Mech Slayers part 7 	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 good 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 along with some back packs and writing utensils. "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, whatever 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.

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