(We've finally gotten past the parts I published in the older edition! That means that from here on out, all the chapters will be new to everyone; even for those of you who read the first edition! I hope you guys like it, enjoy! 😊)
Four years ago.
Hud: Pardos
"You're late." Spat the Droni, his long thin neck stretching above me as I sat down on a stool in the small room.
The room was filled with wooden stools almost as if it were a bar. But it wasn't a bar, because it had no bar—or any alcoholic beverages in sight. This observation was surprisingly disappointing for some reason, because despite the fact that I was already drunk, the scenery was making me crave a good drink. I would have to plunder the room after this meeting for something to satisfy my eternal thirst. I usually didn't stay drunk for long anyway.
"I... was a little preoccupied." I explained groggily.
"Yeah?" Continued the gross alien, his neck fluctuating with aggravation. "Busy drinking like a Lougémas. My boys followed you to make sure you would come." Growled the greasy Droni.
There were two brutes standing in the far corner of the room and I eyed them. A Stram and a Gonos. "You caught me." I said with a shrug.
"You remember falley Gifford of Jin?"
I scratched my back idly. "No. What does she look like?"
"You killed him, you idiot." Hissed the wrinkled being viciously.
"Was this your girlfriend or something?" The liquor in my bloodstream was numbing my unease. And also turning me into an idiot. I tilted my head slightly. "I'm confused. Are we here to talk about a job or your past relationships?"
"You piece of filth. You think you're here for me to hire you? You came here to die." The Droni spat, then nodded at the beings in the corner and they began to advance.
"Woah, woah." I quickly got up out of my chair and eyed the two advancing thugs closely. "You guys do understand that I was hired to kill this girlfriend of yours. You should be mad at that guy—the one that hired me. Not me. Don't shoot the messenger."
The Droni got up off of his chair and walked to the door. "Make sure he suffers a little before he dies." He said with a sneer before leaving.
Now it was just me and the two ugly guys in the room. The thugs drew closer. Looks like we're doing this I thought, feeling my head begin to clear as the alcohol slowly dissipated through my body.
I studied the two brutes. One was a ridged Gonos. His polygonal body was muscled but he was short, shorter than me at least. Not too big of a problem.
I looked the other up and down. He was a Stram, and a big one too. Possibly the biggest Hud had ever seen. His sharp face was grinning, his grimacing smile had so many teeth they almost looked to be overflowing out the corners of his mouth.
That guy might be dangerous.
I grabbed the stool I was sitting on and hurled it into the Stram's face. Then I charged at the Gonos, slamming my fist into the side of his head. His edged polygonal skull ripped the flesh of my knuckles and crippled my wrist. I cursed loudly, withdrawing my now broken hand. He grinned and swung at me, but I jumped back just in time.
Maybe the Gonos was going to be more trouble than I thought.
From the corner of my eye I saw the large Stram charge at me from the side and I quickly jumped out of the way.
Grabbing another stool, I cracked it over the head of the Stram as he passed me, then flung it at the Gonos. The Stram growled in pain with the hit and crashed down to the floor. The polygonal Gonos simply caught the flung stool, but I was expecting that. As the Gonos moved to toss the stool out of the way, I grabbed an empty mug from off the ground and launched it at his head. It unexpectedly smashed directly into his face and he howled in pain as the glass shards lacerated his sharp skin.
Wait. Why was there a mug in the room if it wasn't a bar? There had to be something I could drink in here.
The Stram charged me from behind and I cursed again as I was barely able to leap out of his grasp. He yelled in frustration as his momentum caused him to trip and plow into the ground once again.
I rushed at the Gonos, taking advantage of his falter and kicking him square in the chest. The Gonos stumbled backwards onto a cluster of stools, and then crashed through them to the floor. I quickly grabbed another stool and slammed it down unto the being's polygonal head repeatedly. The stout polygonal being soon blacked out.
I glanced back at the Stram just in time to see a stool swing at my head. I attempted to duck but was too slow. The stool slammed into my skull, shooting stars into my vision and sending me to the ground.
The Stram grinned in victory, the thousands of teeth stretching across his twisted face. He grabbed a broken stool and ripped a leg off of it, holding the sharpened leg in his hand menacingly and tossing the rest of the stool to the side.
My head was swimming as I watched him loom over me with his weapon raised, preparing to strike.
"Gotcha Pardos." Leered the Stram, his eyes wild with bloodlust and glory from the win.
Aiming for my chest, he swiftly brought the weapon down, throwing his weight into the sharp stool leg. In that split second I desperately flung my leg up, kicking the stool leg as it came down and jarring it out of his grasp.
The unexpected kick threw him off balance. He stumbled forward, tripping over me and crying out in surprise. I rolled to the side and swept my leg under his, causing him to flip and crash onto the floor next to me face first. I quickly grabbed the splintered stool leg and hopped to my feet.
Without hesitation I slammed it deep into the Stram's thick back.
The Stram gasped, his eyes growing wide.
I stumbled backwards, my head still throbbing from the hit.
The large shark like Stram breathed heavily, and painfully tried to push himself away with his legs. I watched him for a moment as he struggled, trying to catch my breath.
He would probably survive if he got the right medical treatment. I glanced over at the Gonos. He was still passed out on the floor.
He would be fine too.
