TEKHNE - Part 1

((Sorry for the delay in posting this. The 8th was a rough night for me and I was not in my best of creative spirits.))

"Birds were chirping peacefully as dawn was finally waning into high noon. A small village stood out at the basin of a broad valley surrounded by woods, a small dirt road slashing straight through the village below and beyond into the woods.

The village was known as Leaf. It wasn't the most remarkable place, but it was cozy. Not many passed through here unless they were lost though. The village was far out of the way and not many really intentionally came here unless it was to search for some sort of ruins nearby. My father was one of those people who ended up here some 30 years ago and found my mother out in those same ruins that lie out northeast of Leaf.

But that never meant much to me. I just liked making stuff that blows up. My name's Trigger. And you must have stumbled on this village for some reason or another. I won't question really. About on the account that I don't talk much anyway. I just like making stuff that blows up."

~~~~~

And now, the story begins.

Somewhere in the woods surrounding Leaf, the sound of a motorcycle heading to the village could be heard to any and all creatures close by it, the bike had a annoyed looking man with goggles around his neck with an even more annoyed white demon female flying closely beside him. "Zarim you idiot...if that thing runs out of power in the middle of the woods AGAIN, I am not going to be very happy with you...again." The demoness growled in annoyance as the man, Zarim looked over at her and winked. "Yeah yeah yeah I know you will be mad. But we have found a road, and roads usually lead to villages or towns. So calm down, we won't be there long anyway if there is one. We're just gonna juice the bike up, get some food maybe rest alittle, then be on our way. Ok Snow?" The demoness, Snow, rubbed her head and sighed. "Yes yes...and keep the flirting down to a minimum this time please...I do NOT want to be looked at like a freak...again!" She shouted getting a playful wink and chuckle from the Zarim.

"Hmm? Is that a village up ahead or am I going crazy? Don't answer that last part." Zarim looked at Snow who was closing her mouth and nodding. "Yes...it appears to be one. You should slow down now." She said with a glare then goes wide eyed as Zarim speeds up suddenly and zooms into the village with a grin on his face, eventually slowing down after having sped into the village, making a lot of noise, and coming to a skidding stop. "We're here Snow!' He called back at her who was rubbing her head and ignoring any looks they might have given. "Why must you always make an entrance..." Zarim smirked and propped up the kick stand on his bike. "Cause that's how I roll babe, that's how I roll." Snow glares at him and flushs lightly. "What did I say?!"

Grossbart huffs as she looks about not quite use to having to climb with extra baggage as she looks about, quite sure she has gotten lost yet again from trying to take a short cut across country. He rests up in a tree in her demon form that she has taken to climb the tree easier as she peers about hoping to glide a bit before having to find another place to glide from to take some load off her limbs. The large black and wood brown ears flick about in all directions for noises of danger as they catch hold of something new compared to the normal forest noises. as she looks about she can barely make out something that looks odd in the distance. All four ears flick forward in the direction she is looking as the black nose twitches. she hands on to the branch as she looks for a steady and mostly clear way to glide before running back and wiggling her rear as she uses her aglity to keep on the branch and jumps, bringing one of her forward hands up to grab a hold of her hat as the flaps of skin arch out as the bones for flight unfold in the skin to make a parashuit of sorts as she slowly falls to the ground, shifting the tail about to keep from bearing too far off course and shifts back to her android form.

he huffs as she re adjusts the bag on her back and readjusts her clothing before heading to the oddity she saw in the valley. To her thanks it was a town as she jogs in looking quite relived as she laughs lightly in relaif "Ha! Finally civilization." She leans forward to rub her legs to rid them of some of the pain of the long walk and climbing. She polishes off her monical and sets it into place as she smiles nervously as she tries to remember the reason she came up with why she isn't traveling with any one of adult stature. Her relief slowly tumbles back as she sees a demon among the androids that she can see and she feels tinges of worry of a possible myth of the androids that worshiped demons, not that she put much stock into those stories but seeing this made her question what stories she has been told.

