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Against my better judgement I decided to release samples of the first three "chapters" of my main novel, which I have spent 11 years working on.
the full novel (over 700 pages atm) has been finished since 2008 but I've spent since then editing, polishing, expanding and verifying continuity of the chapters.
please tell me what you think
Part 1: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17484429/
Part 2: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17484514/
Part 3: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17484631/
Part 4: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17524513/
Part 5: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17524589/
blurb:
The novel about Demaskis and Damien, two hybrids share similar appearance that have completely different outlooks. Demaskis is a teenage drifter, selling his trade as a monster hunter to scrape an existence while Damien is a assassin for hire where the thrill of the kill excites him just as much as his lucrative fee. No matter where they travel, or the measures taken to avoid it, the two hybrids always seem to cross paths.
It is unknown to Demaskis if this frequent occurrence is by chance or an undercurrent motive but what is certain whenever they meet always results in a violent confrontation that leaves immeasurable destruction in their wake. These skirmishes with Damien aren’t his only problem; he is hounded by protection agencies who want to use him for their own questionable purposes, the dangers of remembering fragments of his errased past and the mysterious being called Devona moving behind the scenes.
Demaskis and Damien, both walk two separate paths, one of destruction while the other path of redemption but which one is really following which?
Eternal Chronicles of Fate: Existence SAMPLE 3 by Kadenthefox
Chapter 1 Solitary
In the middle of neutral controlled space inside the Saunders solar system, a human owned transport ship was returning to the UTG from the planet Zero. The crew had just made a fortune trading supplies with an alien observation outpost and was returning with advanced technology. Unknown to the crew they had also picked up a Hybrid which was now sleeping on top of their cargo containers. The Hybrid was a 19 Human year old fox-Human. Apart from the fox ears, nose and feet he could pass for Human. He had black hair that is short and untidy, clear blue eyes, which glow dully in the darkness, and when standing he stood 5 feet tall. His clothes were old, tattered survival fatigues designed for a desert environment. With every shudder in the hold, the solid metal rims of his desert goggles jingled around his neck.
He slowly began to stir as his stomach growled in protest against the lack of food he had eaten in the last month of his forced hibernation. He could smell the scent of food lingering in the air indicated the crew kitchen nearby. Still dazed, he unraveled the hooded cloak to check if his only two other possessions had been confiscated by the crew during his sleep. Obviously just by looking at the shape of the wrapping, his silver plated Claymore Great sword and Hoverboard hadn’t been discovered - which was good since he was about to use them. Through his travels he had learned the various techniques of catching and/ or killing unauthorized passengers and also how to bypass cargo security. To the untrained eye there was nothing stopping him from leaving the cargo bay but he knew the floor was fitted with heat sensors, sensitive enough to detect and track the movements of a small rodent, and that the door was protected by three vertical lasers that slice through flesh with relative ease.
With a quick smirk he implemented his plan.
Carefully he slipped down to the lowest freight container in the stack before placing the Hoverboard on his back and lazily falling backwards. Detecting the sudden decline the Hoverboard activated, levitating thirty centimeters off the ground and slowly drifting toward the door. Now he was up to the tricky bit, if he slipped up he would be in a world of hurt. The door was getting closer. Taking steady and calculated movements, the Hybrid shifted his body position on the board so that he was on his knees. With his right hand he tapped the door’s activator, while with the left hand he used his Claymore to deflect the lasers - enabling him to slip under unharmed.
With the initial security bypassed, he cautiously approached the kitchen. The hallways were narrow enough for one person. If one of the crewmen caught him with nowhere to hide, his life would be over quite quickly. The closer he got to the kitchen the sweeter the scent was and the more his stomach growled. He could hear footsteps all around him but his Hybrid senses couldn’t pinpoint their exact location through all the ambient noise of the machinery.
Following the signage he found himself outside the kitchen. Slowly the Hybrid peered inside. It was quite basic; at one side of the room was three long tables, presumably where the crew ate, while at the other were a few cupboards next to a Human designed stove. Other than that the room was empty. Going into a low crouch he approached the bench. The food was right above him and like a primitive animal he leapt up onto the bench and started to fill his pockets with canned food and stuck an apple in his mouth showing his sharp canine teeth.
“Freeze or I’ll give you two new holes to breathe out of!” a voice shouted in a threatening tone. Lazily the Hybrid spun around to see his captor, his body twisting beyond the limitations of a human. He was one of the transport crew members and was holding a pistol. It was a male E-Series wolf Hybrid. Standing at eight feet tall, this is the average height for a fully grown E-Series wolf, these anthropomorphic Hybrids resembled more human than wolf. He was covered in a fine short fur that was white as snow. It’s nose, ears, tail and feet were wolf-like. Its silver eyes glowed in the darkness like his. Most human owned transport ships employ one Hybrid, either a Series or cross breed as security, though they are usually heavily discriminated against by most of the human crew.
“So you’re the phantom that every transport crew talks about” growled the Crewman keeping his pistol leveled on the Hybrid’s head. The Wolf variation was built to excel in general warfare and it’s well known they are ferocious when dealing with intruders. The crewman was a pure blooded descendant of a military weapon. The fox Hybrid was unsure about his own bloodline. He was most likely a half breed between a human and something else. There was no way he could beat it in a straight fight and the wolf could easily track his scent to wherever he could hide.
The Hybrid kept his eyes focused on the Crewman. But as the Hybrid was about to jump off the bench, the crewman stood at the door blocking his escape. “Personally I’ve got nothing against a fellow Hybrid but if you try to run I’ll break you in half”.
“Then lower your gun”, the Hybrid hissed.
