Voidwalker Requiem

Chapter Three: Learning the Ropes

After resting their bodies, Hana and Eve wake up and immediately plan out the rest of their day. Hana, standing in the mirror still tired from the night prior, meticulously brushes his teeth. "We're meeting new people today," Eve says out of the blue. "We need to form a crew we can trust." Hana stands confused. "Well you left the one crew I had back on Alteris, so what's your plan here?" He replies. "I know a few people. And plus, we can recruit some people along the way right? If we're going to hunt high bounties we might as well get some skilled hunters on board." Hana stands confused, trying to process what he just heard. "You do realise that they're gonna want a piece of that bounty money, right? They're not just gonna hop on board with no incentive. My incentive is that antidote, you're basically just holding me hostage." He explains.

Eve pours tea that had been brewing in a kettle into her mug. Her eyes glow a hypnotic turquoise, as a conniving grin forms on her face. "All it takes is a little convincing, babe." She replies in a peculiar tone. Hana turns around from the mirror to get a better look at Eve's eyes, but the colour immediately fades away. Whatever Eve meant by what she said went over his head. He simply went along with her plan. They check out of the Inn and head out to the heart of the Capital, talking about everything and nothing all at once.

At one point in their conversation, Eve brings up the concept of Voidwalkers and Ten Energy. "It'd be a good idea to recruit a Ten User." She says. "The fuck is that? Some specialised bounty hunter or sum?" A puzzled Hana asks. "No, silly. You might also know them as Voidwalkers. They pretty much have powers." She says. "Voidwalkers are born with specialised nodes in their nervous system called Ten Nodes. These nodes act as receptors and conduits for Ten energy, enabling them to harness and manipulate it." They stop at a diner to grab a bite to eat. "How the hell does that work?" Hana replies. "Ten energy flows through the body via intricate pathways akin to the nervous system, known as Ten Flow. This network facilitates the transmission and control of Ten energy, allowing Voidwalkers to manifest their abilities. Voidwalkers activate their abilities through focused mental and emotional states, channelling Ten energy through their Ten Nodes to produce various effects. Most of these effects are enhanced strength, abnormal speed, enhanced agility, elemental manipulation, telekinesis and telepathy, accelerated tissue reconstruction, biophysical reconstruction or shapeshifting the list goes on. There's probably some out there that I don't even know about or haven't been discovered yet."

Hana, in awe of this revelation, takes a bite out of his burger. "Wait, so you're actually a Voidwalker?" Eve pauses for a minute. She puts her fork down and stares at her pasta dish. "Fuck no. I'd probably kill myself if I was. Even though I can't exactly die. I don't wanna get caught in that bullshit fanfare of heroes. It's so plastic and fake." She says with a pale look on her face.

"Fake? Like the Voidwalkers the ISA promotes aren't actual Ten Users or something?" Hana asks.

"They're all corrupt, but put on this morally righteous facade up for the public. They don't save shit. In fact they cause more harm than good. Sure they save the day in the Capital, but all they actually do is force the criminals out to other planets where they don't enforce shit. And that's where the criminal enterprises form.

Capital City in turn is expensive as hell to live in and barely affordable so everyone moves out to those planets that have gone to shit. Yeah there's supposed to be a division of Voidwalkers per planet they don't do shit. So normal people have to suffer. Day after day."

There's a moment of silence between the two. "But hey, what can we do about it, right? It's not like our little bounty hunting operations will do much. Killing Harelnessa won't do shit. It's like a Hydra. A new head will grow and take her place." She's interrupted by two strangers. "Mind if we join you?" one asked, her voice carrying a hint of curiosity. A shapeshifter named Ditto, her presence fluid and enigmatic, approached with a sly smile.

Hana glanced at Eve, who nodded imperceptibly, signalling her approval. "Sure, have a seat," Hana said, motioning to the empty chairs at their table.

Ditto slid into one of the chairs gracefully, her form shifting subtly as she settled in. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about Voidwalkers," she began, her eyes gleaming with interest. "Seems like you two have some unique insights."

Asulan, the towering figure with a quiet strength about him, took the remaining seat. "Forgive the intrusion," he said in a deep, resonant voice. "But we couldn't help but be drawn to your discussion. My name's Asulan, and this here's Ditto."

Eve studied them both with a keen eye, assessing their presence and potential. "Eve," she introduced herself coolly, offering a brief nod. "And this is Hana."

"We're on the lookout for skilled individuals," Hana interjected, getting to the point. "We've got a job lined up that could use a team."

Ditto's smile widened knowingly. "Ah, so you're assembling a crew. Count us in," she replied, her tone confident and assured.

Asulan nodded in agreement. "We've been looking for a purpose. Seems like fate brought us together today."

Eve raised an eyebrow, intrigued by their eagerness. "Well first off what skills do you bring to the table?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Ditto's eyes sparkled mischievously. "I'm a shapeshifter," she explained casually, her form rippling briefly to demonstrate. "You can pretty much imagine what I can do."

Asulan leaned forward, his presence commanding. "And I possess enhanced strength and healing abilities," he added stoically. "I'm a Titan."

Hana and Eve exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging the potential these two newcomers brought to their mission. "Welcome aboard," Hana said finally, extending a hand to seal the agreement.

"What next?" Ditto exclaims eagerly. "For starters we need a hideout—a headquarters of some sort. Any place in mind?" Hana interjects. "A hideout? That's a terrible idea." Eve protests. "Why?" "Because if we're gonna be taking down kingpins it's probably not safe to have one centralised location; Instead we need a larger ship to live on." She says. "How are we gonna get our hands on one?" Asks Ditto. A glint of mischief shines in Eve's eyes, and a devious grin forms on her face. "We go to a shipyard, and we steal one. Simple." Ditto and Asulan give each other a look. Then look back with a smile. "We're in." They say simultaneously.