chapter 1: the temple

The view of a city he visited was always different. If the last one is abandoned and ruined, then this one is crowded. Natives were flocking to the street and the buildings between them. The loud noises of the vehicles, the company, and the people in there were louder than in an opera theater. He saw figures crouching at the wall of a building with a written slab on their lap. He knew that those figures were not beggars; they were folks looking for someone to hire them. Beggars in this city did not search for food and money; they wanted jobs instead. There are also merchants walking around the street while honking their horns at other citizens. They're holding the products they want to sell in a box or a cart. The people who were covering the streets also formed different shapes.

Indeed, this is an alien city; they tend to be different. Right now, he was walking behind a man who looked like a closed umbrella. Tentacles spread from the top-notch as a rib and are walking in one leg. It wasn't jumping; it was walking. Halley couldn't see the toes since they were covered with a skirt. Along the street, Halley kept bumping into a small citizen who walked between the folks. Some of them tangled around his legs and annoyed him with their noise. He could understand what they said; he just didn't want to help them. Halley shoved them aside, even kicking them. Those small folks have different shapes, but the ones that were clinging to him looked like a baby but with a worm head and a hole as a face. The scream for help came from that hole, and Halley just ignored it. Those tiny figures usually ask for a deal.

He turned to the other path of the road and accidentally bumped into a giant fat frog that was blocking half of the road. The frog was holding something in its hand and putting it on its slimy belly. The merchant below him is holding the same product that the frog holds. He looked at Halley and started honking.

'HOOOOCKKK HOOOOCCCK'

That was the sound of a merchant selling his products. The voice sounded like a train honk, but it was close to his face. Halley preferred to ignore the merchant and walk around the frog. There are also thin alien figures that are walking like other people. They look like worms but have a human body, and they have a transparent color.

Buildings in that city were unique. They aren't shaped in a rectangle with a roof; instead, they are shaped in many shapes. A store that looks like four pentagons piled up, a building that is shaped like a bird nest, an office that is shaped like a bee hive, with the transparent worm aliens sticking their heads outside the hole There is also a skyscraper, but it looks like a high pole. Some of the buildings are shaped like an animal's nest, and some of them are just variant kinds of shapes. Citizens in the city could be seen covering the buildings built on the street until their figures popped out from the window. This could tell how crowded the city was, from outside to inside.

Huuuurrrrr...….huuuuuuuurrrrr...…

Halley walked across a beggar with a written slab on his lap. He read the letter on that slab that translated "I need a job, I need water". He looked at the surroundings and noticed one thing. Not a single drop of water appeared in the city. The merchants either sell food or products. The fountain displayed in the street didn't work and was flooded by small creatures. Some folks are even crouching beside the sewer to wait for the water. From this sight, Halley seemed to know why he came here.

Shhhrrrrrraaaaaaa...…..!!!!!!!!!

Suddenly, the sound of a scream was heard from behind. Halley noticed that sound and looked back. An alien shaped like a rhomboid with three eyes was rushing against the citizen. That alien has three bodyguards. One with a worm head, one with a fat body and a ruined face plus a horn on the forehead, and the other one is thin as a skeleton and has a long jaw and a small mouth. The rhomboid shape noticed Halley and shouted to the bodyguards.

Halley covered his face with his hood and strolled off, getting away from the chaser. He slipped through the crowd. One bodyguard with a thin body expanded its four legs. It became higher than all of the people and stepped its leg between the crowded place. Halley didn't know it could do that and was startled when it walked faster. The other bodyguard with a worm face jumped onto the wall of a building. It stood there with its legs and ran on the walls. It jumps when there's a lag between the walls, and the pace is the same as the skinny one. Meanwhile, the fat bodyguard extended its fat belly and yelled. The frightening voice scared all the citizens until they gave the bodyguards free space to catch them.

Halley was spotted as the crowd decreased. The fat bodyguard started to run faster than the other two with its two legs. Halley gave a surprised face and strolled off quickly. He fastened up his pace, but the bodyguards were still catching up to him. He's looking for the most crowded road and wants to blend in with the people. The fat bodyguard did the scream again and made the crowd go away, but Halley was out of sight. The rhomboid shape, who was their boss, was sitting on the fatty's pouch on its back. It told its two other bodyguards to find him.

Halley hopped onto the ceiling. He checked outside to see if those bodyguards had noticed him from afar. He strode away from those chasers, blending again with another crowd. He went inside a building for a hiding place. He was surprised by five aliens that resided in the room.

