~Wake up Guardian. The darkness approaches.
~ Good morning Volt. Thanks for keeping watch.
~ It is currently night according to earth's hours. Here on Salcus with only two hours worth of light it could be considered early morning.
~ Thanks. No need to remind me. Neaxuz were the one who said this place could hold a clue. Now, from where and how many?
~ Numbers unknown. I suggest retreating.
~ Not happening.
~ I Will not be able to revive you in this place.
~ Don't worry Volt. I wasn't planning on dying.
He stood up and checked his gear. Running his left hand over the handle of his sword, the pummel was still attached and barely scratched. His pistol would need some repairs after this trip but it would still work in a emergency. If he hadn't been busy finding a hiding spot they would never had ambushed him. Its not easy when you are running away from a ogre in a small tunnel system. If it wasn't for him being a warlock he would have been dead many a times already. He knew plenty of Titans to slow to outrun a enemy and to many Hunters lacking the explosive fire power to take out a large foe quickly enough. His thoughts kept wondering as he checked his rifle and shotgun. Everything was in relativly good condition considering the two weeks he'd spent hunting here on the edge of known space. Since he couldn't leave his ship on the planet in fear of it being looted and destroyed he'd called in a few favors to have someone watch it for him and also come by after three weeks to check if he was alive and too pick him up.
~ One week. Not alot of time. My first sighting of a leader was yesterday and I barely made it out of there before he bunkered himself in.
Volt suddenly disappered as a noise could be heard on the ridge above him. The heads of a few acolytes could be seen over the edge. Slowly his sword left It's sheath and before the acolytes could get a lock on him with their snipers he teleported behind them and cut down all but one. The last one he absorbed by using his force push with the palm of his hand. It was a useful skill to train. Being able to absorb the life force and energy of a enemy to heal yourself and make one more awake. Volt didn't materialize straight away which meant there was either alot of enemies or simply a bunch of strong ones. A ghost as they are called have this special ability to read the surrounding darkness and compare it to It's guardians own light. While a guardian could still win over a foe with a stronger darkness than what they had light, a Ghost was the only thing that could resurrect a dead guardian. So while in battle they generally choose to immaterialize to avoid certain death. Merroc went over that information in his head as got to work hunting the hunters. Two hours later he stood face to face with the last Knight sent to hunt him down. He drew his sword. Better save the ammunition he gad for his weapons for when he really needs it. The knight accepted the duel. His own massive sword appearing in his hands as he spoke in that twisted language of theirs. Swords were Holy for the creatures. And good thing too. He started by sapping the Knight's energy while dodging it's swings. It gradually got slower and slower. He took a few swings at it. Hurting it more and more as he inbued his sword with the power of a sun. After exchanging blows a few more times the knight fell onto his knees as the burning sword (jutted) out from It's back. He sat down on a rock to rest for a few minutes as Volt materialized again.
~ That was reckless. What if you would have missed a few swings? Not many Guardians survive a encounter with a proper swordbearer.
~ Most guardians are so fresh they barely survive the dredge. I'm not like most tho am I.
Now would you mind scanning his sword. I wanna know who i'm dealing with. Volt flew over and a sort of beam flew out of his one material eye.
~ I need seventeen minutes and twentyfive seconds.
~ Take your time. I'm gonna meditate for a few.
~ Ortac the ravaged. Seems his superior is known as "Rurec the Blind" he made a name for himself for being able to blind his foes and himself in combat.
~ Sounds like Neaxuz was right about a clue then. It's the first I hear about a blind overseer. And it does slightly match what the survivors described. Hopefully the reward will be able to cover the repairs on the ship and perhaps give us enough money to buy some black market info. Good work Volt. The little ball of steel seemed to smile. Not that it looked like one but there was a shift in how it moved so he told himself that it must be.
Three hours and fourtyfive minutes later the fortress came into view. The material of its main door was darker than the shadows that covered the walls of the tunnel. The place let out a cold that forced It's way through your clotches and latched in to the skin. If it wasn't for his ability to use thevoid to cover his eyes which gave him a sort of superior nightvision compared to what the helmet had, he would have been lost down here. The main door had a massive hole in it from where his Nova bomb had hit it while he fled last time.
