Fandom Star-Crossed Striders | HSR

[Marlowe]

Noxsky Drowns, Biastea -- the Endless Pursuit
Early evening
48 system hours until annihilation...

The oxygen she had sucked into her lungs in had turned into icy knives that burred deep within her chest.

Wet, yellow orbs stared back at her with radiating malice from the depths of the blackwood. A deep rumble thrummed through the crisp, twilighting breeze and echoed within Lark's ears. The shadow that had lounged out from the waxy thicket of leaves reared its bulk up onto its back legs, its two pairs of thick, talon-lined claws hanging clumsily from its broad shoulders as it took another step towards her. Its pensive growl heightened in pitch, a series of clicks emitting from the beast as it swiveled its eerily conical head to peer at her with its two pairs of eyes that shone like malignant stars. The Quarry loomed before her, long tongues slithering from its serrated beak, pressing ever closer-- and Lark still couldn't move from where she stood, frozen in place. Her prominent hand glided over the cool shaft of her throwing spear as her fingers twisted for a proper grip. She had to move, move--

"Move!"

A whip cut through the air, its edged tip licking towards the Quarry with all of the precision of an arrow. The beast whooped in fury and raised one of its bear-like paws to block the deadly blow, but the whip's bladed sides tore straight through its padded palm, sending a spray of dark blood onto the forest floor and forcing a screech of pain from the monster's throat before the whip whizzed about its girthy neck. Its hellish hide was far too matted for the bladewhip to cut through, but the strength of its wielder had obviously caught the Quarry off-guard. Lark watched as her ally, a blond young man that had seemingly materialized from the underbrush, heaved on his end of the whip and caused the Quarry to stagger to one side. The male's cat-like leer darted towards her.

"Lark!!"

The desperation behind his voice jolted her out of her stupor. Lark tore her spear out of its container and raised it over her head. Its smooth steel hilt weighed nearly nothing in her hand, even less so when she twirled it about her fingers and aimed the spearhead towards the writhing thing's chest. Her breathing slowed, her heartbeat leveled out, and mere seconds slipped by. An ethereal wind, pale-hued but shining bright in the depths of Noxsky Drowns, blistered about her before it engulfed the cold steel. The heaviness of the spear vanished from her hand as it shot through the void and splintered off into three pallid bolts. The first blasted a hole through the Quarry's right shoulder as the two others burrowed into its side. More of its ichor splattered onto the floor as its screams echoed through the black skies above. Its suffering drove Lark into a frenzy. Her teeth grit together as she heaved another barrage of wind spears in its direction. The wind spears blasted straight through the Quarry's pointed head, silencing its agony as gelantinous globules of gore rained down upon the ebon-hued leaves and roots.

Whatever quiet that fell over the forest cast a curse upon Lark's body. Her stomach churned, threatening to expel its contents where she stood. Vapor spilled out into the air in violent puffs as her chest heaved. She... almost died. She had come here to hunt, and she almost died! She was a damn fool. She should have heard the Quarry prowling about, but she didn't. And if wasn't for...

"Lark."

Lark turned on her heel. The Foxian boy in front of her had already reholstered his whip and was now staring hard at her, his arms crossed about his chest. His pointed, crimson ears twitched as his yellow gaze lingered upon her, unnerving her to the core. She glanced away, ashamed.

"Zhou Meng... I don't know what came over me," she stammered, "I should've--"

"But you didn't," he snapped as he pointed a judgemental finger towards her. "And for that, you almost perished."

"Zhou--"

"What if you were at the head of a hunting party, hmm? You would have not only gotten yourself killed, but your men as well. And then what would've happened? Our village would've been down a dozen hunters, and the Quarry would've gained more miles yet of territory."

Lark's tongue soured in her mouth. How she wanted to escape Zhou Meng's scathing glare... but there was no running from the top hunter in the heartland. All she could do was swallow whatever pride she had left and hang her head in shame. She averted her eyes to the soiled grounds, licking her dried lips. "I... am sorry, Captain Zhou Meng. There's no defending myself for what I've done."

A long moment passed. A night bird chirped in the distance. Flies began to buzz about the mangled corpse of the Quarry.

