Suggested Beginning Sound:
Pursuit by Gesaffelstein
Five of them. At least five of those rag-wearing bastards. All firing at him.
Releasing the trigger, Kiroh lets out a second bullet from his rifle. He can't confirm a hit since more gunfire comes as the response. Each of their incoming projectiles chip away at his already deteriorating cover.
That's probably the last shot he'll take for a majority of the firefight. And that's considering that he's got five guns trained on his position. He believes that he is more than likely to be shot if he tries to peek.
With his back against the wall, he looks for a way to retreat. To his left, where the cover of the wall ends and open space becomes apparent, he could run to a higher position—but the cover is scarce. Positioned on the hill is a remnant of a collapsed building, only two walls stand tall.
A dozen or so meters in front of him are four large concrete pillars, he could run towards them and still stay mostly in cover—but they look like they're about to collapse from all the cracks. They seem too unreliable to act as a source of cover.
To his right, barely any cover is seen as well. Only a withered wooden shack surrounded by fallen stacks of bricks or other building materials. While he could run into or behind the shack, he doubts it could stop any of their bullets or whatever caliber they're using.
Under his helmet, he grinds his teeth against each other as he tries to make the best decision. His anger at being caught off guard helps to fuel his movement. Ignoring the bullets chipping away at his cover, he looks ahead and makes his choice.
Running as fast as he could, Kiroh moves towards the three pillars. Once out of the safety of his wall, the rag-wearing people adjust their aim. Several bullets whiz by him and collide into the ground causing dirt and gravel to shoot up.
He gets to the pillar, but swerves into cover just slow enough to see a bullet make impact. The shattered concrete and dust particles flew out as he made it behind one of the pillars.
The run causes him to huff in a tired manner. It doesn't help with the fact that his fatigue from walking the entire night is settling in. Silently, he thanks the natural adrenaline running through his veins. He would rather not feel the soreness in his legs catch up to him.
Bouncing in his step, Kiroh prepares to move to the adjacent pillar. He takes deep breaths before dashing—almost like a spring—to the side. Somehow, he avoids their gunfire. He'd like to think they were bad shots, but he would rather not get cocky at the moment.
After a couple seconds of more gunfire and Kiroh trying to figure out what to do, the soldier notices that the shots have ceased. Not wanting to figure out why, he attempts to find another route to take. His head moves rapidly like a bird looking for food, eyes landing almost everywhere in his environment.
Unexpectedly, he hears the sound of footfalls on the gravel—the fucker is on the right! The sound snaps him right out of his thought process.
Backing up just slightly so as to not bring out any of his limbs from the pillar. He readies his service rifle as he anticipates the attacker's move.
The bastard makes itself known, stepping right into Kiroh's line of sight. Before the rag-wearing person could react, the soldier lets out a single burst. They tear right into the person's chest and through the back. Black blood and particles spray out, getting onto the overgrown ground and partially on Kiroh.
Its body hits the solid ground hard, with the back flat and arms to the side. The suppressing fire from earlier resumes. Pressed against the pillar, the soldier looks at the newly deceased body just a couple feel from him. Although he doesn't see it yet, the soldier knows he'll later find a puddle of blood forming underneath the person.
The soldier keeps his back to the pillar. He is unsure if a second one was going to push him or not but he remains alert. One could also say that the constant fire on his position was more than enough to keep his sense heightened to an uncomfortable level.
Checking his sides constantly and struggling to hear footsteps, he wants to see his next set of options. The soldier thinks they're attempting to cover the path of of their comrades again but he doesn't how many there are. All he saw were five of those rag-men.
It pisses him and puts even more stress on him as he tries to handle the situation in his head. Kiroh looks ahead once more, trying to find other places to go. There's none, only collapsed walls and piles of material that's been left to rot.
Kiroh looks to his left then right, spotting just more collapsed structures. There is no sufficient cover, no options, nothing. Fuck, coming here was a mistake. A big fucking mistake.
Under his helmet, he grinds his teeth even harder against each other. What can he do in this situation? Toss a frag? No, he can only approximate where they are and even then, he wouldn't even know if he was throwing it in the right area.
