Warframe: Relic Hunters

by UnknownEntity743

Chapter 21 An Orokin Secret Part 2

All I saw was white and gold, chained to this capsule they called my ‘Cyropod’ but to me it was a prison, one which I could never escape. Pain I felt, truth I did not know. But now I see someone, I know her, but why is she here?

When she got close, her brown eyes showed nothing but kindness and pity, then she spoke to… me.

“Hey, I’m about to leave, but-but I wanted to say goodbye first,” She spoke warmly to me as I just looked back at her

“You, you are the one who, who was kind, to me?” I said in an almost exhausted voice, but todays methods were just a bit too much for my void energy

“Yes, that I was, but I wish I could bring you with me, but I can’t take two people with me without over using the Warframe,” She said sadly, I hated when she was sad

“You called me a ‘person’, why?” I always wondered why she treated me like one of her own, and not a… monster

“Why wouldn’t I? your my friend afterall!” She said happily, but what is a friend? Am I considered one? “Oh yea, I never told you,”

“A friend is someone you can trust, who you can rely on when your either happy or sad, a friend is also someone who you treasure the memories you had together,” She explained, and for some reason I felt content with that

“What about the little one? She kept calling me… a guardian?” I asked, she always brought a kid with her, I didn’t know what her curiosity was with me, but it was… nice

“Hehehe, yea she’s fine, she actually asked if I was going to bring you but…” She trailed off as I slowly tapped the glass with my claw

“It’s fine… I can endure,” I responded as she seemed to perk up a bit, but then alarms started to sound, and she quickly stood up and the armour enclosed around her, leaving her head exposed as she looked back at me

“Goodbye- “

“No, don’t say goodbye, I hate… goodbyes,” I always did, I had no idea why, but I did, but she nodded at me before her helmet came online

“Then, later, Nidus!” She said before running off, and once again, I was alone

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Present Day…

The massive, three-headed (Infested) made its way towards Skyler and Titania as they just stared up in fear. Excalibur and the rest were trying franticly to break through the infested wall that blocked their path. Neckros was busy saying something about ‘dad’ over the noise but then the beast roared again.

“Titania! Move!” Skyler ordered as she tried to but couldn’t as the beast lifted its massive scythe as it roared at her, its mouth split into 3 as the pink flesh was exposed

Then it swung the Scythe towards Titania and Skyler as they both closed their eyes as they waited for the end, but what they heard instead was the sound of something heavy falling.

When they looked, they saw the massive creature getting back up from the ground as it seemed to glare at their defender, to which both were surprised by.

It was the infested frame from before, its wounds gone and now it stood up, staring at the creature, then I let out a high-pitched screech as they all stared in shock at the truth.

It’s body armour now split and hung out from the body, giving it a more broken design, but what made them all more freaked out was the fact that it was hollow. No Tenno was inside and no controls could be seen,

“Holy hell,” Excalibur said as the rest just stared in disbelief

“Bro, did they make anything like that?” Valkyr asked but he shook his head

“This just got interesting,” Rhino added as they watched it run for the massive creature

Nidus ducked under the scythe as he used his claws to latch onto the creature’s body as he began to climb. Once he was in reach of the Orokin head he leaped and sunk his claws into its head as it screeched.

Then Nidus flipped himself to come face-to-face with the creature as it roared but Nidus didn’t flinch as he grabbed it upper jaw and began to pull up, he then jumped onto its lower jaw as he kept pushing and pushing, inch by inch its maw opened wider and wider, until…

*SNAP-CRUNCH-SPLAT*

Then Nidus leaped from the lower jaw and into the path of the Corpus head as it headbutted Nidus into a wall as it took the opportunity to fire acidic spit at Nidus as he quickly fired an infested ball of his own as it collided with the acid. Then the spore exploded into a mass of tentacles.

The tentacles then latched onto the corpus head as it roared in frustration, the grinner head began to pull away, leaving the other to the mercy of Nidus, then Nidus leaped from the hole he made and began to rip and tear at the flesh of the corpus head, until it stopped moving. Then only one remained.

*SLASH-THUNK*

Nidus flew towards Skyler and Titania as he stared at the massive gash in his armour, he grunted as he slowly got to his feet, the Grinner head then roared as it raised its scythe in intimidation. Nidus however lifted his hand slowly and then. . . taunted the creature forward.

The beast replied as it swung the scythe towards the three. Only for Nidus to stop it dead in its tracks. The beast looked at him with anger as Nidus pulled and twisted the scythe until a shard snapped off from the flesh, the sudden loss of balance threw Lephantis back.

Nidus then used his infestation to warp and corrupt the broken metal, then Nidus held a scythe with (Two) blades as he glared at the monster above him and then…

"ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!” Nidus roared as some covered their ears as the sound echoed and shook the fortress, then Nidus ran towards Lephantis as the clashed scythes

Both held their own, but Nidus was running out of stamina from the last two heads he… eliminated. Then he saw the pink flesh inside the grinner head as he thought of a plan, then a voice entered everyone’s head, it was broken and distorted as they listened.

“You betray your own flesh for these… creatures? Join us, become our flesh again!” It groaned as Nidus silenced the voice by throwing another tentacle ball behind Lephantis

The ball then lashed out as it strangled the infested creature as it began to cut away at the bonds. Nidus wasn’t going to let it escape, he then ran towards the creature again as it roared and swung the scythe down, Nidus however leaped at the last second.

He then caught the infested off-guard as he ran along the scythe as Nidus leaped into the jaws of the beast as it tried to crunch him into paste. Nidus however used his scythe to pierce through the top jaw as Lephantis roared in agony.

