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Encounters	By : plusfour Category: +M through R > Phantasy Star Views: 1054 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Phantasy Star, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Janna surveyed the grassy field before her as she regained her mental composure after casting a Resta technique. A pack of boomas had attacked her and one or two of them had gotten in a few swipes before falling to the blue photon blade of her golden vjaya, her weapon of choice. The natives of the forest were rather dumb, yet persistent, and when traveling in large groups, they could be a challenge for the lone hunter.
�Don't talk to the other hunters...We don't want rumors to spread...If you want to keep your job, you'd better keep your mouth closed...� The words of the clients and guards back on the ship echoed through the petite newman's mind as she stepped through the doorway into the next area. She could have told them that their warnings were unnecessary, as she preferred to work alone, but she'd decided it wasn't necessary to comment. Most of the hunters in the guild chose to keep their work and their personal lives completely separate and Janna was no exception; private information could be a liability in the cutthroat world of paid missions and she wasn't willing to risk her good standing.
More boomas, along with several skulking savage wolves, greeted her in the next area and she dispatched of them with relative ease. She had been sent down to the surface of Ragol to search for survivors of a pleasure boat called the Gran Squall, but this room, like the others, offered no information to her. Stepping through a blue energy field, she turned a corner and came face to face with a tall, blond hunter.
His massive gun denoted him as a ranger and his blue and silver armor fit closely against his slim frame. As Janna approached him, she could see his piercing cobalt eyes look her over from beneath a thick blue headband and she cautiously did the same to him. �Are you looking for the pleasure boat, too?� he abruptly asked, with no semblance of an introduction. �Do you really believe the story about the pleasure boat?�
She brushed some of her pale jade hair out of her eyes and shrugged. �Yeah, I guess so.�
The human hunter laughed. �Hey, are you serious? You're interesting.� He received an irritated glare as the newman's pointy ears twitched slightly. �I'm sorry. Forgive my rudeness,� he apologized, though there was still a slight smirk on his face. �Want to come with me? I'll give you some good information. Come on!�
Janna hadn't expected nor wanted a partner, but it seemed she had no say in the matter any more. She quickened her pace to keep up with him and the two of them left the circular clearing and continued on through the forest. After several moments of silent travel down a winding path, the ranger suddenly stopped and spun around to face his new companion.
�Don't you think this quest is strange?� he asked. All of the jovial sparkle that had previously been in his eyes had disappeared and Janna shifted slightly beneath his intent gaze. �A pleasure boat departed before the council made first contact? No way!� he said incredulously. �I really doubt that ship fell to the ground...�
She didn't have much time to contemplate the sudden change in his personality before they reached a broken door. The mysterious ranger was able to fix the mechanism easily, and once through, they were confronted by more of the forest's vicious natives. Janna swung her vjaya into the nearest ones, inflicting heavy gashes on most of them, as her new partner fired at the ones approaching from the opposite direction. They kept advancing, though, and she was about to brace herself for an attack, when a ring of fire circled around the two hunters, pushing the enemies back.
She narrowly avoided being singed herself and she stumbled backwards, colliding with the ranger. As he prepared to launch another Gifoie technique, she pressed herself against him and watched as the flames wound their way around them and struck each of the surrounding monsters. Once the fire had dissipated, she jumped in to finish off the few survivors with her metallic partisan. The smoldering corpses caused her to wrinkle her nose with their putrid stench and she turned to face her partner. The two of them nodded a silent, impressed acknowledgment of each other's skills before she addressed him.
�So what was that you were saying about 'good information'?� she inquired, trying to keep all curiosity and enthusiasm out of her voice.
�The information? Oh yes.� His voice dropped to a near whisper as he stepped closer to the small newman, practically towering over her. �Can you keep a secret? Do you swear?�
Janna felt her pulse race just slightly and her breath inadvertently catch in her throat as she felt the strange man's raspy voice right next to her ear. �You can trust me,� she assured him in the same hushed tones.
�The true meaning of this quest is not what it appears to be.� Again, the stranger's eyes seemed to nearly burn right through her as he took her into his confidence. �The Gran Squall crashed on Ragol. That's true. But it's not a pleasure boat. The Gran Squall's a secret military ship.� Janna raised an eyebrow in surprise, but let him go on. �I don't know what it's purpose was. Anyway, it crashed on Ragol.� He shrugged his shoulders, which was not an easy feat in his armor. �I confirmed it with my source who's working on another quest with me. My source says there must be a survivor. My true quest is camouflaged by the travel agency's quest.�
�Your secret is safe with me,� she answered. As they continued through the forest, Janna tried to mentally process the information she had just learned. She normally didn't question any of her clients who hired her for her services at the Hunters' Guild, but she didn't appreciate being lied to. If what this man said was true, then she was getting herself mired in one hell of a cover-up. Realizing that she was already involved, she decided that she had no choice but to continue on and she strode alongside the ranger in search of more clues.
