------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time skip
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taverns are a place for all sorts of businesses. Some come to have fun and interact with travelers from distant lands, others come to join groups to head out on expeditions, but most just come to drink till they're dead. Some drink because of the loss of a friend, ally or beloved, while others merely drink for the fun of it. This specific tavern in an underground cavern, however, is a cause for interest. Because in this tavern, sits a particular individual wanted by bounty hunters, looking to bring a man to justice.
One day, this individual sat on the counter in the tavern like any other day, wearing a hunter's cloak, clad with armor on certain joints and body segments with a hood covering his face. As he gulped down his fifth beer mug, a group consisting of 4 bounty hunters enter the tavern.
A pair of twins, both with a Mohawk hair style, wearing jeans, black long spiked jackets and equipped with scatter rifles on their backs. One had a cybernetic left arm and right arm individually.
One hunter was taller than the rest, standing at over eight feet tall, with a heavy muscle mass and a mechanical eye, he looked to be the strongest of the bunch. With black leather boots and armor covering his legs and chest, he carried a shotgun which was hidden behind his cape.
Finally, the leader, his neck and lower body is well hidden behind a cloak of his own, he stands at around seven feet tall and has a prismlike face, both organic and metallic at the same time. He does not wear shoes as he has bipedal legs.
The leader of the bounty hunter gang raises a wanted poster with a rough sketch of a man drenched in blood and holding a heart in his hand as he stands on top of a pile of dead bodies.
"I got a tip that a suspicious individual was hiding in this part of town, anyone of ya seen him?"
There was no name given for this Individual but a title, "The Harbinger of Death". Everyone glanced at the poster but didn't say anything. The leader looked at all of them and noticed, one person was still concealing their face, drinking away like there was no tomorrow.
"Think it's him boss?" Asks the tall hunter.
"Hm, probably. Stay sharp." The leader warns.
He approaches the mysterious man just until he's a few feet behind him.
"Are you the one they call The Harbinger of Death?"
The hooded man doesn't reply but glances back. He whispers something the hunters could barely hear. "Soul seer."
A strange symbol forms on the hooded figures iris. He hums with slight disgust before turning back to his drink. 'So, 3 of em huh.'
The leader approaches the Individual, agitated by the unresponsive attitude towards the hunters and places a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm talking to y-"
But he was cut short of his words as the hooded figure had grabbed his head and slammed it on the table before getting up and throwing him, sending him smashing through the wall right beside the entrance door.
"Do not. Touch me. Bounty hunter." The Harbinger spat at him."
The rest of the bounty hunter members took out their weapons but didn't get the chance to shoot as the harbinger made a dash towards the twins and kicks them on their chest, sending them to the floor but not without breaking some tables on the way down. The tallest hunter shoots his shotgun but misses as it hits a pillar right beside the harbinger. The bounty responds by grabbing a chair and throwing it right at his face as he rushes the stunned hunter and yanks his weapon towards his jaw before pulling the trigger.
The twins try to get up but one of them gets shot in the face. The other twin widens his eyes in shock and fear as he watches his brother fall to the wooden floor with a disfigured face, he turns to the murderer to avenge his brother only to have a shotgun shoved into his mouth.
"waight Phle-!" Before he could beg for mercy, the trigger was pulled, and he too was silenced.
"Alright you two-legged basta- " The leader stops in his tracks, too stunned to speak at the sight of his crew slaughtered. The Harbinger reasoned as he wiped some blood off his cloak.
"If you think I mercilessly slaughtered them then don't bother. They chose to aim their guns at me."
Without hesitation, the leader brings out his arms holding an energy blade on each hand and slashes an energy wave at the killer. The Harbinger blocks the attack but still gets knocked off his feet and crashes through the back wall of the tavern onto a roadway. People around the street stop to look at the commotion while some leave immediately not wanting to get in trouble. The leader comes out from the hole in the wall and prepares for his next attack while the bystanders begin gossiping.
"What's going on?"
"Is that Voriax!?"
"The legendary bounty hunter!"
"Thought he died."
"Who's he fighting?"