Looking at their appearance, those aliens look feminine. Halley had a hunch that he had accidentally sneaked into a brothel. The five of them looked at him in surprise, but they ignored him the moment after. Halley gave them an apologetic smile and strode off across the room. Then, one alien called him.

"Are you in a chase?"

The alien was speaking in her language. But Halley could understand her words. No alien speaks human language in this universe, including English, but Halley has a translation device in his head, and he can even understand the language of space without it.

"Uh, yeah," Halley said in the local language.

"That's so scary; are you okay? You can stay if you want. We'll pleasure you.

Halley had his hunch right; it was a brothel. One thing that bothered him was sexual intercourse. He never wanted someone to touch him, especially in a weird way. Halley shook off the alien's offer and walked away.

"That's too bad; it would be nice to have a little fun before death."

"What do you mean?"

As Halley turned around to see the alien's face, she had already extended her other limbs from her back. She looks like a spider, but with octopus tentacles as legs, and the legs have sharp poisonous claws at the end. She did not have anything besides her tentacle to walk and grab.

"You have it, don't you?"

Halley ran as fast as he could to get away from the spider-tentacle alien. He already predicted that there wouldn't be only three bodyguards after him. The rest of those aliens also brought out their body weapons and chased after Halley. So there were eight of them who were after him.

Halley jumped from the window to the other building. One of the five aliens came along. She chased behind Halley as he jumped from each ceiling. Not long after, the other five followed her. Halley muttered a curse and slipped himself behind a pole. The five aliens were startled. They quickly went to the path where Halley was taken. A cannon blows against them. He was throwing them away and leaving them with a scar wound. The leader of the five was getting upset. She yelled to give a signal to the other bodyguards that they had found him. Halley wasted no time and continued running. He jumped into the street and ran. But just by his luck, his way was blocked by the three bodyguards with their boss on their backs. When he turned around, he found those five alien chicks still chasing him. They face each other. His enemies planned to trap him between them, but Halley had another plan.

He jumped and raised his leg. Put his shoe on top of the fat bodyguard's face. And step the other one on the wormhead bodyguard's face. He walked on their faces, smiling at their pain, before he grabbed a vertical pole, rolled his body like an athlete, and landed his feet on top of a short building. He smiled at their wounded faces. Their boss, who was carried in the back pouch, instructed them more. This time, the voice was louder. One of the bodyguards with the worm head climbed the building with its claws and made its way to Halley. The others followed it, and they could get him fast. Thus, Halley turned his back and ran across the ceiling. He hopped back onto the street and saw himself inside a station. The enemies quickly surrounded him and had him cornered.

"Nowhere to run, aren't you?"

said one of the bodyguards. They began to attack him from the front. but each of their attacks didn't even touch Halley's body. He kept avoiding their attack as if he were a paper blown by the wind. Their fight disturbed the other passengers. All the other passengers avoided them, and some of them ran away.

Halley only focused on what faced him, not caring about those aliens. The next train is coming. Halley took this chance. He purposely avoided all the attacks and got himself near the railroad platform. His enemies are already giving the victory a smirk. They finally cornered him, and he had no choice but to surrender. Their boss spoke.

"Give up, just lend us the thing."

Halley was already raising his arms at the sign of giving up, but just as the train passed through, he grabbed the train and flew off. Leaving the enemies in distress.

.

.

In front of an old, abandoned temple. A slim figure waited at the gate. It wore a white, smooth silk with a black and red strip pattern on the sleeve. It has long silver hair that loosens out to its waist. The face was hidden with a mask, and the arm was covered by the outfit's sleeve. The figure looks like a woman and sounds like a woman, but with feet that look like birds', She's wandering around the gate of the temple with an impatient gesture. Her breath was shaking as her pace sped up. But when she heard the voice from afar, she stopped her action and looked at the source of the sound.

From afar, Halley could be seen running towards the gate. She's familiar with the looks, which is why she rushed against the man and brought him into the temple.

"Narin!!" He called her name.

"Have you got the thing?" she asked worriedly as he approached her.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Halley answered with a plain tone.

"Come with me."

They walked through the darkness of the temple. The temple looks so worn out that Halley could predict it could fall any second. It's amazing to see that this woman is so eager to keep this temple alive. Even though she's just a caretaker of this place.

"You really put your length for this," Halley started a conversation.