Slowly the crewman lowered his pistol and placed it into his holster as he peered out the doorway to check if any of the crew was nearby. “Empty your pockets and follow me closely” he spoke in a soft tone.
Without saying a word the Hybrid emptied his pockets then leaped off the bench and stood right next to the crewman.
The Hybrid was unsure what was going to happen next, he could be planning to let the humans have him or at the very extreme jettison him out an airlock. The crewman led him through the main corridor which was wide enough for two people. Judging from the signage they were heading toward the passenger compartment.
“What is your name?” the crewman asked
“Demaskis” the Hybrid answered.
“How long have you been planet jumping for?” the crewman asked.
“I’ve been doing this for one universal year” Demaskis answered back.
“Where’s your family?”
“I only had a teacher, I can’t remember my biological parents”
“Where is he now?”
“He died of old age two Human years before I left”.
When Demaskis answered his last question they were in a room with a TV, seats and food.
“Stay in here until we land, feel free to eat the food” the crewman spoke before leaning in closer and switching to a more hostile tone “I have your scent now. If I find you sneaking onto this ship again, I’ll guarantee it will be your last”.
Demaskis didn’t understand why the crewman had helped him. He was stealing food for his own survival. By rights the wolf should have killed him.
The crewman had returned to patrol the ship. Most of the crew was retiring to their cabins, too tired to harass him while he fulfilled his duty. This ship was too much like his childhood but it was the only job where he could see new things and still be paid. Though he would never openly admit it, he envied the drifter’s life.
“So how is my favorite orphan today?” called a female voice from the next corridor.
He knew who that voice belonged to. She had been around him for his whole life and was considered his only friend who really cared about his wellbeing.
“Your prediction was right as always Devona” he called as he raced to meet her. His tail was wagging like a dog happy to be reunited with its master. From head to toe Devona figure was obscured by a two piece hooded cloak that was blacker than the void. Her position in the hallway was meticulous chosen so that, when combined with her hood, the lighting would hide most of her face even from the Hybrids enhanced senses. Throughout his life he never had seen her face, though at times the crewman had managed to catch glimpses of her purple eyes that shined as brightly as his. “It feels like an eternity since we last spoke”
Devona reached out and delicately ran her hand across his right cheek “It feels the same for me also, Ajali. Did you follow my instructions?”
“I did, but I don’t understand how that will bring me closer to my destiny?” he retorted.
“Have faith Ajali” she spoke before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
****
As the transport ship came into the orbit of the planet, Demaskis watched through the viewpoints of the cameras mounted on the outside of the ship’s hull. The Universal Training Ground or UTG for short, was a planet that defied the laws of physics. It was six times the size of earth and along its surface the gravity varied - along with the environment, ranging from thick jungles and steel cities teaming with life all the way to inhospitable deserts and lava fields. It was the perfect planet to practice survival training for other planets and as the Human explorers quoted when they first discovered the planet: “If you can’t find the (natural) environment here, it doesn’t exist in the Multiverse.” Officially the UTG is owned by the Hybrids but it is declared neutral ground where all three races can coexist peacefully.
As the transport ship drew closer to the planet, he could see it was landing in the biggest of the cities: The Node. Its docks were huge. Planet Grade warships could easily land with space for lesser ships to continue their daily routines. Large platforms lowered ships into underground hangers where they could unload their cargo in complete privacy from other competing companies.
If Demaskis wasn’t watching the viewport he wouldn’t have noticed that the ship had landed and was slowly being lowered into its hanger. When the ship had came to a complete stop the docking bridge extended across the gap, connecting the passenger airlock with the elevator leading to the surface.
“Well it’s time to leave. Remember my warning well” Ajali announced when he passed by the entrance to the passenger holds gesturing him to follow.
“Thanks” Demakis responded while they crossed the extension bridge.
The human crew was already at the elevator, impatiently pressing the button to close the doors.
He could see it on their faces, though they wouldn’t vocalize openly, they didn’t want the two Hybrids traveling in the elevator with them.
“We should wait for it to come back” Ajali suggested.
Ignoring the advice, Demaskis pressed on and caught the door before it fully closed, causing the safety systems to reset the door. “Are you really willing to wait ten minutes for it to return?” Demaskis asked.
The ride in the elevator was quiet, the humans were furious about having to share it with the two Hybrids. If it was on the ship they would have picked a fight but they were inside a tight place with an armed and potentially dangerous drifter.
“So where are you heading now?” Ajali asked to try and break the tension.
“To see everything this world has to offer since I left” Demaskis cheerfully replied. “Yeah, this is where my journey began.”
Suddenly there was a loud crack, the power went off in the elevator and it stopped moving.
“Great, the elevator is broken it will take the repair crews hours to get to the machinery let alone fix it” a human crewman complained, repeatedly pressing the panic button “This wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t riding with these furbags”.
“Piss off Tony” Ajali retorted. He wasn’t going to let them place the blame on him.
As an argument broke out Demaskis let out a sigh. If they weren’t going to be constructive he might as well solve it for them. Without warning he punched out the hatch in the elevator’s ceiling and climbed out. The main lines that power the lift’s gravity-well generators, machines that propel it upwards at high speeds and slows the fall, had snapped under heavy age corrosion at the ceiling of the shaft. There was no way to rewire it. The only thing preventing it from plummeting thirty stories was the safety breaks that were locked hard into the six support rails.
“Hybrid I need your advice on something up here” Demaskis called while he crouched over the hatch corner, looking in.
With one effortless leap Ajali stood directly opposite to Demaskis.
“We’re only twenty stories away from the entrance. We could easily make it to the surface” Demaskis explained pointing up to the cross beams that were spaced every third story.