The Harbinger gets up much to his displeasure as his hood had been partially ripped from the edges of the wood from the wall he had crashed through. He proceeds to rip his hood off completely and the crowd of people could only gasp in horror as they recognized who it was.
"It's The Harbinger of Death!!!" Screams a man within the crowd in terror. This causes panic and everyone who remained also eventually ran away in fear.
As the dust was settling, the leader now identified as Voriax waited for the civilians to leave as he claims. "You shall die for your crimes Harbinger!"
The Harbinger gets up as the dust finally settles and his face now clear for all to see, the identity of "The Harbinger of Death" was none other than Kai!
Kai now stands with his hair grown out and, in a mess, his eyes tired and red from lack of sleeping, he was taller and looked more menacing. Annoyed that his drinking session was ruined, he deemed it a reason enough to pull out his sword and fight the bounty hunter.
Kai waits for him to make the first move but so does he. As they both wait for the other to make the first move, their bodies heat up with adrenaline for the battle that is about to ensue. Voriax makes the first move, he thrusts both his swords which kai deflects with relative ease and jumps back to gain distance. Voriax doesn't give him room to breathe though as he jumps onto the air and rebounds off a streetlight above him and attacks from above. Kai redirects the path of the blades, but they still managed to graze his right cheek. He does a spin kick, sending Voriax sliding across the dirt road before he jumped in the air throwing multiple blades at him.
"Slow." Kai mutters before deflecting them all in 5 swift movements with his sword.
Voriax lands on his feet before he pauses for a moment to ask, "Why did you kill them"
"I told you already, they pointed their guns at me." Kai retorted.
"And the people you murdered in the downtown district?" Voriax questions.
"They're souls were tainted" Kai revealed.
"They were innocent miners, and you killed them in cold blood. They couldn't defend themselves; you murdered them in their beds and then those that woke up hearing the commotion tried to call for help, but you silenced them." Voriax spoke with a hint rage.
"Those that look at only what lies on the surface will fall to the traps laid beneath them." Kai warned.
"The evidence says otherwise!" Screams Voriax as he reveals another pair of arms hidden beneath his cloak and rushes at him with a blade on each hand.
Kai rushes towards the aggressor in response and their swords collide, sending shockwaves, kicking up dust and strong winds. Both combatants leap way from each other only to rush back again and throw a series of precise and accurate blows and counters. The sound of blades clashing and destruction from the battle alerts residences nearby as the battle ensued. Both of them receiving injures but still carry on their relentless attacks.
Neither of them wanting to back down from this fight as they knew they would only waste their breath if they tried and opted to speak with their blades. On top of the tavern was a silhouette watching the two warriors clash in a heated battle to the death. The roads were littered with blade and scorch marks as the fight went on, neither side showing any sign of stopping.
Eventually, Voriax gets hit after Kai deflected all four of his swords and landed a powerful kick to his chest. As he tried to get up, he was met with another kick to the face. "Argh!" he grunts in pain as he smashes through another wall and falls to the ground. He opens his eyes and sees Kai about to pierce his head as he came slamming down from the air directly above him. Voriax rolls over and jumps back onto a bridge narrowly avoiding the blade.
Voriax watches as Kai stands in front of him with injuries himself. The had been knocked quiet a distance away from the tavern. He stood on top of a bridge with a rushing stream down below right beside a waterfall. Kai stood on the other side ready to deliver a final blow. Voriax realized that his opponent was not ordinary at all just like what the rumors had mentioned.
'How far did he send me in the air with that kick? We're almost out of this district once we cross this bridge. Not an exaggeration then to say he single handedly wiped out that colony.'
Kai tries to make a step forward but loses his balance and falls on his knee.
"Damn it, Lost too much blood. He's definitely as experienced as I've heard." he grunts.
'Now!' Voriax thinks as he readies himself for one last push but suddenly, a series of explosions occurs under the bridge, and he end up falling into river with a strong current that takes him off a waterfall.
Kai gets on his feet and stands close to the edge where the bridge used to stand to confirm the bounty hunter's death but was interrupted by someone.
"You're welcome Bloody hoody, wasn't that fun?" A silhouette approach from behind with the detonation remote in hand.
Kai looks back and wonders. 'A woman? Somethings off.'
