Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ The Game ❯ A dying landscape ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Category: Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe
Minor Anime: Trigun
Pairings: 1x2 main, light Vash-Wolfwood
Warnings: shonen ai
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com
Website: www . geocities . com / arigatomina

The Game

Part 9: “A dying landscape”

The golden void faded into a smoky tan landscape, heavy silence weighing the three of them down as the guide explained the details of the task. The 'Import Queue' appeared in front of them. Above were two images, one of a strange hazy silver machine that might have been a space ship, and the other a picture of a little girl with pretty dark hair pulled into tails on either side of her head.

“The task,” said Setsuna, “is to board the airship and keep the girl from being killed. The ship is located a mile above the ground, hovering over a canyon to the west of the city. For this task, you have the option of exchanging one player for one of your reserves. This option must be used before the task is begun, or not at all."

“Exchange,” said Duo, with a glance at Heero and Wolfwood. “What happens to the person we trade out?”

“That person will remain with me until the task has been completed,” said Setsuna.

Heero shook his head before Duo could respond to that. “We don’t want to exchange anyone. There’s no requirement that we do, is there?”

“I recommend you stay together,” Quatre spoke up. “Trading places with an imported character could be dangerous if you fail to complete the task.”

“Right,” said Heero.

The 'Import Queue' disappeared, followed by the image of the ship and the girl they were to protect. Setsuna didn’t speak again as the tan fog faded out to reveal their location.

The first thing Duo noticed was that his scythe was once more strapped to his back. He immediately grinned and drew it, making certain it was as functional as it had been during the first task. Heero did the same, inspecting his canon with those cool analytical eyes he’d used when checking his handguns during the wars. It wasn’t until they were confident that their weapons had been returned unaltered that they noticed Wolfwood. Duo was so startled he would have fallen onto his backside if not for Heero putting a hand out to steady him.

“What the hell,” Duo blurted. “You said you weren’t a priest!”

Wolfwood’s black outfit was the same, except the high white collar was gone. The top few buttons of his black coat were undone, the thinner white shirt beneath opened reveal tanned skin and a small silver cross. What had startled Duo so much was the change to the man’s weapon. The large canon that had overlapped his right arm during the first task was now a tall cross. He had it standing in the sand beside him, the top of the thing reaching nearly over his head. It was thick and blocky, wrapped in pale tan canvas with what appeared to be belt straps tied over it in some random pattern. Wolfwood looked as startled at the change as Duo.

“I’m not,” Wolfwood said quickly, his tone a little defensive. “I don’t know what this thing is. My weapon just…turned into this. It must have something to do with the realm.”

Heero approached him and looked over the cross, his eyes pausing on the clasps holding the canvas in place. “If your weapon changed into this, it would have to be a weapon as well. But it’s clumsy. It would take too long to unwrap it if you were attacked suddenly.”

“There’s probably a trick to it,” said Duo, with curiosity in his eyes. He crossed over to join Heero in perusing the strange ‘weapon.’

Wolfwood motioned for them to back up a bit and lifted the cross. He shoved it down into the sand so it was balanced on its own. He blinked a little afterward. “It’s heavy…”

“Sure,” Duo smirked, “it’s huge. But if it’s a canon I don’t see why the game changed it. Your canon was powerful enough without being so awkward, and it had all sorts of chambers. Looks like you got the bum rush again, trading a versatile weapon for this thing.”

“That figures,” Wolfwood sighed, with a wry smile. “I get the feeling the game doesn’t like me. Unless that’s the way it is with all the ‘sniper’ players.”

He found a latch that felt thicker than the others and pulled on it. All three of them stepped back as the other straps fell free, the weight pulling the cloth off as well. The cross almost looked like a black metal suitcase. The horizontal face fell down to reveal a row of large handguns, each in position for quick use. There was some sort of circular chamber on the top and triggers along the arms for what might have been anything from a beam canon to a missile launcher. Duo immediately took back what he’d said before.

“Maybe this thing is versatile, too,” Duo smirked, raising an eyebrow at Wolfwood. “But it’s still awkward.”

“It’s also a mix of ancient and advanced,” said Heero. “Look at this gun.”

