Cold Scales

by Konatra

Return of the King

The androids moved in cautiously, not seeming to want to charge in without analyzing the threat. The gun didn't fire either but seemed ready to at any moment. The Hunter tensed up and held Spines in a near bear hug. The girl also braced herself to get hit hard but also felt a tingle up her spine in anticipation.

The air fell silent and the only noise heard was the sound of electricity running through the lights. Slowly, one android larger than the rest stepped forward with a giant green sword drawn. They had no face, only a black metal mask so trying to determine the thinking process of this machine was impossible. Once it stood two meters away it stopped.

"...Identity confirmed. Welcome Lord Tendrix." The androids gave a deep bow and saluted, the guns retreated back to their post. The robots sieved in their swords then went in a line to stand still. The Hunter still in a tense position slowly loosened the grip around Spines. The large android motioned the two to come over. "Am I to assume this stranger is your guest?" It asked somewhat cautiously, seemingly eying down at Spines.

The Hunter adapted to this unexpected event and shifted to a more respectable posture. "Yes. This is Spines, my guest." He motioned down to her and patted her head. The android nodded.

"Confirmed, what clearance level is Spines permitted on your vessel sir?"

Without missing a beat he answered. "Maximum clearance, treat her as you would me."

Once that was said all the androids bowed and saluted the dragon teen. "Welcome General Spines, it is an honor to be in your command."

Spines awkwardly waved at the sudden army she gained. "Ah, thank you the honor is mine." Slowly she stepped back behind the Hunter in intimidation of the androids.

"Tell me, what is our current status?" The Hunter asked trying to figure out more about his forgotten past.

"The ship had taken a massive beating after the initial battle with the Void fleet, hull integrity is at a 47% capacity while shields are at a 2% charge. Initial diagnostics show that this vessel is still capable of flight and the warp drive is charged enough for one jump. Shall we test out the engines to be certain?" The android leader motioned the two over down another set of halls as they talked. It seemed like it was taking them somewhere important.

The Hunter pondered at this notion, the second Spines noticed this she tugged on his long arm. "I don't think that's a good idea. If this ship is what Canterlot is based at then turning on the ship will destroy the whole city!" Fear filled her eyes and some part of her was greatly worried that he would ignore her and go on with the android's plan. She was ready to fight this but she knew trying to attack him is a death sentence.

The hunter nodded. "Yes I suppose that would be most unpleasing to you Spines." He looked to the android, not noticing the shocked look on her face mixed with relief. "Spines is correct android, the causality count would be too high to risk such a test."

The android nodded. "Understood General, any other commands you have issued to us?"

"Yes, where is the power room, there must be a way to have the lights on." Even with Spines's own night-vision, having real light would be a lot better to move around in. Spines found the design of the android odd. It stood eight feet tall, had sleek legs that ended in a thin point and the arms were wide but as thin as paper. The body frame shone a polished chrome in a simple chest-like shape where the joints were visible. The head was similar in the shape of the Hunter but it had a black mask covering the face in the shape of a triangle. All in all, it looked similar to the Hunter she's been following around all day.

"You wish for the reserve power stores to be activated?"

"That is correct" With that, the noise of energy flowed throughout the ship, lights flickered on and screens came to life display various things of varying importance. "Well that helps..." The hunter nodded not questioning anything.

By then the group was at a complex-looking door filled with many locks. The door opened with several whirls and gauges unlocking. "Welcome back to your resting quarters sir, your loyal crew will be at your command when you are ready." It saluted and walked off to parts unknown. Spines looked around in the large room.

It was filled to the brim with interesting-looking things. Odd-looking weapons were placed on the wall and many symbols were carved neatly into the walls. The walls were white and curved without edges when two walls met. The room even had a second story. The Hunter moved away from her and explored the upstairs while still keeping the thin tether around her waist, mush like a dog to a master to her realization.

A certain symbol caught her eye and that was the one that was the largest in the center wall all the way in the back. It was a circle with an X crossing over it. She studied it and could not understand the significance of it. Forgetting this, she went back and looked at the framed pictures. "What's this?" The first image showed a figure quite similar to the Hunter but he had more width to his limps and seemed much more stable in stance and posture. The odd thing was the suit and tie he wore, the face was still the same featureless expression. In the image, he stood with two other beings of unique stature, in some way he looked happy. The second image was of sketches of many odd-looking creatures. They all looked deadly but the sketch was really well defined.

The tendril hugging her waist tugged at her softly. "Spines, I want you to come see this." Spines made her way up the stairs to the Hunters side. He stood before a screen that played a sound recording.

The voice sounded heavy and gruff with tons of power behind it. "Alright Tendrix, I lead the Overlord commander's fleet over to your ship. They are heavily damaged so this should be a breeze."

"Yes Lord General, the hunt will be quick but precise. We will find them, General." That was the Hunter for sure but his voice sounded more whole. The Hunter stared at the screen, no words were said.

"While I still have you on, I suggest we rethink our current plan, Lord Prime suggest we start rotating the Core to the Kazzadan sector-" A giant explosion drowned out this Lord, 'Tendrix' grunted in shock. "What the? Report!" The General called. Sirens blared in the background.

"Dammit, they have class XII clocking technology...we were set up. Counting 19 vessels on all sides. I need to handle this General, signing off." The audio log cut off with another large explosion.

The Hunter slammed a fist into the wall, this startled Spines. "WHAT WAS I!?" Another punch to the wall. "MY WHOLE LIFE IS MISSING SPINES." The tendril around her tightened. The other tendrils in the Hunter began waving around violently and aimlessly. The skin around him pulsed like waves, and the most horrifying of all, his face split open to reveal a mouth of black shards. The void within was like a black ocean of horror and torment that brought upon Spines's worst nightmares. The Hunter grew larger and bulkier, towering over the terrified girl like a demon about to slaughter his prey.

The Hunter roared, Spines screamed.

Comments

[Konatra]

Thank you for reading this far, I know i know I'm not all that good at details and stuff but I hope to get better as I progress with this. Remember to leave a like if you did.

[Thebaconpiggybank]

Well, that escalated quickly.

[Konatra]

8766935
That's what you get when you're mentally unstable and suddenly come to understand that your whole life is not your real life.

[Konatra]

8771881
Over the top is exactly what I'm going for when it comes to this guy, but yeah I get what you mean.