Kai was about to inquire of her reason to assist but was caught off guard.
"So, who else you wanna kill next!" She asks excitement as she gets close to Kai's face, almost touching his nose. Her hood comes off, revealing her Crimson red hair, smooth plump limps and the most noticeable feature of all, her eyes. The sclera for both eyes are pure black and the iris being crimson red, matching the color of her hair.
Under normal circumstance, this would probably terrify any normal human being, but Kai has seen his fair share of unique phenomenon's therefore he doesn't question it. But what he does however is push her away.
"What do you want?"
The mysterious woman stares at him now surer that this is the one she was looking for.
"Me? I just noticed a man with the same taste for battle and some impressive sword skills. So, I decided to help you when you were in a tight spot."
Kai spoke coldly as he turned away from her and wanted to make some distance from all the havoc he had caused.
"Thanks, you can go now."
Trixx ask in a friendly tone.
"Oh, come on, not even going to repay me? You do owe me you know. My names Trixx by the way. What might yours be?"
He stops on his tracks.
"Fine. What is it that you want?"
She approaches him and hands him his own wanted poster but marked with a large red circle.
"A scholar hired me and told me to find you and bring you to him."
Kai was tempted to just end her seeing that this would only lead to more trouble but held back.
"And if I refuse?"
Trixx was a bit amused with his response. She was already well aware of his fighting capabilities, yet her eyes glint at the prospect of fighting a strong opponent.
"I bring you forcefully."
"You'll be dead befo..."
Kai gets distracted by her eyes and has a vivid flash back of another girl he once knew with red eyes.
Trixx tilts her head in confusion before she bonked him in the head.
"Helloooo, you didn't answer me..."
Kai blinks a few times before shakes his head. It had been a while since he last remembered her. Recollecting his thoughts, he finally spoke.
"Who is he?"
Trixx smiled halfheartedly, a bit disappointed this didn't escalate to a fight but, she was also a bit relieved she didn't have to fight him.
"Just a scholar researching something highly confidential."
Kai pondered for a bit about the origin of this woman and that scholar she mentioned, however they had to leave since they were out in the open and such a conversation should be held in a more private area. He gestures to Trixx to follow her as he walks the opposite way from the bridge.
"Follow me."
Trixx who was a bit too captivated at the damages around them noticed Kai has already made a fair distance between her. Slightly annoyed, she yelled as she rushed to catch up to him.
"Wait! your supposed to follow me!"
Before more bounty hunters could arrive, they made their way through a few alleys, climbing to the higher levels of the cavern systems. Trixx quietly followed Kai as he led her through the vast cavern system. She took note of her surroundings. The underground town was carved into the massive cavern. Bridges, building carved onto walls, waterways, giant blue crystals growing out of the roof of the cavern providing a gentle source of light to the town underneath. The town had a decent number of buildings stretching a fair distance as far as her eyes could see.
The cavern alone was unique in its own way, illuminated paths connected to different levels of the town. The atmosphere filled with a gentle breeze the came in through small pocket tunnels. This along with the town that has been seemingly built from scratch to blend with the environment and it's a marvel to lay your eyes upon.
Trixx brought back her attention to the current matter as she stared at Kai's back who seemed to not have an intention to stop anytime soon.
"So where are you taking me?"
Kai glanced behind as he wall ran up the side of a house.
"You're going to have to tell me more if you expect me to just follow you because some "Scholar" told you so."
Trixx sighed as she imitated Kai's movements to the top. She looked behind and saw a crowd had gathered at the scene of the battle.
"So that's why you rushed off huh."
She turned around and followed Kai. She watched how he barely made any sound as he navigated his way. Feeling a bit tired, she was about to yell at him wondering how much further they really need to be from the scene of the battle.
Kai went into a small crack in between the wall of the cavern and climbed up into a small chamber with the perfect oval shaped window to overlook the entire cavern town below. Trixx soon pops out but gets stuck due to her "assets". She struggles a bit as she twists and turns until she finally manages to get out and breaths heavily.
"You need to make your entrance bigger."
Kai hums humorously as he grabs another cloak from his chest. Trixx noticed this small room didn't really have much in it. Just a small bed with a pillow and blanket. A few bottles of water and clothes in his chest. She eventually joined him as they both looked out the window.