“What about them?” Ajali asked over their abusive shouting “They may be assholes but I’m not going to leave them here”
“Listen, with the safety breaks locked in place they aren’t going to go anywhere. I can short out the breaks with my board but it doesn’t have enough power to safely move the lift” Demaskis retorted “Unless you have something that can prevent them from turning into pancakes I say screw them”.
Suddenly Ajali smiled as he realized what Demaskis was really suggesting. Back when the E-Series was developed in the labs, they used different fur colors to distinguish which elemental power they were given and white fur was wind. “Short them out, I’ve got the momentum issue handled”. With a nod Demaskis began to rip wires out of the lift and rewire them to his board as Ajali back-flipped through the gap between the elevator and the wall, landing three floors below.
“I’m ready when you are!” Demaskis shouted over the humans before shutting the hatch back on them. Their voices were beginning to irritate his sensitive ears.
“Hit the switch in ten seconds” Ajali yelled back as he closed his eyes and began to focus drawing the power from his soul to unleash a powerful cushion of air that will propel the elevator up. His calculations had to be exact, if he drew too much of his supernatural power it could easily slice the elevator into tiny pieces and if he doesn’t draw enough the elevator will just free fall.
In his head Demaskis began to count down. This was going to be one hell of a ride. ‘3…2…1…’ on zero he activated his Hoverboard and the breaks released.
The timing was perfect, before it had the chance to freefall, the elevator was launched upward at incredible speeds with the sound of a sonic boom. He could see the ceiling was approaching too fast, at this speed the elevator would be crushed against the roof. Thinking quickly Demaskis ripped the wires free from his board, activating the failsafe once more. Sparks went flying everywhere making it difficult to see, the screeching noise it emitted was deafening as metal grinded on metal Thankfully the breaks were slowing the elevator till It came to a halt with the elevator’s roof in line with the door leading to the outside.
Seeing that everything went to plan he leaped up the shaft to meet Demaskis at the entrance.
“Now we’re even” Demaskis remarked when Ajli had made it back to the top of the elevator. As Demaskis tucked his Hoverboard under his arm the door was being forced open from the other side by bystanders who heard the ruckus.
“I think I still owe you” Ajali muttered as he watched Demaskis surf away.
As Ajali lifted the rest of the crew out of the elevator, the repair crew arrived and began to carefully inspect the damaged main power cable. One was a human with dark skin while the other was a Hybrid Tray Kai- S-series lion cross.
“So what happened?” the Hybrid asked Ajali.
“As you can see the main cable snapped from old age” Ajali responded.
“Strange we only replaced this cable yesterday” was the reply.
***
As Demaskis passed through the markets he saw ancient books, Alien technology and clothes - this was the heart of trade. To walk through the markets on the ground level was near impossible due to the high volume of humans, Aliens and Hybrids traveling through to trade goods from around the Multiverse. Eventually something caught his attention, forcing him to get off his board and wade through the crowd to an information shop. Something inside the information shop was drawing the crowd.
“I can’t believe it, he’s here, in the UTG” a Human voice panicked.
“He killed five people in a private club thirty minutes ago” another voice added.
As Demaskis slipped through the crowd he saw a picture that looked like him and he knew instantly who it was.
It was Damien, a mercenary who was known for killing - just for the thrill of it. Damien had the appearance of a 25 year old, though no one knew his exact age; hazel eyes, brown hair, seven feet tall and every other feature was identical to Demaskis.
“Damien…” Demaskis murmured thoughtfully “Damien… why is he always on the same planet as me?”
Inside a club, in the slum area of the Node, Damien was enjoying his drink and verbally harassing anyone who passed near him.
Damien wore his iconic black clothes which consisted of a heavy trench coat obscuring a set of human manufactured combat armor and pilot overalls. Strapped to his waist were his prized pistols; Alpha and Omega that he had hand crafted with Alien materials. Inscribed on their sides was the phrase ‘only Fate will be my end’. These ‘pistols’ were the size of submachine guns. A human would have to hold one with two hands to keep his aim steady. The most sinister feature of these weapons was that they fired an unlimited supply of unstable dark matter that devoured anything it came into contact with, like acid on tissue paper. “That was a nice drink” Damien stated casually as he drank the last drop, he then reached over the counter and grabbed the bartender by the collar and pressing the barrel of Omega to his head grunted “Hey bartender, give me another one, but this time add more poison in it or I’ll blow your head off!”
The bartender was caught off guard that Damien knew that his drink was poisoned and for the hour he’d been consuming, it had no effect on him “h..h..h..how much poison do you want in the mix” the bartender stuttered as he poured another glass and showed the poison container.
“All of it!” snapped Damien, grabbing the poison vial out of the bartender’s hand and pouring it all into his drink.
“It’s your life” the bartender replied politely, angering Damien.
“I’m immune to poisons you stupid fuckin’ Human” Damien sneered before downing it in one gulp.
“Hey Damien that last job was impressive. I’ve never seen such a massacre” a Tray Kai praised as he entered the club.
The Tray Kai had dark grey skin, stood six feet, white hair and was dressed in business clothes. He was part of a large medical corporation that had contracts with the HPA. Now their rival company’s CEOs had been taken out of the picture by Damien, all business would go to them.
“Just give me the money before I kill you in 30 seconds” Damien hissed back “Our contracts are fulfilled”.
“We have another job requiring someone of your skill” said the Tray Kai as he flashed the money through the air before neatly placing it back it his vest.
“I think I made myself clear the contract is done. Pay me first, then we’ll talk business” Damien growled.
The Tray Kai let out a laugh “That’s not going to happen”
Suddenly Damien grabbed the Tray Kai and held him at gunpoint with Omega. As expected, the Tray Kai had bodyguards hidden among the patrons. Four humans stood up with their pistols drawn, all of them were positioned at 90 degrees around Damien.
