Chapter Two: ✴Bonds of the Past and Present✴

The impact of metal crushing stone thundered throughout the training room, rubble and dust from the obliberated boulders fell down onto the debri cluttered stone floor. The four gauntlet clad fists gleamed in the warm fiery light of the Wall Lanturns. The gauntlets were made out of the silver-blue metal alloy known as Mythril.

Mythril was legendary for its ability to take a beating and could withstand high levels of gravity before being crushed. Making it the perfect material for the heavy plated gauntlets or Myth-Fists some Vydruma have chosen to wield as their choice of weapon.

The Myth-Fists complelety covered the hand and it's plated cuff ended just past the wrist. Extra padding made from Rubbrex was sewn carefully inside the gauntlets.

The elastic properties of the artificially made cloth lessened the jarring impact of every punch and absorbed the kinetic force behind the punches. The gauntlets when worn made the fists of a Vydruma look twice their size.   

The Myth-Fists of this 6.3 foot female Vydruma wore where clearly customized. The inside of the gauntlets Rubbrex padding had been dyed into a light purple hue. The outer appearance of these Myth-Fists had been covered in a metallic coating of dark violet. A snarling lion with large curled horns was engraved on the large flat plating covering the top part of the hand.

The snarling face of the Leomyra, a Rayajinn of the Beast Familia was the Symbol of the Fullwynne Clan, a family of Vydruma who hailed from Ardilia. They are masters and martial artists of the Fierce Fist Martial Art and wield Crystoa Artes based around this punch oriented martial arts. Myth-Fists are a popular choice of weapon for this Clan.

The heavy breathing of the Vydruma filled the room, her pale grey eyes closed as she calmed and regulated her breathing. Short white spiraling horns curled out of the sides of her head, just above her temples. Long ram-like ears with light brown tufted furry tips extended out of the sides of her head.

The rest of her facial features were far more human-like. A sharp noise with with a narrow chin and scar on her right cheek. Her hair was a dirty blonde and shaved on the left side of her head. The rest of the hair was cut short and hung down on the right side of her face. Strands of her hair had dark and light purple highlights in it.

Dust from the freshly crushed boulder settled down on trembling and sweat soaked arms. Four arms that held not an ounce of fat, lean and supple like the muscles on a lioness out on a hunt. A Crymedal was fused into her upper left arms shoulder. Her skin was a dark chocolate hue, marked with scars both old and new, the entirety of her body was a lean machine of destructive grace.

A protective mythril alloy cuirass coated in a dark metallic violet hue was strapped to the upper part of her body. The chest piece's only covered her back and breast area, underneath the cuirass was a sleeveless Mythril chainmail shirt. It protected and covered her abdomen, the chainmail shirt had no customized colour coating on it, leaving it in the silver-blue colours of the alloy.  

The Symbol of her Clan was proudly engraved on the front piece of the cuirass. A short sleeveless vest made from the strong flexible and steel-like silk of the Mothroon, was worn over the cuirass. It was open in the front, the vest ended mid-riff and the silk was dyed white, the collar and hem ends of the arm holes where dyed black.

Around her waist was a black leather belt with a dark metallic voilet coated buckle. Too the right and left side of the belt where metal rings she could clip her Myth-Fists onto. She was wearing white dyed Mothroon silk pants that ended just below her knees. Her short and narrow tail extended out of the tailbone part of her pants bottoms, the tip of the tail ended in a light brown tuff of fur. 

Dark metallic violet coating covered her plated Mythril alloy greaves and were strapped to her lower legs. Black dyed leather straps were tied around her feet, the hoof-like claws of her three toes poked out of the bindings. 

Surrounding her are the remians of the boulders she had called fourth using one of her Terra aligned Crystoa Artes. She opened her eyes and stretched out her sore arms with a pleased groan, the muscles burning from the exertion of her rapid paced punches.

She lowered them and took off her Myth-Fists, the gauntlets clinking as she clipped them onto her belt. The tall Vyruma ears twitched when she heard the soft thumping of feet moving towards her. She turned to face the entryway into her training room and folded her lower arms across her chest...