"You're forgiven for now," Zhou Meng broke the silence with a disappointed sigh. "Take the beast's head-- it'll serve as good stock for the stew tonight."

"Sir!" called a voice from the treeline. A young girl's head popped out from the bush, her features bright with fear. "IPC ships on the horizon! You're needed back-- ASAP!"

Lark's head snapped up towards the Foxian captain who had bared his teeth at the bitter news. IPC ships, in Biastea? Now, of all times? The sun was about to go down! That would mean they would have to serve them dinner, as was customary, and she certainly didn't want to be around for that. But Zhao Meng was already glaring at her again, jabbing his chin in the direction of the scout. "Leave the Quarry. Scout ahead for the others. We need to get back, now."

Her legs carried her forward before she could even think.

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Stonehearth, Biastea -- the Endless Pursuit
Evening
47 system hours until annihilation...

For the first time in the entirety of Lark's life, Stonehearth's dining halls were deathly quiet. And cramped. Insanely cramped. Especially now that there were faceless IPC guards lining the walls of the wooden shack that was meant to house twenty, maybe thirty individuals at once. Their rifles took up even more space, which meant that Lark had to tuck her elbows in so she could properly eat her watery soup. Her amber eyes flickered towards the front of the room, closest to the door. A few rows of benches had been aptly lined up next to one another to provide enough room for several higher ranking IPC members to take a seat near the hearth. Among them was a strange young man with a shock of white hair and eyes that pierced through her the first time she caught sight of him-- when the ships touched down at the shabby landing strip at very edge of Stonehearth. The IPC soldiers were always huddled about him... he had to be important, especially since Captain Zhao Meng was seated across from him. Lark spotted the narrowing of the Foxian man's brow as his hands clasped before his lips. Whoever this stranger was, he was causing the captain much stress.

Whatever hunger that once riddled her belly had been whittled away by the tension that permeated the room. She rose up from her seat, nearly elbowing a wary scout in the face as she turned about to stride towards Captain Zhao Meng's flank. At her approach, some of the IPC men turned their heads in her direction, but made no move to stop her. She had taken her place at Zhao Meng's side, and he simply acknowledged her with a tense flick of his bushy tail. His unwavering golden eyes reflected the fire of the hearth as he stared straight at the white-haired man who was dressed oh-so-differently than the rest of the armored IPC soldiers.

"It's not every day that we get visitors. Tell me, why are you here?"

Lark's gaze fell back on the strange individual. There was something about him that she didn't like-- he didn't seem as battle-hardened as the rest of his men. He reminded her of the kings within her storybooks, who only ruled from a throne and have never seen a day of bloodshed. Her eyes hardened into a glare as a frown creased her lips, the warmth of the fire curdling the heat that steadily built up in her stomach.

"Best show Captain respect. Just 'cause you're all dolled up in fancy suits and armor doesn't mean you're worth your skin," Lark blurted out before she could stop herself. Zhao gave her a look of warning, but said nothing. She didn't care. She'd back up her brother, even against these outsiders with their fancy guns and fancy hair.

 

[Serei2477]

Planet Biastea's Orbit
Early evening
48 system hours until annihilation...

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A manila folder laid open in front of him with various papers scattered across the elegant black table. A man appearing to be in his early to mid 20s gazed over the text, a look of stoicism ever present. His hair was white and stylized, his eyes a touch more silver than the strands that rested on his head. He wore a navy blue button up shirt with a black vest adorned with shiny blue gems. His slacks matched his vest, though had a blue gem where the hem of his pants met the tops of his blue and silver shoes. They were clean and polished, much like the rest of him. Hanging on the chair behind him was his large black and blue coat lined with silver.

'You must look the part~', his boss had always told them. The ten stonehearts were the cream of the crop, and so, must look it. Lazuli himself wouldn't dare walk around looking like he lived under the bridge, and with enough funds to support his lifestyle, he wouldn't have to.

Lapis Lazuli had been given the task to come to Biastea for a debt collection. They'd borrowed a good sum of credits, reason not listed, and now it was time for him to make his monthly run. It was the same song and dance for the IPC with multiple planets just like the one below him. Some planets used their loan wisely and ended up paying back their debt in no time, while others... weren't so wise. Such as Biastea.