Maybe he could- the sound of a loud crash of something colliding against the ground took him out of his thoughts.
He could feel the vibrations in the ground reaching his feet. Soon after, a cacophony only recognizable to rocks splitting caught his ears.
The soldier mutters under his breath, "The fuck?" He waits for no reply once he realizes what's happened. All the gunfire pounding on his position was no longer there. It just stopped right after he heard the crashing noise.
Gathering his courage—and sorting out his confusion—the soldier takes a peek. The sight makes his eyes widen and mouth open with surprise.
He sees a person standing on a pile of bricks—what he can assume to be some random dude—tossing a rock about the size of a small car. The guy chucks it with his right hand like it's just a ball for sports.
Looking at the rock's motion, Kiroh can see it being directed towards the area with the opposing rag-people. Another loud crash is heard as he watches the rock collide somewhere. He doesn't know exactly where, but if the lack of gunfire was a sign, then the target's obvious.
But as he grew more alarmed by the random appearance, he squints his eyes to get a clearer view of the stranger. The soldier's alarm turns into slight awe as he watches the random dude literally form rocks out his hands. His mouth remains open and his eyes become even larger, unable to comprehend what he's witnessing.
He continues to watch as said dude proceeds to form and throw more rocks. At a very fast rate as well, a dangerous rate. The random just keeps tossing more and more rocks, signs of stopping don't seem to show at all.
Kiroh, taken aback in that moment, could only wonder how in the almighty hell such a thing was possible. Just-what? How? Why the fuck is this rando able to play with rocks likes he's on some advanced level? How the hell is doing this? Also, who the hell is he? Question after question popped up in his mind as really started to doubt his own reality.
Then he's taken out of his thought process once more as he looks at the stranger—who, in turns is looking right back at him.
Blinking in confusion, the soldier shrugs his shoulders and lowers his weapon slightly. He doesn't make another move, just peeking out behind the pillar with his gun poking out with him. Not moving at all, he stares at the stranger—who's apparently hooded—through his helmet visor, expecting some sort of movement to occur.
Nothing dramatic happens.
The stranger from who-knows-where simply returns the stare, but with a more friendly addition. He waved at Kiroh, still standing on the brick pile.
His response is not returned.
Kiroh only continues to stare, exercising trained caution. The soldier doesn't exactly know what to think other than determining whether or not the stranger was hostile or not. But what he does know is that he doesn't want to get close, not after what he just saw what the stranger was capable of.
Watching him under a careful pair of eyes, Kiroh sees the stranger get off the brick pile and start moving towards him. It causes him to tense up and raise his gun slightly. A clear gesture focused solely on the one moving.
Surprisingly, the stranger noticed the soldier's subtle movements. He acted accordingly, raising his hands slightly with the palms facing Kiroh. Although he performed this gesture, the stranger continues to move forward. Persistent. For no damn reason.
Not wanting to be anywhere close to the person that he's quickly assuming to be a freak-of-nature, Kiroh speaks first. His voice raises, less raspy and more smooth but with a noticeable cold edge. "Stop. Stay right there. Don't come any closer."
The person drops his arms and fold them onto his chest. He stops walking and tilts his head slightly to the right.
"State your intentions and who you are." Kiroh ordered, feeling his grip tighten around his weapon. In case anything happens, he assures himself that he would at least be able to shoot the stranger.
Complying, the stranger doesn't take it seriously. "I'm a wanderin' traveler, goin' wherever I'm feelin' it. And as for who I am, I go by Amika." The stranger, now named, sports a growing grin. His voice is... higher-pitched, but you can still definitely tell it's a dude speaking.
"State your reason for being here." Kiroh's voice remains cold and serious. His tight grip doesn't change.
Amika takes a step forward—something the soldier notices but doesn't address—and talks. "Oh? I need a reason for helpin' somebody out? Cuz it sure looked to me that you needed some assistance." The grin on his face doesn't leave.
"State. Your reason. For being here." His order comes out almost as a snarl. Although he does consider the fact that the stranger—Amika—helped him, he's sure he can't trust the stranger with not doing the same to him. In fact, Kiroh would like to remain a living person, not some fleshy red smudge on the ground.