"I'm doing this for my people," Narin replied.

"Do you ever wonder how they will respond to you? A temple like this seemed not going to have many visits from the citizens."

"I do not care for the rewards of my people visiting this temple; I care about their safety. We've been living without water for months. If this continues, our civilization will cease to exist in a year.

She continued with a shaky voice, "I cannot let that happen."

Halley listened to her words in silence, but later he replied, "You say that, but it seemed the government intended to let this happen."

"Screw the government; they don't have sympathy for a living being. All they think about is wealth and politics.

Halley grinned at her words. "And since the government won't bat an eye on the citizen? Does that mean you can do it? A caretaker can't just do whatever she wants for the sake of her desire. You need to report to your keeper before doing this."

Narin turned around to face Halley. She said it with a stern voice. "The keeper of this place is no longer alive. I am here to continue his legacy."

She continued while approaching him slowly, "And I don't do this for my desire. I'm doing this for my people!"

"That's your desire. A desire to save people"

"It's a responsibility! And I paid you, so you better shut your mouth and come."

Halley raised one eyebrow at her. "Alright, miss client. Lead the way."

They continued to walk until they reached their destination. When they arrived, Narin opened a stone door that led them to a dimly lit room. In that room, there are pillars placed in every corner. In the center of the room is a statue of a monk with a frog face. There's a hole in the center of the monk's body with a diamond shape.

"Put the thing in that hole," Narin instructed Halley.

Halley let a shiny, Tosca-blue diamond out of his pocket and placed it in the monk's body. He stepped away from the statue and waited beside Narin for the reaction to that diamond.

"Where did you get this jewel?" Narin asked him curiously.

"It's a battery; I bought it at Heixt Planet."

"Bought? I thought you went to the national museum or the mountain."

"Honestly, generators like this can be found on some planets. The selling is rare, but not zero.

"I didn't think that,"

Narin said with a dumbfounded voice while Halley was smirking beside her. The diamond began to shine brighter, and the pillars around them brightened with light the same color as the diamond. That indicated that the battery works and is suitable for the temple. Narin and Halley were losing their guard at their achievement. Suddenly, a small earthquake happened. Both were surprised. They went out of the underground to see from afar, which caused that earthquake. A whole flock of gangsters surrounded the temple; the kangaroo ride leader was the one who summoned them. Hally let out a heavy sigh as a reaction.

"COME OUT THIS INSTANT! Give us the crystal, and we will let you live," the leader shouted over a spiral megafon.

"The crystal is not even yours to begin with!" Narin responded to his shout with a protest.

"YES, WE HAD THAT CRYSTAL FIRST BEFORE HE TURNED US DOWN. IF WE CAN'T GET IT BY A DEAL, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE IT BY FORCE!"

"Dude, can't you just buy another one?" Halley turned to speak; he's more of a complainer than a protester.

"THAT CRYSTAL IS ONE OF A KIND AND THE ONLY ONE!! NO STORE SELL THEM ANYMORE! THE ONLY WAY TO GAIN THAT CRYSTAL IS WITH A DEAL WITH A GUY WHO HAS IT!"

"You had a deal with them?" Narin asked him in a whisper.

"They offered me a thousand Antz, but I refused the offer,"

Halley responded in a whisper as well. Narin looked at him admirably. It seemed like this man was not all that bad. "I mean, you already bought me."

That's right, it was her who contacted him first. She's the first one who asks for help from someone like him regarding her trouble and asks him to bring a battery to save her city. But on the way, Halley was approached by a gangster. He was offered a much larger of many compared to her as the prize of the crystal he was going to find. Halley was confused and also curious about the value of the crystal; even a gangster needs his help to get it. He wondered if the crystal was hard to find. Halley would take the offer of a thousand Antz from a gangster, but he began to feel suspicious about them.

[What is it for?] Halley asked.

For your information, I am a collector myself. [I've been looking for this crystal so I could display it in my gallery] answered the leader.

Just for decoration? [That thing has many functions rather than just a collection.]

[Of course, I also hunger for the benefit of the crystal as well.]

[You said that, but you only said 'the benefit' of the crystal, not mentioning them.]

[Listen, I offered you a thousand Antz; are you going to take them or not?]

Halley examined the Antz money that the gangster offered. It is formed digitally through a platform on a monitor. Of course, the amount of money looks appetizing to Halley. Halley could accept it and use that money to buy access to a wormhole back to earth. But he noticed something suspicious with the digital board. with trust from his guts. He stated his answer.

