The two fighters left the pits, the roar of the crowd fading behind them.
KIRO: "What was that last style? It looked like a martial art, but it overpowered me through pure skill."
THE DRUNK: (Taking a long sip from his flask) "It's the Drunken Fist. Name's Dave, by the way. In case you didn't know."
KIRO: "I've heard of it... I thought it was a myth."
Above them, dark clouds began to gather, blotting out the sun.
Meanwhile, at the Bounty Hunter's Guild, the double doors were thrown open with violent force.
A man in a stark black suit and hat stood silhouetted in the doorway, a cigar clenched between his teeth. The hat on his his head name on it: WAR HERO. Every bounty hunter in the hall fell silent, their eyes locked on him. He was flanked by six naval soldiers in stark black uniforms with red accents, standing in two perfect rows of three. At six-foot-two, he commanded the room without saying a word.
He strode directly into the Guild Master's office.
GUILD MASTER JOE: (Not looking up from his desk) "A Marine. Vice Admiral Grunt. To what do I owe the... displeasure?"
VICE ADMIRAL GRUNT: "I'm setting a temporary bounty. An emergency contract. Ten million credits for a target to be delivered within 48 hours."
GUILD MASTER JOE: (He slowly stroked his long beard) "Ooh, that's a good price. Even I'm tempted to come out of retirement." His eyes finally met Grunt's. "What did he do?"
VICE ADMIRAL GRUNT: "He stole government property. It's need-to-know. He also assaulted multiple fine soldiers."
GUILD MASTER JOE: (His friendly demeanor vanished) "Then I have to reject you. We can't possibly hunt our own. We run on a code. Unless they betray the Guild itself, we are off-limits to you."
The Vice Admiral opened his mouth to speak.
GUILD MASTER JOE: (Throwing a hand up) "Don't. Don't even try to argue. I am well within my rights to reject this, and you... you don't want a war, do you?"
Vice Admiral Grunt took the cigar from his mouth, blowing a thick cloud of smoke across the desk. He fixed Joe with a stare, and the very air in the room grew heavy, pressing down on them like deep ocean pressure. The bounty hunters outside and the army soldiers shifted uneasily, feeling the immense, clashing weight of two titanic wills colliding.
Guild Master Joe didn't even flinch. He simply stared back, stroking his beard, and the oppressive air suddenly turned thin, cold, and sharp like a blade of pure intent.
VICE ADMIRAL GRUNT: (After a long, tense silence) "Fine. I'll find another hunter."
GUILD MASTER JOE: "Good luck."
The Vice Admiral turned and exited the office, the tension snapping as the door closed behind him.
Grunt stalked away from the guild, the silent fury of his rejected offer simmering just beneath his calm exterior. He hadn't made it far when a figure emerged from a nearby alley, his form bulky and imposing in the dim light.
The man was encased in a rugged, industrial exosuit, its segmented plates giving him the appearance of a walking cage.
stranger: "Vice Admiral." His voice was a mechanized rumble. "Word is you need a hunter. Does the job pay well?" He took a heavy step forward. "The name's Gaheris."
VICE ADMIRAL GRUNT: (Stopping, his eyes critically assessing the suit) "It's Grunt. And why should I trust a man who needs that much armor to introduce himself?"
Gaheris: "They call me the Wild Hunter. I don't track animals. I specialize in men. And I never lose." A holographic emblem flickered on his chest plate a gleaming gold rank insignia, the mark of the elite. "My rank is Gold."
Grunt took a long, final drag from his cigar, the ember flaring brightly in the growing dusk, before dropping and crushing it under his heel.
VICE ADMIRAL GRUNT: "Alright. You're hired. The bounty is ten million. You have two days."
He extended his hand. Cage's larger, metal-clad fist enveloped it. The handshake wasn't a greeting; it was the heavy, definitive clunk of a trap being set.
Nightfall. dark clouds forum
In Kiro's apartment, the mood was a world away. The trio was gathered around a table littered with burger wrappers, the simple comfort of a shared meal surrounding them.
KIRO: (Taking a big bite) "So, Veyra. The important stuff. Did you get us an airship? A small one, with the credits I gave you?"
VEYRA: (Wiping ketchup from her chin with a smirk) "Yeah, it cost 40k. And the flight license was another 10k. Vesper set it up, just like you said. Called in a favor." She leaned back, looking pleased. "It's ready."
KIRO: A genuine, relieved smile spread across his face. "Nice. Then we're set. We can leave at first light."
The rain fell in heavy, leaden drops, slashing through the neon-lit night. A lightning flash illuminated a solitary figure in a white coat standing atop a high wall, a silent sentinel against the storm. Far behind him, silhouetted against the raging clouds, loomed a massive, black airship. A sword rested on his shoulder, its blade catching the light with a soft, deadly gleam.
The storm raged through the night. By morning, it had not relented, casting the city in a grim, gray pall.
Kiro woke to the sound of pounding rain. I wonder if Raiji and Veyra are already at the spaceport.
He checked his comms. A message from Raiji flashed: We're waiting at the airfield. Marine and army ships are everywhere. Don't know why. Watch your back. Got a bad feeling about this.
BANG.
The world exploded.
His entire apartment wall blew inward in a shower of concrete and rebar. Pure instinct took over. Kiro launched himself through the window as the room collapsed behind him.
He landed hard on the rain-slicked street, rolling to his feet. Before he could even process the attack, three metal poles slammed into the ground around him, forming a triangle. They hummed to life, and a figure materialized from the energy between them.
A voice, cold and synthetic, stated: "EMP active."