Nidus then used his hand and blasted some infested spores into the throat of the creature as he saw the Maggots run rampant in its throat, gross, but effective as Lephantis swung its neck, freeing Nidus, and his scythe as he landed on his feet, the Scythe bent around him an arch.

He then swung it forwards as the two heads of the scythe flung from the staff as they spun towards the creature, spilling acid everywhere as it began to hack its way through the creature’s neck.

*SHINK-SPLAT-BOOM*

The head then exploded as the massive body went limp and fell to the floor with a massive thud, then the room when silent as the infested net slowly rotted away, letting the others through. Nidus then hunched back as he glared at Excalibur.

“Round two then,” Excalibur agreed as he drew his Lex but then Titania blocked his path

“If you touch him I’ll kill you,” She said in an apathetic voice as Neckros fist-pumped in the background, this got Excalibur to shake his head and lower his gun “Are you-“

She then saw Nidus, his scythe on his back, walking over to the pod as he ran his claws along it’s golden shell, then he broke the side of it off as he fished around for something.

Then he got back up and slowly made his way to Titania as some of them rested their hands of their weapons as he lifted Titania’s arm up quickly and began to fiddle with the pieces he had, then he jumped back as it looked like a bracelet.

“What is this?” She asked in confusion as he pointed to his head “My armour?”

He nodded as she tried to use transference, then, she felt the connection appear again, but before she activated it, she heard a strange person mumbling to himself.

“-Shoot me? Bloody void dweller…” She then looked at Nidus as he kicked the dirt around as her eyes widened

“Is… is that you?” She asked as he turned and the others all watched in confusion

“Yes… it is… nice… to see you again, girl,” He said as Titan tilted her head in confusion as he sighed “You have memory loss… cryo-stasis can do that,”

“I knew you?” Titania asked in amazement as he nodded and she smiled and tried not to laugh “Sorry, I’m still trying to regain my memories! But… what are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I am a Warframe/Infested hybrid, I do not know of my… creation, other than those annoying golden men… always pain… always afraid, you… you called me a ‘Guardian’, she… she called me a… ‘Friend’,” Nidus responded as Titania’s eyes widened as she jogged closer to him as he backed up

“You knew my Mommy!?” She asked as he looked at her before nodding as she smiled

“Sadly… she left me and never returned… good. This place is nothing like a… home… she took you with her… gave you her warframe… and now… here we are,” Nidus explained before the sound of whistling caught their attention

“Sorry to interrupt your one-sided conversation, but what is it?” Nekros asked as Nidus hissed at him “Touched a nerve,”

“’He’ has a name Daddy! What was it?” She asked as she waited then turned back “Ni-Nidus, that his name,”

“Nidus, huh?” Skyler said outload as Ivara kept patching her side up “Well for what it’s worth, thank you for the rescue,”

Titania then looked back again.

“He says no problem, that and sorry for the attack, he thought we were here to take him back to the Orokin,” Titania explained as he hissed at the name, then pointed at Excalibur as his arm broke into pieces for a short time

“Oh um… he also said that if you try to shoot him in the head again, he’ll- “Nidus!” Titania barked as he waved her off “Just don’t do it again, please?”

Excalibur sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck before answering.

“Fine, sorry for pulling the trigger on you, I just hate the infested and well… sorry for confusing you with one,” Excalibur apologised as Nidus nodded “So, what now? I mean if he’s what was down here, then our mission is cleared,”

“I guess, but we can’t lock him up, he’s alive and the most reliable Tenno we met!” Ivara added as the nodded

“A Tenno is a person like them, not me, I’m a biological monster,” Nidus grumbled as Titania grabbed his hand as he tried to back away again, but met her eyes

“You are not a monster, you're my friend, we all might have started off bad, but if you were a monster, then you wouldn’t have saved my friends,” Titania explained as he looked at her with the same look he gave his old friend all those years ago

“You-you really see me as a… friend?” He asked again as she nodded and even Ivara joined his side with a pat on the back

“Hey, even if Titania is the only one that can hear you, consider me a friend, you seem badass enough to tackle a monster like that!? Then your cool in my books!” Ivara said happily as he nodded

“He said thank you,” Titania said before looking at him before pointing out “Oh and she’s Ivara, that’s Excalibur, Atlas, Skyler, Valkyr, my Dad, Nekros and Rhino,”

They all either waved or asked him questions as Titania translated before they decided to move after nearly 2 hours.

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After Atlas and Rhino pried the doors open, sunlight entered the old building as they all clapped for their freedom, Titania was still walking before seeing Nidus just staring at the sun as he stood still.

“Nidus?” She asked

“What is that? It looks… nice… bright… but nice,” He said as she smiled and grabbed his hand

“It’s called the sun, it’s what shines down on the world at day,” She explained as Nidus still stood still as she looked up at him “I promise, you’ll not have to be alone anymore, none of us are now,”

“But what if I’m seen for the monster I am? Just like they said all those years ago,” Nidus said in a low voice as Titania began to pull his arm towards the door as he followed

“Then I’ll still stand by you! After all that’s what friends are for!” She said as she smiled, Nidus didn’t know why, but he felt something lift off of him, something made him want to go towards the light more

Then he ran passed Titania as she saw him run ahead, she smiled warmly as she ran neck and neck with him.

“Nope, I’m not being beaten by you!” She challenged as he leaped ahead “hey! That’s cheating!”

“You didn’t say I couldn’t,” he Countered as she grinned and ran after him, to her, she had a new friend

To Nidus, he was free.

To Be Continued…

Never say Goodbye
If you never do
It means that you’re never gone

Nidus