Mech Slayers part 7 [Was untitled]	tatsukaru koto [survival.]
All characters and situations belong to Catbert25 [Sean D'anna]

	Jun watched the fire die out as the party slept around him. He sighed and
rolled on his side. The others had taken the news well considering. Victor had
been remarkably silent since they destroyed the machine. Itazura had taken it
the worst. Jun sat up and looked at her for a moment. She had cried herself to
sleep, perhaps it was because she was the only person in the group with a real
family. Jun frowned when he thought about it. He and his little group were all
the children of successful business men and women. Many business men and women
could balance their careers and families well. Not the parents of these sad
children. Jun watched the last embers die down. He loved his family and cared
for them, but deep in his heart he knew he didn't really miss them. Truth was
he was used to living without them. It was a truth he had faced long ago, and
so had his friends. Perhaps that is why they were so close, perhaps this was
his real family. Jun lay on the ground and closed his eyes, he needed to
sleep.

	Commander Alek Hunter stood in his tent and looked out across the field from
the open flaps. He smiled and clenched his fist. The battle was going well for
his people. The Akama were being driven back, slowly. He hoped to hold the
emperor's heart in his hands soon. A dark smile crossed his face as the
morning light began to shine over the horizon. Reports told him that General
Gall himself would be commanding the Akama forces. Gall the man who once
killed his entire army and took a castle alone because he grew impatient with
the men's incompetence. Alek frowned, he hadn't been at that battle, but he
was here and Gall would be destroyed. It was in his blood, no sorcerer could
defeat the awesome power of the Assurans. He felt confident that he would once
again destroy the Akama's forces.

	Vic slammed against a tree and grunted painfully as it fell behind him with a
loud crash. He raised his stick and slashed a Jun several times using it as if
it were a sword. Jun danced around his strikes and kicked him in the chest
sending him flying again, this time he landed against a rock. The rock buckled
and shattered. Jun stood in a ready stance waiting for his next attack with a
wide grin. "C'mon Vicckie. You hit like a girl." he quipped.
	Victor stood and glared at Jun angrily. "You won't get me that easily." he
said before charging Jun and slashing at him wildly. Jun once again danced
around his blows and got in a few good punches taking only a few light hits
from Vic. 
	Jenn, Achika and Phil sat on the ground around ten yards away and watched
calmly. Ryoken stood and watched nervously yelling the occasional cheer when
Victor got a hit in. He had cheered twice in the past hour. Phil looked at the
pad he had scavenged from the remains of the school room and stood. "OK thats
enough. I have all the information we are going to get from this." he said to
the pair. 
	Jun and Vic stopped their battle and walked over to Phil. "You sure Phil? Vic
here was starting to do pretty good." said Jun with a smile. Vic growled at
him and said nothing. 
	"Thats all." said Phil calmly and he turned to the book again.
	"How is this going to tell us about our powers?" asked Itazura looking at the
notes over Phils shoulder. 
	Phil looked at her and closed the book. "Simple, I can see from the damage
incurred and give a rough estimate about how much damage we can take, fighting
with each other would turn out the same because we are proportionately the
same strength as we were on earth to each other. But the damage Incurred to
the tree's and Rocks was substantial and appeared to have next to no effect to
our friends here. Also these two are expert martial artist, this exercise will
teach them allot about their own personal limitations and boundaries. Next
time I'll have Ryoken spar with one of them as it will probably be them that
will do most of the fighting in our little group." Phil looked at the rocks
and trees damaged during the sparring session more closely as he spoke.
	"Ah, I see." said Itazura with a small grin.
	"Achika I'd also like you to participate, I understand you also do martial
arts to some extent." said Phil with his head turned towards her. Jun looked
at her.
	"But I'm not near these guys." she stammered looking flustered. 
	Jun rolled his eyes and smiled. "You won't get there without practice." he
said winking at her. She blushed and nodded her head.
	Victor nodded. "Every one here should learn. I doubt we'll be able to get
jobs as secretaries here." he commented. The women glared at him.
Victor grinned and walked away.
	"Jerk." muttered Jenn.

	Jun sat and looked at the cooking animal they had caught and sighed. He
pulled out his knife and carved a small bit off of the animal. The others  ate
in relative silence and watched the fire burn. "It seems like we do this every
night. We just sit around and stare at the fire, not saying anything. We need
to start planing." said Jun.
	
	"Planing for what?" asked Achika as she and the others all turned to face
Jun.

	"Our futures, we can't just sit here living in the woods forever. We need to
learn about where we are. Especially if we are going to live here from now
on." said Phil calmly. "Hey..." he said looking thoughtful. The others stared
at him. "This taste just like..." Jun sighed and rolled his eyes, the others
almost fell over. "Beef?" finished Phil. Jun smiled slightly and finished his
dinner as the others pummeled Phil. 

	"I could get used to this place." said Jun as he lay down to sleep.

	In a field only a few miles away hundreds of men prepared for battle. All of
them stop and stare at the robed shadow that stands on a hill over looking the
camp. "So these pathetic looking things are my men." it says smiling. "I think
not."