Damien smirked tightening his grip on the trigger “You have no idea what I’m capable of. Hybrid Stopper rounds will only piss me off”.
“We’ll see” the Tray Kai smirked back.
Damien was beyond the level of any Series Hybrid in every aspect. As the bodyguards opened fire on him Damien had already calculated the trajectories and effortlessly leaned out of the way while returning fire. Unlike the humans, his shots hit their marks with a spectacular detonation of their torsos.
“Please don’t tell me it was the best you can do” Damien mocked as the bodyguards collapsed onto the ground. The patrons were fleeing en mass around him. They didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire if this degenerated further.
Without warning the glass windows around the room began to shatter as Flashbang grenades hurled through. These grenades were designed to blind and disorientate the target. Though the noise was deafening to humans, with his sensitive hearing it was beyond hell. His instincts took over, forcing him to drop the Tray Kai and back away from the source of the noise. As his sensors quickly recovered he reassessed his surroundings and discovered the building was completely surrounded by the Node’s law enforcement. Like the UTG’s population, its law enforcement was a mixture of all three races.
The sight of so many opponents made Damien laugh maniacally. “Like lambs to the slaughter the peons have come to stop me!” he laughed before pressing his paw-like foot on the back of the Tray Kai with his claws digging in “Where do you think you are going? You have an exclusive front seat to see what happens to people who try to screw me”.
Within a blink of an eye he drew Alpha and unleashed a storm of bullets in a two hundred degree arc from his firing position.
The Tray Kai watched in horror the brutal efficiency firsthand. This time Damien didn’t even try to dodge the incoming projectiles and spells. Every impact either harmlessly dispersed across his armor or went through him with the wounds regenerating almost instantaneously. Nothing seemed to faze him while he fired his twin pistols in opposite sweeping motions. The fire rate he was able to achieve with them was beyond chaotic. In the span of ten seconds he had fired more than four hundred shots with no end in sight. The moment Damien stopped firing he took a moment to admire his destruction. The mutilated corpses of the Node’s law enforcement were everywhere. The power of his ammunition left gaping holes ten times the size of the projectile itself in the club’s walls.
“Now where were we?”
“Take your damn money, just don’t kill me!” the Tray Kai pleaded while Damien rolled him onto his back.
“I’m not going to kill you, theres no sport in killing something so hepless” Damien smirked, handing him Omega “You are”
The Tray Kai instantly took aim at Damien but something wasn’t right. He could feel a possessive force asserting its control over him. His hand was shaking as he slowly raised the gun barrel to his head.
“Any last words?” Damien mocked.
Before the Tray Kai could breathe another word he squeezed the trigger, ending his life.
“He was a waste of time, I thought he had more willpower than that” Damien remarked as he picked up the money and Omega before leaving the club “I wonder where kid is today?”
****
Just as Demaskis was about to leave the info shop he felt someone grab him by the shoulder. It was a Human crewman from a different ship who also entered the info shop to see what the fuss was about.
“Hey Hybrid, who are you?” he asked.
“Nobody” Demaskis replied as he tried to shake the man’s grip.
“You look like Damien, are you related to him or…” the man sneered attracting more attention “you are him!”
“I wouldn’t know if I was related and I’m defiantly not him” Demaskis growled still trying to get out of his grip.
“How about I mark you and we’ll find out in the next news” he replied as he pulled out a knife from his belt.
“That’s enough Mike” ordered Ajali’s voice, as he pushed himself through the crowd “This isn’t Damien, this one was a stowaway on the transport I work on. We only arrived a few minutes ago”.
“Ajali, I see the orphanage found you a job. It’s a shame to hear that you were the only one to be never adopted from our generation” Mike mocked “I wonder what it feels like to be unwanted by everyone. Oh while I’m on that subject, has Lamina’s family forgiven you yet?”
The sound of this name seemed to fill Ajali with regret. The day before her adopted parents were meant to take Lamina, another orphan home, she and her three friend’s harassment pushed him over the edge. The next thing Ajali remembered was standing over their lifeless bodies, drenched in their blood. According to the police reports Ajali had beaten them to death with his bare hands under the influence of ‘Fur Rage’, an E-series psychological flaw.
“Please don’t” Demaskis pleaded as the knife came closer to scarring his face.
“Don’t make me beat you to death in front of this crowd Mike” Ajali warned while stepping forward.
Just as the knife was about to touch his skin Ajali leaped towards Mike and knocked him to the ground with one punch. The strike was quick and precise, to the human eye it would have been a blur.
“Now we’re even” Ajali spoke while Demaskis dusted himself off.
“Remind me not to piss you off” Demaskis remarked before pushing his way through the crowd.
Despite being humiliated by Ajali, Mike wasn’t done just yet. Slowly he shifted his grip on his knife before throwing it at Demaskis while both Hybrid’s guards were down. His aim was dead on, the knife lodged in his neck, barely missing the spinal cord but sliced through his jugular. After the initial pain had vanished he rolled his eyes in disappointment while effortlessly yanking the knife out with one pull, his body instantly closing the wound and returning to its former state Everyone who witnessed this was frozen in shock. Any Series Hybrid could ignore pain and some Series and crosses have the ‘immortality gene’ that could restore severed limbs and organs, but near instantaneous regeneration was an extremely rare trait; the only other being known to possess this trait was Damien.
“Satisfied?” Demaskis hissed at Mike as he discarded the knife. He could even detect Ajali was cautious of him. Once again he had isolated himself. With nothing else to add Demaskis fled into the crowd on his Hoverboard. Leaving the Node as quickly as inhumanly possible seemed to be the smartest decision for the time being until the whole Damien panic was over.
