Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2014 4:51:46 GMT -5
Drugged twice in one day, once by unknowingly because of his lack of knowledge and the second by a dart, if Anri wasn’t careful he was going to build up a reputation for using drugs on a regular basis, if it wasn’t for the sheer fact that he had been drugged against his will he wouldn’t have nearly minded it as much, this was no time to sleep but it wasn’t as though he had a say in manner. Blackness surrounded him as he lay there on the hard ground, he wasn’t just sure how long he had been out for but it had been long enough for the darkness of the night to flood the world and cast it into a pitch black void, either that or he was locked inside a building this time instead of on the forest floor. The all too familiar feeling of the druggish berry swam through his head as he fought with everything he had to stay a wake once more, as the toxin pulled as his struggling mind. He needed to get up… and get away maybe? The father seemed to have wanted him dead but the daughter said otherwise, he wasn’t sure how much pull she had on his mind but if the odds were against him escape would be the best choice that lay on his plate. Hostile would be the best words to describe the group if not afraid, with his appearance when at the meeting they seemed almost stunned at his sudden arrival, even pulling away as he neared them. It was a strange site… everything here was, it went against almost everything he had known about his people. The way the lived, the familiarness in the way they talked to one another but the main thing that stuck out was the man’s words, protesting… that was not something anyone did. On Riva things were the way they were and just how it was and everyone accepted it almost as scripture, life was how it was there and people lived their lives according to it, change wasn’t anything on their minds. Too here someone talking as such was defiantly in the top ten weirdest things that he had ever come across before and Anri had seen some shit, enough to get some one discharged if it ever came up in conversation.
Slowly opening his eyes did they wander around the dark room trying to make anything out through the blur in his eyes and into the void around him, everything just seemed to be one large blob and moving around wasn’t helping that fact. Testing his limbs too see how well they worked under the drug effect Anri found that while he could move them some what it was impossible to navigate his fingers and toes with any real accuracy, feeling as though electrical waves that fired from his brain got tossed through a washer before ending up in his hands. Holding anything right now with any sense of the word 'gently' would be impossible which meant his hands were out of the question of fighting, unless he were to slap everyone that he came across on his way out of the compound, while the idea was one of amusement he had too keep his mind focused otherwise he would lose his grip once more and been in a swirling mass of confusion once more and with the situation he was in it was the last thing he needed. Anri found himself taking a deep breath to calm himself but at this point he couldn’t be any calmer if he had tired, it seemed though along with the amazing taste the berry also put the user in a great since of relaxation, which only gave more proof that the rich loved to get stoned. With their great wealth and influence they could pretty much do whatever they so choose to do, even though drugs were illegal in many parts of the city they found ways to get around it. Though it wasn’t said publicly most of the Vennor held great discontent for those with power in the form of the elitist, an unspoken hate toward those that could get away with whatever the sought fit. It didn’t usually effect the common man but the idea of fairness wasn’t very well displayed in their society, but yet again it was just the way it was and people were used to it, not thinking too change anything.
Finding that the best thing too do right now was lay there and compel his thoughts Anri rested his thick plated head on the wooden floor as it gave a dull thud under his weight. Where to start really? It had been a somewhat enjoyable few days, at least until he had been drugged by a mesmerizing plant… tricked by a plant… ya he was sure everyone was going to believe that story after they found the drugs floating through his system. The traveling had grown old over time since the scenery never seemed to change and other than the few fights he had gotten into with the animals of the woods things had been peaceful…peaceful yet boring. He thought it was odd that the first times through it had been a fun exciting new trip for him, but now he would have rather been back at the base scrubbing toilets for a month with his own toothbrush, using it afterwards wasn’t the best part but it beat being stuck in a dark room with nowhere to go or a way to go anywhere. Thinking back now maybe he should have stuck with the unit, at least then he could be making strides to get home rather than waiting for someone to walk in and give him a swift jab through the neck with a shiv, even with all the distance he had made on the group it wasn’t really worth it if he died here and now. They would probably never find his body, with how far these people were away from the main cities and how much they must have hated the current government they might just dump his remains too the beasts below… for a trap, them kill those creatures as well for food… is that how is life would end? Being bait so that a village could eat for a week? What a waste. He hadn’t even come into the prime of his life and already he was going to die… oh well, he didn’t have any regrets… well other than not having sex, it was amazing at all the laws he had broken of the military code that was not one of them. And for a good reason, at least he thought so.
His father was a man he looked up too for everything, he served his nation greatly, did his duty, won a war, and came home to his love and raised three happy children… well for the most part happy. He was the idea person that everyone wanted to be when they grew up, strong, honorable, brave, smart and suave. One of those guys that had everything great coming for them but asked for nothing in return but too be a good person, and everyone liked him for it, that one person that everyone knew and loved. He had promised his father that he would not do that one act that was highly disapproved on by the military while and service, and where as Anri would break military code like he broke people’s faces he would never break a promise to his father. At least that was the reason he told anyone that tried to get some action off of him… but in the reality of the matter Anri just had issues talking with woman, no joke. The big bad ass lone wolf Anri did not act the way he normally did around woman and he had no idea why. He could take down a full grown beast without some much as burning a vapor trail but when it came to woman he turned into a babbling idiot. It was an amusing sight that many of the base mocked him for at least they used too, it was up until he broke a laughing Vennor’s jaw that the laughing stopped, but he swore he could still hear the occasional mocking as he walked past people on the base.
Sighing to himself at the rather embarrassing though did a thin line of stream produce out his mouth as he used the smoke to create rings, at least he hoped, in the lightless room it was hard to tell what was going on, not even being able to see his hand if it was floating right in front of him currently. Though without not much else to do other than think about the past there wasn’t much else to bid his time until something happened or the drug wore off long enough so that he would be able to escape. He was more than powerful enough to break loose if his body would fucking listen to him, they hadn’t even tried to restrain him with any chain, though those would have proved useless against his strength but still the idea that they hadn’t was foolish… that or they knew he wouldn’t be able to draw up enough strength in time to do anything that would change their decision. Just who was he really dealing with here? As primitive as their structures were they were not something that someone would built unless they found the need to, and let’s face it. Who would want to live in the woods like their ancestors when one could live in a twenty rise modern building, even with two hundred other people living in the same building it beat this place by a mile. That and they seemed to speak the same language as him if his drugged brain was remembering correctly, there had been no language barrier between the two of them which meant they had grown up in a city or at least some of them had, possibly the older ones. The group had been large but his trained eyes had pointed out a few kids looking no older than ten, by that age they should have been in the military but instead they clung to their parents like weeping frighten wood nymphs, now that was a strange sight! Children at that age should have been armed with guns and be learning how to shoot targets and not suckling on their mothers tits for nourishment, the culture and the way of life was backward to everything he had been taught.
