Chapter 87: Blow Shit Up
Au’dtair, in no way, was an expert in his pet’s language. For example, he didn’t have a context for shit that made sense. However, his computer was able to provide him with a few approximate translations for ’blow up’ using an archaic language that has been long-dead for centuries.
Given the fact that his pet has annoyed a whole unit of pantroglodytes, his computer gave the translation of ’to destroy, or kill something with a bomb’ a 95% accuracy. Second was ’an expression of anger’ at 72%.
Working under the assumption that this pet was going to use an explosive device to blow something up, he decided not to take any chances. Raising his shields to 100%, he initiated his anti-gravitational settings and flew into the air at a rapid speed.
If his pet was going to use a bomb of some kind, he has no idea the blast radius that could result in the explosion, so he felt that this was probably the best option instead of remaining on the ground.
A bright blue light came out of the Nano suit that protected his pet and blasted the pantroglodytes into ashes. However, it didn’t stop there. The blue light continued to extend in all directions for another 50-80 feet, completely annihilating anything in its path.
Au’dtair suddenly understood that the blast that he had originally assumed to be two zmajs fighting was actually his pet. Maybe it wasn’t as helpless as he originally thought. More than a little impressed, he waited until the light dimmed and disappeared before returning to the ground.
Still in him camouflage mode, he landed feet away from his pet. The closest he had ever been. Its scent was mixed with the debris and explosion from before, but it was still the best thing he had ever smelled in all of his years.
His pet stood up and released the Nanos that created its armor. As soon as the armor was released, the voragyvis quickly detached itself and jumped to the ground. Au’dtair had not realized that that particular species could act as companions to others. According to all known information, they were more likely to kill than to make friends. What a particular anomaly his pet was.
Once the voragyvis was no longer attached, his pet stretched its arms over the top of its head, causing its mounds to raise with it. Au’dtair’s focus went to the mounds, trying to figure out what they could be used for. They were situated in the upper part of its torso and expanded past the joint where two bones met in its arms.
They seemed more pliable than the other aspects of its body. They were also significantly larger than the center of the torso that dipped inwards, creating what he could only assume was a small waist. However, the females of the Saalistaja species didn’t have that dip in the center of their torso, looking more like the males of the species.
He shook his head, no longer concerned about the mounds, as his pet tilted its head back and forth, causing a series of cracks to be heard. Could his pet be injured? Was it normal for its species to produce cracks in its internal structure? Was its head going to fall off if there were too many cracks?
The more Au’dtair realized that he didn’t know much about the species of his pet, the more upset he became. He would have to follow his pet and study it to understand what was considered normal or not.
Plans made; he followed his pet a lot closer to ensure that it was not able to get away. It still seemed to lack the natural defenses that all prey animals had, the ability to know when it was being stalked, but that worked in his favor. The voragyvis turned to look at him a few times, but it quickly went back to ignoring him.
It took a few minutes to walk to the devastation that his pet left behind, and Au’dtair’s impression of it rose with each passing chwila. His little pet could do some serious damage when it was in the mood to. He had never seen a weapon like that. Not even the Saalistaja had come up with it. So, where did it get it?
They had just reached the edge of the blast zone when Au’dtair spotted an unconscious Agkistrodon rhodostoma. His pet quickly spotted it a few clicks after him and walked right up to the enormous creature. They were even bigger than the Bothrops lanceolatus that his pet had managed to kill, and their venom was that much more deadly.
He heard his pet speaking to something that he couldn’t see or smell, and its mouth curled upwards. He had never seen that expression. He wondered what it meant. Before he could continue to make notes on his pet, it jumped onto the unconscious zmaj and walked right up to its head. Putting on its armor, it activated its wrist blades, piercing a particular spot at the top of the zmaj’s head that Au’dtair couldn’t see.
Making sure that his video feed was recording everything, he watched as the blades went through the tough armored skin like it was nothing. This time, instead of fighting to remove the blades, his pet simply retracted the blades still in the creature before jumping off of the head to avoid any blood.
Apparently, his pet didn’t appreciate blood like his species did. It was really too bad. He wouldn’t mind seeing it bathed in the blood of its kills.
Once again, his pet retracted its armor and looked inside its bag for a round device. Now that Au’dtair was this close, he saw a standard Sisalik tracking device, used mainly for transporting goods from planet side to the ship. Was that what it was doing? Transporting the zmaj to its ship? For what purpose? The two species that it killed were part of those banned from Alliance planets, being listed as a weapon and not a creature.
Did his pet know that, or simply didn’t care?
"Au’dtair, Ye’tab, answer," came a call through his helmet. Letting out a silent growl, he answered the call from one of the few males he considered a friend.
"Au’dtair. What do you want?"
