Out In The Wild (Orb)

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#1
OE102
January 7th, 06:23
Location: Southern Thailand


The distant shattering of glass filled the air as space seemed to relent to some unseen force, any nearby sensors would warn anyone still in the area that a Dimensional Quake had just occurred. Though it hadn't been DAMON that poured out of the hole for once, instead an angel most dangerous came through the hole between worlds and though its pilot tried to wrest it upwards it was too little too late now.

With a large crash the Astranagant, Everglory's black angel, struck the earth like a small meteor that carved its path along the ground several small trees buckling underneath it as they were uprooted and thrown aside. The distant memories of civilization still echoed in the surroundings, but they were now abandoned or deconstructed as the Directory's incentives for people to move into larger cities caused the countryside to be mostly empty, automated, farmland. Or in this case an oxygen farm.

Derrick took a few deep breaths, processing what had occurred a moment prior, but to the world would at least have been a day prior. It had been a long day, both figuratively and literally but the lunarian scientist didn't know the latter part yet.
Though this time he didn't bother to unburrow the Astranagant instead simply moving out on its back. On the horizon the first rays of sunshine begun to show though the moon yet dotted the sky.
The scientist looked around for a moment, this was definitely back on earth, so Gail's plan seemed to have worked yet the man himself was nowhere to be seen. The surroundings seemed Asian, though which part he couldn't yet tell.

He dropped himself down to the ground, earth dirt now adorning his boots. Many Lunarians would see this as a disgrace to his boots, but frankly Derrick couldn't care less right now. He was tired, exhausted and still somewhat pissed so instead of worrying about the dirt underneath his soles he sat himself down at the Astranagant's half buried arm, watching the moon as it slowly began moving out of sight.
 
May 17, 2019
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#2
A Dimensional Quake, Vasco had thought. All manner of terrible monsters and horrid beings could emerge from that, and although it was thankfully in an area mostly unpopulated, Vasco still sent a message out to some private contacts in the nearest cities, telling them to prepare for evacuation, just in case.

The Wyvern quickly arrived at the crash site in its alternate mode, keen on getting to the spot quickly to investigate. Thankfully the area was still rather far from Directory patrols. It might take them a while to even notice that a quake had occurred. There was enough chance that they would care for the people, but if he could get there faster, then they'd have that much more time to get away, or he could lead whatever monsters that had appeared there astray.

It was a win-win.

Or at least, it would have. Instead, all that Vasco found was a strange being...creature, even, that had fallen from.the sky. He had heard of strange things happening in other parts of the world, and of robots with amazing powers. He feared that they would come here and bring their fight to his home, where enough tensions were already felt from both the Directory and Terra Sentinel alike.

Nevertheless...whatever was down there looked harmless for now. Someone had even been sitting on the thing. Had they fallen out as well? Vasco's curiosity intensified.

The Wild Wyvern flew low, and converted into its robot mode to land, flipping over as its wings turned into its legs, and its legs, arms. He turned on the speaker in the wyvern, and walked forward, just close enough to pick up whatever the person sitting on it could say on his sensors.

“Identify yourself.”, He spoke clearly and cautiously, talking to the one on the strange robot. "I don't have reason to hurt you."
 

MKR

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#3
It seemed the area wasn't as unpopulated as he had hoped as his idle thoughts were disturbed by the sound of thrusters. The Lunarian turned his gaze from the moon to the approaching unit. It seemed capable of performing a neat parlor trick with its flipping around and changing of forms. His coat waving in the man made wind as this unknown mech came to a stop.

Derrick rose to his feet as he was addressed, remaining silent for a moment. The sunlight now cascading off of the Astranagant's crystalline frame as it encroached upwards. He kept his eyes on the mech as he took a few steps around the Astranagant, up to its chest. In case he swiftly needed to enter the Black Angel should this new arrival be trigger happy or have trigger happy friends.

