Warframe: Relic Hunters
Chapter 25
No Safe Haven part 2
The shadows, like a call to the hunter, preying amongst the hoard.
*SHINK-SLASH-CRUNCH-SPLAT*
They call to the masses, like dogs, wild beasts of legend.
*CRACK-CRUNCH-SPLAT*
They toy with the minds of many, believing in a thrill of the hunt.
*BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM*
So, you will show them a game, a true creature’s hunt.
*SHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SPLAT*
Be our reaper, our hunter.
Nekros…
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Nekros ran at the last enemy in his sights, his body littered with holes and cuts from pervious battles. His breathing was ragged and torn as he kept his gaze on the executioner, the Grineer’s mind paralyzed with fear.
Nekros then dropped the corpse he held by its eye sockets as he ran up and grabbed the Grineer by its armour’s collar. The hole in his helmet showing a soulless eye, glaring down.
“I’m going to put my pain into your soul!!!” Nekros yelled as the Grineer shook with fear and dropped dead from shock
Nekros then sighed as he fell up against a pillar as he panted, the blood still leaking from his wounds as he glanced up at the observation window as he could see two blurry shadows moving.
Then his view changed to the door as it buzzed open, then Nekros smirked as he saw Valkyr rush in, her face showing only relief and sadness as she ran as fast as she could.
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*Excalibur’s View*
Excalibur laid on his knees as he just stared blankly at the monitor, he would be trying to fight Kala, who stood in front of him, smiling, but his body wouldn’t move, as he stared at the picture that shook his being.
He watched as Mag, cried her eyes out behind a door, in her arms, was Volt, his body was littered with holes and blood trailed from his lifeless body, but on his face, was his final goodbye. He was smiling.
“How? How could you?” Excalibur croaked as he turned to look at Kala. “How can all of you be so heartless!!?”
“You’re saying it like we’re all human, we’re not,” Kala spoke smugly as she grabbed Excalibur and threw him against the window with a crack. “Besides, the main event is about to begin!”
Excalibur slowly got to his feet as he shakily looked out the window, then his breath snagged in his throat as his heart stopped, then on reflex, he banged against the window as hard as he could. Tears flowing down his face and into his armour.
“NO! LOOK OUT!!!” He screamed as he watched the sight unfold fight before him
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*Valkyr’s View*
Valkyr ran as fast as she could, she couldn’t think or breath as she kept running. Nekros however saw something move behind her as his adrenaline kicked in. He leaped to his feet and shoved Valkyr aside as she looked behind her.
*BANG-BANG*
She watched as a Grineer froze in space as its body crumbled to the floor in a heap. She smiled as she saw Nekros, holding his Lex as the smoke evaporated. Then Nekros coughed as blood spat from his mouth.
Valkyr then gasped as she muttered ‘no’ to herself, Nekros stood with a clean hole through his chest as he shakily looked down, then he fell backwards, and onto his back.
“No, Nekros! No!” Valkyr screamed as she slid over and caught him in her arms. “Please, it can’t be! You can’t…”
He just stared up at her with a small, crooked smile on his face as he felt his eyelids becoming harder to keep open. Valkyr just stared at him, with her own helmet not off as her black hair near covered her crying eyes.
“Heh, sorry, I-I was too… slow,” Nekros managed to say as got closer and whispered his final ‘3’ words as Valkyr’s eyes widened.
Then his head dropped to the ground, his eyes slowly being consumed by the shadows that have followed him for so long.
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*Relic Hunter HQ*
Many of the Tenno looked away, many held back the emotions that clawed at them as they stood their ground. However, one cried out as Ivara held the now broken Titania in her arms as she cried her eyes out.
“He, never deserved that, no one deserves death when they have so much more to care for,” Nidus spoke quietly as Titania only just got a glance as she saw Nidus bowing his head in remorse as he shook with anger
Everyone then turned to the raging Nidus as his armour jutted out from his body. Then Titania looked in the direction of the monitor as he still held onto Ivara, her gaze hardened.
“That’s right, Excalibur, will kill her!” She spoke with venom as they all turned to watch the scene unfold
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*Excalibur’s View*
Excalibur was no longer staring out the window, as it was smashed to shards. The room had been torn to pieces, like a shrapnel bomb had went off. Blood stained the walls as the doors were broken off the hinges.