Not that I really cared that they survived. I had killed before. I just always thought it was a shame to kill a good piece of muscle. After all, these guys were just hired brutes, same as me. Just doing their jobs.
I picked myself up off the ground, gingerly holding my mangled hand. It was broken in several spots from punching the Gonos, and continuing to fight with it was probably not the smartest idea.
I searched the room hazily until I found a little yellow light shining from the far wall. It was an emergency button. One quick activation would alert the nearest police force and send them to this exact location. Every building had one.
On closer examination there was a small cabinet at the far wall that I had previously missed. I stumbled over to it and flung the small doors open. There wasn't much inside, but it had just what I was looking for.
Booz.
I grabbed the bottle and downed the contents in just a few gulps. The stuff wasn't bad, and the buzz helped me ignore the pain in my hand and head.
Gripping the bottle loosely I tossed it at the yellow emergency button. It smashed against the wall and the light started to pulsate. Help would be there in just a few minutes. They would be able to get the two meatheads to a hospital.
Staggering out of the small building, I blinked in the sunlight. I was still in the slums and the rotting trash along the sides of the buildings was making me feel nauseous. I needed to get to a cleaner part of town.
Moving sluggishly down the streets, I finally found my way into the more civilized section of the city. Not far ahead of me was a beautiful park where several beings were strolling. I staggered over to it and threw myself down on a generic bench overlooking the scenery and exhaled. I was exhausted.
"Excuse me?" Called a voice.
My mind was drifting off and the voices around me seemed distant. I let my eyes close as I steadily nodded off.
"Excuse me!"
There was a light tap on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and blinked. Was that addressed to me? I wearily turned my head to the side.
Sitting beside me on the bench was a female Human. She was attractive for a Human, tall with strong shoulders. Her golden hair was drawn up in a bun and she wore a comfortable looking outfit that fit loosely on her thin body. She was holding a camera on her lap and had several photographs scattered around her on the bench.
She smiled politely, but I could detect the slight irritation in her voice. "Did you see me here when you sat down?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I frowned, looking at her for a moment. "No." I finally said, turning my head back away from her.
The female continued. "Did you notice that I had a series of photographs placed on the bench right where you are sitting?"
I looked down. There did seem to be several photos sprouting out underneath my stained brown pants. I let out a grunt.
"Can I get those back please?" Said the Human courtly.
I sighed. Movement was the last thing I wanted to do in my current state, but I supposed the woman needed her photographs. I painfully pushed myself off the bench. There were at least ten different photographs scattered around underneath there, somehow I had failed to notice any of them.
The Human muttered a disgruntled "thank you" and quickly began to grab them all and assort them on her side of the bench.
I was too tired to wait for the bench to be cleaned off. I plopped myself onto the ground at the bench's side, struggling to get down gracefully with my injured hand. Then I stretched out, laying down flat in the lush ground cover that blanketed the park. The sunlight felt amazing on my skin and the cool of the growing alien foliage beneath me was incredibly refreshing.
"...Are you alright?" Asked the female Human with concern. Her voice was much more sincere this time.
"I'm tired." I muttered. I also wasn't really interested in having a conversation.
"Your hand looks like it needs some attention. You should get it looked at."
I glanced up at her from the ground, examining her once again. She was shuffling through her photographs. In the distance several young aliens were running across the field and shouting playfully.
She was very pretty for a human.
"What is your name?" I asked, propping myself up on my good elbow.
"Why would I tell a complete stranger my name?" She said, holding a photo up to the light.
I shrugged. She was a bit sassy. "Why would you ask a complete stranger if they were alright?"
"Because I'm a decent Human being."
I frowned. I wasn't sure if I should respond with the same level of bluntness.
"My name is Maty." She said with a smile after a moment of silence. She looked away from her photos at him.
"I thought you didn't give your name to complete strangers?" I said, squinting in the sunlight.
"Sometimes I break my own rules." She said frankly with a sly smile.
Interesting perspective. I liked it. Reminded me of myself. "My name is Hud." I replied.
"Hud. Is that short for something?"
"Hudaryous."
Maty went back to flipping through another pile of photographs. "Is that a common name?"
"No." I said. "In my language, Hudaryous means 'reborn of ore'. I've never met anyone with the same name before."
"Wow." Said Maty, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully. "That's a very interesting name."
I smiled. "Is 'Maty' short for anything?"
She nodded. "Matallie. And I don't think it means anything."
"Matallie." I repeated. "Where I come from, we have a word that sounds just like your name."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Natilliea. It means 'beautiful'."
She grinned shyly and blushed. "Well..." She laughed cutely. "I wouldn't mind being called that." She responded after a pause. "It's a very pretty sounding word."
"I'll call you that I think. It suits you."
She smiled with another blush. "Thank you." She said sincerely.
"That is..." I said hesitantly. "...If I ever see you again."
She smiled turned her head, leaning on her arms and looking into the distance. The sun was starting to set and the colors shone off of her beautiful hair.
She turned towards me again, smile still on her face. "I guess I wouldn't mind that."
"Oh... and I'm sorry I sat on your pictures." I stuttered. "Somehow I... I didn't see them."
Maty laughed. "That's okay. The photos will be fine."
She looked back at her photographs and began to put them away. "But now..." She said sternly, "We need to get that hand of yours fixed. Come on, let me take you to the hospital before it gets too late."