Perhaps luckily for him this man did not know what had impacted the dirt in front of him, nevertheless his statement about not having reasons to hurt him stood out regardless.
"Derrick." He spoke in the meanwhile, addressing the matter of his identity to some extent. Deciding to leave it at that for now as whoever was inside there seemed rather cautious.
"And you would be?" He asked in retort. "Also, where is here, coordinates location name or any other location identifiers will be fine." And spotting an opportunity Derrick tried to seize control of the conversation.

The Wyvern's pilot could at this point probably see that Derrick's clothing were of fine make, finer make than most of Earth had access to.
 
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#4
“Thailand.”, He answered back, before dipping into his sensors and sharing the coordinates. “If you're planning on being out here, know you're going to be found sooner rather than later. Directory Patrol sweeping this place in about an hour or two.”, he said, doing a once over of the man.

He regarded the man's fine clothing with a cock of his eyebrow. He didn't see that very often either. He was starting to pick up on a suspicion that he may not even be from here. “Unless you know the Directory, I recommend packing up and going. If that...whatever that is...” The Wyvern gestured at the fallen giant. “If that's yours...well, do you need assistance getting him out of there? Looks a little deep. I can try picking him up with the Wyvern, if you'd like. Might scratch'im up worse than he is now, though.”
 

MKR

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#5
Derrick dropped himself into the cockpit, looking over the coordinates as they came in. A moment later the giant in the dirt began to rouse, the red lights on it reactivating.
"Scratches do not bother me, although the assistance isn't needed." He would remark over the comms now, the first crystaline arm would raise, slamming into the dirt below as it gripped the soil. A moment after the second arm came from underneath the buried Astranagant, making much the same motions as the two together began pushing the Black Angel out of its self created hole with surprising ease.

As he dug up the Astranagant Derrick however had caught onto one thing, the man he was talking to was no ally of the Directory given his advice.
"I'd rather avoid the Directory as is. Too many questions or issues that I don't particularly feel like dealing with."

In the dirt one of the Black Angel's legs moved, bending to a knee as the mech pushed itself upwards, dirt cascading off of it like a waterfall. At the end the mech stood twice as tall as the one that had arrived to the scene, though despite its previous impact the machine looked to be as near to pristine as could be aside from the dirt.
Looking over the area gave the Lunarian a slight case of Deja Vu and one idea.
"So yes. I think I will be packing up and going, however. Simply heading out would be idiotic, especially with dawn approaching. You wouldn't happen to have somewhere I could spend the day, or in the worst case. Know where the Directory keep their nearest space supply shuttle."
 
May 17, 2019
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#6
“Not a fan of the Directory, eh?”, the pilot smirked. “Well, you’re in like company.”

“And Funny, I was just about to offer you a place to hide out for a day or two.”, Vasco chuckled. “Looked like you and the big guy needed the rest, too. I’ll pull out ahead. You follow behind. I’ll inform you in case we get any surprise Directory Patrols. Or Terra Sentinel. You never know, here.”

The Wyvern converted into its alternate mode once again, its parts whizzing and clanking as it transformed, the whir of its engines getting louder as the wyvern hovered above the black robot. The head of the wyvern tilted at the full figure of the Astranagant, Vasco himself regarding it with a strange curiosity. “You sure cut an imposing figure. Good thing the time is what it is. Just dark enough...” The Wyvern hovered over to the south. “Try to keep off the ground, and stay within range of my sensors. I’ll open up a private channel with you. Keep it up until we get where we’re going.”

Vasco gave the crater a once over, and his eyebrows knit together in disappointment. That would stir up trouble. The Directory would cover it up, of course, but they might increase patrols in this region, maybe even cordon this area off. That meant this place could be crawling with patrols in the near future, if he wasn’t lucky.The young man clicked his tongue, before talking. “Might take on some water. You got anything special I gotta know? Anything to watch out for? Surprises aren't going to help us get where we're going.”
 