[I refuse]

[What?]

I've already been bought. You can't have me.

[Hold! Wait a minute!]

Then Halley left without looking back. He strived to find the crystal battery, only to find out that it was displayed in an old thrift shop. That happened around days ago. The struggle to find the battery wasn't even that hard. However, he did not hear what the clerk said about this battery being the only one in stock. Thus, the gangster strived to find the last battery from the last owner who had it.

"Just wait until they stock more, dammit! You're only using it for decoration anyway.."

Halley's complaint was getting louder as he was getting annoyed by the gangster

"It's not just a decoration, Halley. That crystal can power up anything, and it can last for ar a hundred years! I want that to upgrade my gadget"!"

"Now you know. You're too slow."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!! IF YOU DON'T HAND ME THAT BATTERY, I'LL FORCEFULLY TAKE IT FROM YOU!!

"Stay here and hide; I'll deal with them," Halley whispered to Narin to tell her to hide.

"But the temple..."

"The battery will work in a couple of minutes; just don't let anyone come to the underground."

From the last instruction from Halley, Narin nodded in panic. Halley jumped into the crowd and faced all of the gangster members. They jumped one by one against Halley, but he successfully dodged them. The gangsters were all shaped differently. It looks more like Halley was fighting a bunch of monsters than a mafia group. Meanwhile, the latter, on a kangaroo ride, was instructing his member to attack Halley.

He saw Narin walk into the temple, and he told his other man to catch her. Narin ran as fast as she could to the underground. But her movement stopped in front of two bodyguards who suddenly jumped in front of her. She's taking on guard and moving backward. The bodyguards let out their weapons and approached her slowly.

Halley didn't stop his movement, defeating 10 monsters. He kicked, he cut, he threw, he stabbed, he hit, and he even burned the monster in place. The mafia is not surrendering at all. They keep coming to him like piranhas aiming for their food. Yet, when one approached, one was also thrown away. Halley didn't care about the blood and guts covering his body He just wanted this fight to be over. When one was stabbed in the neck and dropped on the ground, Halley was suddenly pushed by another. He was thrown out but not until he flew away. He used his hands and feet to scratch on the ground, keeping his balance safe. The pusher was the biggest bodyguard with a kangaroo pouch; the leader of the gangster resided in that pouch.

"You're not going to get away with this, Halley."

He spoke with a grin on his face. Halley didn't respond; instead, he stared at the big guy.

"Are you willing to take all of us?"

Halley positioned his blade and rushed forward.

"So be it."

Then they fought one by one. The skin of the bodyguard is as hard as a stone, so the blade can only leave a tiny cut. Halley struggled against the attack of the bodyguard, avoiding his hit. Meanwhile, the boss only rests in the pouch while laughing. Halley was so serious in a fight that he couldn't talk. After that, the big guy let out a last blow of attack, and Halley successfully got it away. They separated a bit, then the boss said something again.

"You're so serious about fighting that you don't realize what happened to your little friend."

"What?"

"HALLEY!!"

He turned around and saw that Narin was being held hostage by two monsters. They pinned Narin down by the shoulder.

"I sent out three; the other one should have gone to the center."

The boss said it again. Halley rushed forward to the temple, but he was blocked by other members. He had no choice but to be held here for a fight. Meanwhile, Narin was struggling against the strength of two monsters.

Another member of the mafia walked down to the underground. It used a scanner to track down where the crystal was hidden. After taking down three stairs, the member got in front of a large door in a dark room. It opened the door, but it did not open. It's not because it's locked; it's because it's too heavy. On the other hand, Halley already has downed more than 30 monsters. His body was covered in blood and guts. His long hair is messed up. Yet he kept his stern face. Narin, who watched him while pinned down, was impressed by him. The last enemies are the big guy and the leader. If he could take down the big guy, then the leader would automatically lose. He rushed forward to attack, and the big guy had already prepared a shield with his arm.

But suddenly, Halley flew to the top of the monster and landed on its back. He crouched and slid the monster's feet. The big guy was falling along with the leader. The worst part is that the leader fell while being crushed by his bodyguard. Halley stood back up and positioned himself. Then the big guy also stood up and attacked him from behind. Halley avoided its attack and struck the jaw with his punch. If a blade cannot work against that big guy, then a fist will do.