Wolfwood and Duo watched as Heero drew one of the large handguns, opening it to show the large copper bullets it was loaded with. The metal looked as if it were a few hundred years old, though the chambers were well cared for and gleaming in the sun. Compared with the unusually complex compartments in the cross, and the unknown power of whatever went in the center chamber – beam or missile – there was a clear difference. The guns could have come from eighteenth century Earth, but the cross itself was clearly more recent technology.

“What’s strange about it?” asked Wolfwood, with a vague frown. “The handguns look like they were made to go with the rest. It wouldn’t be complete, otherwise.”

Duo gave him a funny look, and Heero replaced the gun with a slightly derogatory snort.

“For someone so skilled at using handguns,” said Heero, “you don’t know much about them. The cross was made to go with the guns, not the other way around. The metal alone should tell you how much older the guns are. This,” he touched the black face of the cross and the holders for the guns, “isn’t even an alloy discovered in our time. The guns are definitely replications of early models, but if the game had created them to fit the rest of this, they wouldn’t be so visibly used. This barrel, for instance, has been cracked and sealed at least once, probably recently, by a…blowtorch or something similar. It would take much more advanced technology to fix a defect in the case itself. They can’t have come from the same time period.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Wolfwood said reluctantly, “but it still looks like a matching set to me.”

“It’s not really important, right?” asked Duo, with a quick smile for the two of them. “As long as it works, that’s what matters. Figure out how to close it back up before we fry out here.”

As if Duo had just flipped a switch, Wolfwood and Heero turned to look around them, noticing the surroundings for the first time. They’d noticed how bright the sun was, now they saw why. They were standing in a desert, hazy tan sand ghosting out like some ocean on all sides. A pale gray glint in the distance was the only thing to be seen aside from a few barren sand-blasted boulders here and there. Duo waved at the glint, his smile widening for having noticed their surroundings before Heero did. His partner had a habit of becoming focused on weaponry to the exclusion of all else.

“I bet that’s the city Setsuna told us about,” said Duo. “So the canyon with the ship should be on the other side of it.”

“Right,” said Heero.

Wolfwood nodded as well and pushed the face of the cross closed, pleased to note that it snapped into place with fluid ease. He had a moment of worry when it came to strapping the cloth over it. Since Heero’s memory was almost photographic, he helped get the positioning of the straps back the way they’d been earlier. Wolfwood figured out the last clasps, the ones that would allow for a rapid unbinding in the event of an attack. It wasn’t until he went to lift the thing that he again wondered why his weapon had changed so much.

“It’s still heavy,” Wolfwood frowned. “What reason would the game have for changing my weapon into this? If it were just a matter of this being more appropriate for the realm, all of our weapons would have changed.”

“It’s like I said,” Duo smirked, “you just have the worst luck.”

Wolfwood hefted the cross onto his right shoulder, automatically placing it so the hidden barrel was facing front. While the weight was impractical for someone traveling this sort of heat, it wasn’t unbearable. It actually balanced quite nicely and once they started walking the weight seemed to lessen. He could only assume this was an aspect of the game intended to keep him from abandoning the unwieldy weapon.

“You know,” Wolfwood drawled, “if I were religious, this would be the time to pun about accepting hardships.”

Duo grinned, not noticing how closely Heero was watching him. “When they said to take up the cross, they didn’t mean it literally. Maybe you’re the token masochist in this task. Better than the damsel in distress, right?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Wolfwood. “If the game makes a habit of sticking me in the useless role, you guys may have to find yourselves a new sniper. Getting drooled on is one thing, but I’m not playing the martyr. That’s where I draw the line.”

“Right,” Duo smirked. “And yet you didn’t once ask one of us to help you carry that thing. Don’t worry. When you pass out from heatstroke we’ll drag you the rest of the way to that town.”

Wolfwood gave him a droll scowl before flicking his eyes up to the sky. “Don’t talk about the heat. This is worse than the first task was. I don’t see why I keep getting stuck in deserts…”

His eyes caught on something strange, and he stopped in his tracks. “Oi. You guys see that…?”

Heero turned back. Some of his resentment had rekindled at how easily Duo and Wolfwood got along, but he pushed it aside for now. He stared up at the sky, his attention sweeping from the horizon, back to the dusty blue above.