Anri thoughts were interrupted with the small squeaks that made their way across the flooring, not inside the room but outside through the walls, since the whole structure of the city seemed to be made of wood it was easy to tell when anyone was walking by as they where now. The idea of Anri pretending to still be knocked out came across his mind but as soon as he stuck his eyes he could feel the great swirling pull of sleep reaching out for him. Snapping his eyes back open he shook his head at the idea, if he fell asleep he would be at the mercy of whoever was coming, and they were possibly there to kill him… and that wouldn’t do. As the door knob began to shake in its holder Anri quickly came up with an idea, it wasn’t prefect but all he needed to do was to bid more time until his strength was too return, then take whoever was coming captive and get out of this place. As much as he hated to give info to his commanding officers he thought it was one of those times to shallow his pride and let them know just what was going on here in the woods, what had been happening under their nose for who knew just how long. As the door to the building swung open the dull flickering light from the outside lit up the room partly as he finally got a decent look at where he was at, unlike before he found himself in what one might call a jail but the bars looked too be so weak that he could walk through them without so much as effort involved. Either they had no concept of just how strong a Vennor was supposed to be or everyone here could snap like a twig under a little bit of force, which would help him out in the long run.
As the door shuted behind the person Anri curse at himself for nothing getting the chance to see whoever it was, though it wouldn’t have helped up if they were here to kill him, however they would still need to turn on a light source if they ever actually wanted to see just what it was that they were trying to kill. In a few seconds what he had predicted came turn as a small torch on the wall lit up in a blaze, brightening up the whole room in a matter of milliseconds he could see everything once again in greater detail. Standing before him was a person he did not think he was going to see again his life, it was the woman from before but her name escaped him as for the moment. They had to send her to finish him off? Sad, slightly sad, he was sure the last person he might see be the man he had spoken to last but apparently that was not going to be the case this time around. With the stun of the light and the sight of the woman wearing off did he find his ability to speak coming back but the nervous of having to talk to her was building up once again so he acted quickly before his vocal cords ended up getting wrapped around his throat.
“Come to finish me off have you?” His voice wavered at the last word but he coughed as if to play it off as an accident.
Having not expecting for Anri to be awake so quickly did the woman jump a few inches off the ground, with a high pitched squeal as her hand slammed up on her chest plate covering where he heart would have been at. Taking a few seconds to recover from the stress of having almost jumped out her plating did she take a few deep breaths, and finding a place in her head which calmed her down. Had Anri not been so drugged he wouldn’t have laughed but he found that the act was cute if not funny at the same time as a small chuckled escape through his mouth. Finally back in control of herself did the woman place her hands on her hips and give Anri a stern look as steam bellow out from her back side.
“That wasn’t funny! You could have given a heart attack you know!” She raised her voice at Anri, which made it all the funnier causing Anri too laugh harder, causing the woman to produce more steam from of mixture of anger and embarrassment.
“Sorry there, but given what I’ve gone through… going through, I think you could over look this.” Anri spoke as his words settled into the woman, he was right, he had gone through much and it wasn’t over as of yet.
Sighing at her thoughts she nodded her head, taking a few steps did the woman enter the caged room he was in and settled down on the ground next to Anri with a tap so light he had barley heard her land next to him. Though Anri had though the earlier moment was funny his laughing quickly ended now that she was sitting so close to him wondering just what it was that she was going to him. He doubted she was here to kill him, with no visible weapon anywhere in sight on her body or for the fact and that if what she said was true she was the only reason he was here in the first place anyway. Anri wasn’t sure if he should have been happy about that part or if he should have been mad, not that he could have been with the happy drug still holding strong in his body. Yes, he had been drugged out of his mind on the forest floor and she possibly saved his life from any creature that might have wandered nearby but at the same time he wouldn’t be laying on the ground at these peoples mercy… at the same time he held some responsibility in the situation he was in. If he had not eaten the berries then he would have been long away from this place, maybe even home by now too the black sea; and if he had just stayed inside the cabin them maybe things would have taken a different route than now. However there was no point on dwelling on things he had no power over changing, things were as they were and no bickering about it would help any plus the longer he lay here thinking just gave her all the more time to do what she was sent here too do. Clearing his throat Anri spoke to the woman.
“Wasn’t expecting to have any visitors, what do I owe the honor…er…sorry I don’t remember you name as much as I hate to admit it. I overheard it before… but everything is kind of fuzzy since then, though I pretty sure that most of that has to do with the fact that I was drugged.” He gave a light joke, hoping to get some more time with her laughter.
Giving off a short laugh she shook her head up and down as she opened her mouth.
“Its fine my name is Syica, my real name is much longer but that’s just what everyone calls me and I’m sorry about the drugging it was the only way we could make sure you wouldn’t run away. I mean someone like you could probably break right through any metal restraints that we have laying around, I mean you are strong right? You took down that Nillia single handed like as if it was nothing.” She gave off a warm smile.
“Wait… you saw that? So…was that you in the woods at my camp site? Just how long have you been watching me?”
At the question Syica pressed her finger against her lips and thought for a few seconds try to gather her thoughts.
“As to the first question, yes. And it was a very good fight, I haven’t seen anyone other than my father fight in such a mannerism before, he’s strong but the creature didn’t even lay a mark on you.” She noted with a since of awe in her voice.
Though she didn’t think of it as anything more than small talk Anri was learning quite a bit from her words just from those few sentences. At least he knew he could take on the old man if the chance ever came to be, from the sounds of it her father was a skilled fighter but Anri had handled the creature much better than he had. It wasn’t always strength that took down a beast but knowledge of how it fought and its weak points.