The member finally opened the large door and arrived in a dim, shiny room. It walked out to the center of the room, where there was the frog monk statue and the crystal in the middle. It stretched its hand to take the crystal, but suddenly it was brighter. The member was scared by the overwhelming lights in the room and ran away.

.

They're in the last fight after all the members of the gang died or ran away. Unfortunately, it didn't go well for Halley, as he was almost pinned down by the big guy. The leader let his loud laugh irritate Halley, and he did it. Halley struggled against its strength while keeping his balance so he did not fall to the ground. He would let out his blade and give the big guy a cut, but his hands were occupied. The boss still let out a hysteric laugh and mocked Halley.

"How does it feel to lose, Halley? I told you that you're not getting away with this."

"Don't you have sympathy? The crystal could be used for something helpful to save a citizen," Halley said during his fight.

"Haah?" The boss put on an annoying face.

"I don't care about others. I only care what's mine.

Suddenly, a bigger earthquake happened. The big guy and Halley stopped their fight and looked around. The boss also became panicked and held tight to the pouch. The monsters released their hands against Narin and walked away. Narin was so shocked that she didn't move when she was released. Water burst out of the top temple. Like a water fountain, but with great strength. All of the people in that temple were surprised, including Halley. Then, another top temple from another building burst out of the water, and another one, another one, another one until five temples let out a string of fountain water. In the city, the dry sewer finally opened. Water is pouring down the road, wetting the dry and hot ground. The fountain water at the center of the road finally filled in with water. The weather began to get dark. Clouds covered the city and finally let out the rainwater.

Citizens in that city were surprised and excited. Tiny citizens are screaming around while dancing. Citizens looked up at the clouds and let out their hands to feel the rain. They were glad and grateful for the rain and water that finally came back to their city. The sewer finally flooded with water. The whole city was covered in humidity for the first time in a while. Then the true beauty of the citizen was finally shown on their skin.

Meanwhile, the temple was almost flooded with water since the volume of water was higher than in the city. But the flood hasn't gone so bad that it covered the whole temple.

Halley, who was released from the big guy's grip, regained his senses. He saw both the big guy and the boss, still dumbfounded by the sudden water. He took the chance to increase the strength of his right arm. When the big guy finally grabbed its sense, it turned back to Halley and received a constant hit from Halley. A single punch from Halley could break a giant stone, which is what happened to the big guy's face. The big guy collapsed; thankfully, it collapsed from the back so the boss wouldn't get squished again. But the boss was yelling at the situation and the fallen bodyguard. It kept yelling until Halley stepped closer to the boss, and the boss became quiet.

"How about now, boss?"

"There will be no change with this. We are still moving forward to get the crystal."

"We? Who's we?"

Halley looked around and searched for another member who would still stick to the boss. There are no people there who are alive who still keep their loyalty to their boss. Even the member who held down Narin was nowhere to be seen. The survivors are all escaping, betraying the mafia boss.

"It looks like you're alone, pal," Halley continued.

The boss didn't say anything and just kept his face hard. He didn't even bulge when Halley stabbed his blade into his head and killed the leader. Halley turned to face Narin and smiled at her. Halley couldn't see her face through a mask, but he could tell she was smiling underneath.

.

.

They were both in front of a spaceship. The spaceship is not so big for a regular spaceship because it was bought cheaply, but it is still a functional spaceship, that belonged to Halley. Halley was just finishing talking to Narin while waiting for his spaceship to be ready to take off. They bid their final goodbye.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know; I guess I'll continue slacking off until I get a job."

Narin chuckled at his words. "Thank you for your help."

"No need; at least you pay me well."

"Let me ask you, why did you turn down the gangster's offer?"

"Because I already had a client who is you."

"I know, but there's more than that, right?"

"Hmmm... you're right. It's because the board was shown in red."

"Red?"

"Something that is shown differently from the original could cause suspicion. If I accept the offer, I might lose my money instead."

Narin understood his explanation that the gangster might be pulling a trap for Halley to accept their offer. Halley could notice their trap by seeing their mistake in their fake disguise. The board of options to transfer money should be shown in navy blue in both the letter and the option. That's how an official payment works. But on the board Halley had seen, the 'decline' word was shown in red. That's how he got suspicious.

Narin smiled underneath her mask and walked forward to Halley. She gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. That action of hers made Halley confused.

"Take this as a thank-you kiss."

Halley didn't say anything and left; the spaceship hovered down the passage to enter as Halley walked toward the spaceship. He's going on another adventure.