Leaning back just a tad, Amika says, "You can relax y'know? I don't sense anymore of those blighters lurkin' around here." Not seeing the soldier's stiffness change at all, he continues. "I was just walkin' 'til I heard some gunshots. Then I heard more. And more. Until I realized there was a firefight goin' on."
Once again the soldier doesn't move at all, only gripping his weapon tightly. A prompt Amika used to continue.
The stranger drops the grin and replaces it with a smaller smile. "I was watchin' for a minute or two 'fore I realized that you needed some help. Figured you could use it... but now? I'm thinkin' you don't need help no more, what you need is common sense."
A hand goes over his chest as he grins once more. "Here I am, jus' a traveler willin' to give ya my help and this is how it turns out." Amika folds his arms again. "Y'know, when most people get saved by a magi-user, they're ecstatic. You, though? Yer jus' pointin' a gun at me and askin' for my intentions."
Brief silence takes over before the soldier, unexpectedly, breaks it.
"You helped me, care to tell me why?" Kiroh's question is short and to the point. His voice doesn't carry much of the same harsh tone from earlier. Despite this, his guard is still solid.
"Well I jus' asked ya a couple seconds ago, why would I need a reason to help somebody out?" Amika shrugs as he changes the grin into a smile purposed for deescalation.
"So you're telling me," the soldier's weapon lowers slightly as he scoffs, "you just so decided to help me out—which, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for—out of the kindness of your heart? Yeah, uhh... I just can't help but call bullshit on that statement. What the hell's your ulterior motive?"
Amika only raises an eyebrow before snickering silently. He speaks, "Well... I guess you ain't wrong. At first, I didn't have a motive besides tryin' to help, but now? You could say I've got another one now."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" The soldier asked.
"It means that yer turning out to be an interesting fellow." The stranger answered before continuing. "A simple glance at you can tell a whole lot of things to me. Like your armor, that's either a custom-made set ya got or something belongin' to a defunct company. Or, your... uniform, I believe. That looks like it belongs to some sorta merc company that ain't too popular."
Questioning his answer, Kiroh says, "You're not answering the question, stranger. What is your motive?" Being told that he was an interesting fellow only caused him to be more suspicious.
"Well," Amika rests his hands on his sides, "let me be clearer then. See, I've been wanderin' for a while now and to be honest... I'm gettin' kinda bored just being all on my lonesome." He looks Kiroh up and down. "And you... you seem like you can definitely handle yourself. So for my motive..... my motive is to get you to join me. How 'bout it?"
Silence takes over. And just like last time, the soldier breaks it again.
"That's either a shitty lie or a terrible analysis of a person you just met in a firefight." Kiroh lowers his gun and relaxes, he still stands behind the pillar but his guard is considerably more lax. "But... elaborate on what you mean when you say you've been wandering."
A bigger smile forms on Amika's face. "Heh, looks like yer already warmin' up to the idea. Anyways, I've been around a good portion of the north. Checkin' out all the towns and smaller villages just outside the city. I've just been bouncin' around from town to town, doin' all sorts of jobs and the such."
Upon hearing this, the sound of opportunity starts to flood into Kiroh's brain. He sees the benefits of joining the stranger—Amika—as the man could help him navigate throughout the continent. He could use the stranger to help him get to the north where he can stop in the towns or smaller settlements.
From there, he can just ditch the traveler and stay in the town. And at that point, he'll just look for work and try to earn money. This whole plan that's forming in Kiroh's head sounds more and more appealing, but then he starts to consider the hardships he'll face.
Problems such as identification registration or finding a home or getting a job that fits his skill and all the plethora. How the hell can he find a job? Would employers just hire some random guy who's wielding a rifle and battle armor? Actually, what kind of employer would hire a guy who can't even read the language?
Shit! This idea's starting to backfire and Kiroh can only think of more terrible solutions to those problems. If he was being honest though, the soldier was starting to see even more appeal to Amika's offer of joining him. Nodding mentally, Kiroh understands that he can most-definitely use the man as a guide. Temporarily, at least.