Story©
kadenthefox
the full novel (over 700 pages atm) has been finished since 2008 but I've spent since then editing, polishing, expanding and verifying continuity of the chapters.
please tell me what you think
Part 1: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17484429/
Part 2: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17484514/
Part 3: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17484631/
Part 4: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17524513/
Part 5: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/17524589/
blurb:
The novel about Demaskis and Damien, two hybrids share similar appearance that have completely different outlooks. Demaskis is a teenage drifter, selling his trade as a monster hunter to scrape an existence while Damien is a assassin for hire where the thrill of the kill excites him just as much as his lucrative fee. No matter where they travel, or the measures taken to avoid it, the two hybrids always seem to cross paths.
It is unknown to Demaskis if this frequent occurrence is by chance or an undercurrent motive but what is certain whenever they meet always results in a violent confrontation that leaves immeasurable destruction in their wake. These skirmishes with Damien aren’t his only problem; he is hounded by protection agencies who want to use him for their own questionable purposes, the dangers of remembering fragments of his errased past and the mysterious being called Devona moving behind the scenes.
Demaskis and Damien, both walk two separate paths, one of destruction while the other path of redemption but which one is really following which?
Eternal Chronicles of Fate: Existence SAMPLE 3 by Kadenthefox
Chapter 1 Solitary
In the middle of neutral controlled space inside the Saunders solar system, a human owned transport ship was returning to the UTG from the planet Zero. The crew had just made a fortune trading supplies with an alien observation outpost and was returning with advanced technology. Unknown to the crew they had also picked up a Hybrid which was now sleeping on top of their cargo containers. The Hybrid was a 19 Human year old fox-Human. Apart from the fox ears, nose and feet he could pass for Human. He had black hair that is short and untidy, clear blue eyes, which glow dully in the darkness, and when standing he stood 5 feet tall. His clothes were old, tattered survival fatigues designed for a desert environment. With every shudder in the hold, the solid metal rims of his desert goggles jingled around his neck.
He slowly began to stir as his stomach growled in protest against the lack of food he had eaten in the last month of his forced hibernation. He could smell the scent of food lingering in the air indicated the crew kitchen nearby. Still dazed, he unraveled the hooded cloak to check if his only two other possessions had been confiscated by the crew during his sleep. Obviously just by looking at the shape of the wrapping, his silver plated Claymore Great sword and Hoverboard hadn’t been discovered - which was good since he was about to use them. Through his travels he had learned the various techniques of catching and/ or killing unauthorized passengers and also how to bypass cargo security. To the untrained eye there was nothing stopping him from leaving the cargo bay but he knew the floor was fitted with heat sensors, sensitive enough to detect and track the movements of a small rodent, and that the door was protected by three vertical lasers that slice through flesh with relative ease.
With a quick smirk he implemented his plan.
Carefully he slipped down to the lowest freight container in the stack before placing the Hoverboard on his back and lazily falling backwards. Detecting the sudden decline the Hoverboard activated, levitating thirty centimeters off the ground and slowly drifting toward the door. Now he was up to the tricky bit, if he slipped up he would be in a world of hurt. The door was getting closer. Taking steady and calculated movements, the Hybrid shifted his body position on the board so that he was on his knees. With his right hand he tapped the door’s activator, while with the left hand he used his Claymore to deflect the lasers - enabling him to slip under unharmed.
With the initial security bypassed, he cautiously approached the kitchen. The hallways were narrow enough for one person. If one of the crewmen caught him with nowhere to hide, his life would be over quite quickly. The closer he got to the kitchen the sweeter the scent was and the more his stomach growled. He could hear footsteps all around him but his Hybrid senses couldn’t pinpoint their exact location through all the ambient noise of the machinery.
Following the signage he found himself outside the kitchen. Slowly the Hybrid peered inside. It was quite basic; at one side of the room was three long tables, presumably where the crew ate, while at the other were a few cupboards next to a Human designed stove. Other than that the room was empty. Going into a low crouch he approached the bench. The food was right above him and like a primitive animal he leapt up onto the bench and started to fill his pockets with canned food and stuck an apple in his mouth showing his sharp canine teeth.
“Freeze or I’ll give you two new holes to breathe out of!” a voice shouted in a threatening tone. Lazily the Hybrid spun around to see his captor, his body twisting beyond the limitations of a human. He was one of the transport crew members and was holding a pistol. It was a male E-Series wolf Hybrid. Standing at eight feet tall, this is the average height for a fully grown E-Series wolf, these anthropomorphic Hybrids resembled more human than wolf. He was covered in a fine short fur that was white as snow. It’s nose, ears, tail and feet were wolf-like. Its silver eyes glowed in the darkness like his. Most human owned transport ships employ one Hybrid, either a Series or cross breed as security, though they are usually heavily discriminated against by most of the human crew.
“So you’re the phantom that every transport crew talks about” growled the Crewman keeping his pistol leveled on the Hybrid’s head. The Wolf variation was built to excel in general warfare and it’s well known they are ferocious when dealing with intruders. The crewman was a pure blooded descendant of a military weapon. The fox Hybrid was unsure about his own bloodline. He was most likely a half breed between a human and something else. There was no way he could beat it in a straight fight and the wolf could easily track his scent to wherever he could hide.
The Hybrid kept his eyes focused on the Crewman. But as the Hybrid was about to jump off the bench, the crewman stood at the door blocking his escape. “Personally I’ve got nothing against a fellow Hybrid but if you try to run I’ll break you in half”.
“Then lower your gun”, the Hybrid hissed.
Slowly the crewman lowered his pistol and placed it into his holster as he peered out the doorway to check if any of the crew was nearby. “Empty your pockets and follow me closely” he spoke in a soft tone.
