(General Fiction) Severance Universe One-Shot - 004 - Hostility

[halcyonlioness]

 This.  This is too short for me and I've been trying to make it longer... but here you go, you happy saladim. :3

(3 years after the De-Synching, Severance Wars Era)

Etho cursed quietly under his mask, and he didn't curse often... if at all.  In the dead silence that permeated this part of the forests around VPF territory, a single whisper could carry quite a distance and the last thing Etho needed was to be detected; but, alas, for once he was actually having issues doing what he was best at and to the point where his usually stoic silence was being cracked by the rare, inaudibly muttered invective.

It was safe to say that if Etho was cursing, he was having trouble with something ... or in this case, someone.

Of all the marks Etho had discreetly monitored over his short military career, not only was this particular one making it difficult for Etho to track him, but the guy was proving even more difficult to read.  To the fabled and famed Redstone Ninja, being hard to read raised a red flag, and red flags often meant a potential threat to the often well-screened fold that was the Mindcrack Protectorate.  Something needed to be done, Etho mused grimly to himself as he quietly shifted his position on his tree branch perch, but the current situation made it difficult to determine just what sort of action was to be warranted and how soon.  Immediate action was very tempting right about now; nip a possible internal breach of the protectorate’s tenuous security in the bud before it sprouted into something General Guude Boulderfist would one day regret allowing.

Granted, Guude told (actually, outright ordered) Etho to give the newcomer the benefit of the doubt and leave the guy alone, but ... well, Etho wasn't the kind of person who took most people at their word until he tested a person's character for himself.  Even an order from the commander de facto of the Mindcrack Protectorate himself wouldn't deter Etho from uncovering the the true nature of a person, protected by General Boulderfist himself or not.

If anything, this newcomer was proving to be an extreme test for Etho's already legendary patience; a legendary patience that was threatening to wear very, very thin.

~||~

"Goddamnit, guy!  I ordered you to keep your distance until we got this whole mess sorted out! What in the world possessed you to--"

Etho wasn't really listening to one very livid Guude as the high-ranking officer launched into a rage-triggered rant.  Instead, the Ninja's trademark redstone eye was trained on the man standing behind the green-shirted General; the darker skinned man was nursing some bleeding wounds and several bruises, but there was no mistaking the arrogant and mocking smirk on his lips. All Etho could do in response to the darker man's very obvious smugness was narrow his eyes in contempt.

It was bad enough Guude had interrupted his (admittedly violent) test of character for this shady newcomer, leaving any hypotheses Etho had wholly inconclusive; now the legendary Redstone Ninja was being accused of making the current situation regarding the newcomer all the more protracted and painful. In Etho's mind and in his gut, it didn't matter that this guy saved Guude's life--this newcomer was potentially going to be more trouble than he was ultimately worth.

"Whatever you say, Guude." the Redstone Ninja growled, interrupting the General's disciplinary tirade as he picked up his scattered and slightly bloodied kunai off the ground. He stood back up to his full, towering height as he pocketed the small throwing knives and sheathed his diamond-edged tanto blade. "I'll 'keep my distance', but if this Moderan double-crosses you, it'll be on your watch, not mine."

Without another word being said or another expression exchanged, Etho effortlessly leapt into the trees and out of sight. Left behind were a frustrated Guude and a battered and genuinely concerned BdoubleO standing on a forested dirt road, both pondering what the Redstone Ninja's sudden hostility could mean for the Moderan Expatriate's future and for the Mindcrack Protectorate as a whole.

---

Author's Notes

Uh.  I thought Etho and Bdubs were friends?

Keep in mind that this is an alternate universe and it's pretty early on in this version of Mindcrack's/Minecraftia's history.  It also helps to remind/inform you that BdoubleO and Etho fought on different sides on the Severance Wars before this snipfic happened, so some old battlefield hostility should be more or less expected.  Don't worry.  They'll be good buddies long before the time 'UHC: Foundation' takes place in rolls around.

... This is a short fic.

I agree. It's shorter than what I usually do, but I gotta keep sharp somehow.  Hopefully, I'll soon churn out the much-hyped Act 2 of 'UHC:Foundation' properly ... but I digress.  The short response to this statement is simple: trying to write a fight scene between an augmented supersoldier and a mystical ninja is too much epic for a scribblefic.  Maybe I'll visit this point in SevU history again one day and actually expand on it. We'll see.

Anyways, hope you happy lot enjoyed!

<3

~Lioness

Author's Box (FAQ): 
"What is the Severance Universe?" -- It's the setting for the 'UHC: Foundation' serial. Read it here or here and read more info here.

Previous Severance Universe One Shots:
SUOS 001 - Hat
SUOS 002 - Descent and Denial
SUOS 003 - Into This World

Comments

[jaycana]

*Squeaks with happiness* I love these. Nothing more to be said.