Trigger sat up from his bed in his room, hearing the commotion in the streets outside. He rubbed his eyes, gaining focus from his grogginess, wondering who it was that was the source of noise. Normally, it was his uncle or himself being the source of noise in the village on the account that the two of them were known to experiment with explosives and machines. Trigger threw on his usual attire, bumping into furniture and walls unintentionally, then made his way to a window that looked out into the street from his hilltop house. Trigger spotted the boisterous rider and his demon companion as the two talked loudly to each other. But Trigger could only assume they were discussing what to do in town. Visitors were not amongst the common, so seeing them left Trigger with a perplexed expression as he then overheard his uncle step into the den where Trigger stood, surveying the streets from the window.

"Hey kid. Why don't you go find something better to do than eavesdrop on strangers?", his uncle remarked sarcastically. Trigger turned and stared at his uncle with his usual analytic and innocent expression, his eyes then darting to the floor -- left, then right. "They can't be that bad, kid. You shouldn't be so apprehensive of strangers you know. Maybe if you got the gall, you should see what they want and show them around. Oh wait, that's right. You don't talk.", his uncle said with a sort of cruel smirk. Trigger just looked to his side as if he were thinking, then back out the window. He could already see the two newcomers were moving, but then scoped out another unfamiliar face approaching the village's south bank from the woods on the other hill.

"I'm gonna do some more work in a little bit on your equipment like you asked. I'll let you know once I'm done. For now, you ought to find something better to do than stare out the window like a weirdo.", Trigger's uncle finished as he meandered out of the room into a workshop adjacent to the house.

"Great.", Trigger commented to himself as he grabbed his cap from the hat rack off the wall and stepped out onto his front landing.

Zarim snickered and gave Snow a playful wink as he started kicked the stand back up on his back and began to slowly ride around town with Snow right beside him. "Come on, let's get some grub then to poke around any local ruins for some loot, what do you say Snow?" Snow was still a bit flustered and huffed at him with a nod. "Yes...let's do that. I don't want to get embarrassed in another village by you badly...again." She said grumbling.

Zarim chuckled and rode to the refueling station in Leaf and parked his bike by a 'pump'. "Right, start juicin' her up then we'll head inside." He said as he walked over to grab the line on the refueler and hooked it up to the port on his bike then walked inside the station finding himself and Snow a seat, both trying to ignore, if any, looks they might get, Zarim ordering them just some simple food as they waited for the bike to fill up. Snow ate slowly and grumbled to herself causing Zarim to glance at her. "What's wrong babe?" She huffs and eyes him. "Nothing, just don't like attention." Zarim nods and pats her back. "We won't be here long, just gonna eat and get info on any possible ruins, promise."

Trigger made his way down a set of makeshift stairs made from old concrete parking barriers into the main street. The avenue was finally beginning to fill up with activity too. The general trader was just rolling in with his van full of odd wares and goods, filled with both relics and every day commodities. Trigger dashed over and hopped on the back of the van, hanging onto the back frame.

"Oh, Trigger, that you? You stop sneaking up on me like that.", the driver of the van said in a cheery sort of tone, happy to see the young android. "Same place as usual. I hope to score BIG deal today! Adventurer come from south, says he sell me great stuff from ahhh ahhh ummm... Oh yes! Relic ware from old lab from Hydropolis."

Trigger's eyes widened at the trader's story with curiosity and wonder. He nodded, showing his interest and the trader let out a deep laughter, amused at Trigger's inherent interest. His parents were last heard to have been not far from Hydropolis -- At Babel Tower.

Trigger hopped off at the old station were many of the villagers gather every day, then spotting the demon and android pair sitting together. He was a little apprehensive at first, but decided he shouldn't bother them directly. Stowing his curiosity of the strange couple, he decided to seat himself a few stools away.

"Trigger, you're up earlier than usual. What brings you hear at this hour? Uncle got you on a supply run perhaps?", the proprietor asked. Trigger's hat atop read 'MAYBE'. The proprietor fell silent, his eyes darting over to the pair just to his right, then back at Trigger. "Man, kid, if you're so curious...", he began to say before sighing with exasperation. Trigger just shrugged to himself and raised a single finger. "Your usual then?", the proprietor said as he turned around and grabbed a cold can and set it on the table in front of him. It was a cold 10oz coffee. Trigger popped the tab and began to nurse at his coffee with an expression of child-like delight.

