against a hated foe or some other event, it is recommended to keep them away from the carbonated drinks, as they will often drink themselves into a depression lasting several days and many hangover s before they recover, and most Amazons are typically not as impressive of fighters when drunk, though the occasional girl who has mastered the famous 'drunken master' styles -or indeed, many other fighting styles - does exist, and so one should never be quick to assume that the drunken 'Kapaoeraa they have found is a weak 'Kapaoeraa.
The 'Kapaoeraa's feral state is relatively light - they are capable of both rational thought and some manner of speech, though they are even more likely than normal to simply follow their impulses and do whatever they think is best at the time rather than think it through. They are wicked and playful in combat, but smart enough to use their chi abilities like Power Break or Chi Blast to either reduce the damage powerful foes can unleash against them, or to keep their distance against an obviously dangerous opponent.
It should be noted that of all the Amazon breeds, the Kapaoeraa loves a good tune the most. They particularly like powerful, upbeat songs that they can dance to, and love the sounds of a drum. Such music is common among gatherings of feral Kapaoeraa, who often will hold 'dance contests' with each other to see who has the best moves - though other dancers should be warned that such 'contests' are as much an intricate battle in and of themselves, each Amazon trying to trip up and strike at the other, not to harm, but to keep each other on their toes and their reflexes sharp.