“Three moons,” Duo grinned. “Weird realm.”

“And a storm is coming,” said Heero. He directed their eyes to the horizon, where a dusty haze of sand was roiling in the distance.

They picked up their pace, eager to reach the shelter of the city before the sandstorm overtook them. The hazy gray shapes turned out to be closer than they’d thought, obscured by the heat baking off the few cement buildings and obscuring the other wooden structures. By the time they came into the slight shade of a fragile-looking building with a sign that proclaimed it a ‘bar’, the winds were blowing hard enough to make standing upright a challenge.

Duo clamped a hand over the tip of his braid, having been slapped by it more times than he cared for. Heero seemed to find that amusing, so he flashed his partner a playful glower. Behind them, Wolfwood had his cross slung over his back, the canvas rippling and shielding him from the worst of the winds.

“This is going to get bad,” said Wolfwood, his voice half stolen by the whining wind.

Gritty sand dusted around them, doing its best to stick to any damp spot of skin it could find. The residents of the city, which looked more like a shanty town than anything, were ducking into the buildings, cloths over their faces. A few were boarding up the windows of the wooden houses, others lowering wooden grates that fell to completely block the front of stores. There was a tangible urgency to their movements, and they barely glanced at the three strangers who’d walked into their town.

Duo caught a young boy running past, and leaned down so he’d be heard over the pounding of hammers and the moaning wind. “Which is the quickest way through the town? We’re looking for a canyon near here.”

“You’re crazy, then,” the boy yelled back. His eyes widened in disbelief for a moment, then closed painfully as sand crept in and stuck to the dampness. He rubbed a furious hand over his eyes and waved toward his left. “Just go straight that way – past the jail! Go left again at the well and you’re out. The only canyon around here is out that way. But it won’t do you no good in a few minutes. This ain’t no normal sandstorm, you know. It’s a tsunami! You go in that canyon and you’ll be buried in two minutes flat! Can’t even try getting above it, neither – you’d get plucked right off the cliff and no one’d ever find what’s left of you!”

“Thanks for the warning,” Duo said quickly. He let go of the boy’s arm and watched him duck into one of the remaining doorways. Seconds later a man was outside, pulling down a grate to block the entrance from the growing storm.

“Sand tsunami,” said Heero. “That doesn’t make sense. Even if an earthquake could launch a wave of sand, it wouldn’t come with winds like this.”

“Doesn’t matter what you want to call it,” said Wolfwood. He pushed at Heero, urging the boy into motion before he could explain the difference between a tsunami and a sandstorm. Duo was already ahead of them, following the little boy’s directions.

“I have an idea,” Duo called back, his voice muffled from the sleeve he’d put over his mouth to keep the sand at bay. “If this place is as old fashioned as that ‘bar’ back there, we won’t be flying up to the airship, even if we find it. So how do you think we’re supposed to get to it once we reach the canyon? No way is it a coincidence this storm picked up right when we got here.”

Heero sped up a little so he could reply without having to scream the words. “You mean the wind? Use it to carry us?”

“You heard the kid,” Duo nodded. “If we try getting ‘above’ on the cliff, we’ll just be plucked off and carried who knows where. Well, in a game, that usually means to a hidden level, see? It’s like playing a pirate game and getting taken to an island in the sky – you can’t get directions from the natives, because they don’t know it exists. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. That would explain Wolfwood’s cross, too, that mix of old and high tech. It’s forgotten technology or something. I’ve heard of games like that. The game probably gave him that weapon so we’d figure it out and know not to waste time asking the people here how to find the airship.”

Heero gave a slow nod that Duo didn’t turn his head to see. Once again he was impressed by how easily Duo had put things together. It wasn’t that he doubted Duo’s intelligence, or creativity, just that he wouldn’t have thought to see the cross as a ‘hint’ imbedded to point them in the right direction. While none of them knew much about The Game, Duo’s experience with games in general was coming in very handy.

They reached the canyon just in time to duck tight in a cranny and avoid being plowed by a large wooden roof. Duo scrambled out the moment the thing blew past and watched as it was dashed into a thousand pieces against the canyon wall.