“And yes that was me at your campsite, I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone set up a camp such as that, but anyone could have seen it for miles around. Did you know that?”
“Of course I knew that, its fire, its bright, it was dark down there.” He thought.
“Ya but for what I was dealing with I thought it best for protection reasons, keeps most creatures at bay and I wasn’t really expecting anyone else to be around for miles anyway.”
“Ah well as long as you know, I was following you since you took down the Nillia but after a little while, I’m shammed to say I lost your tracks, it wasn’t until I saw your fire that I was able to find you again but by the time I had gotten there you were fast asleep. So I decided to get some sleep as well, after I watched you for awhile-“
“Wait you watched me sleep?”
“Hey! Its rude to interrupt people when they talk.” She puffed her chest out as she gave Arni a small tap on his head. Clearing her throat she continued to speak again leaving Anri befuddled.
“Anyway… like I was saying I watched you sleep for awhile…well more like studied you, I had never seen anyone out side the village before and it was interesting to watch. I mean your really not much different than I-“
“Other than the fact that I’m drugged?” Anri mention as she gave him another tap on the head a little harder than before but nothing that hurt.
“What did I say?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Sorry mom.” Anri mumbled under his breath.
“Mom? We’re not related silly!” She laughed.
“Is she serious or joking right now? Oh god I think she’s about as smart as the tree we’re in right now. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was cute she would have nothing going for her.” He thought.
“Anywho! I had ever seen anyone from outside the village before and I was just curious as to what you might look like, and pretty much everything was the same minus that strange clothes you wear. There really heavy you know that? You must have gotten used too it by now though, I don’t think I would ever be able to wear clothes such as that, I wouldn’t think anyone would but here you are.”
“Yep, moron… cute moron though.”
“There not clothes, well not really. I wouldn’t wear these to go out to a restaurant or anything. Their weights for training reasons, I find that normal training was too easy so I put these on my body to make things harder for me.” Anri explained to her.
“oooooh…. Well that’s interesting… just one little…tiny…smallllllll question…what's a restaurant?”
“You have to be kidding me right?”
“Don’t be mean!” A small amount of steam expelled through her backside.
“Jeez fine…a restaurant is like… a place you go where people make food for you and you eat it.”
“So like when I make food for my father at home?”
“Kinda… it’s a place were a lot of people go and they sever you food, usually it for special occasions, not an everyday kind of thing.”
“Oh wow that’s cool! We don’t have anything like that here…un less you count festivals. Where everyone makes something and then brings it too the main hall, then we all eat the big hunt of the day, play music and have fun!” She giggled.
“Ya something like that though probably not nearly as big.” So far the plan had been a good way to kill time, though the drug wasn’t anywhere near out of his system as of yet.
“Anyway since I know the person that was watching me was you I have to know… how was it that you left no sign that you were in my camp. I heard the twigs snap and the plants move but I didn’t see any broke branches or crushed plants. How did you do that?”
Cocking her head too one side it seemed like her brain was working at full power too answer the question and he swore her head was going to explode. Snapping back with a smile did she answer his question.
“Oh that? That was easy.” She smiled leaving her sentence as that.
“…are you going to tell me?”
“Tell me what?” Anri lowered his eye lids halfway in disbelief at just how stupid she was but with as much drugs in his system there was no way he could be mad.
“Tell me how it was that you could move through my campsite like you did?”
“Oooooooh that ya it was easy!” Anri waited for answer for a few seconds but found none, as he was about to speak up again, Syica burst out in a spree of words.
“Well pretty much I learned how to throw my voice and I can mimic most every sound I’ve ever heard, I have no idea how it is that I can do it but I can! It’s a really neat trick and I’m the only person I’ve ever met that can do it. I can make breaking stick sound, a barking Nillia, and a dying one, my dad’s snore at night time (she laughed) falling trees and a whole bunch of other stuff! Its really cool, I wish more people could do it than me but so far I haven’t met anyone else that can do it. Can you?” The words sped out of her mouth like bullets into his ears and was shocked too she just how fast she could speak. Caught off guard by the sudden burst of energy Anri had snapped back few inches in awe, taking a few seconds to recover from the onslaught of words.
“Er… no I can’t… and that is a pretty cool trick… but why did you do it? I mean if you weren’t going to show yourself too me then why bother doing it?” Anri questioned hoping to get an actually answer this time without having to dig deep to find one.
“That? Oh ya I was bored.”
Anri gave off a sigh, did he really have expected a more serious answer than that?
“That… and I didn’t want you to see the berries… but you did… and now you’re here.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Wait why didn't you want me to get the berries?”
“Because…. It was my job to bring as many back to village as I could have.”
“For what reason? I mean your people don’t seemed to be drugged all the time plus their useless after they been away from the plant for so long.”
“It’s a secret! Father told me I can’t tell anyone how we use the berries for drugs, weapons and for medicine and how we can make the berries last longer by putting them in special water….” She froze with her hand sticking palm up away from her body. As the gears turned ever so slowly in her head did she understand what she said.
“Ooops…. you wont tell anyone I said that will you?”
“Jackpot.”
“Of course not….” Anri lied of course but even if he told her straight up he was lying she wouldn’t know, at this point he might have well be talking to a rock with a mouth.
“You promise?”
“Sure, sure.” He lied again.
“Good!” She sighed given a cute smile.
It was a shame that he was going to have go back home to report all of this too command, he wasn’t really up to lying to people but with information this sweet how could he not? He might even get a promotion after all the info he delivered, but for now he could keep digging deeper. This girl was like a safe of information that company that designed them left a big hole in the top of.
“So… when I passed out… how did you bring me back here? I mean I’m not the lightest guy on the world not to mention the weight I have on didn’t make it any easier.”
“That was easy…well kind of. I picked you up and brought you back to the tree-“
“You picked me up?” He questioned as her hand hit his face once more.
“What did I tell you about interrupting.”
“I’m sorry it just that… you don’t seem to have the muscle mass to pick me up.”
“Well I may not look strong but I assure you I can toss you across the Jungle if I wanted too… not that I do… please don’t take that the wrong way! It was just…. Ugh…..” She placed her face into her hands.