~Good thing they didn't fix that. He thought to himself as he stealthed closer to the entrence. The sounds of the fortress inhabitants echoed through the hallways. Some words he understood. Battleplans for something. A hidden station on a asteroid or maybe just the word asteroid. He couldn't quite tell. Volt recorded everything as he got closer to the lookout point he had decided on last time. If he knew that the tunnels would open up into such a spacious area he would planned diffrently. Definently picked the sniper over the shotgun. However blasting the bastard with a Nova bomb seemed like a quick and easy solution aswell.
~ Just have to wait for him to show up. He thought to himself as he got comfortable in the dark. Some guardians went insane if they spent to much time sitting still listening to the whispers of the dark. But he could swear he heard Toland whisper to him more often than not. The Hive started to move around the chamber. They were buzzing around quite fierce. The Ogre that had chased him out last time stood infront of the altar on one knee. The rest of the hive present went down in a bow as a laughter could be heard from behind the altar. He focused his eyes but couldn't quite see anything. As he leaned closer he felt a slight wind pass over his head. He spun quickly only to be kicked through the bars and fall towards the ground where the hive had amassed. He landed on a Thrall instantly crushing it. The Hive was on him instantly. Scratching, biting, stabbing and kicking him while he was down. Volt screamed in his head to get up and run away. Rurec landed crushing a few Thralls in the process. He swung his sword down and missed by a centimeter. His next sweep cleared everyone that was currently on top of the Warlock. Merroc took the opportunity and decided to cast Stormtrance. A lightning bolt appeared from nowhere and hit the ground frying everyone nearby not strong enough to survive the blast. Rurec flew away a few feet but seemed fine if a little scorched. The Ogre moved in to smash him. It's fist slamming down hard into the ground creating a crack in the floor but hitting nothing. Merroc infused with the power of a lightningstorm started electrocuting everything in the room after having blinked out of the way of the fist, Rurec took the opportunity to blind everything in the room. He then flew towards the Warlock, angered about having this one man slaughter his minions and yet seem unaffected by his power. Merroc blinked away yet again and focused on the confused Ogre. It didn't take long for the Ogre to perish. Rurec didn't stand idle during this however. The many cuts and hits was making the Warlock exhausted. He laughed as he seemed to gain the upper hand. Swinging his sword more violently and with more force. Merroc crashed into a wall coughing up blood. The trance had passed. His ability to see with the lightning gone. He tried to listen for the footsteps of the Knight. Hearing nothing. He rolled away by instinct throw a lightning grenade as he did. He pulled his sword and lunged towards where he had just rolled from. Feeling the sword pierce through the armor of the knight. Something sharp pierced his chest as he regained his vision and hearing. His own sword had missed a vital point on the Knight. While Rurec's sword had missed any vitals that would have killed him outright it would still make him bleed to death. Rurec lifted him above his head with the sword and smiled at him while saying something he couldn't quite make out. He grabbed Rurec's head and started channeling lightning into it. The fight was over as the only thing left was Rurec's head in the hands of the Warlock. He started limping towards the exit leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
Ocrul arrived at the meeting point an hour early. Merroc was usually early himself so he had planned to get back an hour earlier and take a drink. As his ship neared the surface he picked up a distress call. Since no one knew of the place except himself and a handfull of others most of whom he had seen just hours earlier, he knew something was up.
~ Dont't you dare be dead. You still owe me a bunch of drinks for this favor. It's not easy dodging Fallen and rival guardians you know. He said to himself as he closed in on the beacon. His ghost materialized next to him in the cockpit.
~ Thou have lost thy mind. He ignored him and stopped above What was a singular light in this ocean of darkness. After landing he stepped out with a burning hammer in his hands while glowing with the power of a dying star all over his body. He took agree quick steps over the ground that crumpled as he walked and arrived at the corpse of his friend. Daylight wouldnt happen for another six hours. It was a miracle his ghost had managed to keep that distress call alive with so little light.
~ Volt are you okay?
~ Aah, master Ocrul! Pleasure to see you as always. Please help my friend. His vitals gave out quite a few hours ago. I am in the need of light if I am to revive him. My inner light is running low. Ocrul carried the corpse of his friend into the ship as they set of to the nearest star to gather enough light to channel from his own ghost into Volt to be able to resurrect him.