“Dangerous! We’d better get up there if we don’t want to get knocked into the cliff by something. It might be an entire building next time.”

They climbed up a sloping crease in the canyon wall, old steps carved roughly into the gray rock to form a staircase of sorts. Heero took up the rear, his eyes squinting against the wind to watch for any large item that might blow their way. That gave him an idea as to how they were supposed to proceed, his mind still operating on the premise that nothing in the game happened by accident.

Once they reached the plateau, they huddled together, and Heero shared his thought. “If that roof had blown by while we were up here, it wouldn’t have crashed into anything. We could have jumped onto it and been carried. The wind is blowing at an upward angle.”

“Great thinking,” Duo grinned. “Like catching a ride on a bird that just happens to be going in the direction we need. The only problem is we won’t be able to go back if we miss our stop.”

“Is this the only way?” asked Wolfwood, reluctant to say the least. “At least find something more stable than a wooden roof. Even if it blew up to the airship, it would be crushed on impact before we could catch hold.”

“What else is there?” Duo shot back. “You saw that town! They barely had cement buildings. I doubt they’d have anything made of metal big enough for all three of us and light enough to be picked up by this.”

Wolfwood squinted against the biting sand, his gut squirming at the idea of catching a ride on a rooftop. He wasn’t about to argue with Duo, who obviously knew more about games than he did, but he really didn’t look forward to trying that. Something pale glinted at the opening of the canyon, unearthed by the swirling sands and lifted into the air. Wolfwood jerked back and caught Heero’s arm, directing him to look down.

“That,” yelled Wolfwood. “You guys said lost technology, right? Let’s catch a ride on that!”

Heero lurched to his feet, dragging Duo up with him. The wind was horrible once they were upright, threatening to snatch them up before the object could reach them. Duo squinted, trying to make out what the silver thing was. It almost looked like a vehicle, except it was more rounded on the sides with bumps below and on what might have been the face. A dark concave area was barely visible as it neared them, as if the interior were hollow. Whatever it was, he immediately agreed with Wolfwood. That was just the sort of thing to catch a ride on in a strange game scenario like this.

“We go together!” Heero shouted, over the now-howling wind. He caught Duo’s wrist in one hand and Wolfwood’s in the other. For a brief second he was surprised to find himself in the middle, where Duo had been during their entrances into the ‘Random’ portal. Then the large object was rushing up in front of them, rising on its way out of the canyon. Duo jerked his arm so he could clasp Heero’s hand in an equally tight grip. Once the machine was four feet past them, they jumped.

The wind shoved them faster than the object, their weight being lighter. They released hands at the same time, each scrambling to find a purchase on the large piece of machinery. Wolfwood caught an arm of his cross in the interior and jerked himself up until he toppled inside. Duo had a brief moment where he thought he’d slip right off the edge of the dusty metal. Then he kicked up and caught hold of the sharp edge of that hollow interior. Heero had landed halfway over the edge, but righted himself by rolling into the wind-flow. A few seconds later the three were crouched in what appeared to be a vehicle of some sort. If not for the rounded, bumpy, and wheel-less exterior, it could have been a circular trailer. There were even straps on the sides, broken and corroded by time and sand, but straps nonetheless.

“Yes!” Duo grinned, pumping a fist in the air and promptly ducking back down when the wind threatened to jerk him right out of the vehicle. “That was so absolutely cool!”

“Insane,” Wolfwood laughed, crouching down with his cross wedged lightly between the opposite wall and his shoulder. “But much better than being mauled by a bunch of smelly monsters.”

Heero gave a shake of his head for Duo’s enthusiasm, not quite as reproving as he knew he should have been. “Stay alert. We’ll still have to jump out once we reach the airship.”

“Of course,” said Duo. “It would be kind of pointless if we made it here and then missed our stop.”

He started to say more but was distracted by a swirling jerk. The machinery they were on buckled like a small craft in the midst of severe turbulence. Duo let out a little eep and ducked tight against Wolfwood’s side, jerking Heero along with him. Wolfwood shoved the cross tighter to the opposite wall, effectively holding them in place. It was a good thing, too, because the vehicle lashed almost entirely upside down before righting itself with a heavy lurch. A foot kicked against Duo’s leg, and he drew his legs closer to himself, his arm tight around Heero’s waist. Instead of wondering how they were supposed to keep an eye out for the airship, he just concerned himself with not letting either him or Heero get swept away.