---<>-<◇>-<>---

...I smiled at the 15 year old Myakat stepping into my training room, his honey-gold slitted eyes met my pale grey ones. I nodded my head slightly at him. "Good morning, En." I warmly greet him. En waved his paw at me, his other paw gripping the sling of his satchel. "Morning, Kel!" He replied in a cheerful tone.

His fluffy black tail curled and twitched as he let out an impressed whistle. His honey-gold slitted eyes took in the mess of my early morning exercise, he grinned revealing his long canines. "Well dang, someone's been busy!" He said while he waved his left paw and gestured at the rubble resting around me.

I hummed and raised my right upper arm, my hand clenched into a fist. I stare at my hand, noticing the many scars marking my dark skin. "I must keep up my training so that I do not grow weak, you know by now how important that is to one such as I. My Clans Martial Art - The Fierce Fist Martial Art, requires that I keep and train my body to its utmost limits. Though I am still far from mastering it. My older brother is far better than I, in our Clans Martial Art. He is the one who taught me our Clans fighting style."

He nodded his head at my words. "Huh, never knew your brother taught you how to fight, he's gotta be one tough guy if you say he's better than you. Your, like the strongest person I know, besides Nix. It's a little scary to think someone out there has a stronger punch than you... " He places his paws on his hips and warely eyes my raised fist. "Man, I pity the guy who gets walloped by you or your brothers punches!" I let out an amused snort at his words.

I lower and relax my hand, I unfold my lower arms and raise my lower left arm up. I point at him my right brow lifting as I speak. "I do not think you came to simply talk. Correct me if I am wrong, but are you here for the offer of help I gave you yesterday evening?" I saw En's eyes widened a little, he than smiled. "Spot on there Keltha, some of the Job Requests I got from the Towns Notice Board this morning are perfect for you and I."

He reached down and flipped open his satchel's lid, pulling out some slightly crumpled papers. He looks through them and grabs one, lifting it up and turning it to show me. I lean forward and grab the paper from him with my upper right hand. I carefully exam its contents.

[|⚠️|A Wild Rayajinn Hunt, issued by Chief Head Miner Salthos|⚠️| {A pack of Wild Rayajinn have wandered into the towns mines and are attacking the miners and eating the ore we are collecting. Please can someone get rid of them!?} ✖Reward: 1600 Geo and assorted metal ingots.]

"The Wild Rayajinn...could be some Moleroc's they do love mineral rich rocks." I murmur, lowering the job request I turn my eyes back to En. "It seems we will be paying the Alora Mines a visit today." I pass the Job Request back to him, he grabbed it and stuffed it back into his satchel.

He looks back up to me and smiles gratefully. "I- thanks for helping me out again Kel, your strength and fighting experience helps me get a lot of these Job Requests done faster. I managed ta grab these before anyone else could, we should go to to the R.R.U and register these. I don't wanna keep the folks needing our help waiting to long!" He starts to turn to the exit, but stops and glanced back at me over his shoulder. "I'll be in the Lobby waiting for you 'Kay? Seriously Kel, thanks for helping me out with these..."

I felt the warm fondness I had for him rise up, I gave him a gentle smile. "We both know the true reason you do this En. You told me, awhile go when I asked why you spent your days working instead of playing. Your answer was a kind and selfless one. You should know by now that I will always be there to lend my strength to yours. You are like kin to me, in all but blood." I watched as he laughed sheepishly and gave me a bright smile before running out of the training room.

I shook my head and sighed, I rubbed my neck and walked out of the room shortly after him. I looked to the right of me, the end of the hallway lead to the entrance to my agency and lobby room. I turned left and made may to the stairs that lead to the second floor. Up above me was my home, a three room apartment. One central area for a small kitchen and living room, a large storeroom/workspace and a guest room.

My eyes wandered to the small Wall Lanturns lighting up the hallway. The Wall Lanturn was one of the simpler examples of Crystaltek. The main body of the little devices where shaped like a cube, withen its contents was a complex and neat bundle of Elumeta circuitry.

All of it surrounding a disk known as a Template. Templates were programs designed and coded with M.R.C or- Modern Runic Coding- for a singular purpose or two. Running throughout it all was the small battery known as the Crystal Power Cell, it's Phirenite Eldyne Crystal, Pyro aligned Elemura flowed through the circuitry and gave life to the Template.