MKR

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#7
Though while Derrick's dislike of the Directory was likely less than his guide he wasn't one to call it out, he did indeed need that rest. Which he had hoped to get just now but apparently the area was under the watch of several factions so that wasn't going to happen from the get go. He guessed he at least had the luck that the one that did disturb his peace was this man.
"The hospitality is appreciated." Derrick said to the offer.

The machine's wings expanded outward the emerald green light cascading out of it and mixing with the dawn light the black angel taking off as Derrick adjusted the flight for full gravity inside the cockpit's confines. The last question came over his comms, and internally Derrick had plenty of items to list off but none of them were the man's business knowing, or his business outright.
"The imposing appearance isn't without reason its accurate as to what it can do, as for surprises there is someone out for my blood but I doubt he'd show up. Aside from that nothing."

With that the Astranagant began trailing southwards after the Wyvern, though its max speed was noticeably less then its smaller companion.

"Now, I don't believe I caught your name earlier." He reminded both himself and Vasco. "If you could do me the courtesy of knowing my host's name."
 
May 17, 2019
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#8
"Host, eh? Here I thought I was just gonna be some random good Samaritan. Name's Vasco. The girl's Wild Wyvern.", he said, spinning the Wyvern about, and slowing it's speed to match his charge, so to speak. "Nice to meet you, Derrick. Strong sounding name. Starts and ends on hard consonants. Gives a real good sound to your name. You want me to call you by anything else, in case someone asks? You do not want me making something up on the spot."

The Wyvern continued its flight due south before it began to veer slightly west, towards the coast. "As for what you've told me...whether or not you doubt he shows up, maybe give me a heads up on what to look out for. In a few minutes I'll be moving ahead to scout, and it'll be safer if I know who to give a wide berth to."

Vasco's Mobile Weapon began to speed up, putting distance between him and the Astranagant. A familiar question began to rear itself to his head, and he sighed, giving in to his curiosity. "If ah...you don't mind me asking...you come from anywhere on the planet? The way you look doesn't match many people I see around, and I've been around this planet quite a bit. Don't mean to offend...just curious. I've uhh...not met many people from beyond the sky."
 
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MKR

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#9
"Derrick will be fine." He replied "Frankly, I don't care about hiding that part." His name could be out there as much as was needed, he hadn't planned on hiding that regardless and his mech would've been enough to reveal his identity to the people that mattered if they wanted him on some sort of black list, or kill list.
"As for the man to watch out for, draconic mech. Tail, wings, everything. Curved sword. If the bastard shows up leave him to me." He described the zelvoid in a basic yet clear manner. His issues were his and not for Vasco to bother with he believed.

To the last question he somewhat rolled his eyes, this had not been his first time to earth, nor his first time hearing a similar question. He personally acknowledged the moon being better than whatever the earth, or especially the colonies, had to offer but to so awkwardly state it.
"Yes I am indeed a Lunarian, no I am not one of the so famed knights." Derrick opted to reply to the question. During his travels four years prior so many people assumed he was one of the honor obsessed duelist purely because he came from the moon it was grating.

"And yes, different areas having different looking people is to be expected. People adapt to their origin and where they live I hope that where I come from does not raise any issues." he concluded, not wanting to deal with archaic issues as where one was born. Though Luna still had its fair share of people obsessed with that itself.
"As for you Vasco, would this be your country?"
 
May 17, 2019
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#10
"Draconic mech, right. Curved sword.", he noted.

"Ah, cool!", he smiled, leaning back in his seat. "You're the first Lunarian I've met, really, so I can't assume. I don't know much about them, aside from what people tell me, but I've been saving judgement until I've met...at least three? Maybe more. So far, you're a little direct, but you're nice enough."