Grossbart watches the demon and the android head in as she steps into town feeling a bit safer with seeing that that android and demon seem to be unfamiliar to this town seeing it gas up, or so she hoped as they pulled in to a pumping station. She tilts her hat forward as she wanders into town mostly to shade the ultraviolet monicol as she wanders in seeing where she might be able to get real supplies seeing she has been hunting things to keep her meager supply up but its not like she has been able to catch much in her attempts.

Grossbart being Grossbart wanders about not really having a purpose even if she did find what she needed because of vague curiosity and no active danger, and no worries about the town doing any where quickly as she walks about peering into buildings. She eventually finds her self taking off her hat as she peers at the strange couple from a distance, mostly to see a passive demon which she really hasn't seen much of. She tilts her head to the side before entering wondering how close she can get to the demon, maybe even touch it as she tries to pull it off casually tho in a small town this is failing pretty spectacularly.

As she eats, Snow glances out the window. "After this I hope we can get out of here soon. I don't want to get alot of looks...that you seem to get us in just about every place we go." Zarim chuckled and playfully leans against her. "Is it wrong for me to show of my lovely demon gal? Eh eh?" He teased and snickered, not bothering to lower his voice at all making Snow blush again. "Could you PLEASE not do that out loud..." She trails off as she sees Grossbart looking at her from a distance and growls to herself. "I'm already being watched by someone..." "Hmmm?" Zarim raises an eyebrow and looks out the window. "Eh someone just must be jealous....heh.." He grinned and then walked over to sit by the coffee drinking Trigger. "Hey kid, what do you think of the nice looking girl over there?" He grinned and point back to Snow who was glaring at him and now trying to hide herself with her wings. "Think she deserves a good look at or no eh?" He joked and laughed a bit patting Trigger on his back. "And in all seriousness, you know if there are any ruins near this town?"

Snow was grumbling and blushing beneath her wings. "Oh I am so going to get him for this later...." She grumbled and huffed as she moved wing slightly to look out and see if Grossbart was still looking at her.

Trigger opened his mouth, but remained mute. The proprietor piped up in his place. "Don't expect Trigger there to talk. He can't really. But if you're lookin' for the ruins, there are some just north of here in the woods. There's an old animal trail that leads through the woods, but navigating through to the ruins is a bit of a challenge. No roads or real landmarks to follow unfortunately.", he explained. Trigger looked up at the proprietor, then back at Zarim curiously.

A loud metal thunk could be heard from behind them just then. The trader from before that Trigger hitched a ride from kicked the side of his van with disgust and disappointment. "Damn! That my luck!", he swore. Trigger stared for a second, then hopped up and walked over to the trader who was leaning against his van impatiently. "Oh... Trigger. You not believe this! Adventurer who was meeting me here not show up. People say he lost in woods when leaving north ruins!", the trader complained in his broken dialect.

Trigger stared at the ground, as if searching for something to say. His hat read atop '...' as he thought to himself, then and exclamation point appeared. He looked back up at the troubled trader with a confirmed and determined look. "What? You want to look for the guy? You crazy, Trigger, but you ballsy.", the trader quipped. Trigger then had a startled look and looked back at Zarim and Snow, as if asking something.

Grossbart was watching the demon before hearing something about ruins witch directs her attention to the talkers as she listens intently. Something about ruins. her curiosity quite peaked at the word ruins she hops over and slips up under one of Trigger's arms as she says brightly, " Hey can i come along? I mean adventures action, ruins. Sounds like my kind of thing." Her hat tummbled off to get under his arm as she catches the heavy top hat before it hits the ground and her monical gleams brightly much like her eyes at the thought of an adventure seeing she has no real rush to go any where, not like the directions back on her path will leave.

Zarim thinks for a moment before looking at Snow then back at Trigger and rubs his head. "Ok we'll help, you're quiet which is good...we tend to do things by ourselves though, thus why the quiet is good." He says lightly jabbing Trigger's shoulder with his fist. "We just want something in return for helping when this is done." He nods to Trigger and gets a cocky grin on his face. "Well?"

Snow has her gazed fixed on Grossbart. "I don't want the child to come." She said grumbling as she stayed away from Grossbart. "She has been stareing at me for a few minutes now and I do not like..." Zarim raises an eyebrow at this then looks at Grossbart as she got up under Trigger's arm. "If you want to come along, two things: you need to be quiet, and stop stareing at my girl like something is wrong with her. You got it?" He looks at Trigger. "The second part of those two rules goes for you too, Trigger isn't it? You cool with that kid?"

