《Project Burnout》Chapter 1: Unfair Introduction
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A vehicle drove across a clean field through a graveled and torn path. Patches of grasses and weeds grew chaotically with some bearing their roots in shattered vehicles. Inside there was enough space for a dozen soldiers, to be armed and toned for a battle. But instead, only two sat in calm silence. One asleep who's chestnut hair cushioned her head, the other, a worn and older fellow was flipping through papers as if to find something new.
With a slow halt, the vehicle stopped moving, and the older soldier stood up with a small stretch. He shook his comrade up who jolted.
“Hmm, I was still paying attention.”
When leaving the vehicle the front window rolled down.
“Aye Kiorif,” The older soldier turned to the driver.
“Make sure Rookie gets some of ya luck.” The driver laughed to himself as he drove off, with Kiorif cracking his lips.
“What is he talking about?” his lips sealed back into place.
“Don’t worry about it, come on.” They reached the gates of a mass wall, it stretched out from both ends of a metallic black that began to fade and pale away. At the gate was a set of soldiers, contrasting the loose and mixed match armor that Kiorif and Rookie wore. They stood up straight to salute their arriving guests.
“Good Evening soldiers.” Kiorif saluted back.
“We need access to get in.”
“Yes Sir,” One of the guards got out what looked like a primitive radio.
“Open the gates, the EarthBound Soldiers have arrived.” For a moment they waited in silence and Rookie paid attention to the people around her.
“So what's with the armor? Isn’t it dangerous to just wear all of that?”
“Well,” One soldier spoke out, his cheeks hued red as Rookie moved closer to him.
“We haven’t been able to establish a new mining station due to some tribes blocking the south, so we have to reuse and reforge some of our old gear.” some of his fellow soldiers looked uncomfortable and embarrassed but Rookie smiled.
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“Ah okay, thanks. Don’t worry, we'll look into this and you’ll be good as new in no time,” As she said that the gates finally creaked open, the sound seemed alienated to its look as the sound of gears cracking and occasionally metal scraping shrieked out in pain. The gates only opened wide enough for Rookie and Kiorif to walk in comfortably, with Rookie saying goodbye to the soldiers.
Inside the place seemed to hold a fake smile, as the buildings inside acted new but not like the ones on Earth. They had a mixture of rustic and their own style. The people inside had clothing that seemed to be at least similar to their own comfortable clothing instead of rags and still had cars driving across streets. But the most unique feature was the lack of the iconic orange barrier above them, something that they were promised would be above them. But even then they still contrasted those around them.
“So where is Mr.Apollo’s estate?” Kiorif got one of the documents and flipped through, placing his bag on the floor.
“According to his request, we should be heading towards Fridith park where we’ll be picked up.”
“Well that’s great, but where’s the park?”
“Let us find out. Oi?” Kiorif walked over to a woman, child tight to her hand.
“Do you know the path to get to Fridith Park?”
“Excuse me?” The woman's nose flared while the child clung onto her closer as Kiorif towered above him.
“Alright next,” Kiorif walked off to find another person, but Rookie intervened.
“I’m sorry about him, we aren’t around here and he’s tired. Interplag, inferplant, interplak. We got jet lag from traveling from earth.” The child giggled and was less constricting, with Rookie beaming at him.
“Yeah he is grumpy right now, so I’ll ask nicely. Okay here goes. Mrs, do you know how we can find Fridith Park,” The woman seemed to have frozen for a moment, but she eventually thawed.
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“Just keep walking down this street, you’ll find a sign that has the parks name,”
“Thank you so much, and again sorry. Kiroif, I found out where we are going,” While unamused he kept his pace equal to Rookie’s skips. People fixed their eyes on them as they walked past them, some in an utter spectacle of their armor alien to their own. Indeed their suits glowed around the town around them.
Fridith Park showed a change to the false richness, instead being natural to the eyes. It had plants tangled and a welcomed growth, with vines hugging the fence posts as they walked past them. While songs were sung from the trees above, a mix of home and alien. Rookie took a seat at a bench and admired the beauty around her, even standing out from the stiffer citizens who were in more comforting clothing to her unified suit.
Kiorif continued to have his emotion matching his title, looking at the problems rather than the beauty. His eyes latch onto the sight of a woman, dressed unaware of the situation around her of flushed colours and layered makeup. But what drew him to her was not her factory beauty but rather the cleaned slate following her.
A false golem, short and robust with skin-matching marble, and clay. Coloured markings stripe over its face and horns and possibly underneath its simple cloaked garment. While half her height its strength seemed tenfold to hers as it carried a wave of boxes and bags.
‘So this is what the terrifying soldiers had fallen to. From killers to walking handbags,' and as if to respond to his call a faint cry sparked behind him.
“Master Alvah,” A fair and soft voice called to him. The sound of a child, or young man.
“Listen boy I’ve never had someone call me-” But when he turned no eyes looked at him, a clear view.
“Down here sir,” Kiorif’s head tilted down, one of the supposed terrifying soldiers finally had their eyes met his. His swirled markings of jade matching grass grew out of the pure snow of his clay colour. His cloak wrapping him showed clothing that contrasted the servant of the woman, not a bare wrap but true clothes.
“Great,”
“Sir, I was told that you would have company, may I ask where she may be?” Kiorif looked over to Rookie, who was looking at the animals within the leaves of the trees.
“OI, Rookie,”
“Yeah,” When her attention turned towards the small figure, a smile grew on her face. Picking up her things she rushed over towards them, squatting down to have a better look at the alienated being.
“Oh my goodness, hi there. You are so adorab-”
“Rookie,” Looking up to Kiorif’s colder grimace, she rebuilt herself and stood upright. The small being did shrink, slightly flustered.
“Right, sorry. Ahem, so who may you be?”
“My name is Tomobi and I will be escorting you to Master Apollo’s estate,” Rookie continued to battle her smile while Kiorif showed a slight twist in face.
“Why couldn’t he pick us up himself,”
“He had received an unannounced meeting that he is now attending, meaning that there was no means to pick you up aside from myself escorting you,” A slight annoyance pricked Kiorif, which was added on to Rookie’s back pats.
“Come on, it can’t be that long of a walk. He reached here,” Taking in a breath to cool off his heat he looked back down to Tomobi.
“Well, this isn’t what I expected for a welcome. Come on boy show us where to go,”
Tomobi weakened his tense body slightly and guided them out of the green back to the dulled grey.
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