It was adorable too see her act in such a way and now he was feeling bad and he hadn’t said anything to upset her. More too the fact that he was even able to talk to her at all in first place he had never been good at talking to women before and now this? What had caused such a change in his behavior?
“Whoa, whoa it’s alright, you didn’t do anything.”
“Ok!” Her hands snapped away from her face showing off her smile once again.
“Well that was fast….”
“Anyway, I used these….” She reached over to her belt and pulled out a pair what could only be describe as knuckle claws. A black metal brace which could fit around the persons hand with a four long spikes that jutted out form above where the persons knuckles would be at.
“What are those?”
“These? Oh these are climbing claws. Since we don’t have any way to easily climb trees we designed these things from the Nillia, makes climbing so much easier. Just put them on your hands as sooo…. And then the claws stab out whenever your hands in the right position, see?” Extending her hand did the long familiar claws of the Nillia shoot out from the bracer, causing Anri to flinch at her showing them right in his face.
“Ok, think I’ve seen enough of them.” Anri motioned for her too put them away.
Pulling the claws anyway from Anri’s face she gently took them off and set them off too the side of her legs, not far from Anri’s reach.
“So close… as soon as my hands can move….”
“So you carried me up a tree with one hand?”
“No, no…. I carried you in my mouth.”
“What?”
“Ya, in my mouth. I needed both my hands too climb and since I don’t have another hand I have to put you in my mouth and carry you.”
“Wow…you are strong.”
“Yep!” She smiled and gave a small bounce.
“Well if haven’t said it before thanks for helping me out, no idea what might have come across me while I was passed out.”
“Oh the Nillia would have, you may have killed one of them but the rest of its family had been following you since then. I guess they found your scent on their dead kin…. Gooooood thing I found you huh?”
“You’re telling me…. So…other than that why did you save me? I mean your father seems to hold a great hate towards me and my people but you don’t seem to share his same ideas. You could have easily left me there to die but why not?”
“Well… truth be told I thought you could help us… with stuff, from what father told me about your kind you just take everything you want and leave nothing for anyone else, but I watched you for a while and I didn’t see that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well like when you killed that Nillia, you only took what you needed and let the rest for some animal too eat, you could have taken the whole thing and ate it all, trust me, I know when men get hungry they can eat a whole one of those things but you didn’t. But the thing that got me the most was when you saw the berries at your camp, you treated the plant with such care, as if it was another person… you were so gentle with it, like playing with a child. There was no greed, no hate, and you only took one berry, I feel like if it had been anyone else they would have taken as many as they could have, all for themselves… but you didn’t. From all I been told you weren’t anything like I was expecting. So that’s why I helped you. I though you could help us, deal with the not so good people, since your one of them.” She finished leaving Anri too think on all what she had said, he had only thought himself in a different light from his people because he liked to go against the flow but had it really made him that much different? Anri didn’t know what to say back, he had always thought of himself as a rebel and someone who didn’t give most of fuck about anything but the way she talked about him…
During the last few minutes his hand had regained some of its use and had been sliding ever so closer to the make shift weapon that had been laying on the ground next her but at her words his movement stopped, leaving his hand laying there on the floor. He really couldn’t be the person in which she was speaking of was he? He had never thought of himself in such a manner before, but it was not himself that was telling him all that he was hearing, but an almost complete stranger, she had nothing to gain from saying this, she seemed too dumb to have any planning in such a way… dumb… but kind….
“Thank you.” Anri’s hand slipped away from the weapon and back to his side.
“You’re welcome!” She gave off her warm smile.
Wanting to change topics from the line of conversation did he bring it back to way it she was there in the first place, he had being stalling the whole time looking for a breaking moment but he let the time come and go without doing anything… maybe he could help them out, but he had no idea of what it was that he could even do in the first place.
“So why did you come here in the first place? I mean… I don’t think you’re here to kill me… right?”
“Of course not!” She seemed shocked at the notion.
“Then what?”
“Oh…right…what did I come here too do?” She placed her hand on her chin too think for a few seconds before it come back too her.
“Right! I was supposed to drug you again!” She smiled and pulled out a rather large needle from a pouch that was stuck on her side.
“What!”
“Ya… I’ve be coming in here every few hours to knock you out again… think this has been the fourth time?”
“I’ve been drugged four times?”
“Hey I was very gentle, and well if you include the first berry five times.” She looked down at her finger using them too count.
“Well… you’re not gonna do it this time are you? I mean I can help you guys with whatever it is."
“Oh well it’s not up to me, father told me too. As it was I had to beg him to let me be the one to do it. I didn’t think anyone else would have been as gentle about as it as I am.” She smiled and leaned in with the needle towards Anri’s neck.
Anri was done with being drugged again today… or whatever day it was now, there had been enough darts, berries and needles in his body already and he wasn’t about to have another jabbed into his skin. In a single movement Anri lunged forward with all his weight and tackled Syica towards the ground knocking the needle away and off across the room. Now with her completely under his body their eyes locked as she look surprised at his sudden movement.
“You can move! That’s amazing!”
“Ya wore off a little while ago, was enjoying the conversation before I thought I needed to not get drugged again.”
“Me too… but… I still need to get that needle in ya.” She tapped Anri’s forehead… wait…wasn’t her arm pinned down?
Looking down to where his hand had been at he finally took notice that she had somehow got free from his grasp without him even noticing it. Though there was one thing Anri had forgotten about Syica’s super strength and he quickly remembered as with a single arm she pushed him up and into the ceiling of the building with a loud crash, and a similar one followed as he fell back into the flooring. It wasn’t for the fact that she was already crawling over to the needle as quickly as she could he would have commented on just how sturdy these buildings were. With a leap Anri tackled on Syica’s back making her fall too the floor with the sudden impact of his weight on her back.
“Hey! What are you doing!”
“What does it look it?”
“Well it feels like something much different!”
“What…” It wasn’t till now that Anri realized just how awkward the position was but it had just been the way he had landed on her.
“You know it’s nothing like that! I just can’t like you drug me again.”
It was then that the door that was across the room was ripped off its hinges as the man from before walked into the room with haste and fire burning in his eyes.