This wasn't the first time Lazuli had come to this planet in particular, and by the looks of their outstanding charges, it wouldn't be the last.

Though he had to wonder... What did the planet do with the money they were loaned if they still lived so primitively? Had their leader gone and gambled it all? Was it used to pay another debt?

It didn't matter, did it? In the end, they owed money and he was there to collect.

"Sir!" An IPC grunt stood at attention in front of him, lance at his side. "The ship is ready for touchdown, at your command."

Lazuli simply waved his hand at him, eyes still glued to the reports. "Go ahead. I should be finished by the time we leave."

"Yes sir!"

With that, the grunt ran off to deliver the order, leaving Lazuli to his devices.

Just another day of business...

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Stonehearth, Biastea -- the Endless Pursuit
Evening
47 system hours until annihilation...

Tension filled the air heavily since the moment the doors of the IPC ship welcomed him to Biastea.

The planet was... to put it kindly, a shithole.

Lazuli had been to an array of different planets, each with various levels of culture, architecture, and technology. Most of his stays were pleasant. The people always knew who he was, why he was there, and he would see who he would need to see promptly. Sometimes he might even take a bit of leisure time to explore the area a bit and see what they developed with the loan they took. When the money was handled well, it always became something beautiful, and the profits that came with it were nothing to scoff at.

Being on Biastea only made him want to go back to the other planets.

He and his soldiers had been received and informed that they would be leading them to the dining hall and a complimentary dinner would be served. Lazuli politely declined their kind gesture, informing them that they would not be here long enough to enjoy such a feast anyway.

Not like anything they served would be worthy of his palette.

Their "dining area", by the looks of it, was nothing more than a wooden shack whose handiwork left a lot to be desired. The citizens were seated elbow to elbow at the tables eating what looked to be colored water. Looking at the slop, Lazuli knew he'd made the right choice. He didn't even have to look at his soldiers to know they had no appetite for the "dinner" on the table either.

Lazuli took his seat, crossing one leg over the other as he stared at the man he'd come to see. Captain Zhao Meng; a foxian man with a gaze of gold. Compared to him, Lazuli looked like royalty. A fitting contrast.

Judging by his body language, he was nervous. Tense.

'As he should be.' Lazuli thought to himself, his gaze unwavering on the other. It was psychological warfare between the two without a word being said. The man across from him held a higher rank, had seen more bloodshed and battles than Lazuli had, surely. In a hand-to-hand brawl he could take Lazuli down no problem.

And yet, the white haired man was stoic. Calm, and collected. Zhao was in control of his people, but at this moment, he was nothing. And Lazuli would make sure he knew that.

That is, until he heard movement that strode from their place until the source perched themselves right next to the captain's side. A blonde woman by the looks of it, with eyes of a hunter. She looked like she'd stab Lazuli at any moment, but he heeded her no mind.

If she wanted to show her support, then fine. The power imbalance did not change.

The captain began the meeting with a question, one Lazuli thought was obvious but a necessary one to move things along. But before things could go underway, the silent woman at the captain's side spoke up.

"Best show Captain respect. Just 'cause you're all dolled up in fancy suits and armor doesn't mean you're worth your skin,"

His gaze trailed over to the woman for only a second before going back to the captain. He'd completely dismissed her, and barely gave her a glance to acknowledge what she'd said.

He wasn't getting paid to speak to her after all.

"If you can't control your peanut gallery, I'll have to mark your planet as hostile in my reports as per protocol." He explained to the Captain, his icy stare never leaving the other's. "Physical and verbal abuse is not tolerated in a professional environment, but I'll be generous and give you your first and only warning."

With that, the white haired man leaned back into the chair, keeping his eyes on Zhao Meng. Lazuli's stoicism never changed, making it harder for Zhao or Lark to read what he was thinking.

"I'm here to give you an opportunity to pay this month's payment early, otherwise I'll return within 48 hours to collect." He began, "Of course you could always pay in full now. You still have time to avoid the interest rate."