This has been something in planning ever since I wrote Hearts And Minds! In writing that story I heavily skimmed over the ending, since I wasn't sure how a Rynar protagonist would go over with people! Though now, I've decided to give Shazike a story-board thing similar to how I'm doing Of Mice And Men

Hoping to give Shazike a bit of justice, and show what she had to go through to change from her time as a Battlemaster in the Rynar Collective!

Compared to Of Mice And Men I'm not quite sure how fast or often I'll post parts for this. But gauging on the reception of it, I may go faster if I can!

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Next

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Universe made by  Hetzer

Art made by  travaakasanchez

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Shazike's armored boot crashed down on the concrete below her. Her rampant emotions overruled the Rynar's ordinary care to keep the infrastructure intact. Her armor's low power mode left much of the weight to hang on her petrified form. Her mind forced her surroundings into focus, making the Rynar slow to a stop. The screams of her friend still echoed in her mind. Rattling in her brain as she tried to make sense of it all.

Raising a hand, she rubbed her snout while recounting what had just happened. Her fellow Battlemaster and friend had drawn a gun at her. Claiming she was weak for following what the Collective had planned.

Her heart skipped a beat as blood trickled down her lips. Shakily her burning eyes crept down to her hand, and a soft blubbered hiss escaped her.

Her black-armored glove was smeared in blood, Jailthar's blood. Betrayal washed over her, and soon her body shook in an attempt to hold back tears. Her closest friend in the Collective had drawn a gun on her, and she had acted in self-defense. However, that explanation wasn't enough to quell her mingling emotions.

A part of her wished he had a faster trigger finger. Shazike had acted upon instinct, knocking his rifle down while drawing her knife. She still saw the change of expression in his eyes. From a burning rage to shock and fear, just before her knife made contact with his throat.

Shazike did not come out of the conflict unscathed. A numbed pain in her side reminded her of that. Her fast action had grabbed his gun, but he fired when she pushed the barrel down. Leaving a smoldering mess of her armor against her side. His shot had gotten lucky, landing between two of her armor plates. Where it hit, her skin burned, but she lacked enough care to try and dress her wound.

With each passing step, her armor rubbed against her sensitive burn. Giving the worn-down Battlemaster a limp as she trudged back to camp in the dark moonlight. Her mind stirred and spun to try and wrap around her now broken world. What would she tell her squadron, let alone his own? How was she to know he was going to try on her life?

It was near impossible for Shazike to garner her courage again. To fortify herself once more as she marched along, repeating the Battlemasters mantra.

Injured, broken, terrified, none of these things would matter when she faced her squadron. And if Jailthar had plans to remove Shazike, who knows what his squadron was doing in their absence.

Several minutes passed like years in the night's foreboding silence. Reaching back to her neck, she turned up her armors energy output and relished in the freedom of movement this provided. The exoskeleton suit slowly adjusted, helping her stand upright while taking pressure off her tender side.

Her wound was sapping what little strength she could muster. The adrenaline rush faded, and soon her exhaustion weighed down on the Rynar. Clenching her jaw to focus, she inhaled slowly and forced herself to continue.

As she took this moment to collect herself, a sudden rip of plasma roared far off. Shazike's heart jumped, and she snapped her eyes wide open. Her attention wildly turned about as she drew her rifle. Another blast, then another, and soon Shazike realized it was coming from in front of her.

The Rynar couldn't fathom why she hadn't seen it before. Too tied up in her self-pity, she didn't notice trails of black smoke rising into the black night sky. Fear once again rushed into her, steeling her resolve; she turned into a sprint towards the town.

The idea of humans having staged some revolt kept her moving despite her side now burning fiercely.

As the Battlemaster neared, twisted laughter met her ears. Her sprint turned to a slow jog and soon to a timid walk. She hissed lowly with her rifle in hand and continued, brushing through the treeline until she got to town. Yet when the town came into view, the Battlemaster froze.

The taste of blood, fumes, smoke, and death permeated her senses. Shazike was left speechless as she saw the town before her in pure chaos.

Buildings were burning, cars destroyed, and the sparse few humans were scrambling to run away from Rynar. Her Rynar. The Battlemaster's blood began to boil as her eyes flicked from human to human. Only a few had gotten away from the carnage, but in seeing the Battlemaster, they began fleeing in other ways. Ducking between destroyed buildings where they could.

A lone woman, shaking in worn and ash-covered clothes, froze up as she saw the titanic Rynar. Though Shazike struggled to process what was taking place, another Rynar's hand reached down to pluck the woman up.