Trigger turned to Zarim, shrugging and then finally speaking. "I have to grab my gear then.", he said plainly. Trigger then ran off into the dusty streets, tripping a bit as he made a turn to head back up hill, crashing through his front door to the distance and into his house.

"Aye? Hey kid! What ya up to!?", his uncle shouted out from the workshop. Trigger made his way into the workshop doorway, leaning against the door frame. "Oh man, you're thinking about leaving, huh? Well if that's the case, take the work hammer. You'll find it more handy than you could imagine out there in the woods. Also, take this bolter. Takes 40mm shells. It'll make a fine grenade pistol. You can arc the shot if you're really skilled.", his uncle explained as he sat up from his work bench underneath a fluorescent light and walked over to a few wooden crates and steel bins. He popped open a box and pulled the lid back. "In here are some shells. They aren't powerful, but that's because I need some more potent explosives to make better shells. Take as many as you need, I got a large stockpile." Trigger nodded and joined his uncle's side, collecting a number of shells for himself. He then took the work hammer. It was a large, wooden mallet with a 4 foot reinforced pole.

"That should cover it, kid. Grab anything you may find useful. And be careful, okay? I'd hate to have to repair you myself.", his uncle added with a sort of protective sense of care. Trigger nodded and then darted off into his room. He looked around for anything he thought may prove useful. He then spotted a cartridge he left on his dresser. It was a data storage cartridge. He pocketed it and bolted his way back out the door, in an almost breakneck run down hill back to where the others were standing at the station. He skidded to a halt.

"That Trigger is FAST.", the trader remarked. Trigger's hat read atop 'READY'.

Grossbart makes a face at Zarim as he says something about her staying quiet and stop looking at his girl. She looks between them with a unsure look as her mind clicks about what that can mean before she sneers at him, " I would like to see you make me not come. Not like you can keep me from following." At this she sticks out her tongue at Zarim and his demon companion.

Zarim grumbles at Grossbart. "This is true...but just at least dont stare at her." Snow is eyeing Grossbart the whole time as she heads to the door and out to Zarim's bike. Zarim pats Trigger on the shoulder and glances at Grossbart. "Well let's get going, I want to get this done quick and get back to my life of wandering." He says as he walks out to his bike and gets onto it and starts it up. "Where exactly at the ruins at kid?" He calls back inside to Trigger.

Trigger simply points a direction into the woods. A small foot trail is visible through the grass leading into the sea of trees ahead of them. He began to head out in that same direction, his hammer at rest on his right shoulder. The size of the hammer compared to the young android looked comical.

Grossbart watches Snow and Zarim idly as her mind ticks away about the potentialities of what they really are and what they might do, weather the ideas are plausible or not to reality and not really caring to respond to him. She seems to settle down with heading back into the wilderness as she trails near Trigger her movement becoming less jerky and sudden as the motion of her walk seems to become more flowing as her steps become softer in sound. Periodically her eyes drift towards Trigger as a slight smirk at the sight of him with his hammer. She rolls her hat along her arms before popping it off an arm, catching it as she places it on her head.
She seems to of lost interest in the pair at the moment and more consider with her surroundings as she keeps an eye out for the normal dangers of demons, naturally wary of them since they do attack people. She quietly adjusts her monical as she checks for lingering signs of possible energy signals or faint ones for an early warning of something being about.

Zarim nods at Trigger and started up his bike and rode at 'slow' speed into the woods, riding a bit ahead of Trigger and Grossbart. He thought for a moment before calling back to them. "Ok, I supposer introductions are in order." He grumbled and slowed down a bit to be right beside them. "My name is Zarim, don't get too used to it cause I'm leaving town after this." He motions to Snow with his head. "This is Snow, again dont get too used to her name too." Snow just nods slightly and glances at Grossbart. "We know Trigger already, so what is your name girly?" Zarim says glancing at Grossbart.

"Me name is Grossbart" She says as she jabs her thumb into her chest. She stands up straighter and smirks slightly as she catches her hat and pulls it down farther about her head to a snug fit, leaving only wisps of her white and blue hair showing from under it. Her monical seems rather normal other then the darker sheen to it. "MOst call me hey you." she sticks her togue out at the small joke and goes back to looking out at the wilderness.