“Syica is everything ok? You took much lon-“ The man’s words were cut off as he saw Anri on top of his daughter, it was at that moment Anri though he could hear the man’s heart stop… and then go into over drive and he lept across the room and with his out stretch foot kicking Anri in the face, causing him to crash into the hard wood of the trees base.
“Ugh… it wasn’t…what-“ Anri tried to get out but then he felt a sharp pinch in his neck causing him to look up at Syica who held the needles base in her hand as the rest of it was in his neck.
“Really? Five it is....” Was the last words he got out as he slumped over onto the floor.
“Just what was he doing Syica?” Her father asked in a raised voice.
“Well if I had to guess trying to get to forth base.” She grinned and gave out a quick laugh, while it had been a joke her father went into another rage and began to pound on the back of Anri’s head with his foot.
“Dad!”
Slowly opening his eyes did they wander around the dark room trying to make anything out through the blur in his eyes and into the void around him, everything just seemed to be one large blob and moving around wasn’t helping that fact. Testing his limbs too see how well they worked under the drug effect Anri found that while he could move them some what it was impossible to navigate his fingers and toes with any real accuracy, feeling as though electrical waves that fired from his brain got tossed through a washer before ending up in his hands. Holding anything right now with any sense of the word 'gently' would be impossible which meant his hands were out of the question of fighting, unless he were to slap everyone that he came across on his way out of the compound, while the idea was one of amusement he had too keep his mind focused otherwise he would lose his grip once more and been in a swirling mass of confusion once more and with the situation he was in it was the last thing he needed. Anri found himself taking a deep breath to calm himself but at this point he couldn’t be any calmer if he had tired, it seemed though along with the amazing taste the berry also put the user in a great since of relaxation, which only gave more proof that the rich loved to get stoned. With their great wealth and influence they could pretty much do whatever they so choose to do, even though drugs were illegal in many parts of the city they found ways to get around it. Though it wasn’t said publicly most of the Vennor held great discontent for those with power in the form of the elitist, an unspoken hate toward those that could get away with whatever the sought fit. It didn’t usually effect the common man but the idea of fairness wasn’t very well displayed in their society, but yet again it was just the way it was and people were used to it, not thinking too change anything.
Finding that the best thing too do right now was lay there and compel his thoughts Anri rested his thick plated head on the wooden floor as it gave a dull thud under his weight. Where to start really? It had been a somewhat enjoyable few days, at least until he had been drugged by a mesmerizing plant… tricked by a plant… ya he was sure everyone was going to believe that story after they found the drugs floating through his system. The traveling had grown old over time since the scenery never seemed to change and other than the few fights he had gotten into with the animals of the woods things had been peaceful…peaceful yet boring. He thought it was odd that the first times through it had been a fun exciting new trip for him, but now he would have rather been back at the base scrubbing toilets for a month with his own toothbrush, using it afterwards wasn’t the best part but it beat being stuck in a dark room with nowhere to go or a way to go anywhere. Thinking back now maybe he should have stuck with the unit, at least then he could be making strides to get home rather than waiting for someone to walk in and give him a swift jab through the neck with a shiv, even with all the distance he had made on the group it wasn’t really worth it if he died here and now. They would probably never find his body, with how far these people were away from the main cities and how much they must have hated the current government they might just dump his remains too the beasts below… for a trap, them kill those creatures as well for food… is that how is life would end? Being bait so that a village could eat for a week? What a waste. He hadn’t even come into the prime of his life and already he was going to die… oh well, he didn’t have any regrets… well other than not having sex, it was amazing at all the laws he had broken of the military code that was not one of them. And for a good reason, at least he thought so.
His father was a man he looked up too for everything, he served his nation greatly, did his duty, won a war, and came home to his love and raised three happy children… well for the most part happy. He was the idea person that everyone wanted to be when they grew up, strong, honorable, brave, smart and suave. One of those guys that had everything great coming for them but asked for nothing in return but too be a good person, and everyone liked him for it, that one person that everyone knew and loved. He had promised his father that he would not do that one act that was highly disapproved on by the military while and service, and where as Anri would break military code like he broke people’s faces he would never break a promise to his father. At least that was the reason he told anyone that tried to get some action off of him… but in the reality of the matter Anri just had issues talking with woman, no joke. The big bad ass lone wolf Anri did not act the way he normally did around woman and he had no idea why. He could take down a full grown beast without some much as burning a vapor trail but when it came to woman he turned into a babbling idiot. It was an amusing sight that many of the base mocked him for at least they used too, it was up until he broke a laughing Vennor’s jaw that the laughing stopped, but he swore he could still hear the occasional mocking as he walked past people on the base.
Sighing to himself at the rather embarrassing though did a thin line of stream produce out his mouth as he used the smoke to create rings, at least he hoped, in the lightless room it was hard to tell what was going on, not even being able to see his hand if it was floating right in front of him currently. Though without not much else to do other than think about the past there wasn’t much else to bid his time until something happened or the drug wore off long enough so that he would be able to escape. He was more than powerful enough to break loose if his body would fucking listen to him, they hadn’t even tried to restrain him with any chain, though those would have proved useless against his strength but still the idea that they hadn’t was foolish… that or they knew he wouldn’t be able to draw up enough strength in time to do anything that would change their decision. Just who was he really dealing with here? As primitive as their structures were they were not something that someone would built unless they found the need to, and let’s face it. Who would want to live in the woods like their ancestors when one could live in a twenty rise modern building, even with two hundred other people living in the same building it beat this place by a mile. That and they seemed to speak the same language as him if his drugged brain was remembering correctly, there had been no language barrier between the two of them which meant they had grown up in a city or at least some of them had, possibly the older ones. The group had been large but his trained eyes had pointed out a few kids looking no older than ten, by that age they should have been in the military but instead they clung to their parents like weeping frighten wood nymphs, now that was a strange sight! Children at that age should have been armed with guns and be learning how to shoot targets and not suckling on their mothers tits for nourishment, the culture and the way of life was backward to everything he had been taught.
