The hatch of the starship had slid apart with a hiss, revealing a steep stairway ascending into the ship's interior. Lino stepped forward confidently, scanning the area for any signs of pursuit. Satisfied that they were still alone, he turned and smiled down at Edward and Huey, waving a scaly hand toward the ship's welcoming depths.
"Come on you guys, let's go!"
Lino turned around and started walking inside.
A moment or two later and they could hear their new friend greet someone inside the vessel, "Get ready for takeoff! I've got the orb, and a surprise!"
Edward rolled his shoulders and looked around at all the other ships in the port before reluctantly following Lino. He reached back to grab Huey by the collar, pulling him along with a mix of urgency and concern.
Huey was lagging behind, awestruck by the reality of the starships towering before them, a large grin plastered on his face. To Edward, the massive vessels were almost as shocking as the animal-like inhabitants of this strange world—his mind still struggled to comprehend it all. Huey was simply excited.
"All right, all right, I'm coming, let me go, you big jerk...Don't ruin a perfectly good isekai."
Huey yanked himself free and dashed past Edward, catching up to Lino, eager to explore the ship. Edward sighed, shaking his head.
Edward had already decided to hold in any sort of surprise and focus on taking care of Huey. He had sort of decided at this point to treat him like a little brother for Cassie's sake. Norvin would probably be pissed off if Edward let something happen to Huey too.
He didn't quite understand how Huey could be so excited and carefree about the new world they had found themselves in.
This wasn't a movie or some anime, this was real life. Edward himself was barely keeping it together after all the death back at the bar and now being tossed into this strange world. Watching Cassie die had ripped a hole inside him too, the intrusive thoughts of her last moments were really setting in at this point.
'Why isn't he breaking down or crying? It was his own sister... damn it.'
During their travels through the alleyways earlier, as well as the lively market, Edward had bit down on his tongue several times to chase away the tears that had tried to form in the corners of his eyes.
Now that he had a moment alone to breathe, the thoughts of Cassie consumed him—the beautiful woman stolen from his life. Images of his mom, dad and the kids he taught boxing to at the dojo intermingled with the fresh pain of loss. Edward took a large breath and held it for a moment before exhaling.
He clenched his large fists hard enough that it started to hurt physically a little bit, nearly succeeding in holding back all of the emotions he was feeling from coming out.
One big, salty, warm tear rolled down his cheek before he dragged his stripped tracksuit sleeve across his face to dry it up. He sniffed and scrunched his face while he got himself under control.
'An isekai? Get real kid, this is a nightmare.'
Edward figured they would need to talk—Huey needed to process what had happened as badly as Edward needed to, he must. Edward wanted to know why the kid wasn't showing any reaction at all anymore to what had happened in the bar.
Edward finally began to head inside but then he paused, his newly sharpened instincts started prickling and made him concentrate on his surroundings.
Click
Had he just heard a faint metallic sound? He didn't see anything or anyone around other than some of the port workers, they weren't anywhere nearby however as they were attending to other vessels.
He frowned but then wondered if it was just his imagination, or perhaps the sound of his footsteps on the walkway. Edward shook his head and continued walking towards the entrance of the ship again. The moment Edward crossed the threshold, the doors sealed behind him with a definitive ka-chunk, shutting them off from the outside world.
As soon as the ship had been sealed, its engines roared to life. After around thirty seconds of warm up, the craft's boosters lifted itself off the ground; it moved upwards, gaining speed as soon as it was clear of the walls that surrounded the large port.
The starship shot upwards, climbing higher until it vanished beyond the vibrant glow of countless neon lights decorating the towering buildings of the city.
As the vessel vanished from view, the air around the recently vacated space shimmered and distorted, revealing a figure: a tall, slender man with long, brown colored rabbit-like ears, clad in an armored coat.
He lifted up one arm, pulled back a sleeve and activated the communicator on his wrist.
"Buck reporting, I've placed a beacon on their ship. We can follow them anytime you want, my lord."
...
In the heart of one of the bright neon city's most imposing, towering structures, a colossal figure wearing something very similar to a white business suit with slim armor platting covering it sat enthroned, its immense frame would command immediate attention the moment anyone entered the room.
The ivory chair, crafted to accommodate the giant's enormity, seemed almost a natural extension of its massive body, the creamy surface gleaming softly in the dimly lit audience chamber. The chair's sturdy legs, adorned with intricate carvings, appeared to be rooted to the floor, as if they had grown organically from the marble like stone floor itself, providing a stable base for the gargantuan occupant.