Amika brings the soldier out of his thoughts as he asks, "Say, mind tellin' me where exactly you're comin' from? With all the stuff yer carryin,' you seem like you started well off... unless I'm wrong? Perhaps?"
"I came from the southern settlements... and for your second, not exactly. You're not wrong, I... did start off with good equipment." The soldier's unsure if his half-lie would go unnoticed, but he doubts the man could catch it.
"Really now? Then where're you headin' to?" Amika asked.
Kiroh answers. "North, originally, but if I'm being honest, I'd rather go anywhere else but the south at this time."
"Mind if I ask?" Amika puts his hands in his pockets.
"All I'll say is that I've had some bad encounters. And this firefight you just helped me on, that just adds onto it." Kiroh has his gun in a resting carry now. "By the way, thanks. I appreciate the help, it was necessary that you joined in."
Amika lets out a proud chuckle. "No problem. Oh! I never asked for your name. Pardon my manners, but whatdaya go by?"
Kiroh is hesitant for a moment before saying, "Kiroh. Just Kiroh." The soldier, now feeling a bit more relaxed, starts to step from behind the pillar.
"Kiroh?" The stranger-turned-partner tested the name in his mouth. For a couple seconds, he's in deep thought before asking a question. "Huh, that name sounds a bit... are you Temenese by any chance?"
Confused, the soldier asks for a clarification. "What?"
"Y'know... east-born people? Humans of the east? The only Temenese?" Amika tilts his head and raises an eyebrow.
"O-oh, uhh-yes. Yeah." Jesus, that was a terrible lie.
"I see. Then that just makes ya even more interesting, heh." Amika folds his arms. "This'll be the second-to-last question, but... would you mind tellin' me what race ya are?"
"Human..." Kiroh doesn't say anything else. He doesn't show it, but the question sparked a mark of curiosity in him. Specifically, what the hell Amika means when he asks what race he is. As if humans weren't the only-
"Ah. Knew it. You couldn't be mirovi—your scent wasn't too strong—and ya sure don't carry the same air as the elves."
The fuck? Mirovi? His scent? Elves? What?
Amika asks his last question. "And onto the last," he clears his throat, "are ya willing to be my travel partner?" He takes another step towards Kiroh's position and holds a hand out.
Kiroh tenses for a split-second before relaxing. He steps forward as well, abandoning his pillar. Doing this allows him to get a good look at Amika.
The brown-skinned traveler wears a fitting green hoodie and brown pants with some armor. Shoulder armor rests only on his right arm and a vest protects just until his midriff. His legs sport two grey shin and knee guards along with small and big pouches.
Kiroh looks him up and down. Amika has an overall smaller figure, being just a few centimeters shorter than him. While he isn't lanky like the soldier, he's certainly fit for his height.
Looking him up and down once more, he stops on his slim face. Wait a second, are those.... horns? Not... the weirdest things he's seen someone wear, but that's alright. Kiroh's not really one to judge someone's choice of accessories.
The soldier then brings his left hand out since his right was occupied. Finally, their hands meet and shake. Officially, in the terms of the Amika, becoming partners.
....
...
..
.
Now that they were partners—a temporary alliance in Kiroh's eyes while Amika saw it as the start of something great—they had come to a unanimous decision. Their first goal as a duo of travelers would be to head to the closest settlement. Specifically, one that Amika had previously been at.
They came to this decision when Amika inquired about Kiroh's supplies. While the soldier was hesitant to show his things, he reluctantly agreed. Kiroh showed his few remaining mags and ammunition along with his dwindling supply of food.
Amika checked his own items as well, although he already knew that he was set for a trip. He suggested that they should resupply at the last settlement he went to. It put a smile on his face when he saw Kiroh nod.
Speaking of Kiroh nodding, talking was something Amika knew he had to address between the two of them. The reason behind it was that, Kiroh, barely spoke. He literally only talked when he had to answer a question or had to ask for clarification. It didn't help when Amika figured out that Kiroh wouldn't be taking his helmet off, at all, only lifting it slightly to eat and drink.