The preprogrammed disk with its M.R.C Array coded into it manipulated the fiery Elemura for its intended use. Above the black coated metal cube were glass orb shaped light bulbs, each one lit up with the warm fiery light of Pyro Elemura shaped into a small blaze.

I made my way up the stairs, my thoughts shifting to what my older brother had taught me about the present day Crystaltek and what I had learned through my own research. Most of our technology was based off of the ancient Reilcs and Artifacts found in Agi-dexo ruins. Reseachers and scientists studied the ancient pieces of recovered technology and objects.

Someone eventually dubbed our new technology - Crystaltek. Given the fact that nearly every aspect of Crystaltek utilized Eldyne Crystals and the manipulation of their Elemental Elemura through Modern Runic Coding. Agi-dexo Tech still somehow worked, despite they all hailed from the 15,000 pre-Empire civilization. Ancient mechanical guardians and security systems gaurded the interior of the ruined remnants of this lost civilization. Many theorize it is thanks to the Ancient Runic Coding the Agi-dexo used is what keeps all of their tech alive.

The A.R.C was one out many things they discovered in one of the ruins, though the Ancient Runic Coding was found in a ruin that looked like it had once been some sort of research facility. They had found a very rare and still intact computer of some kind, the real prize was held within its databanks. The Expedition Team brought it back with them and gave it to the Empire to study. Thanks to the A.R.C we where able to develop our own version of what the Agi-dexo had made. Unfortunately the language the Agi-dexo wrote in was impossible to decipher, forcing the Empire to adapt there own central language into the Runic Coding.

The rest is history, the Panphar Empire adopted Crystaltek and from there we started developing our own. I frowned when I a memory of a book I had read interrupted my train of thought. It had been about the Calamity.

Nearly everyone in the Panphar Empire knew about the Calamity, a mysterious and terrible event that nearly ended all life in the Alteon Solar System 15,000 years ago.

Evidence of this event existed in ancient battlefields scattered across the five planets, the hundreds of skeletons of creatures looking like they had just dropped dead and the damaged environments on the planets like that of Gyrodren and Roavelk.

One of the victims of the Calamity where the Agi-dexo, entire graveyards of their remains can be found in these battlefields and ruins. The bones telling a chilling story of death and destruction, many of the Agi-dexo ruins have been damaged as if they too had been under attack. Scholars and other such minded people think the only reason the Alteon Solar System is still in place is because of the Rayons. Powerful and deity like beings the Agi-dexo worshipped and are even said to have communicated with.

But the existence of such beings is both doubted and believed. Personally I believe they exist. I have seen the statues and temples for each of these Rayons, I have seen strange and wonderous things that could only be the work of such powerful beings. The archeologists who studied the temples have slowly discovered what each of the three Rayons powers and histories belonged to. The murals and statues in their respective temples, revealed and showed what they would have lookd like and what they did to help the Agi-dexo.

Bravileon, Ventrix and Magmias. Those are the names that the researchers have ended up calling the Rayons, no one knows what the Agi-dexo called them. So the names stuck, to me they sounded just right. I was 17 when I started hearing rumors of a new religion burning its way through the Empire. Seems someone had taken up the lost Agi-dexo's worship of the Rayons and revived it.

I was not one to be the religious kind, but did have a more open-minded view than most people. So I just accepted it as another addition to the Empire and moved on, though I did find their belief that the Rayons had a had in the creation of Alteon fascinating. After all the Agi-dexo had left behind far too much evidence that the Rayons or some powerful being had communicated with them.

It was these mysteries and other unanswered questions surrounding the Agi-dexo that lead and inspired me to become a Ruin Hunter. Ruin Hunters where a special brand of people, warriors who had the unique skills to explore the dangerous ruins scattered throughout the solar system. We where explorers, treasure hunters, scholars etc. A mixed bag of talent and passionate drive to discover the mysteries of the Agi-dexo.

The Raya Ranger Union was in charge of keeping track and handling the Ruin Hunters. We weren't exactly a part of the organization, more like contracted freelance mercenaries of a sort. We where free to do what we wanted to an extent and could freely pick and choose the Missions the R.R.U sent our way. After a certain amount of successful Missions a Ruin Hunter is given permission to open there own agency.