Before this formidable presence, a smaller, more timid individual knelt, their eyes fixed on the ground as they struggled to explain themselves. The mousy man, still bearing the bruises and scars from his earlier encounter with Edward, trembled slightly as he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I-I believe they weren't armorers, m-my lord," he stammered, his words tumbling out in a nervous rush. "They seemed to be able to conjure up armor and equipment out of thin air, however. One of them had the typical red aura of a skilled fighter, while the other...I'm not entirely sure what their ability was but they had the aura of a Meta. They were incredibly powerful, and only a handful of my men managed to survive the encounter."
The giant's response was a low, rumbling growl, its deep voice like thunder in the chamber. "I see," it said, the words vibrating through the air. "What type were they? Blues or reds?" As the giant spoke, it scratched its long, golden beard, the sound of its fingers moving through the thick, tawny strands echoing through the room. The movement caused its face to come into view, and the smaller man couldn't help but steal a glance, his eyes widening in awe.
The giant was like a majestic, mythical being: a massive figure cloaked in white fur, sporting a lion's shaggy mane, with a nose and eyes that had a distinctly feline quality. The overall impression was both enchanting and intimidating, as if this colossal figure had stepped straight out of a legend and into the world—if, of course, that world were Earth and the legend donned a suit. On this planet, there were many beast men with size this impressive, just not as powerful a presence.
As it stood, its massive frame unfolding from the throne like a living, breathing statue, the room seemed to shrink, the walls and ceiling receding in the face of the pressure it was giving off.
The giant stretched its shoulders, the sound of cracking joints and popping muscles filling the air with a series of loud, deliberate snaps. The noise was almost deafening, and the smaller man winced, his ears ringing from the sound.
By the time the giant had fully risen to its feet, its height was unmistakable: a staggering four and a half meters tall, its body a towering monolith of muscle and thick skin that seemed to defy gravity and challenge the very architecture of the building. The smaller man felt tiny, insignificant, in the face of such enormity, and he couldn't help but tremble, his heart racing with a mix of fear and awe.
The giant's face split into a wide, toothy grin, revealing sharp fangs. His massive head almost brushed against the ceiling, and if he so much as jumped, he would surely reach it. The entire building dwarfed nearly every creature but him, the 16-foot-tall doors framing a realm where only the truly formidable of beast men felt at home.
The ceilings soared at a minimum of 20 feet high, amplifying the deep voice of the hulking lion-like man, making it resonate with an imposing authority that echoed through the chamber.
As the mousy man cleared his throat, his voice trembled slightly. "They appeared to be reds...no scales from what I could see before they put their armor on. We… we lost the Dragon Orb to Lino and the rebellion," he stammered, anxiety flickering in his beady eyes.
The giant's expression shifted, a flicker of anger turning to interest ignited by the news. Leaving the mousy man to stew in dread, he casually ambled toward a nearby wall.
He glanced down at the shorter man from the corner of his eye, then raised a massive hand. He dragged his hand sideways slowly. A powerful set of claws popped out and started scraping against the smooth surface of the wall.
Four deep marks were being left behind, the terrible sound echoed ominously, a stark reminder of the force he carried. He paused, letting the sound come to a sudden stop before turning his gaze fully back to the mousy man, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
"You know," he said, his voice low and menacing, "I would hate for anything to happen to you, my dear friend. Something like what befell my last chief of security... but you know that, Captain Argo was your boss before you got... promoted." His words were laced with a chilling undertone, leaving the large eared man to swallow hard, fear pooling in his stomach.
With a confident stride, the giant walked over to the ivory throne, its ornate structure gleaming under the sparse light. His massive paw like hand reached out to pat the throne, fingers brushing over the intricately carved surface, the unmistakable texture of what used to be the tusks of a giant elephant beneath his touch.
"A beautiful piece, isn't it?" he mused, the underlying threat in his voice a stark contrast to the admiration he feigned. "It would be a shame if anything like this happened again… to you."
His eyes glinted, and for a moment, the mousy man's fate hung precariously in the balance, the weight of the giant's presence pressing down like a stone.
He walked back towards the small figure in front of him and leaned down towards his tiny underling, when he did, the man wet himself.
The huge lion man stopped advancing and sniffed the air for a moment.
"Hahaha... it smells like you get the message, Captain Morty. I understand that Captain Buck has placed a tracking device on their vessel. You may go meet him now, they are going to follow in one of our stealth cruisers with his platoon and Captain Jeena's as well..."
"Y-yes Lord Kamak, as you wish, I won't fail you again!"
"Good! I have a need for a new stool to go with my seat, but I would prefer using snakeskin, not yours. You are no longer Chief Captain until you retrieve the orb, and find the location of the rebels base. Consider Buck and Jeena your equals...Now, get out of my sight."
Captain Morty forced himself to nod several times rapidly and bowed. He then scurried out of the room, while he still could.