//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 Ice Shattering Force // Story: Warframe: Relic Hunters // by UnknownEntity743 //------------------------------// Warframe: Relic Hunters Chapter 18 Ice Shattering Force *Location: Earth, +5 months since crash, High School* *Translation: Activated* It had been nearly an hour since the message, since LT. Lech Kril, Commander of a massive Grineer colony on Ceres. With his enhancements in cryo weaponry makes him a dangerous advisory. He stood waiting, in anticipation, his hostages just tools, nothing more, all he wanted was, Excalibur. “Sir, what if the Tenno doesn’t show? What then?” One Grinner asked as he moved away from his hostage (Pinkie) “Kill, take prisoners if necessary, and shut that pink one up already!” Kril snapped as he quickly turned and kicked Pinkie, knocking her to the ground as some gasped for cursed the soldier “Now I don’t know about you, but somehow seeing you do that makes me want to throw this even more!” A voice called out as the all turned and saw Vauban holding a flaming Fragor “Tenno!” One Grinner hissed as he was about to fire but Kril stopped him “No! if you do, we’ll lose out foothold,” He snapped as the Grinner stood down “Where is Excalibur!?” “He’ll be here, can’t you just wait, you big meanie!?” Mirage spoke as she appeared from the crowd “Now, hold up your end and let them go,” Neckros said calmly as he held his reaper out “Or things get… messy,” Kril stood still for a moment before gesturing with his hand for the Grinner to let them go and they did without hesitation. The hostages then ran to their families or friends as Pinkie ran back over to the other Mane 7. “Now then, Excalibur, where is he!?” Kril demanded as they just waited before the sound of engines whirled in the air and soon Excalibur came flying down with Skyler holding on She wore black combat armour with blue highlights and a visor covering her face but letting her hair trail out from the back, her blue optic eyes then scanned the area. “All hostages freed, but… are you sure about this?” She asked in concern as he just nodded, not taking his eyes off Kril “Just be careful,” “Got it, just make sure our friends are ok,” Excalibur said calmly as he walked out into the courtyard “So, your LT. Lech Kril?" “Yes, and you have made quite the name after the stunt you pulled with the Corpus scum, i must admit you are quite the bug in our operations back on Ceres, but no more talk, I’ve wasted enough time on this planet! Time for you to freeze!” Kril shouted as he grabbed his hammer, ice trailing off it He then raised it just as Excalibur held his Prisma Skana high, Kril brought (Literally) the hammer down, causing a burst of ice crystals to trail in the ground as Excalibur rolled away from the attack. Excalibur then circled round and slid to avoid the hammer as he grazed Kril’s calves as he shrugged it off and turned ‘A lot’ faster than he should for his size and managed to catch Excalibur’s arm as he quickly stopped and broke the ice off. “What!? He’s never that fast!” He internally exclaimed as he ducked to avoid it repeatedly as Kril kept him on the ropes Everyone watched as Kril continued to throw Excalibur around like a rag doll, Excalibur not even given a chance to attack and only managing to land small blows. But Kril was tougher. “Please Excalibur, you promised,” Skyler thought as she watched with the rest “Don’t use it,” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 30 minutes ago… Excalibur just watched the screens in front of him flash as it processed all data about Kril, Excalibur was so fixed that he didn’t even hear his door open as Skyler approached him, her new armour reflecting the light of the screen. “-Ordis! Just-just run through everything, he must have another weak point, anywhere!” Excalibur asked Ordis as he sighed and punched his desk “This is pointless,” “What is?” Skyler spoke up as he turned and smiled hesitantly “I just can’t find anything, there’s only one weak point of Kril and I just can’t make that accurate of an attack, I’ve never been that good,” Excalibur explained as he sat down and frowned Skyler just stayed silent as she sat down beside him before giving him a side-hug. “You fought a ship filled with enemies, took down an even more agile opponent, took over a thousand bolts of lightning to the face and survived up till this point, and not once did you give up,” Skyler spoke as she smiled “You even helped me, my sister, even though the risks were high, you still helped and I know you’ll continue to do so because…” “Because?” Excalibur echoed as Skyler kissed him before continuing “Because you are a good person, your past never defines what you do at this point, only what you choose to change now,” Skyler finished before getting up, then she stopped “Promise me you won’t resort to that ‘Phase’ of yours, please,” Skyler asked as the room fell silent before Excalibur smiled and nodded “Sure, I promise,” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Present Time… Excalibur managed to throw Kril off balance as he swooped around and cracked Kril in the jaw as he flew backwards and into the ground with a smash. Kril didn’t even grunt as he slowly made his way to his feet before lifting his arm up and then ice began to form around it as Excalibur didn’t see it coming before his vision clouded over with white. “AHH, dammit!” He cursed but didn’t have time to think as it head shook like an earthquake, his motor functions spazing as he flew to the ground himself, cracks and crunches echoed out as he laid head first in the pavement When he got to his knees to rise most people, even some Tenno gasped as cracks webbed across his helmet, and a massive hole, revealing his left eye and parts of his