“Oi…!”

Something kicked him again, and Duo squinted down to see a black boot wedged between his knee and Wolfwood’s leg. He followed the boot to black pants and a wild scarlet coat. It took a moment before the colors resolved themselves into a tall person scrunched up across from them, tattered red cloth billowing in the sandy wind and wild pale blonde hair standing jagged above sparkling sky-blue eyes.

“Oi…!” the guy pouted, pushing a hand against the wedged cross and kicking Wolfwood’s leg again. “Wolfwood…! Make some room, would you? This isn’t the place to nap, you know.”

Heero and Wolfwood opened their eyes at the same moment, and Duo shifted back to stare at Wolfwood. His friend was squinting in surprise, but didn’t appear to recognize the blonde. The craft wasn’t shaking as much now, so Wolfwood drew his legs up and shifted the cross a bit higher on his shoulder.

“You know him?” asked Heero, his expression as startled as Duo’s.

“No,” Wolfwood blurted, his eyes flashing from the grinning blonde man, over to Duo and Heero. “When did he get here?”

“What are you saying?” the blonde pouted, wilting a little. “I know we haven’t seen each other in a while, but no one ever forgets me. Or do you just not want to introduce me to your friends...? That’s mean, Wolfwood.”

Duo glanced over at Heero, doing his best to communicate without speaking out loud. He received a nod for his effort, so he assumed it was a success. He promptly elbowed Wolfwood in the ribs and sent him a look that said to play along. Wolfwood flashed him a disgruntled look before forcing a weak smile onto his face.

“It’s not like that,” Wolfwood said slowly, “I just figured you’d want to introduce yourself, is all.”

The blonde blinked at that, his too-wide blue eyes flickering warily at Heero and Duo. His face twisted into a thoughtful expression for a moment. Then he flashed a winsome grin. “I’m Vash! Wolfwood and me ran into each other on a bus a while back, and then there was that time at that bar, and, well, seems like a small world the way we keep wandering in opposite directions and then ending up in the same place after all. I definitely didn’t expect to see you here. What made you catch a ride on this?”

Wolfwood did his best not to let his wary confusion show on his face. He flashed what he hoped was a sly grin and flicked a thumb at the two boys beside him. “This is Duo, and Heero. We’re heading for an airship.”

Vash flinched a little. His grin disappeared, replaced by a sober and slightly wary expression. “You know about it…? Why are you heading there?”

Wolfwood shot a look at Duo, who quickly waved a hand at the blonde man. He flashed a dismissive smile.

“Just to see it,” said Duo. “Not to get into trouble or anything. It’s dangerous, eh?”

“N-no,” Vash mumbled, frowning more and fidgeting a little. “It’s just…they don’t like strangers. That’s why they stayed on the ship. I don’t think you should go there, Wolfwood. They’re good people, but…they just really don’t take to strangers.”

Wolfwood flashed a somewhat natural smile. “Don’t worry about it. We were heading there anyway, so it’s not your problem. It’s not like we’re hitching a ride with you, we just happened to pick the same route. You go there often?”

“Not really,” said Vash, still looking doubtful. “It’s been a while…”

“We won’t cause any trouble,” Duo said quickly. He took the blonde’s presence as some attempt to dissuade them from completing the task, only instead of fighting him, they were supposed to placate him. He didn’t know what to make of the man seeming to know Wolfwood, but they’d seen stranger things in the game. At least he hadn’t turned into a monster yet.

Vash sent a look over the cross, his head ducking till his face was half-hidden by the high collar of his red coat. “I know you won’t cause trouble, not if you’re friends of Wolfwood. It’s just that…they won’t welcome you.”

Sad blue eyes flicked up, and Wolfwood flashed an overly confident grin that didn’t match the nervousness he felt. “They don’t need to. We're just taking a look. It's not like we expect to be invited to lunch.”

Vash gave a slow nod, frowning more than ever. “I guess…”

.-.
TBC