Excalibur’s entire body was covered in blood, his Skana painted a new shade of red as he panted, his energy glowed a menacing black as he turned on his coms.
“Listen up, leave this fortress in less than 2 minutes, and to any Grineer still aboard,” Excalibur then paused as he shut the light’s main power off, coating the world in shadows. “I’ll slaughter you all,”
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*Rhino, Valkyr, Mag, View*
Many eye witnesses recorded and watched from a distance as three Tenno stood around two others, who were dead, Valkyr and Mag both sobbed quietly as Rhino looked away before swearing.
“Holy shit!” He gasped as the others turned and froze
They watched as a mangled and near the brink of death, Kala, beg as she saw dragged by Excalibur, his free hand gripped a golden scythe, coated in crimson as he threw her aside.
“Please! Have mercy! I’m sorry!” She begged, to the point where she was backing away from Excalibur
“Mercy?” He asked as he looked around as he slowly swung the scythe around, but when it fully circled he stopped
*SHINK-SPALT*
All viewers looked away in horror as Excalibur stuck the scythe right through her skull, splitting it in two as she fell limp. But he didn’t stop, Excalibur kept hacking and slashing away at her corpse, his thrusts chipping more off her body.
“Excalibur! That’s enough!” Rhino yelled as he grabbed his arm, but Excalibur grabbed it and threw Rhino away
“Stay outta my way!” He roared as he went right back at it “Mercy, won’t bring them back!”
“Mercy, won’t stop the screams!”
*SHINK-SHINK*
“I’ll kill your Queens, your men, until NOTHING REMAINS!!!” He screamed as he stopped after one final blow, pulling the scythe from her flesh
Excalibur then turned to see some Grineer ships leaving the fortress. He dropped the scythe and slowly pulled out a remote, as he held it high.
“No, survivors,” He whispered as he clicked the red button
The sky lit up in a golden hue as the fortress disintegrated in the air, consuming all that remined of the fortress as pieces fell to the earth in burnt shards of unrecognisable chunks.
Excalibur’s armour then turned blue slowly as he looked up at the sky, his breathing now clam and still. Then he fell to the ground. As Rhino rushed over to help him.
“Mavis, I’ll… kill… you…” Then his own vison was comsumed by the void
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*Later*
Pain, pain was all that Excalibur felt as his eyes stung in the light that brought him back from the shadows. He slowly sat up in the medical ward as he saw Rhino and Mag being healed, both staring at Excalibur with fear and sorrow.
Excalibur then sighed as he looked at his near mummified body. Then he saw the person resting their head against the bed. Skyler, slowly sat up as she looked at Excalibur with tears in her eyes as Excalibur felt his own.
“I’m sorry,” He spoke quietly as his hands shook. “I… lost it…”
He saw stopped by Skyler pulling him into a hug as she held him close, then Excalibur closed his eyes as he shook with regret. He failed to save Nekros, Volt also, he even lost control of his emotions.
How could he be a Tenno, if all he could do was cause pain to those around him.
“It’s ok, I don’t blame you,” Skyler said warmly as she frowned. “We all lost people today, you had nothing to do with their deaths, it wasn’t your fault,”
“But I… could have saved them, I could have tried,” Excalibur croaked as Skyler held him closer
“Don’t let this haunt you, just like how I lost someone close to me two.” She responded as they kept each other close
“Where’s my sister? Is she...?” Excalibur asked as Skyler shook her head
“Titania needs someone to comfort her right now, just give them both time, afterall she’s your sister,” Skyler explained. “For now, just rest, we all need it,”
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*Unknown Location*
Hidden in the shadows, a person watched the tournament unfold through the monitors. He kept silent as he watched the Grineer fall to the hands of an Excalibur with a reaper in his hand.
Then a small, crimson, flash hummed in a metal frame as it seemed to move with the voice that spoke, its voice cold and deep.
“We mustn’t hurry ‘Shadow’, your time to cleanse this filth will come, only patience will tell,” It spoke calmly as the man moved towards the light and grabbed the frame it was in
“Time… something he will lose,” The ghostly voice responded as he vanished into the shadows that feared him so much more