Chapter 2

Tereliva was an aquatic metropolis based at the eastern end of the great waterfall Tero which spanned much of the border separating Valkin Territory and the unclaimed South Lands. There were only a handful of ways to cross the Valkin border from the south but only one path close to Tereliva which scaled the hills of the canyon on the side of it making for a rigged and treacherous. Water was incorporated in everything within the walls of the city. The streets and numerous landmark buildings were plated with thick glass that made a spectacle of the water that coursed through Tereliva. The city shined bright largely in cause by the buildings and streets being made from a seashell and pearl texture enchanting it with colors of white gold, turquoise and lavender, this place surely looked like it belonged under water. It sat at the 2nd to last base of a series of waterfalls and behind the falling water were pockets of small residential and commercial buildings built into the soft rock for those who could not afford to stay in the main city. This continued down to the gorge of the waterfall where Lower Tereliva had been built into the canyon established as a Harbor Town at the beginning of the wide River of Tere.

Upper Tereliva was a collection of 5 lively boroughs crossable by bridge taking polar directions with the 5th being placed in the center being the central hub. Walls stretched around the main city at the edge of the waterfall with large streams of water pouring out of several decorative orifices. Of the 3 roads to get to Tereliva the eastern path was an incredibly long road. When coming to the city the last couple of miles can be enjoyed with a view of the edge of the waterfall and the gorgeous canyon, the other side of the road would go into a deep slope down to the walk path incumbered by the valley leading north.

There, not too far from a line of trees a young woman is being threatened by three men. They are attempting to steal precious cargo from her, you see, She works for Edgin transport the leading company in national deliveries Its main customer being the Valkin empire the Authority that rules most of the continent and this transport wasn’t your average one. A rugged Blonde man is panting after cutting off her path to the city. The two other men approach from the side one breaking off to circle behind her. Her eyes move frantically, Anxiety has taken root, she subtly pats the pouch attached to her custom uniform. A short and stocky man called Guff lights his cigar and laughs smiling at his cohorts, he moves on the side of the blonde man.

“Come on girlie nowhere else to go. You gave us a good run in the forest but once you hit the valley it was a clear dash and there was no way you were gonna out run Billy here.”

He smacks the back of a blonde burly man a smug smiles pokes through his husky beard. The woman steps backwards into a slim man, he grabs the handle of the backpack the woman is strapped to stopping her from backing up any further. In an instant she pulls a small hand canon out of her bag and shoots the slim man in the foot.

“KLYE!”

Guff screams for his associate as he pulls a hand canon of his own and aims it at the girl.

“we’ve got a live one here boys. Come on now, don’t make this more difficult than it has to be. Just drop the bag and go. I might even forgive ya’ for shooting my mate in the foot.”

If only she could. Going back to Edgin with an uncomplete delivery is a death sentence. It’s a prideful company that ensures completion thus the outrageous price for service. Any transporter that stains their good reputation mysteriously ends up missing even if they never reported back in, she knew exactly what it was. The two are in a showdown as Kyle screams about his foot inching further to his group. I only have two more rounds. The girl thinks to herself; a couple strands of her black hair fall into the middle of her pale face; she is flustered but still focused.

The road above was fluid with vehicles passing by headed toward Tereliva. This wasn’t a smart idea holding her up like this in the middle of the valley, it was only a matter of time before someone stopped to help her.

“What? you plan to shoot me in front of all those people? Do you know what day it is? There’s patrol all over here.”

“Yes, and we’d be gone back into the forest before anybody would be able to get down here. Anyway, it’s not gonna matter how many patrols there are so, if you value your life, I suggest that. You. Drop. The bag.”

He is right, the road is high up and sliding down would be dangerous the closest path down to them is half a mile down. She thinks of her training, yes, that would help her in this situation though in most cases these situations were never meant to happen. A Edgin Transporter always has a high-ranking bodyguard or 2 but her’s was tragically murdered a few hours ago. A death caused by the group these men belonged to in order to get their hands on her cargo.

“Guff shoot this bitch already. We don’t have time for this”

“I rather not shoot a woman, but its looking like you give me no choice.”

She is going to have to shoot first. Shooting is the only test she passed in the self-defense course of her training, passed with flying colors but even if she hits the man with her best shot the second round won’t kill the big man. Her eyes intensify as she readies to fire but a coy look in Guff’s eye distracts him from her. Is he looking past her? For a second, she thinks it’s a trick but then she hears approaching footsteps from the forest and sees a shadow from the ground next to her. She turns her head and sees a Tall dark-skinned man, dragging a levi-wagon loaded to max capacity behind him, he drops the handle and rests a burlap sack emanating a greenish black aura on top of the pile of ore. Are those D-Bulbs? That’s pretty old fashion. she slowly begins to lower her gun as not knowing how to anticipate what was going to happen next.