I smiled remembering the first Mission I had accepted, that had had been a wild and dangerous adventure. To become a Ruin Hunter one had to prove they could survive and have what it takes to explore a ruin. An older and more experienced Ruin Hunter would be hired to fight and test your skills in a series of tests. The last being an actual venture out into the depths of an Agi-dexo ruin.

I successfully passed all of those tests and was than registered into the database of the R.R.U. Thus granting me what I had sought after since I was 9, the R.H License...

I had been training and learning all I could to become a Ruin Hunter, my brother encouraged and helped me where he could along my hard fought path. I was given Guidebooks written by Ruin Hunters, books about the Agi-dexo and the Calamity, lessons in all matters of subjects. It had been tough and I often found myself falling asleep studying, but it was worth the effort.

When I turned 15 years old I was finally able to sign up for my long held dream and I had overcome all they tossed at me. Now I was an experienced Ruin Hunter of 11 years, with my own agency and a nice list of Missions I had successfully completed under my belt. I had eventually chosen Alora as my home and place to set up, the decision to settle here was an easy one.

When I was just starting out, I traveled alongside other Ruin Hunters and joined Expeditions, I saw the wonders and many dangers Alteon offered. Fought and won, lost and learned. I grew stronger and wiser, my Clans Martial Art became more refined. Yet I had not found the right place to settle and put up my agency, an agency was important for a Ruin Hunter. It would act as their home and place of business, it made it far easier for the locals of the planet and the Alora R.R.U Branch to get in contact with me.

I had just stopped to rest and recuperate in Alora after a particularly tiring Mission...unknown to my past self I would end up meeting my closest friends just a few days later in the town. Four friends who ended up forming an agency with me, a team that had would become famous throughout the town. Even if I had lost 3 of those good friends 5 years ago, I still kept my agency open.

After all I had a promise to keep...

My friend Nix remained close to me and I befriended En's only living relative, Vars. Though Nix retired from his work as a Raya Ranger and my team, he now ferried travelers to the town. I helped in raising and protecting Nix's daughter, Aris and Vars nephew En. Over those long years I grew close to them all and had to admit they had all become kin to me. A second family of sorts and made the pain I felt from their parents passing a little easier to bare.

The anger I felt towards the murderous filth in the desert still remained, a simmering ember I harnessed and kept in control when I fought the fools who followed their path. I had seen the same anger in En's eyes, yet I worried over him. I fear his hatred and anger would blind him if he ever encountered a Sand Raider or Daesina. He was still far to inexperienced to face such foes yet. Luckily such enemies do not wander or dare approach Alora, the town's location made it hard for any raid or invasive force.

The solar system was a dangerous place, for the children. So I taught and helped Aris and En to fight, Nix sometimes would lend out some of his advice and train them. It was a sad truth, but even the average citizen of the Empire can fight to a degree. The children had learned the harsh reality of this world and as a consequence they had lost the innocent childhood they had deserved.

The famailer sight of the marroon curtains covering the doorway into my abode stirred me from my wandering thoughts. I reached out and brushed them aside stepping into my home. The room I walked into was large and split into two parts. To the east wall was my lounge or living room, a pile of colorful cushions and pillows where piled up in the left corner. Blankets and quilts layed haphazardly over the nest of softness, just a little above the pile was an open window.

This was my bed, I enjoyed listening to the night sounds as I fell asleep. A large round blue mat rested on the stone tiled floor. To the north wall of my bed was a tall and wide bookshelf, thick spined books I'd collected over my travels sat on the shelves. The other half of the room was taken up by my kitchen, a Wall Lanturn bolted and hung above my sink. My fridge sat pressed against the west end wall of the room. A small section of countertop separated the sink and fridge. A tall rectangular cabnit placed in the right corner of the kitchen acted as my pantry.

My stove and rack for my cooking utensils where facing my fridge and sink. A 4 person sqaure wooden dining table rested just in between the two spaces, the chairs tucked into the sides of the table. Most compliances and other such tools like the fridge where another form of the more mundane Crystaltek used by the wider populous of the Panphar Empire.

