"Now that's new!" Wicket jeered, kneeing Syber in the chest. "A little underdweller wanting to be one of us! How cute!"

Syber clenched his teeth in pain. "Please! let..me...show...you...I...can...FIGHT!" he gasped, aiming a weak kick at Wicket's shins and missing terribly. His head swam, his core blazed painfully in hs chest, and his limbs began to weaken and go limp as Wicket's hand tightened around his airway, depleting the oxygen supply to his core. Wicket laughed and released his grasp, letting Syber fall limply to the ground. Wicket kneeled down and raised Syber's chin so that he was looking him in the eyes.

"This is something I have to see! An underdweller claiming he can fight?!" Wicket said, grinning widely. "Geist, step forward and teach our young friend here a lesson."

Geist glared at Wicket, standing his ground. Wicket pulled Syber up by the arm and shook him, saying, "Come on, Geist! I'm not staining my armor."

Syber coughed and pulled away, desperately waiting for his core to refuel with the oxygen in the outside air. Geist stayed put as if oblivious to his companion's orders. Annoyed, Wicket threw Syber to the ground. Syber looked at Geist, reaching out to him with a shaking hand, just as a hard weight came down on his back.Wicket folded his arms triumphantly, his foot keeping Syber from getting up or escaping.

"Geist? Friend?" Syber pleaded. Geist's eye twitched a little, and he raised a hand ever so slightly, before his other hand grabbed his arm and pulled it back.

"NAH!" Geist screeched.

Wicket narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean 'nah'?"

Geist reared into a bipedal position and pounded his chest, screeching like a phantom from a nightmare. He then turned towards Wicket and stepped forward in determination. Wicket flinched as Geist made another step towards him. Syber pulled his arms to his sides and pushed himself up with all his might. The force of him pushing against the ground sent Wicket reeling and caused the larger mortarin to lose his balance. Syber then leaped to his feet and spun around, landing a kick on the side of Wicket's midsection.

Stunned, Wicket looked at Syber with disbelief, before pulling himself to his feet. Fury in his eyes, Wicket stepped towards syber and clenched his fists.

"You think you can take me?!" Wicket growled, aiming a jab at Syber's head. Anticipating the blow, Syber ducked and punched Wicket in the chest.

"I don't care if I can take you." Syber said, dodging another blow. "What matters is that even if I can't, I'm not going down without fighting back!"

"Say that one more time." Wicket growled, stopping in his tracks.

"I said..." Syber replied, letting his guard down. "...I don't care if I can take you. I'm not going down without fighting back!"

At that, Wicket punched him in the face, the force of the blow knocking him to the ground and denting his armor. Shocked, Syber raised his hand to the corner of his mouth where he felt a trickle of warm fluid. Plasma. Mercury beaded at the corners of his eyes from the pain and he looked up at Wicket with a burning rage in his eyes.

"Nobody crosses me!" Wicket yelled, kicking Syber to the ground and kneeling over his chest. "You hear that, you little blip? NOBODY!"

Syber raised a hand to wipe the tears from his eyes, and Wicket grabbed his arm and began to squeeze. "Aw, poor widdle underdweller is crying! What are you gonna' do, puny?"

Syber clenched his teeth and threw another punch at Wicket with his free hand. Wicket grabbed his hand before the blow connected and pinned his arms to the ground.

"You think you're so big and tough, don'tcha' kid?" Wicket said, forcing Syber's fist into his face. Syber let out a cry of pain as the blow connected, and that only fueled Wicket's sadistic fury. Again and again he was pounded by his own hands until he was rigid with pain. Wicket then released Syber's hands and landed a heavy punch to his chest.

"How do you like it? Huh? Do you like being a warrior now, kid?" Wicket screamed, his voice almost choking up. "Because this..." Wicket continued, standing up and kicking the limp Syber in the side, "...Is what being a warrior feels like!"

A tall shadow loomed over Wicket as he stood over Syber's beaten frame. Syber let out a slight gasp as Wicket kicked him again for good measure, not noticing the massive mortarin standing right behind him.

"Wicket! What are you doing?" The newcomer growled, his voice deep and menacing. Wicket spun around in surprise to face the massive mortarin and he let out a terrified squeak that was far from how his voice had sounded before.

"Butch! I...I was simply getting Geist as you requested! See, he's right there. I found him!" Wicket said, pointing at Geist who still stood there frozen in defiance.

"You still defied my orders." The massive one said, his teal eyes blazing with indifference.

"No! What?! But how?! I er...simply got distracted." Wicket replied, flinching as Butch narrowed his eyes.

"You had plenty of time to retrieve Geist. But instead you go about beating corpses. I thought you hated the husk yards." Butch said.

"I simply got distracted because...I er...found you a present! See, it's right here. I had to rough up the skinny little thing a bit first but with a little spit and shine, the kid's good as new." Wicket offered with a nervous smile.

Butch sighed and turned to walk away, saying, "The sun still sets if you're dead or alive. Bring Geist with you when you are finished with whatever that is."

"But wait!" Wicket called. "It's an underdweller! These haven't been sighted in years!"

At that, Butch turned to face him with a cynical scowl. "What would we want with an underdweller? And besides, you've nearly killed it anyway so all you could do with it is give it a proper burial."

"It's alive! I saved the killing for you, oh great leader!" Wicket said, yanking Syber up by the arm and lifting his beaten face which oozed orange plasma all over. Syber let out a pitiful coughed and looked up at Butch with terror in his eyes. He had never seen a mortarin that big or that weathered in his life. Wicket shoved Syber towards Butch. Butch caught him by the throat and lifted his face to examine him.

"Alright." Butch said. "We'll take it back to camp and give it a place to die before we send it home to its mother in teeny tiny pieces. No use letting the thing die alone in the husk heaps."

Wicket nodded and smiled. He then turned towards Geist and said, "C'mon, we're going home."

Butch hoisted the injured Syber over his shoulder and started heading in the direction he and Wicket had come from. Wicket walked alongside him triumphantly, with Geist running ahead on all fours. Syber lay limply over Butch's shoulder, the pain in his face and chest transitioning to a dull roar. After awhile of being jostled with every one of the great warrior's steps, he gave into the pain and fell into a state of almost dreamlike delirium until everything finally went black.