The Wyvern began zooming forward, and Vasco began answering the question about his origin. "Nah, nah, well, sorta. I kinda grew up all around the region. Southeast Asia. SEA, some call it. Appropriate, since it's mostly water.", he chuckled. "Born in the Philippines. Raised everywhere. I know a lot of languages...not like that helps much nowadays. Directory calls for unification, so we all speak what the people selling us goods do."

"Anyway...might as well tell you where we're going.", he muttered as they neared the coastline. "Nice little cove. Have to go under some rocks and get a little wet, but it'll keep us hidden well enough for a few days. I even have some rations stockpiled there. Could even cook you up something, if you're inclined to try some of the food here. I imagine you might be a bit hungry, too. Hope you like rice or noodles..."
 
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MKR

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#11
"Frankly, I've been through a lot today. Least of which include attempts at my life." Derrick replied in an almost apology to his directness. Nevertheless actually resting for once would be nice. The Astranagant while it theoretically could just keep going forever would probably also appreciate the rest, as much as a machine could.

"Luckily this is water tight, upside about having space and non atmospheric use as a priority means not a drop will get in at least and honestly, I'm not all that hungry." The images of the watchers yet echoed in his mind, and were proficient at ruining his appetite even though he hadn't eaten for a while.

"Unless something goes horribly wrong I'll only be staying until nightfall at this point I would very much prefer to return home." The annoyance of the dimensional quake delivering him right after he could've prepared for a trip home was clear, but he wouldn't let it get to him. All he needed to have was some time planning a course and launch point in the Astranagant's computer and take off at the right time. A few hours on earth would be acceptable.

In the distance, the Wyvern would be able to spot the distinct lights of six huckebeins moving in half revealed by the ever encroaching daylight, heading straight for their origin point. It seemed one of the patrols had been quicker to act than Vasco anticipated.
They seemed to have their bog standard equipment on them, photon rifles on each as they prepared to face down the anticipated DAMON arrivals without being aware of the true arrival.
 
May 17, 2019
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#12
"Ah, I can guess. Falling through a Dimensional Quake...what sort of things do you even see in there, let alone what they would do to you? I'm surprised you and your weapon aren't too banged up from the experience.", he said. "Well, if you're only staying until nightfall, I can at least find you a safe way out, too. Just-"

A pause. The lights in the sky. Huckebeins. The Wyvern halted it's flight, and flew back at a low altitude to the Astranagant.

"Six Hucks. Faster response than I expected, or one was nearer, and broke their pattern.", he muttered to himself, his eyes falling to his hands as he began to fiddle with his controls. His mind rushed through the possibilities, all the ways he could approach this. "You're going to see some action if we can't outmaneuver them from here. If you don't think you can do that, I'm going to fall back and prepare to strike from a better position."

"If we engage, I'm gonna need to know what you can do, and quick. If you don't want to deal with any of this, I can send you the coordinates of the cove, as well as some instructions on how to get there.", he spoke with urgency. "I'll just lead them away with the Wyvern. I'm far faster than they are...and I'm a bit of a wanted man."
 

MKR

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#13
"Take it from me, you do not want to know who and what are in there. I got lucky in the unluckiest fashion." He got lucky that Zivon caught him in his net rather than let him drift across the endless stars, but in return he had to deal with Zivon. Then he got lucky Gail gave him a tour, but he had to deal with the watchers, neither of which he was really all that keen on describing so Derrick left it at that as the Wyvern came back to about his height, explaining the situation ahead of them.

"There are many things this thing can do, outmaneuvering is not one. I suppose we'll simply force our way through." Though not at all excited for another bout of combat Derrick also had no interest in running about and hiding.
"As for what it can do." The Astranagant grasped its Z.O. blade the same light sprouting from it as from its wings. "I've got this."
The energy wings seemed to almost sharpen for a moment, dagger like feathers showing and hiding themselves again among the tide of energy keeping the Angel aloft.
"And those."

