Chapter 5: Hold On
1857 Words
In the large turret control room, the walls made of metal-synsis, Dyven, his jacket and trousers red synsis, sat in his chair and stared through the monitors that showed the outside world.
Watch the outside and note the Monsters that came too close; the Hunters posted around just outside would handle the fighting. He supported them and watched for any Monsters on a path towards Walldurus.
The task required constant watch, something his Necroian blood made him all the more qualified to perform. Though being full-blooded, he was only allowed to fire under certain conditions. His main job was to watch for months at a time.
Next to him, a Necroian, Mechoian mix with yellow eyes, black hair and wearing a top; a yellow long-armed short jacket, dress and thigh-highs of smooth synsis, everything black except the jacket. She frowned. "That's another Victorin city gone, o and there's, and they're extinct on this continent. Well, as far as I can see," Aiden said.
"I'm not even gonna start talking about the morality of what you said. An entire nation wiped out, and you have the same reaction as a character's death."
Aiden shrugged, "eh, helps if you don't see them as people, I just watch them cus there's nothing else to do. Shame, though, they just developed their weapons to steam-powered."
"Weird clothes through," Dyven noted.
"O yeah, what the hell were those men's clothes? Don't have that much problem with the girl clothes though."
"Sadly, that is Victorin destroyed," the manager said solemnly. Their technology is inferior to ours, but who wants to adopt their mens' clothing."
None raised their hands.
"And the females' clothing," several raised their hands.
"Yes, I think we can develop those clothes with some changes, of course."
"Gonna get a few more girls," Aiden said.
"Kinda glad they gone now though, didn't want people to start wearing those things. We don't need another difference from the Enorians."
She stared at him, "who's talking now?"
"Yeah, yeah," he replied.
"Hey, do you think that Dragon'll be a problem?"
Dyven stared at the monitor, "don't think so," he said; that city was pretty weak, so that Dragon shouldn't be that strong. Plus, it was a fire one, and those guys can't do much to us." "Yeah."
The two went back to work, Aiden killing serval Monsters over days, the rods embedding inside their bodies and then exploding. Though only when Dyven said it was alright.
"Dragon coming; looks like an acid one," Aiden said after checking another screen. What do you think? "It's pretty strong but destroys remains."
"I saw some Rotreshi around that area. They're probably waiting for a defence type or a Regenerator to kill it. And there're no Scavagers for miles."
"So, no?" She asked, "what do they do again? Sorry didn't pay too much attention in school."
"That's fine; they come after Svavagers take what meat is left. Rotureshi take everything else. Dangerous thing about them is that they can take the carcases' traits. Even use the organs."
"Ok, leaving it alive then."
"You've gotta be careful about this kinda stuff, and they have our level of intelligence though not to an Enorian. If they get that Dragons' acid, not much stopping them from burning through the walls, they know they need it to break through.
"Yeah, I see them, ******* disgusting bastards, yep, just a whole bunch of rotting skin covering their emaciated bodies. Do they have to look so like us? We even have their skin colours," Aiden said, shivering.
Dyven stared at her and smiled slightly.
"What?" She asked.
"You don't know, do you?"
"She doesn't know?" one in the room asked.
"Thought it was common knowledge," another said.
"Know what!" Aiden yelled.
"keep discussion between your partners, please," the supervisor of the 25th watch division said, "or just keep your eyes on your monitors." She was ten years away from the time when her body would fail her and had spent the last twenty working no-stop.
Several out of the tens in the room replied.
"Come on, tell me damnit."
"Ok, Demi, Mono and Dracomen all look like us because they were Human at one point. Demi and Monomen are the results of mutations, can happen to any of us. They are either born like that, mutate later in life or are the child of a non-Human.
Aiden stared at herself and looked over her body.
"Don't worry; those genses have little presence here. Dracomen can come from mutations but are more commonly those who eat or drink Dragon matter and have their bodies change because of it."
"Ok," Aiden said, "then why are there Rotreshi when they don't resemble other Monsters? Also, which category do they fall under?
Dyven, with eyes on his monitor, answered, "without skin and bone armour, they can pass us at a distance..." he stopped to cough and rub his eyes.
"You good, shouldn't you go home?" Aiden looked at him, "it must be bad if you're wearing clothes now, and heat synsis at that."
"No, I'm good, still got some Necroian in me. Now, where was I? A yes, so they are classed as Demimen due to their mouths and skin. They aren't the result of mutation and are what happens if people resort to eating raw Monster carcasses. If you look closely near ruined villages, you might be able to see it happen in real-time. It will probably happen to those Victorin survivors if they survive that long, sad really, but that's how this world is."
"Can't we, I don't know, take them in?" Aiden asked.