Anri thoughts were interrupted with the small squeaks that made their way across the flooring, not inside the room but outside through the walls, since the whole structure of the city seemed to be made of wood it was easy to tell when anyone was walking by as they where now. The idea of Anri pretending to still be knocked out came across his mind but as soon as he stuck his eyes he could feel the great swirling pull of sleep reaching out for him. Snapping his eyes back open he shook his head at the idea, if he fell asleep he would be at the mercy of whoever was coming, and they were possibly there to kill him… and that wouldn’t do. As the door knob began to shake in its holder Anri quickly came up with an idea, it wasn’t prefect but all he needed to do was to bid more time until his strength was too return, then take whoever was coming captive and get out of this place. As much as he hated to give info to his commanding officers he thought it was one of those times to shallow his pride and let them know just what was going on here in the woods, what had been happening under their nose for who knew just how long. As the door to the building swung open the dull flickering light from the outside lit up the room partly as he finally got a decent look at where he was at, unlike before he found himself in what one might call a jail but the bars looked too be so weak that he could walk through them without so much as effort involved. Either they had no concept of just how strong a Vennor was supposed to be or everyone here could snap like a twig under a little bit of force, which would help him out in the long run.
As the door shuted behind the person Anri curse at himself for nothing getting the chance to see whoever it was, though it wouldn’t have helped up if they were here to kill him, however they would still need to turn on a light source if they ever actually wanted to see just what it was that they were trying to kill. In a few seconds what he had predicted came turn as a small torch on the wall lit up in a blaze, brightening up the whole room in a matter of milliseconds he could see everything once again in greater detail. Standing before him was a person he did not think he was going to see again his life, it was the woman from before but her name escaped him as for the moment. They had to send her to finish him off? Sad, slightly sad, he was sure the last person he might see be the man he had spoken to last but apparently that was not going to be the case this time around. With the stun of the light and the sight of the woman wearing off did he find his ability to speak coming back but the nervous of having to talk to her was building up once again so he acted quickly before his vocal cords ended up getting wrapped around his throat.
“Come to finish me off have you?” His voice wavered at the last word but he coughed as if to play it off as an accident.
Having not expecting for Anri to be awake so quickly did the woman jump a few inches off the ground, with a high pitched squeal as her hand slammed up on her chest plate covering where he heart would have been at. Taking a few seconds to recover from the stress of having almost jumped out her plating did she take a few deep breaths, and finding a place in her head which calmed her down. Had Anri not been so drugged he wouldn’t have laughed but he found that the act was cute if not funny at the same time as a small chuckled escape through his mouth. Finally back in control of herself did the woman place her hands on her hips and give Anri a stern look as steam bellow out from her back side.
“That wasn’t funny! You could have given a heart attack you know!” She raised her voice at Anri, which made it all the funnier causing Anri too laugh harder, causing the woman to produce more steam from of mixture of anger and embarrassment.
“Sorry there, but given what I’ve gone through… going through, I think you could over look this.” Anri spoke as his words settled into the woman, he was right, he had gone through much and it wasn’t over as of yet.
Sighing at her thoughts she nodded her head, taking a few steps did the woman enter the caged room he was in and settled down on the ground next to Anri with a tap so light he had barley heard her land next to him. Though Anri had though the earlier moment was funny his laughing quickly ended now that she was sitting so close to him wondering just what it was that she was going to him. He doubted she was here to kill him, with no visible weapon anywhere in sight on her body or for the fact and that if what she said was true she was the only reason he was here in the first place anyway. Anri wasn’t sure if he should have been happy about that part or if he should have been mad, not that he could have been with the happy drug still holding strong in his body. Yes, he had been drugged out of his mind on the forest floor and she possibly saved his life from any creature that might have wandered nearby but at the same time he wouldn’t be laying on the ground at these peoples mercy… at the same time he held some responsibility in the situation he was in. If he had not eaten the berries then he would have been long away from this place, maybe even home by now too the black sea; and if he had just stayed inside the cabin them maybe things would have taken a different route than now. However there was no point on dwelling on things he had no power over changing, things were as they were and no bickering about it would help any plus the longer he lay here thinking just gave her all the more time to do what she was sent here too do. Clearing his throat Anri spoke to the woman.
“Wasn’t expecting to have any visitors, what do I owe the honor…er…sorry I don’t remember you name as much as I hate to admit it. I overheard it before… but everything is kind of fuzzy since then, though I pretty sure that most of that has to do with the fact that I was drugged.” He gave a light joke, hoping to get some more time with her laughter.
Giving off a short laugh she shook her head up and down as she opened her mouth.
“Its fine my name is Syica, my real name is much longer but that’s just what everyone calls me and I’m sorry about the drugging it was the only way we could make sure you wouldn’t run away. I mean someone like you could probably break right through any metal restraints that we have laying around, I mean you are strong right? You took down that Nillia single handed like as if it was nothing.” She gave off a warm smile.
“Wait… you saw that? So…was that you in the woods at my camp site? Just how long have you been watching me?”
At the question Syica pressed her finger against her lips and thought for a few seconds try to gather her thoughts.
“As to the first question, yes. And it was a very good fight, I haven’t seen anyone other than my father fight in such a mannerism before, he’s strong but the creature didn’t even lay a mark on you.” She noted with a since of awe in her voice.
Though she didn’t think of it as anything more than small talk Anri was learning quite a bit from her words just from those few sentences. At least he knew he could take on the old man if the chance ever came to be, from the sounds of it her father was a skilled fighter but Anri had handled the creature much better than he had. It wasn’t always strength that took down a beast but knowledge of how it fought and its weak points.
“And yes that was me at your campsite, I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone set up a camp such as that, but anyone could have seen it for miles around. Did you know that?”
“Of course I knew that, its fire, its bright, it was dark down there.” He thought.
“Ya but for what I was dealing with I thought it best for protection reasons, keeps most creatures at bay and I wasn’t really expecting anyone else to be around for miles anyway.”
“Ah well as long as you know, I was following you since you took down the Nillia but after a little while, I’m shammed to say I lost your tracks, it wasn’t until I saw your fire that I was able to find you again but by the time I had gotten there you were fast asleep. So I decided to get some sleep as well, after I watched you for awhile-“
“Wait you watched me sleep?”