There were many many more things is the Astranagant's arsenal, but they weren't things he planned on using. Be it the Gun Familiars or any of his really devastating weaponry he would play his cards close to his chest on this and only using the unit's basic weaponry.

In the distance the lights seemed to close in on the two, having spotted them back.
"One unidentified Mobile Weapon and Wild Wyvern located, moving to apprehend known suspect and ascertain information about unidentified MW." The huckies communicated among themselves as they closed in, rifles at the ready.

"This is Directory Captain Lingxin, you are both to disarm and come quietly for questioning." A man called out to them over the comms.

In their private line Derrick simply sighed.
"You take the lead I aught to be able to handle most of them if need be."
 
May 17, 2019
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#14
“Well, you must be some tough boys if all you've got is close combat. I don't think either of us can handle six all on our own, though.” The Wyvern turned around, it's engines revving as it began to prepare itself. The plasma blades on the unit's wings began to hum. The claws on its feet did as well. The Fragaracks on it's hips began charging. “If you really think you can take the lot of them on, I'll hold you to that. I'll break off to those rocks in the sea there, see if I can't thin the herd a bit for you. And if they don't follow me, well, they won't be bothering you for long.”, He spoke, the smugness in his voice clear.

The Wyvern's engines roared, before it screeched off to the west, towards a series of jagged rocks near the water, hoping to split the group from one another, or to prepare an attack from the flank. “I've got faith in you and your machine! If you can survive in a quake, this'll be a pittance for you!”

“Quietly isn't exactly my style, Captain! Let's see how you hucks keep up with me!”, He taunted them, laughing as the Wyvern disappeared behind the rocks. Three of them broke off from the group, following the Wyvern behind the rocks. The other three, including the Captain, remained on course.

“Good luck, Derrick!”, Vasco cheered over the private comm, before photon fire could be heard.
 

MKR

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#15
Derrick remained quiet as Vasco left, inside his cockpit he adjusted his tie. After his last few matches the Lunarian was not at all afraid of the oncoming horde of mere huckebeins.
The Black Angel held its blade aloft, challenging its foes as its pilot deigned not to address them. As it did so, face half obscured by the blade the unit's wings went wide, countless T-Link feathers shooting up into the sky as the trio fired their photon rifles against the newly christened enemy.

"Unknown is hostile!" Lingxin would warn his men, though as he did so the ocean of green descended from the sky upon the Huckebeins.

Back inside the Astranagant Derrick did not bother to dodge the barrier and the unit itself taking the hits for him as photon cascaded against Zflyud crystal. Though immediately after the light of photon fire had faded, the reconstruction began. The same black crystal sprouting to replace the shot pieces. Repairing most of the damage dealt with little care about any of it.

And the Lunarian simply watched the carnage as the Attract Shower tore through the ranks. It was nice, facing an enemy that died that is. They made much better outlets for anger than Ze'ev ever would as damage dealt to them was simple, effective, lethal. One of the huckebeins was pierced halfway through before the T-Link feather detonated in its chest while the second would have several bury inside its frame, detonating out of sync but nevertheless sending the directory unit to the ground below with little sign of life remaining. Their dimuniative form truly belied their deadly potential.

The third in contrast, survived. The so called captain put his title to the test, dancing around in the deadly rainfall and preventing any from striking true, though not without suffering himself as one imbedded into the Huckebein's left arm and exploded it off of the main frame.
As the sun moved upwards, it illuminated the carnage. Juxtaposed stood the lone huckebein, the last of the group assigned to this unknown. Stalwart, defiant.
Opposed to it, the dark angel the last bit of dirt from its crash landing now returning to the ground it came from as it hovered in place, lowering its sword as the light now fully came over it.

Inside Derrick finally addressed the Captain.
"That was the warning shot. You may leave with your life or die." With that the Astranagant slowly began floating forwards, the dread giant staring down its smaller foe.
Wordlessly the captain charged, he would not yield.
 