A transporter brought them to an entirely different section of the forest and here, the native animals were much stronger. Both hunters started showing the first signs of fatigue after clearing out a heavily-infested area and the skilled newman cast her Resta technique. Small particles of light surrounded both her and her traveling companion and she felt her weary muscles relax as the healing warmth penetrated her body. The ranger flashed her a quick smile and thanked her sincerely; she returned the expression before they moved on.
Several hordes of destroyed animals later, the furtive look appeared in the blond man's eyes again. �I'm looking for a little lady,� he confided. �I heard that a chip's implanted in her body to get her data. If we're close enough to her, we can detect her with this machine.� He shifted the standard-issue communicator that was around his wrist and underneath it was a smaller device. A closer look revealed that it was searching for a signal, but nothing out of the ordinary appeared. �I don't understand why they had to implant the chip into her...� he murmured, and for the first time, Janna saw a fleeting wave of sadness quickly ripple through his chiseled features.
The tracking device beeped as they reached the edge of the next area. She turned to face him but before she could ask the question, he confirmed her thoughts. �It shows that her signal is coming from this direction. But there seems to be a big party waiting for us.� He half-snorted, half-laughed at his own joke before studying the newman hunter. �I'm glad that I joined up with you,� he stated, with the slightest hint of relief in his voice.
Sure enough, they warped right into a field of monests, hideous purple plants that continuously spawned masses of buzzing insects that could easily overwhelm a hunter if one was not careful. The ranger aimed his gun at the winged pests while Janna pulled out her pallasch, a glowing red saber, and ducked beneath the roots of one of the monests. She plunged her photon blade deep into the aubergine flesh again and again until the gurgling plant fell over on it's side; even then, she stabbed it several more times to be sure of its demise before moving onto the next one.
Once the monests were gone, even more animals of every species they'd ever heard of appeared on the stony plateau. The two hunters dared not stray too far from each other as they fought against their enemies side by side, the spiraling flames of the ranger's Gifoie and the blasts from his cannon mingling with the bright sparks of the newman's Resta and the glow of her slashing partisan. Though the creatures were strong, the hunters were stronger and they gradually felled their foes.
Following the machine's signal, they stepped through a doorway and immediately had to fend off rampaging hildebears, massive muscular monsters that were over twice the size of Janna and her partner. By this point, though, the team had found a comfortable groove of coordinating attacks and the hildebears were no match for their efficiency. At the sight of a person crumpled in a heap at the back corner of the room, the ranger broke into a run.
�She's badly injured,� he said as his fellow hunter caught up to him. �It's a miracle she's still alive.�
The person they had seeking was a small, female newman who appeared to be quite young. Though there weren't any obvious signs of physical injury, her eyes were closed and she seemed unresponsive to any attempts to heal or rouse her. As she examined her, Janna had to wonder why and how this girl got herself involved in an undercover military operation and what sort of data she could hold.
She didn't have long to think it over before the man turned his attentions back to her. �Thanks for the help. Can you go ahead and report it to the travel agency? I'll go with her later.�
�Are you sure?
�Don't worry. I'll contact my other client about this girl before we return.� He produced a telepipe and activated it, creating a portal back to the Pioneer 2. Before Janna could step inside, she was surprised by a hand on her shoulder. �Trust me,� he said in a low voice that sent shivers down her body. �You fought alongside me. I never betray my party.�
The newman felt a flush of heat rise to her cheeks as she was caught off-guard by the ranger's sudden touch. Though she barely knew him, she found himself believing every word he said to her and for some reason, she wanted to hear more. Her emerald eyes locked into his and for a fleeting moment, the two strangers saw something in each other that they each abruptly realized they had been searching for: someone like them, someone who understood.
The ranger broke the awkward silence with a forced chuckle. �But I'm forgetful!� he laughed. Despite her fiery cheeks, Janna couldn't help but smile slightly as she moved towards the portal. With one last look at her strange new friend, she stepped inside and was whisked back to the ship.
�Excellent!� the client exclaimed when the hunter reported back with her findings. �We didn't expect there to be any survivors.� The short man's eyes darted around nervously as he lowered his voice. �Let me confirm this: only Bernie and you know about the survivor?�
�Bernie?� she asked.
�Oh, Bernie is the ranger who brought her here for you. It's his nickname,� he said nonchalantly. �He's always been a mysterious man.� Janna couldn't disagree. �I'll take care of the girl,� he continued. �Don't worry. The Guild will pay your reward.�
The wary newman still wasn't entirely comfortable with the things she had learned on this mission, but she wisely kept her mouth shut and collected her meseta from the counter. Secrecy and corruption were not unheard of back on Coral and she hadn't expected things to change aboard the Pioneer 2, but she had always tried to maintain a safe distance from any nefarious dealings as she looked for work and did her job. The effects of her involvement in this case were yet to be seen, but as she left the Guild, she couldn't help but wonder if she would again cross paths with the enigmatic Bernie in the future.
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Encounters