The man she would later know as Roy walked next to her and towered over her as he leaned in, he was way taller than her, but she was also shorter than most women.

“300 credits.”

Pure confusion hit the woman’s face as she did not understand why he said that or why his grin seemed so deceptive.

“300 credits what?”

“300 credits and I’ll save you from these bums.”

“You’re really going to charge me for something you should be doing from the kindness of your own heart.”

“See now its 350 credits with all that altruistic crap, I know how much they normally pay your guys bodyguards. And since I don’t see one around, I could be putting myself in danger protecting you.” He said feigning weakness.

Guff speaks in the background trying to get their attention as she looks at the man’s arms that bulge in the short sleeved black shirt under his light chest armor the Belmouth symbols marked across the bridge of his nose and on his jaw insist that he knows how to handle danger but for an instant she remembers her bodyguard. Her altruistic personality in comparison to his made her feel insulted, she scoffed at him and raised her gun back trying to channel bravery.

“I’ll handle this myself.”

Without moving his stance, Roy grabs a hammer off his tool belt and hurls it at Guff who was already ready to fire knocking the canon out of his hand as it discharged. Guff screams in pain!

“AHHHH! You broke a couple of my finger’s you bastard! Kyle get off your ass and go do something, you too Billy.”

“Come on Guff, I can barely stand.” Kyle lays on the grass incapacitated.

“No.” Roy turns his head back to the woman. “what’s your name?”

She is shocked that he reacted so quickly to Guff. she looks up at him “Taylor.”

“Well Taylor, I insist we’ll just talk about credits later.” He begins to walk forward

Guff kicks Kyle in the ass, Billy begins to walk forward as well to meet while he is sizing him up. Roy laughs at the idea of getting sized up. It been different experience traveling west, where he is from even some of the guards would rather not fight him. There was a certain notoriety that followed Roy it allowed him to get away with a little more than just the average slum rat. However, none of that mattered when it came to his cousin Travis who constantly make an example out him whenever he acted up too much. With a weapon like his he could practically do what he wanted. The fights he had with him were often one sided no matter what weapon Roy crafted nothing can beat an Ohgun’s Craft.

Billy frowns recognizing the marks on the bridge of Roy’s nose.

“Ah, I know that mark. You took part in fight pits like me.”

“Yeah, were not the same.” Rejecting any common ground they could share.

Billy takes that offensively, proudly he rebuttals saying “Oh you think your better than me? Just to have you know my record is-“

“Undefeated.”

“…What?”

“in over 15 bouts most at overwhelming odds, I am undefeated and your big for nothing. So come on, I’ll even give you two free hits.”

He thinks back to when Travis said that him. Roy had just created his first Photon sword and went to pick a fight with Travis over a dispute he had in the past. How dare he look down on him in the slums while he got to stay in the master’s floor. How dare he patrol the area he stayed and enforce unfair penalties on him and its occupants. Travis and his father Vox, are high members in the Belmouth with Travis being The Capitol Spear, endowed with the responsibility of the city’s protection and Vox head of the biggest Clan of the Tribe he belonged to. They were the only family Roy had and yet they refused to engage with Roy socially. So when Roy challenged Travis, the beating he received was one of dispassion and unfamiliarity, he didn’t see him as family. Only his moral compass stopped him from tearing through me with the spear of storms crafted by Ohgun. If it was nothing but fist might have been different or maybe if he had his own.

Billy frowns then grins this idiot really thinks he’s hot shit, what he doesn’t know is my record is 30-5, they call me “Billy the Bludgeon” and my left hook is deadly. Billy chuckles then stares down his nose at Ben.

“Your funeral punk.”