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#16
Three Huckebeins entered the area, jagged rocks jutting out from the sea. In their haste to catch up with the Wyvern, they soon found themselves surrounded by the rocks, with the Wyvern nowhere in sight. “He should be right here, where we are.”, One of the pilots remarked. “Maybe he's under the-”

Out from the water, from below one of the hucks, burst the Wyvern in humanoid form, wrapping it's arms around a Huckebein, before pulling it down into the sea. The other two, in a panic, began to shoot downwards into the water where the Wyvern had disappeared. “Shit...”, One grumbled, as a burst of bubbles and some scrap reached the surface...

“Shit...we just...did we just-”

“He's still under the water, and heading that way!”, The pilot yelled, following the shadow of the Wyvern beneath the water. Her voice began to tremble. “I...what are we going to do!?”

“Follow it, damnit!”, The other ordered, before her machine pulled out its plasma saber. She wasn't letting it close in without a fight. “After me!”

The hot-blooded pilot made its way behind an outcropping, the other faltering behind her. Behind it- nothing.

Then the sound of photon fire, and a splash near their position, missing them both! “There!” The hotheaded pilot smirked. “We've got him now!”

Boosting with plasma saber held high, she sped to where the gun had been fired from, and slashed empty air behind the rock. She looked about her, and saw one of the Wyvern's Fragaracks, attached to what looked like a wire. “Oh f-”

From another rock lept the Wyvern, swinging its leg, a plasma blade jutting out of its heel. It sliced straight into the cockpit of the pilot, cutting off her curse as the final Huckebein turned the corner to see her comrade fall into the water and explode.

The Wyvern loomed above her. The wreckage of her dead friend illuminated its silhouette, the light of her failure reflecting off of the Wyvern's steely gaze.

The final pilot gulped, and lowered her weapon. “I-”

Faster than she could surrender, the Wyvern grabbed her machine by the head, and slammed it against the hard rock of the outcropping, the sickening crunch of metal matched only by the pilot's screams within. Then the Wyvern raised it up, gripping the back of the chest, before slamming that into the rock, the crash of the machine's inner mechanisms audible from his comms.

Over and over, until the screams stopped. The woman had fallen unconscious. Vasco then jabbed the outcropping through the Huckebein's shoulder, impaling it on the rock.

With that sort of beating, she'd be lucky to wake up today.

Vasco looked over his handiwork and grimaced. If he spared this woman's life, this place wouldn't be safe to stay in after today. He would have to find another supply spot in Thailand. Trading favors, doing odd jobs, using the Wyvern in weird ways-all that trouble and more, if he let this one live. He should kill her. He killed the other two. What was a little more blood on his hands?

But even as that thought finished, the Wyvern had already transformed, and was on its way to the Astranagant. He spied the wreckage of two Hucks. The Astranagant hadn't even moved from it's position. Maybe he had misjudged the whole close combat thing...

Nevertheless, that final Huckebein was clearly about to join them. He hovered a good distance away in wyvern form, Fragaracks trained on the Huck, just in case.
 

MKR

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#17
The display in front of Vasco was a simple one, the one armed huckebein continuing its charge against the demonic angel as its foe stood there.
Inside the cockpit Derrick eyed the Huckebein's movements, noticing one thing the angle was similar to Ze'ev's approach earlier. One he believed to have a solution for.

The Huckebein was about to descend on his wrist, trying to disable the unit's arm but the astranagant rotated around its waist pulling it barely out of range but its free arm closer, the dark claws dug into the Huckebein's chest, but the small unit continued its assault, trying to wrest itself free from the grasp. This however only lead to the grasp getting tighter as the raw strength of a super robot came down upon the small frame.

So the captain resorted to trying to destruct the hand, bringing its blade down on the lower arm, the cuts slowly getting deeper as it did so. Chipping away like a lumberjack at an ancient tree. As this happened Derrick raised the Z.O. blade and in one swift motion, inserted it sideways through the center of the Huckebein. The green light coming out of the other end.