“Hey! Its rude to interrupt people when they talk.” She puffed her chest out as she gave Arni a small tap on his head. Clearing her throat she continued to speak again leaving Anri befuddled.
“Anyway… like I was saying I watched you sleep for awhile…well more like studied you, I had never seen anyone out side the village before and it was interesting to watch. I mean your really not much different than I-“
“Other than the fact that I’m drugged?” Anri mention as she gave him another tap on the head a little harder than before but nothing that hurt.
“What did I say?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Sorry mom.” Anri mumbled under his breath.
“Mom? We’re not related silly!” She laughed.
“Is she serious or joking right now? Oh god I think she’s about as smart as the tree we’re in right now. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was cute she would have nothing going for her.” He thought.
“Anywho! I had ever seen anyone from outside the village before and I was just curious as to what you might look like, and pretty much everything was the same minus that strange clothes you wear. There really heavy you know that? You must have gotten used too it by now though, I don’t think I would ever be able to wear clothes such as that, I wouldn’t think anyone would but here you are.”
“Yep, moron… cute moron though.”
“There not clothes, well not really. I wouldn’t wear these to go out to a restaurant or anything. Their weights for training reasons, I find that normal training was too easy so I put these on my body to make things harder for me.” Anri explained to her.
“oooooh…. Well that’s interesting… just one little…tiny…smallllllll question…what's a restaurant?”
“You have to be kidding me right?”
“Don’t be mean!” A small amount of steam expelled through her backside.
“Jeez fine…a restaurant is like… a place you go where people make food for you and you eat it.”
“So like when I make food for my father at home?”
“Kinda… it’s a place were a lot of people go and they sever you food, usually it for special occasions, not an everyday kind of thing.”
“Oh wow that’s cool! We don’t have anything like that here…un less you count festivals. Where everyone makes something and then brings it too the main hall, then we all eat the big hunt of the day, play music and have fun!” She giggled.
“Ya something like that though probably not nearly as big.” So far the plan had been a good way to kill time, though the drug wasn’t anywhere near out of his system as of yet.
“Anyway since I know the person that was watching me was you I have to know… how was it that you left no sign that you were in my camp. I heard the twigs snap and the plants move but I didn’t see any broke branches or crushed plants. How did you do that?”
Cocking her head too one side it seemed like her brain was working at full power too answer the question and he swore her head was going to explode. Snapping back with a smile did she answer his question.
“Oh that? That was easy.” She smiled leaving her sentence as that.
“…are you going to tell me?”
“Tell me what?” Anri lowered his eye lids halfway in disbelief at just how stupid she was but with as much drugs in his system there was no way he could be mad.
“Tell me how it was that you could move through my campsite like you did?”
“Oooooooh that ya it was easy!” Anri waited for answer for a few seconds but found none, as he was about to speak up again, Syica burst out in a spree of words.
“Well pretty much I learned how to throw my voice and I can mimic most every sound I’ve ever heard, I have no idea how it is that I can do it but I can! It’s a really neat trick and I’m the only person I’ve ever met that can do it. I can make breaking stick sound, a barking Nillia, and a dying one, my dad’s snore at night time (she laughed) falling trees and a whole bunch of other stuff! Its really cool, I wish more people could do it than me but so far I haven’t met anyone else that can do it. Can you?” The words sped out of her mouth like bullets into his ears and was shocked too she just how fast she could speak. Caught off guard by the sudden burst of energy Anri had snapped back few inches in awe, taking a few seconds to recover from the onslaught of words.
“Er… no I can’t… and that is a pretty cool trick… but why did you do it? I mean if you weren’t going to show yourself too me then why bother doing it?” Anri questioned hoping to get an actually answer this time without having to dig deep to find one.
“That? Oh ya I was bored.”
Anri gave off a sigh, did he really have expected a more serious answer than that?
“That… and I didn’t want you to see the berries… but you did… and now you’re here.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Wait why didn't you want me to get the berries?”
“Because…. It was my job to bring as many back to village as I could have.”
“For what reason? I mean your people don’t seemed to be drugged all the time plus their useless after they been away from the plant for so long.”
“It’s a secret! Father told me I can’t tell anyone how we use the berries for drugs, weapons and for medicine and how we can make the berries last longer by putting them in special water….” She froze with her hand sticking palm up away from her body. As the gears turned ever so slowly in her head did she understand what she said.
“Ooops…. you wont tell anyone I said that will you?”
“Jackpot.”
“Of course not….” Anri lied of course but even if he told her straight up he was lying she wouldn’t know, at this point he might have well be talking to a rock with a mouth.
“You promise?”
“Sure, sure.” He lied again.
“Good!” She sighed given a cute smile.
It was a shame that he was going to have go back home to report all of this too command, he wasn’t really up to lying to people but with information this sweet how could he not? He might even get a promotion after all the info he delivered, but for now he could keep digging deeper. This girl was like a safe of information that company that designed them left a big hole in the top of.
“So… when I passed out… how did you bring me back here? I mean I’m not the lightest guy on the world not to mention the weight I have on didn’t make it any easier.”
“That was easy…well kind of. I picked you up and brought you back to the tree-“
“You picked me up?” He questioned as her hand hit his face once more.
“What did I tell you about interrupting.”
“I’m sorry it just that… you don’t seem to have the muscle mass to pick me up.”
“Well I may not look strong but I assure you I can toss you across the Jungle if I wanted too… not that I do… please don’t take that the wrong way! It was just…. Ugh…..” She placed her face into her hands.
It was adorable too see her act in such a way and now he was feeling bad and he hadn’t said anything to upset her. More too the fact that he was even able to talk to her at all in first place he had never been good at talking to women before and now this? What had caused such a change in his behavior?
“Whoa, whoa it’s alright, you didn’t do anything.”
“Ok!” Her hands snapped away from her face showing off her smile once again.
“Well that was fast….”
“Anyway, I used these….” She reached over to her belt and pulled out a pair what could only be describe as knuckle claws. A black metal brace which could fit around the persons hand with a four long spikes that jutted out form above where the persons knuckles would be at.
“What are those?”