Her scream snapped Shazike out of her daze, watching the poor human be lifted. Kicking and screaming against the armored Rynar hand. Drawing her gun, she hissed loudly in a demanding tone. Already recognizing the handler's armor, her second in command, Rigtha.

"What does Rigtha think one is doing?! Release the human!"

The man didn't bother looking at her and instead brought the woman to his face. Within a moment, the woman was begging to be put down. Crying while the Seargent looked her over with a decadent eye.

Shazike gripped her rifle sternly as she barked out the order again. Her eyes locked to the Rynar before her, not daring to let her voice falter. Yet once more, the man seemed content to ignore his commander's orders, and what happened next shook the Battlemaster to her core.

Rigtha's jaws parted, and shortly the woman screamed out. Silenced with a sickening sound that forced Shazike to recoil in shock. A sickening snap and the scent of blood filled the Battlemasters senses.

Stepping closer, she powered up her rifle, its hum fading in as the other sounds began to dampen out. Shazike's world began to fall away as she stared down her Seargent. Unlike her hesitation and guilt with Jailthar, she had no qualms about shooting the man before her. As she tried pulling the trigger, she found that it was nearly impossible to move.

An invisible force firmly held the Battlemaster in place. Rigtha's attention turned, and soon a laugh erupted from him. His orange eyes turned to look at his Battlemaster. Crimson blood smudged across his grinning expression.

His form deviated and warped, and soon the orange scaled Seargent before her took on a much more familiar face. A bulky grey Rynar in Battlemasters armor stared back at Shazike.

"Doesn't Shazike see? Showing these bugs their place... One at a time..."

The Rynar's grin sickened Shazike to the core. Its crimson fangs glistened in the roaring flames as terror stabbed into Shazike. The familiar face of the Rynar finally manifested as Shazike wanted to scream out. Before her, the Rynar, the monster, held her name on its nameplate.

'Shazike Raylu'

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Shazike finally broke free from her hidden captor. Jolting upright, her lungs let out the scream that had been trapped. With panicked breathing, her orange eyes flickered around the darkroom. At first, the nightmare seemed to change even her reality. Warping the shadows to mimic the flames and destruction that tormented her dreams.

A shaking hand rested on her chest while she inhaled sharply. Now forcing herself to count down the seconds. Nightmares had become something she was used to, but this one was different. Far more pointed than the senseless murder she's seen before.

Through strained breathing, she shuddered while forcing herself to take deeper breaths. Not daring to open her eyes, she let out a whimpered hiss as she felt the covers atop her.

The soft fabric was just as alien to her as the rest of the comfortable home was. Yet it offered some solace from the horrors she witnessed. Shazike tried to force herself calm, like hundreds of times before.

Her quaking frame shuddered as she shifted to hang her legs off the bed. Resting her elbows on her knees, she clutched her head, tears rolling down her cheeks as she begged softly.

"Make it stop... Please... Make it stop... T-That isn't Shazike... That was never Shazike..."

Wiping her eyes with her thumbs, she glanced up and around her room. It was early in the morning. Much like many days prior, Shazike barely got much rest. The new world around her kept her on alert when she was awake. And now nightmares made sure she couldn't sleep even when she had the chance to.

She wanted to remain strong. To use this gift of a second chance Olnith had given her to try and change. So much so that she hadn't mentioned her dreams to him yet. Though she knew he could help, the feeling of not being able to help herself left her in a gridlock.

Shazike hadn't realized that she had gone to the bathroom. The sinks running water slowly brought her mind back to reality. Cupping her hands in it, she quickly splashed her face and leaned on the sink.

Turning her eyes up, she was met by the face of a ridged Battlemaster in the mirror. The toned cheeks, stern glare, and a red Collective tattoo on her neck made sure she looked the part.

But inside, she was different, and she had to be...

How often has she woken up crying, only to stare at herself?

How many times has she lied to her one and only friend Olnith? She told him she was fine when she was waging war on herself.

A low hiss escaped her while she stared at the monster before her. Taking a slow breath, she turned her eyes to her neck. Above her collar bone sat a red emblem, a symbol of The Rynar Collective.

It served as a reminder to Shazike of her past. Yet after rubbing it day after day, she had begun to make it fade. But much like a wound healing, there was a scar or mark on her all the same. She'd learned to live with it, though she didn't take it in such a graceful stride.

A broken smile cracked across her face as her eyes trailed down.

She had to tell Olnith...