And the claw like hand let go, showing that the Huckebein had been reduced to a lifeless husk as the Z.O. Sword was angled downwards the unit began its descent, before plummeting to the ground alongside its comrades.
The green light of the Z.O. Sword vanished as it was 'sheathed' once more. The Astranagant turning to the Wild Wyvern.
"I'm ready to continue whenever you are." He simply stated, clearly not happy with the display of violence just now.

Truth be told, Derrick was not exactly a fighting enthusiast especially for today. There was a reason he wasn't a duelist or knight, not even having picked up mech piloting as a hobby. But that didn't mean he'd hold back against his foes be they DAMON or man.
 
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#18
Vasco's thoughts raced through his head, the raw display of strength causing his brow to furrow. Now he couldn't help but wonder at what exactly destroyed the other two Huckebeins. Did his sword perhaps shoot a beam? Or maybe his wings had some sort of additional weapons system?

Vasco shook his head. The sooner Derrick left, the sooner he would be out of the region, and take that massive monster of a machine with him. He sucked air through his teeth. If he fought someone at his equal...that draconic mech that he had mentioned...

Vasco shook his head free from the thought. He had to focus on what he was doing now.

“Let's get going, then. Our little cove is still a ways off, but now we really are gonna have to leave at nightfall. Those Hucks might've radioed their position, and the Directory won't be one to deal with their radio silence for long. If they're early, well...”

Vasco sighed as the Wyvern began a low flight towards the coast, through a series of large stones. “We might be getting to know each other a little bit more."
 

MKR

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#19
"I'd rather avoid another run in. So yes, lets leave." Derrick remarked, the day had been long. Too long, he wanted to sit down and think before once more departing for the moon as such he was all for leaving the new corpses behind and hoping their superiors wouldn't find them afterwards.

Before they were even on route once more, Vasco could see the the new cuts and holes in the Astranagant seem to self repair and in less then a minute the machine was as if it had never been touched by anything resembling a blade or photon rifle. It once again stood as pristine as when it came out of the dirt. Which meant anyone paying remote attention aught to catch onto the sheer regenerative power held within the black machine.

Once more the black angel went after the wyvern though it opted to fly over the stones instead, as its sheer size prevented it from going through them without causing collateral damage.
 
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#20
Vasco's eyes narrowed. It repaired itself, too? As much as he feared it, now he couldn't help but feel jealous, too. While the repairs from independent workshops and the like we're always so helpful, burdening himself with the Wyvern's maintenance always left him a little more shortchanged than he would like at times. Nevertheless, on a machine like that...

He shook his head. Again, the sooner Derrick left this region, the better.

Through the rocks he flit about with the Wyvern, before he turned. He was leading the Astraganant to a large, naturally formed bay surrounded by tall, majestic walls of rock, capped with small areas of grass. The water was a deep blue here, waves lapping gently at the rocks.

“We're going for a dive.”, Vasco warned him. “The water's deep than it looks. If you can't follow me, just know: Dive down where I do, for about a km or so, and go forward the same distance, before surfacing. Otherwise you'll meet a bunch or stalactites. Stalagmites? The spikes on the ceiling.”

“Heading down now.”, He reported through comms, diving down into the water. The Wyvern's shape distorted as it sank beneath the waves, before it looked as if it's shadow moved underneath the solid Rock that surrounded the bay.

Upon surfacing, if Derrick had followed Vasco's instructions, he would emerge from the water to find a spacious beach inside the cave. The ceiling was, high above their machines, a hole above them showing the sky. In the corner against the rock wall leaned a little shelter, a simple lean-to with a shade and some bags next to it.

The Wyvern was there, waiting for Derrick to arrive before it began powering down. “Welcome to one of several homes away from home for me. Make yourself comfortable, but due to that little encounter out there, we're on your schedule. We leave at nightfall."