“These? Oh these are climbing claws. Since we don’t have any way to easily climb trees we designed these things from the Nillia, makes climbing so much easier. Just put them on your hands as sooo…. And then the claws stab out whenever your hands in the right position, see?” Extending her hand did the long familiar claws of the Nillia shoot out from the bracer, causing Anri to flinch at her showing them right in his face.
“Ok, think I’ve seen enough of them.” Anri motioned for her too put them away.
Pulling the claws anyway from Anri’s face she gently took them off and set them off too the side of her legs, not far from Anri’s reach.
“So close… as soon as my hands can move….”
“So you carried me up a tree with one hand?”
“No, no…. I carried you in my mouth.”
“What?”
“Ya, in my mouth. I needed both my hands too climb and since I don’t have another hand I have to put you in my mouth and carry you.”
“Wow…you are strong.”
“Yep!” She smiled and gave a small bounce.
“Well if haven’t said it before thanks for helping me out, no idea what might have come across me while I was passed out.”
“Oh the Nillia would have, you may have killed one of them but the rest of its family had been following you since then. I guess they found your scent on their dead kin…. Gooooood thing I found you huh?”
“You’re telling me…. So…other than that why did you save me? I mean your father seems to hold a great hate towards me and my people but you don’t seem to share his same ideas. You could have easily left me there to die but why not?”
“Well… truth be told I thought you could help us… with stuff, from what father told me about your kind you just take everything you want and leave nothing for anyone else, but I watched you for a while and I didn’t see that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well like when you killed that Nillia, you only took what you needed and let the rest for some animal too eat, you could have taken the whole thing and ate it all, trust me, I know when men get hungry they can eat a whole one of those things but you didn’t. But the thing that got me the most was when you saw the berries at your camp, you treated the plant with such care, as if it was another person… you were so gentle with it, like playing with a child. There was no greed, no hate, and you only took one berry, I feel like if it had been anyone else they would have taken as many as they could have, all for themselves… but you didn’t. From all I been told you weren’t anything like I was expecting. So that’s why I helped you. I though you could help us, deal with the not so good people, since your one of them.” She finished leaving Anri too think on all what she had said, he had only thought himself in a different light from his people because he liked to go against the flow but had it really made him that much different? Anri didn’t know what to say back, he had always thought of himself as a rebel and someone who didn’t give most of fuck about anything but the way she talked about him…
During the last few minutes his hand had regained some of its use and had been sliding ever so closer to the make shift weapon that had been laying on the ground next her but at her words his movement stopped, leaving his hand laying there on the floor. He really couldn’t be the person in which she was speaking of was he? He had never thought of himself in such a manner before, but it was not himself that was telling him all that he was hearing, but an almost complete stranger, she had nothing to gain from saying this, she seemed too dumb to have any planning in such a way… dumb… but kind….
“Thank you.” Anri’s hand slipped away from the weapon and back to his side.
“You’re welcome!” She gave off her warm smile.
Wanting to change topics from the line of conversation did he bring it back to way it she was there in the first place, he had being stalling the whole time looking for a breaking moment but he let the time come and go without doing anything… maybe he could help them out, but he had no idea of what it was that he could even do in the first place.
“So why did you come here in the first place? I mean… I don’t think you’re here to kill me… right?”
“Of course not!” She seemed shocked at the notion.
“Then what?”
“Oh…right…what did I come here too do?” She placed her hand on her chin too think for a few seconds before it come back too her.
“Right! I was supposed to drug you again!” She smiled and pulled out a rather large needle from a pouch that was stuck on her side.
“What!”
“Ya… I’ve be coming in here every few hours to knock you out again… think this has been the fourth time?”
“I’ve been drugged four times?”
“Hey I was very gentle, and well if you include the first berry five times.” She looked down at her finger using them too count.
“Well… you’re not gonna do it this time are you? I mean I can help you guys with whatever it is."
“Oh well it’s not up to me, father told me too. As it was I had to beg him to let me be the one to do it. I didn’t think anyone else would have been as gentle about as it as I am.” She smiled and leaned in with the needle towards Anri’s neck.
Anri was done with being drugged again today… or whatever day it was now, there had been enough darts, berries and needles in his body already and he wasn’t about to have another jabbed into his skin. In a single movement Anri lunged forward with all his weight and tackled Syica towards the ground knocking the needle away and off across the room. Now with her completely under his body their eyes locked as she look surprised at his sudden movement.
“You can move! That’s amazing!”
“Ya wore off a little while ago, was enjoying the conversation before I thought I needed to not get drugged again.”
“Me too… but… I still need to get that needle in ya.” She tapped Anri’s forehead… wait…wasn’t her arm pinned down?
Looking down to where his hand had been at he finally took notice that she had somehow got free from his grasp without him even noticing it. Though there was one thing Anri had forgotten about Syica’s super strength and he quickly remembered as with a single arm she pushed him up and into the ceiling of the building with a loud crash, and a similar one followed as he fell back into the flooring. It wasn’t for the fact that she was already crawling over to the needle as quickly as she could he would have commented on just how sturdy these buildings were. With a leap Anri tackled on Syica’s back making her fall too the floor with the sudden impact of his weight on her back.
“Hey! What are you doing!”
“What does it look it?”
“Well it feels like something much different!”
“What…” It wasn’t till now that Anri realized just how awkward the position was but it had just been the way he had landed on her.
“You know it’s nothing like that! I just can’t like you drug me again.”
It was then that the door that was across the room was ripped off its hinges as the man from before walked into the room with haste and fire burning in his eyes.
“Syica is everything ok? You took much lon-“ The man’s words were cut off as he saw Anri on top of his daughter, it was at that moment Anri though he could hear the man’s heart stop… and then go into over drive and he lept across the room and with his out stretch foot kicking Anri in the face, causing him to crash into the hard wood of the trees base.
“Ugh… it wasn’t…what-“ Anri tried to get out but then he felt a sharp pinch in his neck causing him to look up at Syica who held the needles base in her hand as the rest of it was in his neck.
“Really? Five it is....” Was the last words he got out as he slumped over onto the floor.
“Just what was he doing Syica?” Her father asked in a raised voice.
“Well if I had to guess trying to get to forth base.” She grinned and gave out a quick laugh, while it had been a joke her father went into another rage and began to pound on the back of Anri’s head with his foot.
“Dad!”