Without saying a word the Hybrid emptied his pockets then leaped off the bench and stood right next to the crewman.
The Hybrid was unsure what was going to happen next, he could be planning to let the humans have him or at the very extreme jettison him out an airlock. The crewman led him through the main corridor which was wide enough for two people. Judging from the signage they were heading toward the passenger compartment.
“What is your name?” the crewman asked
“Demaskis” the Hybrid answered.
“How long have you been planet jumping for?” the crewman asked.
“I’ve been doing this for one universal year” Demaskis answered back.
“Where’s your family?”
“I only had a teacher, I can’t remember my biological parents”
“Where is he now?”
“He died of old age two Human years before I left”.
When Demaskis answered his last question they were in a room with a TV, seats and food.
“Stay in here until we land, feel free to eat the food” the crewman spoke before leaning in closer and switching to a more hostile tone “I have your scent now. If I find you sneaking onto this ship again, I’ll guarantee it will be your last”.
Demaskis didn’t understand why the crewman had helped him. He was stealing food for his own survival. By rights the wolf should have killed him.
The crewman had returned to patrol the ship. Most of the crew was retiring to their cabins, too tired to harass him while he fulfilled his duty. This ship was too much like his childhood but it was the only job where he could see new things and still be paid. Though he would never openly admit it, he envied the drifter’s life.
“So how is my favorite orphan today?” called a female voice from the next corridor.
He knew who that voice belonged to. She had been around him for his whole life and was considered his only friend who really cared about his wellbeing.
“Your prediction was right as always Devona” he called as he raced to meet her. His tail was wagging like a dog happy to be reunited with its master. From head to toe Devona figure was obscured by a two piece hooded cloak that was blacker than the void. Her position in the hallway was meticulous chosen so that, when combined with her hood, the lighting would hide most of her face even from the Hybrids enhanced senses. Throughout his life he never had seen her face, though at times the crewman had managed to catch glimpses of her purple eyes that shined as brightly as his. “It feels like an eternity since we last spoke”
Devona reached out and delicately ran her hand across his right cheek “It feels the same for me also, Ajali. Did you follow my instructions?”
“I did, but I don’t understand how that will bring me closer to my destiny?” he retorted.
“Have faith Ajali” she spoke before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
****
As the transport ship came into the orbit of the planet, Demaskis watched through the viewpoints of the cameras mounted on the outside of the ship’s hull. The Universal Training Ground or UTG for short, was a planet that defied the laws of physics. It was six times the size of earth and along its surface the gravity varied - along with the environment, ranging from thick jungles and steel cities teaming with life all the way to inhospitable deserts and lava fields. It was the perfect planet to practice survival training for other planets and as the Human explorers quoted when they first discovered the planet: “If you can’t find the (natural) environment here, it doesn’t exist in the Multiverse.” Officially the UTG is owned by the Hybrids but it is declared neutral ground where all three races can coexist peacefully.
As the transport ship drew closer to the planet, he could see it was landing in the biggest of the cities: The Node. Its docks were huge. Planet Grade warships could easily land with space for lesser ships to continue their daily routines. Large platforms lowered ships into underground hangers where they could unload their cargo in complete privacy from other competing companies.
If Demaskis wasn’t watching the viewport he wouldn’t have noticed that the ship had landed and was slowly being lowered into its hanger. When the ship had came to a complete stop the docking bridge extended across the gap, connecting the passenger airlock with the elevator leading to the surface.
“Well it’s time to leave. Remember my warning well” Ajali announced when he passed by the entrance to the passenger holds gesturing him to follow.
“Thanks” Demakis responded while they crossed the extension bridge.
The human crew was already at the elevator, impatiently pressing the button to close the doors.
He could see it on their faces, though they wouldn’t vocalize openly, they didn’t want the two Hybrids traveling in the elevator with them.
“We should wait for it to come back” Ajali suggested.
Ignoring the advice, Demaskis pressed on and caught the door before it fully closed, causing the safety systems to reset the door. “Are you really willing to wait ten minutes for it to return?” Demaskis asked.
The ride in the elevator was quiet, the humans were furious about having to share it with the two Hybrids. If it was on the ship they would have picked a fight but they were inside a tight place with an armed and potentially dangerous drifter.
“So where are you heading now?” Ajali asked to try and break the tension.
“To see everything this world has to offer since I left” Demaskis cheerfully replied. “Yeah, this is where my journey began.”
Suddenly there was a loud crack, the power went off in the elevator and it stopped moving.
“Great, the elevator is broken it will take the repair crews hours to get to the machinery let alone fix it” a human crewman complained, repeatedly pressing the panic button “This wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t riding with these furbags”.
“Piss off Tony” Ajali retorted. He wasn’t going to let them place the blame on him.
As an argument broke out Demaskis let out a sigh. If they weren’t going to be constructive he might as well solve it for them. Without warning he punched out the hatch in the elevator’s ceiling and climbed out. The main lines that power the lift’s gravity-well generators, machines that propel it upwards at high speeds and slows the fall, had snapped under heavy age corrosion at the ceiling of the shaft. There was no way to rewire it. The only thing preventing it from plummeting thirty stories was the safety breaks that were locked hard into the six support rails.
“Hybrid I need your advice on something up here” Demaskis called while he crouched over the hatch corner, looking in.
With one effortless leap Ajali stood directly opposite to Demaskis.
“We’re only twenty stories away from the entrance. We could easily make it to the surface” Demaskis explained pointing up to the cross beams that were spaced every third story.