hair showed. Nothing but fear could be seen as he wobbled to his feet. Using his blade as a crutch. Excalibur breathed heavily as he turned to face Kril, his hammer waiting. Excalibur’s eye then turned from fear into pure anger as he then holstered his Skana and smashed his palms together. “I’VE HAD IT WITH YOU, YOU OROKIN-REJECTED-DEGENERATE FUCK!!!” Excalibur yelled as he slowly pulled his hands apart As he finished what rested in his right palm was a glowing-neon-blue sword, wisps and sparks flashed and moved off every part of the weapon as Excalibur spun the blade without holding it before glaring at Kril. Kril took that as his sign to attack as he then charged towards Excalibur as he did the same. They then collided as the hammer steadily fell back from Excalibur pushing back and then kicking Kril as he jumped back. Kril then threw two waves of ice at Excalibur as he swung his sword, sending shockwaves of energy towards the ice as the shattered-on impact. Excalibur then quickly threw in rapid succession 5 more shockwaves as they hurdled their way at Kril. Kril quickly threw his arm out as a bubble of ice formed around him, blocking 3 of the attacks, the others though broke through as Kril took the hits but stayed strong. But was unaware of the pipes hissing madly behind him. Kril then charged his hammer with ice as Excalibur noticed and ran away as he charged for the wall of the school, then the wave of ice followed him as he ran up the wall, the path behind him turning to ice as he leaped from the wall and landed behind Kril and threw another slash into the pack on his back. Excalibur quickly leaped away as Kril burst into flames, his shields flashing as he cleared the flames away and he quickly charged at Excalibur, throwing his hammer towards him. He was faster now as he left a large gash on Kril’s side as he stumbled and then felt a strong kick send him flying into a nearby wall. Excalibur then threw another flurry of shockwaves as Kril rose and cut them away, but one caught him off guard as it broke him hammer in two. He then threw the two pieces aside as he smashed his fists together and made his way towards Excalibur. Excalibur tried to attack but was forced to blow the fists that tried to assault him. He grunted against every blow as he tried to find an opening. Kril then knocked the defence away as he threw a punch into Excalibur’s chest as he hit the wall he had backed into, Kril then threw punch after punch into his chest, cracks began to appear as he continued his brutal assault. *SHINK-BANG* Kril soon tumbled backwards as the flash and slash combo knocked him off of Excalibur as he fell to his knees in pain. Excalibur’s energy weapon then faded as he panted in pain. His energy was spent. As Excalibur tried to get to his feet, he felt something tighten around his throat as he choked, Kril had lifted him off his feet and held one arm around his throat, the other holding a basic Grineer machete. “Wait-wait-wait, before you kill me, I just got one thing left to say, please?” Excalibur begged as he coughed but he didn’t give Kril the chance *Schklikt, klikt* Kril then had a Tigris pinned against his neck as he tried to speak but was cut off. “Keep a chin up!” Excalibur hissed as he pulled the trigger back *BANG-SPLAT* Kril’s body when limp as he dropped Excalibur as he coughed, nothing of Kril’s head remained as his body laid still, the other Grineer noticed this as they ranted before running off back to their ship. Excalibur slowly got to his feet as he dropped the gun and panted, people cheered as he looked around for any other threats before his eye rested of a sad-happy Skyler, tears already rolling down her face. “See? I keep my promises-“Excalibur said but he then twitched forward as he felt nothing *SHINK-SPLAT* Excalibur’s abdomen suddenly had a large red and black scythe piecing through it as people screamed of gasped and yelled ‘NO’. Excalibur felt massive amounts of pain surge through his core as he coughed up blood in his helmet as he just stared down at his body, then his swiftly pulled out as he wobbled forward. Then a figure of red and black came into view, he looked like Excalibur but different as he held a massive crooked scythe, covered in blood as it dripped to the floor. He then looked at Excalibur as he raised his weapon again. “I warned you, time for me to keep my promise,” Stalker spoke as he brought the scythe down, making a large gash in Excalibur’s chest as he slowly fell back His breathing became ragged, his body numb as the blood poured slightly from the new hole in his body. By then the Tenno acted. Nekros and Vauban charged as they raised their weapons. Stalker however grabbed the reaper and threw Nekros along as he smashed the hilt into his face and kicked him back. Vauban’s hammer was easily caught in Stalker’s grasp as he spun the weapon and pushed Vauban back and grabbed the handle and smashed the flaming hammer into Vauban’s face as he flew back with the Fragor. “Now is not the time for violence, but mark my words-“ He then pointed into the crowd “-I know you hide among them, your crimes will never fade, and when you stare into the shadows, I’ll be staring back,” “For I am your reckoning,” Stalker finished before holstering his scythe and slowly walked away into the shadows again “No-no-no-no-no,” Skyler mumbled worryingly as she ran up to Excalibur his eye nearly closing “Hey! Don’t you dare close your eyes, you got that!” Excalibur then took notice at the Tenno standing around him and Skyler also, her visor still down. “Dammit," He managed to say before his world became dark and the voices around him became a distant echo I know what you've done What you called a 'Revolution' But who really is the bad guy? Me or you? Stalker