"Now that we are in a more private location, tell me what exactly who he is and what does he need me for?"
Trixx leans back onto the window resting both her elbows on the bottom frame as she smiled at him. He didn't feel reassured when she did that. Infact, he was contemplating if he should just throw her out the window.
"I didn't care about who he was at first. In this broken world of ours only money and strength matter. He put out a commission to do a few of his tasks and I took it. Went to some mansion and he told me some wild things. I thought he was just some fool. I was about to leave but then he told me, he knew a way to stop the remnants of the cataclysm."
The remnants of the cataclysm. Everyone knows what it is. The world of Diadere was once a peaceful world full of life, but a catastrophe occurred which resulted in the deaths of more than 80% of all life. That was "The Cataclysm". The remnants are what followed. Mutations of creatures directly infected by whatever fell from the stars, toxic mists that covered most areas, the collapse of civilizations, death of billions. The mutants remain to this day, while the other effects died down. But everyone who's still alive from that period remembers what happened all those years ago. The current generation still fear it even though they do not know what really happened or why it ever did.
It was exactly why Kai was shocked when he heard what that scholar had claimed. He could only wonder as he glanced down to his arm as he closed it into a fist in slight frustration.
'For a scholar to make such a claim. He must have researched heavily on the subject, experimented with proper samples. Maybe even found something which even I couldn't. But the Cataclysm was no normal disaster, can he really reverse something like that.'
Trixx waited for him to process the information she just revealed, glancing between him and the view.
"What else do you know?"
"Not much, he just said that there isn't much time before something terrible happens and he need you."
Kai raises a brow.
"Why me and how does he know of me."
Trixx realized it wasn't a question. She could see that if she didn't give him the right answer he wouldn't hesitate to kill her right then and there. She stood up straight and showed him the poster again.
"He said I should look for this man and bring you to him. Said you had green eyes that blended with your rage and hatred for all things living. He also told me you might agree if I told you that he could somehow undo what the cataclysm did not just to the world but you as well. However he needs your help."
Kai stares at Trixx intently, trying to sense any deception in her words. After a few seconds, he relaxes and breaks the gaze. Trixx also releases a breath she just realized she was holding. Kai was about to speak but suddenly the ground began to shake violently. Screams erupted simultaneously while Kai and Trixx both looked out to see what was happening.
"It's a Core pulse! We need to find cover!"
Kai keeps looking at the town as he assesses the situation from his vantage point. He notices a few crystals fall from the ceiling down below. He focused his attention to the roof where the crystals fell from right as a massive explosion erupted from that same point. A massive machine went crashing down just at the edge of the town.
"That's not a Core pulse! Something is attacking the town! We need to move now!"
People were in panic. Everyone ran away from the source of the explosions and tremors. The cavern trembled as debris fell everywhere. Houses were being crushed, bridges cracked and collapsed. Kai and Trixx ran towards source as fast as they could. However, Trixx grew more and more aggravated as she heard a horn blaring louder and louder as they neared the source. She finally started to silently laugh as she recognized the sound.
"Hoody! I know what it is. I'm going to destroy it!"
Kai kept on running till they both eventually reached the outer district of the town. It was engulfed in dust and flames. A massive silhouette could be seen within the dust cloud. Realizing she knew what it was from the way she acted he turned to her.
"Trixx! Explain! what is that thing!"
Trixx laughed as she suddenly held sword that came out of thin air. The screams of the bounty hunters echoed as they were silenced until a few bodies flew past them.
'Blood manipulation? So, she was an Aether.'
The machine roared as it found its next prey. Its massive quadrupedal legs clanged with every step it made. They looked decently armored and segmented with multiple joints for mobility. It had a slightly disfigured face, black liquid seeping through its sharp teeth. It had Two large mandibles on each side of its mouth, with the tips of it glowing. Its body was massive, heavily armored and equipped with multiple weapons. It was covered in dust, debris and blood which made it all the more menacing when faced against.
Kai readies himself while Trixx grips her Crimson red swords, its name ringing in her head from the countless people who screamed its name as they perished.
"It's a Marauder!"
*ROAR*