“What about them?” Ajali asked over their abusive shouting “They may be assholes but I’m not going to leave them here”
“Listen, with the safety breaks locked in place they aren’t going to go anywhere. I can short out the breaks with my board but it doesn’t have enough power to safely move the lift” Demaskis retorted “Unless you have something that can prevent them from turning into pancakes I say screw them”.
Suddenly Ajali smiled as he realized what Demaskis was really suggesting. Back when the E-Series was developed in the labs, they used different fur colors to distinguish which elemental power they were given and white fur was wind. “Short them out, I’ve got the momentum issue handled”. With a nod Demaskis began to rip wires out of the lift and rewire them to his board as Ajali back-flipped through the gap between the elevator and the wall, landing three floors below.
“I’m ready when you are!” Demaskis shouted over the humans before shutting the hatch back on them. Their voices were beginning to irritate his sensitive ears.
“Hit the switch in ten seconds” Ajali yelled back as he closed his eyes and began to focus drawing the power from his soul to unleash a powerful cushion of air that will propel the elevator up. His calculations had to be exact, if he drew too much of his supernatural power it could easily slice the elevator into tiny pieces and if he doesn’t draw enough the elevator will just free fall.
In his head Demaskis began to count down. This was going to be one hell of a ride. ‘3…2…1…’ on zero he activated his Hoverboard and the breaks released.
The timing was perfect, before it had the chance to freefall, the elevator was launched upward at incredible speeds with the sound of a sonic boom. He could see the ceiling was approaching too fast, at this speed the elevator would be crushed against the roof. Thinking quickly Demaskis ripped the wires free from his board, activating the failsafe once more. Sparks went flying everywhere making it difficult to see, the screeching noise it emitted was deafening as metal grinded on metal Thankfully the breaks were slowing the elevator till It came to a halt with the elevator’s roof in line with the door leading to the outside.
Seeing that everything went to plan he leaped up the shaft to meet Demaskis at the entrance.
“Now we’re even” Demaskis remarked when Ajli had made it back to the top of the elevator. As Demaskis tucked his Hoverboard under his arm the door was being forced open from the other side by bystanders who heard the ruckus.
“I think I still owe you” Ajali muttered as he watched Demaskis surf away.
As Ajali lifted the rest of the crew out of the elevator, the repair crew arrived and began to carefully inspect the damaged main power cable. One was a human with dark skin while the other was a Hybrid Tray Kai- S-series lion cross.
“So what happened?” the Hybrid asked Ajali.
“As you can see the main cable snapped from old age” Ajali responded.
“Strange we only replaced this cable yesterday” was the reply.
***
As Demaskis passed through the markets he saw ancient books, Alien technology and clothes - this was the heart of trade. To walk through the markets on the ground level was near impossible due to the high volume of humans, Aliens and Hybrids traveling through to trade goods from around the Multiverse. Eventually something caught his attention, forcing him to get off his board and wade through the crowd to an information shop. Something inside the information shop was drawing the crowd.
“I can’t believe it, he’s here, in the UTG” a Human voice panicked.
“He killed five people in a private club thirty minutes ago” another voice added.
As Demaskis slipped through the crowd he saw a picture that looked like him and he knew instantly who it was.
It was Damien, a mercenary who was known for killing - just for the thrill of it. Damien had the appearance of a 25 year old, though no one knew his exact age; hazel eyes, brown hair, seven feet tall and every other feature was identical to Demaskis.
“Damien…” Demaskis murmured thoughtfully “Damien… why is he always on the same planet as me?”
Inside a club, in the slum area of the Node, Damien was enjoying his drink and verbally harassing anyone who passed near him.
Damien wore his iconic black clothes which consisted of a heavy trench coat obscuring a set of human manufactured combat armor and pilot overalls. Strapped to his waist were his prized pistols; Alpha and Omega that he had hand crafted with Alien materials. Inscribed on their sides was the phrase ‘only Fate will be my end’. These ‘pistols’ were the size of submachine guns. A human would have to hold one with two hands to keep his aim steady. The most sinister feature of these weapons was that they fired an unlimited supply of unstable dark matter that devoured anything it came into contact with, like acid on tissue paper. “That was a nice drink” Damien stated casually as he drank the last drop, he then reached over the counter and grabbed the bartender by the collar and pressing the barrel of Omega to his head grunted “Hey bartender, give me another one, but this time add more poison in it or I’ll blow your head off!”
The bartender was caught off guard that Damien knew that his drink was poisoned and for the hour he’d been consuming, it had no effect on him “h..h..h..how much poison do you want in the mix” the bartender stuttered as he poured another glass and showed the poison container.
“All of it!” snapped Damien, grabbing the poison vial out of the bartender’s hand and pouring it all into his drink.
“It’s your life” the bartender replied politely, angering Damien.
“I’m immune to poisons you stupid fuckin’ Human” Damien sneered before downing it in one gulp.
“Hey Damien that last job was impressive. I’ve never seen such a massacre” a Tray Kai praised as he entered the club.
The Tray Kai had dark grey skin, stood six feet, white hair and was dressed in business clothes. He was part of a large medical corporation that had contracts with the HPA. Now their rival company’s CEOs had been taken out of the picture by Damien, all business would go to them.
“Just give me the money before I kill you in 30 seconds” Damien hissed back “Our contracts are fulfilled”.
“We have another job requiring someone of your skill” said the Tray Kai as he flashed the money through the air before neatly placing it back it his vest.
“I think I made myself clear the contract is done. Pay me first, then we’ll talk business” Damien growled.
The Tray Kai let out a laugh “That’s not going to happen”
Suddenly Damien grabbed the Tray Kai and held him at gunpoint with Omega. As expected, the Tray Kai had bodyguards hidden among the patrons. Four humans stood up with their pistols drawn, all of them were positioned at 90 degrees around Damien.