Although Amika got a little peeved at first, he began to see it as an interesting behavior. When he snuck a few glances at the soldier, he saw the letters, 'P.U.R' ingrained in his armor. He's never heard of that organization before so it only garnered more of his intrigue in knowing more about the soldier.
It was when they were taking a break by a campfire, that Amika used the opportunity to learn more about his new partner.
"Soo.... are like you some sorta secret agent or somethin'?" He asked, eating some canned meat while looking at Kiroh.
The soldier chews a bit before swallowing and facing Amika. Since his helmet wasn't fully on, his almost-smooth voice was no longer muffled by the headpiece. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're like one of those typical edgy-backstory characters I'm always seein' in those popular action movies." Amika swallows another bite. "You got all the qualities. Tall, quiet, secretive, perpetual RBF, and grumpy."
"What?" The exposed frown on his face grew. "Okay, hold on. I'm quiet because that's just my nature and for the RBF... you can barely even see my face, in fact, you can only see my mouth."
"But that's all I need to know you've got a resting-bitch-face. Especially with that constant frown yer always bearin'."
"Tch." Kiroh looks away and doesn't say anything else. Only taking one final scoop out of his can and chewing the meat.
"Anyways... ya mind if ask a couple questions?" The shorter man only receives a slow nod from the soldier. "Appreciated, Kiroh. Now then, what's that 'P.U.R.' on your vest mean?"
Kiroh doesn't answer as fast as he just had. He slows his chewing for a few seconds before swallowing. When it's finally done, he moves his helmet down to cover the rest of his head. Back in a muffled voice, he answers, "People's United Regime."
Amika tilts his head slightly, watching as Kiroh rubs his own throat with his index and thumb. "Is that some sorta cutoff government or somethin'?"
"It's... yeah, I guess you could call it that." The soldier puts the spoon away and leaves the can on the ground. "Yeah, let's stick with that answer."
"Huh, never heard of it. I'll have to ask about that later. Anyways, onto the next." Amika clears his throat. "You lookin' for anything particular out here? Like any goals and the such?"
"Other than getting to that settlement you've referred to, no. Although, I can presume that surviving is the main objective."
"But weren't you headin' north 'fore I met ya?"
"Yes. I was. But I didn't have a particular goal other than getting away from the south to a place where people are. Find work, get paid, you know... the typical routine." The soldier moves his neck and pops it. "Because being out here is starting to take a toll on me, and, my only supplies."
"Ah, I see. Well, I can assure you that where we're goin', there'll be plenty of opportunities to get some marks."
"Marks?" Kiroh turns his head to look at the man.
"Yeah, marks." Amika snickers. "What? Ya expectin' some kinda pay in gold? Hehehe."
"Oh. Yeah, marks." The soldier concludes it to be the name of the currency used in this country.
Silence takes over for a few seconds, but unlike several hours ago, Amika takes the initiative.
"So... ya got any questions for me? Can't help but feel that yer jus' a little bit curious." The shorter man rests his chin in his hands, the position makes him look like a smiling inquisitive child. "Also, I felt like I shouldn't be the only one askin' questions so go right on ahead."
Kiroh takes the opportunity to ask a question that's been on his mind for quite a while. "What's with the horns?"
Once again, it is the quietness that takes over. Except, this time, it's much more tense. As if... Kiroh had asked something he shouldn't have. However, this noiseless tenseness goes away after Amika asks in a more guarded tone, "What?"
The soldier can see that he made a mistake. If the narrowing eyes and growing frown weren't enough, he could clearly tell he struck a nerve somewhere. But it was completely on accident.
"Your, horns. Why do you... wear them?" Kiroh brings his left hand next to the barrel of his weapon. In case he pisses off the magical rock-guy, he might just be able act in time.
Amika's face softens slightly. "You think I'm wearin' these like it's a headpiece?" He points to the two horns sticking out from under the hood.
Kiroh nods slowly. "Is there more to it?"
"Gee, Kiroh, I don't know." Amika yanks his hood off to reveal the rest of his features. The mess of golden-brown hair accentuated the two pointy tips poking through it. "You tell me."