	"Calm yourself Gall, you may command these men but I command you." said the
cloaked woman who walked up behind him. She stood next to him and placed a
clawed hand on his throat.

	"Don't threaten me she bitch." growled Gall raising his hand and allowing a
white sphere to appear in it. The cloaked woman smiled at him and lowered her
hand. "Remember your place Gall we need these men alive,...for a while yet."
said the female as she turned and disappeared into the shadows.

	
"Very well, I suppose I can allow the fools to live...for a while, I hate
suffering fools though. Ah, well." said Gall as he walked into the camp.

	The next morning Jun woke early and stood to watch the sun rise looking tired
and ragged. Achika walked up behind him and sat next to him on the small hill
he had chosen. "Hey your up early." she said smiling.
	"You look terrible." said Jun with a small smile. 
	Achika frowned and hit him in the head lightly. "Your no prize yourself at
five A.M. Jun." she said playfully. Jun smiled and lay on the grass.

	"Something is hunting us. Something big." He said looking at the sky. Achika
looked at him for a moment. "We need to get out of this jungle today. I think
its just luck we haven't run into it yet." he said never taking his gaze off
the sky.

	"That is not funny Jun." said Achika glaring at him angrily.

	"He isn't kidding. I've seen the signs myself, what ever it is its big." said
Ryoken from behind them.

	Achika nearly passed out from fright. "I ran across one of its tracks earlier
its a large three toed biped, good sized stride too. Its definitely tracking
us." said Jun as he rolled on his side to face Ryoken.

	"You knew he was there didn't you?! You jerk!" yelled Achika trying to
recover from her shock. "Mabey its just one of those big birds that act like
cows we've seen anyway." she said frowning at the two.

	Ryoken looked at her. "Afraid not missy. I've ran across a couple of
carcasses. Its a big carnivore, not much left of what I found, scraps really.
The only reason we haven't seen it yet is because it has been eating well."

	"Then why is it following us?" asked Jun as he sat up. 

	"Easy meal to track. Every one but you and me makes a good bit of racket
running around these woods. I figure this forest is at least fifty miles
across we've traveled three days and still we haven't come to much more than a
clearing." said Ryoken leaning against a tree.

	We should head for those mountains. The river heads that way and we are bound
to run into an ocean a lake or a town or something. We know there are people
here and they'll most likely settle close to water." said Jun looking at the
river they had been traveling along.

	"At the very least we may find another road. I don't really want to go back
to that military camp, towns around there may not be to friendly." agreed
Ryoken. 

	"We can beat up any old animal any way." said Achika pouting.

	"An Animal with a fifteen foot long step?" said Jun looking at her with a
frown. Achika paled.

	Miles away...
	
	"Sir the emperor's package has arrived." said the annoying small man before
Gall. 
	He frowned and stood from the shadows of his make shift throne in the Akama
encampment. "So where is this great metal god?" he said frowning even more.
	"Show some respect Gall. The emperors little toy may be weak by my standards
but it will crush the puny weaklings in the battle field." said A cloaked
figure that emerged from the shadows. 

	Gall sneered at her. "Inu-Musume, I do wish you would stop appearing like
that, it annoys me to no end. I may take my frustrations out on the emperors
puny subjects here." said Gall indicating the soldiers who respectfully
kneeled before the new arrival.
	
	"Come now don't you want to see it?" said the cloaked woman.

	"Very well." sighed Gall sounding incredibly board.

	Gall was impressed. Before him was what appeared to be a four story tall suit
of armor. It had a three story tall sword attached to its back and a long tube
with a small hole at the end of it attached to a strange looking box on one of
the arms. "Impressive, tell me what is that thing?" asked Gall pointing at the
long tube.

	"It's called a gun." said Inu-Musumi from beside him.

	"And where do you plan to find a four story tall man to wear this
monstrosity?" asked Gall arrogantly.

	"Its a machine fool, it requires only a specially trained pilot." snarled
Inu-Musumi.

	"So witch, I must lead this -thing- into battle?" said Gall with a look of
distaste. 

	"If you don't want the emperor to destroy you for impertinence. This is a
field test for the Mech. He will be most displeased if you interfere with it
Gall. I will be overseeing it personally. You need not be involved. It will
assist you in the taking of the capitol city." said Inu-Musumi with a smug
smile.

	"I don't need help. I could do it alone if need be." said Gall frowning at
her.

	"Not even you are that powerful Gall. You may be able to take a small castle
alone but this is the capitol city. We will be facing several of the Assuran
mutts as well. As I recall they nearly wiped your kind out while they still
held the planet." said Inu-Musumi with a small smile.

	Gall growled low and walked away. "Prepare for battle we strike at dawn!" he
yelled to the men.
TbC.....

	Curiouser and curiouser. Ne? Many things will be started in the battle that
effect allot of other things later in the story. Some of them way later. Even
I kind of wonder about some of this. At any rate it should get a little more
complicated soon. Mysterious characters run around this story allot it seems.
[at least what I've got planed so far.] Magic and chi are also big players.
The differences between Josei and earth also become more apparent. 

	Next time however Dan meets up with...trouble. Gasp! to explain more would
give too much away.