Damien smirked tightening his grip on the trigger “You have no idea what I’m capable of. Hybrid Stopper rounds will only piss me off”.
“We’ll see” the Tray Kai smirked back.
Damien was beyond the level of any Series Hybrid in every aspect. As the bodyguards opened fire on him Damien had already calculated the trajectories and effortlessly leaned out of the way while returning fire. Unlike the humans, his shots hit their marks with a spectacular detonation of their torsos.
“Please don’t tell me it was the best you can do” Damien mocked as the bodyguards collapsed onto the ground. The patrons were fleeing en mass around him. They didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire if this degenerated further.
Without warning the glass windows around the room began to shatter as Flashbang grenades hurled through. These grenades were designed to blind and disorientate the target. Though the noise was deafening to humans, with his sensitive hearing it was beyond hell. His instincts took over, forcing him to drop the Tray Kai and back away from the source of the noise. As his sensors quickly recovered he reassessed his surroundings and discovered the building was completely surrounded by the Node’s law enforcement. Like the UTG’s population, its law enforcement was a mixture of all three races.
The sight of so many opponents made Damien laugh maniacally. “Like lambs to the slaughter the peons have come to stop me!” he laughed before pressing his paw-like foot on the back of the Tray Kai with his claws digging in “Where do you think you are going? You have an exclusive front seat to see what happens to people who try to screw me”.
Within a blink of an eye he drew Alpha and unleashed a storm of bullets in a two hundred degree arc from his firing position.
The Tray Kai watched in horror the brutal efficiency firsthand. This time Damien didn’t even try to dodge the incoming projectiles and spells. Every impact either harmlessly dispersed across his armor or went through him with the wounds regenerating almost instantaneously. Nothing seemed to faze him while he fired his twin pistols in opposite sweeping motions. The fire rate he was able to achieve with them was beyond chaotic. In the span of ten seconds he had fired more than four hundred shots with no end in sight. The moment Damien stopped firing he took a moment to admire his destruction. The mutilated corpses of the Node’s law enforcement were everywhere. The power of his ammunition left gaping holes ten times the size of the projectile itself in the club’s walls.
“Now where were we?”
“Take your damn money, just don’t kill me!” the Tray Kai pleaded while Damien rolled him onto his back.
“I’m not going to kill you, theres no sport in killing something so hepless” Damien smirked, handing him Omega “You are”
The Tray Kai instantly took aim at Damien but something wasn’t right. He could feel a possessive force asserting its control over him. His hand was shaking as he slowly raised the gun barrel to his head.
“Any last words?” Damien mocked.
Before the Tray Kai could breathe another word he squeezed the trigger, ending his life.
“He was a waste of time, I thought he had more willpower than that” Damien remarked as he picked up the money and Omega before leaving the club “I wonder where kid is today?”
****
Just as Demaskis was about to leave the info shop he felt someone grab him by the shoulder. It was a Human crewman from a different ship who also entered the info shop to see what the fuss was about.
“Hey Hybrid, who are you?” he asked.
“Nobody” Demaskis replied as he tried to shake the man’s grip.
“You look like Damien, are you related to him or…” the man sneered attracting more attention “you are him!”
“I wouldn’t know if I was related and I’m defiantly not him” Demaskis growled still trying to get out of his grip.
“How about I mark you and we’ll find out in the next news” he replied as he pulled out a knife from his belt.
“That’s enough Mike” ordered Ajali’s voice, as he pushed himself through the crowd “This isn’t Damien, this one was a stowaway on the transport I work on. We only arrived a few minutes ago”.
“Ajali, I see the orphanage found you a job. It’s a shame to hear that you were the only one to be never adopted from our generation” Mike mocked “I wonder what it feels like to be unwanted by everyone. Oh while I’m on that subject, has Lamina’s family forgiven you yet?”
The sound of this name seemed to fill Ajali with regret. The day before her adopted parents were meant to take Lamina, another orphan home, she and her three friend’s harassment pushed him over the edge. The next thing Ajali remembered was standing over their lifeless bodies, drenched in their blood. According to the police reports Ajali had beaten them to death with his bare hands under the influence of ‘Fur Rage’, an E-series psychological flaw.
“Please don’t” Demaskis pleaded as the knife came closer to scarring his face.
“Don’t make me beat you to death in front of this crowd Mike” Ajali warned while stepping forward.
Just as the knife was about to touch his skin Ajali leaped towards Mike and knocked him to the ground with one punch. The strike was quick and precise, to the human eye it would have been a blur.
“Now we’re even” Ajali spoke while Demaskis dusted himself off.
“Remind me not to piss you off” Demaskis remarked before pushing his way through the crowd.
Despite being humiliated by Ajali, Mike wasn’t done just yet. Slowly he shifted his grip on his knife before throwing it at Demaskis while both Hybrid’s guards were down. His aim was dead on, the knife lodged in his neck, barely missing the spinal cord but sliced through his jugular. After the initial pain had vanished he rolled his eyes in disappointment while effortlessly yanking the knife out with one pull, his body instantly closing the wound and returning to its former state Everyone who witnessed this was frozen in shock. Any Series Hybrid could ignore pain and some Series and crosses have the ‘immortality gene’ that could restore severed limbs and organs, but near instantaneous regeneration was an extremely rare trait; the only other being known to possess this trait was Damien.
“Satisfied?” Demaskis hissed at Mike as he discarded the knife. He could even detect Ajali was cautious of him. Once again he had isolated himself. With nothing else to add Demaskis fled into the crowd on his Hoverboard. Leaving the Node as quickly as inhumanly possible seemed to be the smartest decision for the time being until the whole Damien panic was over.
Story©
kadenthefox
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
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