The image was quite a surprise to the soldier. After that reveal, he can no longer conclude that the horns were an accessory. Because, obviously, how could they be when they're attached to your head?
Although Kiroh has no damn idea as to how growing horns was possible, he can only leave it up to the seemingly impossible things of this world. And to be honest, if the faceless dogs and goblin-like attackers were anything to go off of, he probably should've expected this.
Recognizing his mistake, Kiroh does what is necessary. He lowers his head slightly before bringing it back up and saying, "My apologies. I... didn't intend to cause hostility." The apology is short, but to the point.
Sighing is heard from Amika before he puts his hood back on. The angered expression on his face turns into a one of annoyance. Despite this, he speaks, "Should be.... are ya blind or somethin'? Or wait, is it cuz of that helmet yer always wearing?"
"No, I," the soldier straightens his posture as he places his hands on his knees, "I thought it was an accessory. I wasn't aware that it was a biological thing. My apologies." His tone is mostly genuine even though it sounds a bit forced.
The man with horns is quiet for a few seconds until he takes a long look at Kiroh. He can see that the soldier has his hands clasped together with his head dipped a little down, like it was a sincere bow.
Amika exhales through his nose and looks directly into Kiroh's visor, "It's alright. Jus' don't make the mistake again, I don't wanna throw hands over... an issue like this." He taps his foot in a rhythm and adds on, "Ya seem like a good dude—a tad bit too guarded—but still, I'm just gonna assume what your sayin' is truth. That ya didn't mean it."
Kiroh only nods, now resting his arms on his legs as he leans forward again. He wanted to ask about what the man said hours before, about 'blighters,' as he called them. Ha also wanted to ask what a magi-user was. But with the current situation, it was best to keep a closed mouth lest he angers the rock-thrower.
No other words were said after that. For the rest of the time of they spent at the campfire, it was quiet. An uneasy yet agreeable atmosphere took over. It wasn't until a dozen or so minutes later that the two began to make noise again, specifically grabbing their items and packing up.
After ensuring that their things were safe and sound and the fire was stomped out, the two began to walk again. Unfortunately, the semi-awkward silence from the recent break carried over into their traveling.
Some time had passed—the sky was growing into a charming mix red and orange, few clouds were present to impede the beauty of the sky colors—and the uninterrupted silence remained. But then it was interrupted, it was Amika, who slowed his pace to converse with the green-dressed soldier.
"This town's much smaller than a lot of the other ones I've come across, but that should be alright. It's still got all the necessities if yer ever thinkin' about bunkin' down here for a bit."
Kiroh is quick to respond. "That includes the armory you told me about, right?" After getting a positive answer, he asks another question. "How much would it cost to buy a box of the ammo I've been using?"
"Hmm," he stops walking and crosses his arms, which prompts the soldier to stop too, "well, with the ammo you're packin', that's about a... high-end, category-3 bullet. So it's gonna be a bit expensive. As in... 38 marks a box."
Yikes, that was not Kiroh wanted to hear at all. He maintains his tone and keeps his disappointment from showing. "Damn, that's a shame."
Amika begins walking again with his hands in his pockets. He glances to his right and asks, "Yours are FMJ rounds, right?" A nod is received from Kiroh. "A single box should do ya good, then. Each of them come in bulk so you'll get sixty-or-so cartridges in one."
"I see." The soldier contemplates on his money situation, knowing he doesn't have a single mark to his name. "Could you tell more about the jobs in this town?"
"Yeah, why? You out of marks?" The man with horns smiles as he chuckles to himself. Clearly, he found the situation to be amusing.
Straight with his answer, Kiroh responds. "Yes, I am broke."
The answer, for some reason unbeknownst to Kiroh, catches Amika off-guard. He stops and only looks at the soldier with a snicker. Before he could try to stop himself, he was already laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. A hand was on his stomach to prevent himself from falling forward.
"You are laughing at my lack of money?" Although his face was completely covered by the blue visor, it was clear from his voice that his frown was growing. This time, however, it was from annoyance and not guarded hostility.