I walked pass all of this and entered the short hallway just beyond the main room. At the very end of the hallway, where the curtains acting as the doorways for the other two rooms of my home. To the left was the guest room, the right room was my workshop/storeroom. I pushed the navy blue curtains aside and looked around the cluttered room. I narrowed my eyes as I searched, for my traveling bag.

My eyes passing over the metal shelves, wooden chests and racks taking up the one side of the room. Knicknaks, precious ores, Rayajinn parts and other such objects where stored in them all. I looked away from them and turned to the long table that acted as my work bench. My eyes fell upon the familiar white and violet coloured theme of my bag. I walked over to the table and grabbed its long thick black strap.

I opened the large sturdy traveling bag, carefully checking everything I usually had for my Missions and odd jobs was inside. "Hmm, good the gift I have for him is here as well." I say while gently touching the black clothe wrapped around the gift. The sound of metal clinking against metal came from the gift.

Just thinking about En's expression when he saw these made me smile widely, I know he had been trying to save up some Geo for himself. But at the rate he was going it would take months, he was far too focused on giving most of his earnings toward the little nest egg he was making for Vars. He had always been selfless like that, preferring to help out his friends and family before himself.

Aris and I often found ourselves having to support him or dissuade him from over-exerting himself. The Myakat may be small, but his heart was big, I closed my bag and clasped it shut, slinging it over my right shoulder. I tugged on my Myth-Fists to make sure they where clipped on securely to there hooks. With that done a made my way out of my home and walked into the lobby of my agency.

I held back a laugh when I saw En fiddling with a small device of some kind. He was always inventing something, some new Crystaltek gadget to help out his friends or just to keep himself busy. His large triangular ears twitched and he looked up from his little gizmo.

He quickly studied me and grinned widely shoving his device back into his satchel. "So which Job Request do you wanna start with? I was able ta nab a few like the Mining one before anyone else could grab them. We could also do the simpler and easy ones first, Miss Rowly and some of the Workshops out in the Outskirts need some parts delivered ta them." He asked me, I thought over it and answered. "Why don't we do the Job Requests that are close to each other instead of running back and fourth across the town?"

En's eyes brightened at my suggestion, he pushed off of the wall and moved to my left side. He only reached up to my waist, his 4.5 height against my 6.3 foot one was quite the contrast. "That's a great idea it'll make thing's a little easier for us, I wonder if we'll see Aris while working. She did say she was helping her pa with his job today." He said while looking up at me. I rubbed my chin with my upper right hand and hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps, we do have those Requests out in the Outskirts so we may get a chance to see her."

I watched as En nodded his tail swaying at his happiness, Aris and En where like two peas in a pod. Their sibling like relationship was as close as could be, I chuckled and ruffled the top of his head. He let an annoyed meow, eyes narrowed as he glared up at me. "You know I hate it when you do that!" He hissed as he re-adjusted the goggles on his forehead.

I just laughed and walked to the exit, I opened the door and turned to him. "Well, we best be off, lets do the Alora Outskirts first. But before that we need to register these Requests to the Alora R.R.U, once that is done we can start." He huffed a little as I ignored his protest, than followed after me as I exited the Fullwynne Agency. I glanced at En, he caught my eye and spoke. "Alright, sounds good ta me. Do you wanna split the rewards once we finish the Job Requests?"

I answered immediately to his question. "No, the Geo is all yours as well as any extra bonus. I have more than enough Geo from my Missions, I told you before En... I will gladly aid you in your tasks. I do not seek what you are trying to gain, but all the same it was kind of you to ask me this." I watched as he turned his head away from my fond and gentle gaze.

He rubbed his neck and huffed before meeting my eyes. "...Okay, I just wanted ta make sure." He replied with a quiet voice. We walked into the crowded sidewalks and fell into a comfortable silence. I inwardly promised I would give him his gift as soon as we finished our business with the Alora R.R.U. He deserved no less than the best the weaponsmiths of Alora had to offer. My gift was also another way I could keep him safe, he was alright at casting Elemental based Crystoa Artes but with a weapon he would be able to use the full range of the Crystoa Arte style he was trained to fight in.

I had promised his and Aris's parents I would protect them for all my worth. I intended to keep that promise intact, I had already failed them.

I would not fail their children.