A devastating pulse of energy erupted. Kiro's body seized, every muscle locking, his cybernetics screaming in feedback. He convulsed, paralyzed on the wet ground.
The hunter leaped down from the ruins above. He moved with brutal efficiency, grabbing Kiro by the jacket, lifting him, and driving a fist deep into his gut. The air exploded from Kiro's lungs as he was slammed back into the pavement. Before he could gasp, the hunter produced a vicious combat knife and plunged it into Kiro's side.
A second, smaller EMP emitter on the hunter's gauntlet flared, shocking Kiro at point-blank range. With a grunt of effort, the man then hurled Kiro across the street like a piece of trash.
Kiro tumbled, his body a symphony of pain. His hand scraped violently across the rough, wet asphalt, grinding the skin from his knuckles. He came to a stop in a heap, fingers bleeding, vision swimming.
The hunter walked forward, the rain sizzling off his armored suit. His voice was a distorted, mechanized growl as he stood over Kiro, a predator claiming his prey.
"I am a bounty hunter. They call me the Wild Hunt." He paused, letting the title hang in the stormy air. "Or... you may call me Gaheris."
KIRO: (Staggering to his feet, clutching his bleeding side) "Are you... a Vice Admiral?"
GAHERIS: A distorted laugh echoed from his helmet. "Those weaklings? Never. I am a bounty hunter. Rank: Gold. It's time to collect the bounty that Vice Admiral put on your head."
KIRO: "How did you injure me? Why do I feel so weak?" A horrifying realization dawned on him, connecting the EMPs to his cube must be technology . "I've known this for a while... those EMPs... they don't just stun us. They weaken the 'gifted'."
GAHERIS: "Bingo." The hunter cracked his knuckles, the sound unnaturally loud through his suit's speakers. "Makes my job easier."
Seeing one of the EMP poles still lodged in the ground, Kiro made a desperate move. He lunged for it.
GAHERIS: "Don't even try. It weighs 40 kilos."
With a guttural roar, Kiro ripped the pole from the ground anyway. He spun, using the momentum to hurl the heavy weapon like a javelin straight at Gaheris's chest.
The hunter didn't even flinch. He tapped a device on his arm. A magnetic field activated, and the pole clattered to the ground just inches from him. "Predictable." From ports on his suit, a swarm of small, agile drones deployed, their laser sights painting Kiro's body.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Kiro weaved and dodged through the hail of fire. He closed the distance, unleashing a furious combo a punch, a kick. Gaheris dodged and parried with mechanical efficiency. Then, Kiro's style changed in a blink. He dropped into a boxer's stance.
One, two! A lightning-fast jab-cross combination connected squarely with Gaheris's helmet, dazing him.
Before the hunter could recover, Kiro switched again, blending martial arts. A low kick-boxing strike smashed into Gaheris's ankle, compromising his balance. Seizing the opening, Kiro grabbed him and executed a brutal ground pound, slamming him into the pavement.
Without a second to lose, Kiro turned and leaped for the nearest building, scrambling up the wall. His movements were labored, his climb far slower than before the EMP's draining effect still coursing through his veins.
he jumps to building to building picking up speed
(heavy breathing)
KIRO: (His mind racing as he runs, the knife wound in his side burning with every step) My injury... it's not healing. The EMP must have suppressed my Cube's regeneration. I don't have time for this!
The roar of an engine screamed above him. He glanced back to see a military airship descending, its mounted gatling gun spinning to life.
BRRRRRRT!
A hailstorm of bullets chewed up the street behind him. Kiro weaved and dodged, his movements fueled purely by adrenaline. As he ran, his vision suddenly sharpened, the world resolving into a hyper-detailed schematic.
A scan.
His eyes, enhanced by his evolving Cube, instantly processed the airship's data: Model-3 Gunship. Crew: 4. Weakness: Primary engine housing exposed, port side.
Wait... these eyes are so cool!
He didn't break stride. Changing direction in a heartbeat, he sprinted towards a nearby building, launched himself off a wall, and used the momentum to leap straight toward the airship's flank.
His target: the exposed engine.
He pulled his fist back and drove it into the delicate machinery with a crunch of metal and a shower of sparks. The engine whined and died, the airship lurching violently to one side.
Kiro didn't wait to see the result. He pushed off the stricken vessel, dropping down into the cover of a narrow alley below, and immediately broke into a full-speed sprint toward the airfield.
Kiro ducked, a massive white sword blade slicing through the air where his head had been. Before he could recover, a powerful, bestial force slammed into him, throwing him clean through a brick wall.
Dust and debris rained down as he struggled to his feet. Standing before him were two new, terrifying figures.
A man in a leather jacket and black jeans stood beside a sleek, powerfully-built hound. He sniffed the air, a low growl rumbling in his chest.
THE MAN: "They call me Lt. Col. Brandt. 'The Hound'." He let out a short, sharp howl. "I've got your scent now, boy."
Beside him, a woman stood with an aura of deadly elegance. She wore a sharp, crimson red suit and a dark red cape, a massive, crimson-bladed sword resting effortlessly on her shoulder.
She pointed the tip of the blade at Kiro, her expression cold and imperious.
THE WOMAN: "I am Lt. Eva Rostova. I am your nightmare. Surrender. Or else."
Kiro got up, his body screaming in protest from the new damage. He looked at the powerful dog and managed a bloody, defiant grin.
KIRO: "Look... it's a Poodle."
Just then, a shadow fell over them. A figure moved with such speed it was a blur. It went straight for Brandt, delivering a punch with the force of a freight train, sending the Hound flying backward into a wall with a sickening crunch.