After a few more seconds pass, Amika's laughter dies down and turns into a series of chuckles. "Hehe, sorry, sorry," he clears his throat, "it's jus', I wasn't expecting an answer like that."
"You were expecting something else?" Kiroh asked with less amusement in his voice.
"Nah, not really." Wiping his eyes with the back of his wrists, Amika's tone is replaced with a calmer one. "I was just thrown off with how blunt that was."
"I see." The soldier speaks in a mostly monotonous tone, a trait that Amika is slowly getting used to. "Well anyways, what jobs does the town offer and how can I get them?"
After getting the rest of his laughing out, Amika starts to explain the details of many jobs or bounties.
Amika pockets his hands. "Hmmm... let's go ahead with the void bounties first." Clearing his throat, he then says, "As ya know, this being a pretty far-out settlement means that the government's patrols barely come out here. So the people gotta 'fend for themselves most of the time. And from what I've seen, they've got a lot of stuff on point; stuff like guns, armor, manpower, ammo, walls—you name it."
"What do the guards usually fight off?" Kiroh asked.
"The usual void critters in the NT. The imps, blighters, hounds... maybe even a couple banshees and a golem or two."
NT? Is that the name of the country? Kiroh thinks it must be. He could ask about it right now but then he believed that if he did, Amika would only question him. So he decides to leave the thought alone for now and think about these "void" creatures.
Remembering only two of those names, Kiroh recalled how Amika referred to those rag-people as blighters. And for the other, he thought back on the town he went to when he first arrived here. If his memory serves him right, than that literal rock monster covered in purple gems must've been the golem.
As for the imps and hounds, respectively, the only image that comes to mind are those red goblins and the faceless dogs chasing him.
He didn't exactly have a good mental image of the imps since he was mostly looking at them through his ironsights, but all he knew was that they were practically mythological goblins who were red. Although, for the hounds, he could easily recall what they looked like due to the amount of times they've tried to eat him.
Deciding to reply since he's been silent for a couple seconds, Kiroh responds, "I'm assuming these void bounties essentially mean that we're being paid to kill off these threats?"
"Yep, it's exactly that." He begins walking again. "No other way to describe it. Also, it's about time we start headin' on our way again." The shorter man points to the sky, which is a much darker mix of red, orange and yellow; it's the past the golden hour by now.
Amika continues, "I'll tell ya more on the way."
Kiroh doesn't say anything, only nodding at the horned man. Following just a couple feet to Amika's right side.
....
...
..
.
"Finally!" The man with horns stands on a slightly elevated rock, his hands resting on his hips. "We're here!"
Turning his head away from the dark forest line, Kiroh looks forward and sees it. About forty or fifty meters ahead of them is a metal gate brightened by large lights. Lining the sides of the gate are walls made of concrete that stand about three times Kiroh's average height.
As an obvious transformation to the environment, tree stumps lay just in front of the walls. Most likely a tactical move made to provide the defenders with more field control and less cover for attackers.
Continuing down the dirt path that's slowly integrating into a concrete one, they walk until forward until a spotlight lands on them. Soon after, commands sound out from a speaker.
"Halt! Don't take a step further." The man issuing orders could not be seen, the spotlight completely hinders Amika and Kiroh's eyesight.
The duo stop and shield their eyes.
"Bring out your identification papers, slowly, no fast movements. Someone will come out shortly and check them out. If they're valid, you may come in."
Under his visor, Kiroh's eyes might as well pop out of their sockets with how large they've become. He knows he doesn't have any of those papers. He knows damn well his chances of getting in are incredibly low.
Cursing mentally, he looks over to his left. Amika stands there, pulling out a small palm-sized book from one of his pouches. The image only makes Kiroh cuss even more. Shit, what the hell should he do?
A loud mechanism is heard, then the gate begins to open. Fuck. More light appears, seeping through as the gate opens wider. FUCK. Kiroh glances and sees the silhouette of a person coming through. OH SHIT.
"You gonna get your papers out?" Amika asked with a raised eyebrow, noticing the rigid position of his partner's body.
The soldier's grip around his rifle tightens. "Uhh... I, uh, I don't have any identification papers."