"Did you even pay attention in Hunting school, or even pass!" The manager yelled.
"I took the kill point course, look my job is to kill what Dyven says I need to. I didn't need to learn about everyone to know how to kill him."
She sighed, "that's alight, but we can't take people in. The Enorians have enough trouble managing a city this large to calculate for new people. Then there's the case of Devourers, among other parasitic Monsters. Sure we can scan them but not Devourers; they can easily be Doppelgangers; I shouldn't have to say why a Devourer getting in is bad." She breathed out, "sorry for that, keep up the good work."
"Right," Aiden replied.
"O, one looks like they gonna back up Mike or Martha, just get them to go away."
Aiden fired at the monstrous serpent's head at intervals as it reared up towards the two Kaiju until it decided to leave. "How long have those two been at it?" She asked.
"Don't know," Dyven answered, "must've started after the walls were erected.
"And why those names?"
"Also, don't know, guess since they fight like an old married couple, and no, we can't kill them. We don't even want to try; those two might acknowledge us in a bad way, and they keep small Monsters away.
Hours passed, and she watched the Rotreshi community, "yeah, that stuff on their bodies looks like clothes; like I can see dresses and cloaks." She paused for a moment, "Dyven?"
"Yes?"
"Where're the babies?"
"Nowhere, Rotreshi babies don't exist."
"What?"
"I mean, look at them; if they look like that, then their babies have a minimal survival rate. Either a person eats a Monster carcass, or another Rotreshi turns them."
Aiden shivered, "can't we just kill them from here?"
Dyven shook his head, "we don't know if one of them can deflect attacks; that'll be very bad if they could, plus another group could eat their corpses and get even stronger. Besides, as the Fualows show, not all Monsters want to kill us. We have a group of Rotreshiwho process Monster corpses for us. They get rights, food and safety, and we get food, weapons, leather and protection from the bacteria that forms on corpses and rots everything around it. Since we process, Monster kills, we kinda need them.
"Even some Devourers have protected us," the manager noted, "though likely due to them being unable to absorb us if we're dead."
"Ok, and let me guess, with Monster people being so close to us, doesn't that mean all of them can turn us.
"Yep, I wouldn't say how cus it breaks policy. It makes sense though, children are weak, so it's better out there to skip that stage for most of them." Dyven sighed.
"My bad, sorry, shouldn't have brought it up."
He sighed again, "no, it's alright, I've accepted it. Best thing to do now is to protect her ashes."
"But their bodies were never found. They might still be..."
"They're dead; if they haven't come back in all this time, then they're dead."
"Just take care of yourself, please. Why don't you take a break or retire? You are eligible for it, and you have the Fualow at home."
He sighed.
"Sorry."
"Chuben can sort himself out; seeing him reminds me of Ulla. They got along so well. I even feel guilty taking him to Grave-houses to hunt, but I can't let her's fall."
"So, is that what you're doing?" She said, gesturing towards his notes.
"Yeah, I'm trying to see if the ones who attack the houses have any more weaknesses. Seems fire is still the best bet."
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They wouldn't have a conversation until days later when Aiden noted a giant Monster with a thick body and a sparkly back, killing and eating others. "What is that? Is that?" She flicked through the pages next to her, "ore?"
"Yes, that's an Ore-back; everything has minerals, even more so for Monsters. So they go round killing and eating leftovers, then absorb the minerals which fuel their bodies and cause ore deposits to form on their bodies."
"We can take it; imagine what we can use it for!" She yelled, "real metal."
"You want Melvalor to siege us; they need it, we don't; Geoian made synsis is similar to metal, but they need ore."
"Yeah, my people use the ancient art of smelting, not the cheap synsis crap you guys use," one of the Hunters posted outside the wall said over the phone.
"Sorry about that."
She cut another Monster down, "it's fine," she answered.
"Yeah, let's not give Ranamle, Melvalor or Moanal any reason to attack us, ok. Heartless want to kill everything, but don't fire at them; it may be able to deflect our attack."
"Right," she replied, "how do they even exist, though? They don't use ore, and synsis needs bodies, a department that they're quite lacking in."
Dyven shrugged his shoulders, "don't know."
"Ok!" The manager said, "time to go, stop working," the group that would take over entering the room, a wave of noise coming with them.
"Hey," Aiden said.
"Yeah?"
"Where are you going?"
"To hunt in Ulla's Grave-house. Why?"
"Mind if I come, I am a Mechoian after all."
Dyven stopped to think for a moment, "you can come if you want." The two left and took the industrial elevator to the base of the wall.
"I'll pick Chuben up first."
"Yeah," Aiden replied as they stepped onto the rickety transporter.
- Writer