He winds up but in that instant Roy reneges and cold cocks Billy square in the nose, knocking him on his ass. He was never known for fighting fair, Roy steps forward letting out a chuckle of his own at Billy’s fall. Billy angrily gets up to greet him with a fist. Roy gets into a stance raising his fists, dodging Billy’s strike and counters with a devastating left that lands on his cheek. He didn’t expect for a guy as big as him could move as quickly as he did. Roy dodges another couple of strikes making Billy more irritable. He was countering almost every one of his strikes with his left fist. Is he toying with me? Billy thought to himself as he grabbed his rib after receiving a body shot. Fuck! I can barely keep my posture. Roy toys with Billy more weaving past punches and ducking strikes when suddenly his NL’s give him foresight of the Giant derelict once again, this time it is more vivid. Rarely do even the most skilled Wavers see there visions through their own eyes, usually it’s like an omnipotent vision like through a birds eyes view alerting them caution but what Roy was witnessing was like he was smack dab in the middle of chaos hitting the city. The giant Derelict was stomping around into buildings, fire and destruction was running rampart through the area and as Roy looked at his hands, he noticed blood. In the present, while in the state of Foresight he was looking at his hands and began stumbling backwards trying to focus. Billy takes advantage of this moment rushing him and connecting a strong hook to his jaw. However, Roy stands solid snapped back to reality due to the shock. Turning his head from the adjusted position Billy put it in with his fist, his eye were filled with fire. Roy maneuvers Billy’s arm under his armpit and clenches his fist on his right arm and sends Billy flying with an uppercut.

He tries to crawl towards Kyle begging for his help desperation in his eyes, he was outmatched. Ben then drags him back to deliver more punishment. Who is this guy? From the markings on his face he’s fought in the Belmouth Arenas and survived, a champion at that. Taylor has not met many Belmonts outside the Belmouth, usually they stay to the east and find traveling west disrespectful to their countries pride. She wondered what tribe he was from the tribesmen of Aio rarely leave the east due to the prestige their name holds, Crestons don’t leave their hills, he could only be from Valtese or Zabu. She looks at the Levi-wagon he was hauling, recognizing the material. He looks young to be a merchant. She’s pondering his occupation when Roy calls over to her.

“So how are we making this transaction? You gonna transfer the credits or do you carry phys cred?”

He looked over to her grinning, jabbing Billy’s face in the process. From behind them Guff glares at Roy furiously while reaching for the gun on the ground. He recalls his past defecting from the Valkin Empire to join Haven, an infamous group that threatens the Valkin’s campaign on the south and hating they’re unaccommodating lifestyle shortly after. He wasn’t a freedom fighter, he was from a royal family after all but in pursuit of thrills and women he found himself a traitor to his country and dirt poor, this girl and her cargo was the thing that was going fix his luck. A few days ago him, his friends and a small group of Haven soldiers were briefed on a prototype power generating mechanism that was covertly being delivered to a small town named Salin that was re-purposed by the Valkin to be an industrial site. The operation in finding the girl was tiresome and more than what he bargained for. The captain leading the mission was a reckless hard-ass that hated Guff so in the confusion of the encounter with the womans bodyguard him and his friends fled ahead to the path to Tereliva hoping to run into her again so he could take her cargo. This would allow Guff to back into the good graces of the Valkin and remove the bounty from his head after delivering their merchandise, in theory.

He was not going to let her slip from his grip and especially to some muscle head that does not know to never keep his back toward an enemy. He grabs the gun off the ground and begins to aim at Roy readying to fire. Taylor’s sharp eyes react quickly, grasping hold of the moment, she raises her hand canon and fires one round at his hand breaking the hand cannon from his grip. he stomps around in anguish now that his other hand is broken, the young man turns fast to see that the woman had saved him from getting shot in his back.

“Okay now maybe just 100 credits.”

“Really?” She rolls her eyes

Hearty laughs can be heard from the top of the slope, where the dirt meets the road and there is a parked vehicle with a man larger than the two others, draped in battle armor, the hair tie segmenting his large afro carries Champion pendants from the Belmouth and other competitions. He screams toward the group.

“Hahahaha Roy, if your this piss poor at fighting I should of just left you on docks where I found you lil’ brother because what I witnessed would landed you in hot water with Bryan hahahaha.” The look in the man’s eyes change to a sharp and combative demeanor “Looks like I have way more to teach you don’t I if you can’t drop a pygmy like that in a single blow.”

Billy is visibly insulted by being called a pygmy but is knocked cold by a solid right from Roy, who is peeved after looking at this familiar face. When he gets off Billy and he stands at the base of the slope looking up toward the middle-aged brute. They’re eyes meet at an intense stare.

Roy huh? He looks like a Roy. The woman thought to herself looking at the two from the side, why does he look so familiar and what is this? They look like they’re about to fight next. Roy is staring up the slope in the direction of the sun but his gaze is not adverted he’s staring at the Hammer hanging from the strap on the man’s hip. The handle is a magnificent craftmanship , the sleek obsidian handle decaled with bright golden inscriptions, the grip slightly thicker than the handle looked like it would meld perfectly with his hand, all connect to a solid golden head that resembled a large brick; this was an Ohgun’s Craft, to the Valkin this is an unholy weapon made by a demon, an unduplicatable Lucid Weapon and Roy had his eye on that Hammer a long time.

To Be Continued…