THE MIND OF A WARRIOR: BY SHADE THE ECHIDNA
PROLOGUE: I AM SHADE, THE ECHIDNA, AND THIS IS MY STORY ABOUT THE NOCTURNUS CLAN. YOU ALL MAY KNOW ME AS THE WOMAN WHO WAS WITH LORD IX FOR A LONG TIME, AND THEN BETRAYED HIM AND NEXT THING YOU KNOW I AM NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN, BUT LET ME TELL YOU OF MY STORIES BEFORE MY IMPRISONMENT AND BREAK OUT OF THE TWILIGHT CAGE AND I WILL TELL YOU THOSE STORIES OF THE CAGE LATER BUT LETS JUST START WITH THE BEGINNING HEREā¦
CHAPTER 1 MY BEGINNING AS A NOCTURNUS WARRIOR: MY LIFE BEFORE THE TWILIGHT CAGE WAS LIKE OTHER NOCTURNUS, PRETTY MUCH DO YOUR OWN THING, AT THE TIME I WAS 12, TOO YOUNG TO BE A PROCURATOR LIKE I AM NOW. I WAS A CHILD PRETTY MUCH, BUT WOULDN'T YOU THINK I WAS 16 LIKE WHEN I BROKE OUT, NO, YOU SEE, TIME WORKS DIFFERENTLY IN THE TWILIGHT CAGE WHERE I WILL BE IN PERHAPS THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. OKAY SO 4,000 YEARS TO YOU IS 4 YEARS TO US, COMPLICATED KIND OF LIKE TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW LONG A NOCTURNUS DAY IS. ANYWAY, WE NOCTURNUS LIVED IN PEACE, WE BELIVED IN SCIENCE AND WE FLOURISHED. JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO A MAN BY THE NAME OF DARKNESS CREATED AN INTERESTING ROBOTIC CREATION, THEY WHERE KNOWN AS GIZOIDS, THE FIRST THREE WERE CALLED E-001, C-002, AND S-003, HOWEVER C-002 AND S-003 GOT THEIR NAMES CHANGED TO CHARYBDIS AND SCYLLA AFTER A LITTLE WHILE IN THE TWILIGHT CAGE. (I HAVE SPENT TO LONG IN THE CAGE THAT I'VE FROGOTTEN WHAT WAS GOING ON BEFORE, MY CLEAREST MEMORIES BEFORE THEN WHERE GOING INTO THE TWILIGHT CAGE.) E-001 WAS I THINK LEFT BEHIND, HE WAS ACTUALLY CALLED FRIEND BY MANY OTHERS LIKE NESTOR AND I, EXCEPT HE HAD THAT ANGER AT RANDOM TIMES, BUT HE WAS A REALLY GOOD FIGHTER. THAT IS CLOSE TO ALL THE THINGS BEFORE BESIDES THE BLOODY WAR THAT HAD FOLLOWED THE NEXT DAY, YET I CAN'T SEEM TO REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE.
CHAPTER 2 THE ARGUS EVENT: THE ARGUS EVENT, AHH YES THAT IS THE EARLIEST MEMORY I HAVE IN MY HEAD VERY CLEARY. IT WAS A CLOUDY DAY, I WAS HANGING MY CLOTHES TO DRY, AS ALL OF THE WARRIORS OF MY CLAN CHEERED FOR THEIR VICTORY, BUT SOME WERE SAD LIKE ME, I HAD LOST MY FATHER IN THE FIGHT, HE WAS A PROCURATOR JUST LIKE ME, AS THEY CHEERED ON AN EARTHQUAKE PULLED THE LAND OUT OF THE GROUND, CHEERS REPLACED BY SCREAMS AS SOME DANCED TO CLOSE TO THE EDGE FELL OFF , HORRIFING EVENTS TOOK PLACE AS HUGE RED TENTACLES RUPTURED THROUGH THE SKY RENDERING EVERYONE, EVEN ME INTO A DEEP SLEEP, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAD CAME NEXT, BUT A RASPY MAN'S VOICE BEGAN TO ECHO OUR HEADS, "ARGUS, ARGUS" IT HISSED. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON, IT WAS THOUGHT THAT WE WERE BROUGHT HERE BY A SUPERNATURAL FORCE, AND WHEN WE WOKE UP, LEADER LORD IX DECIDED TO NAME IT THE ARGUS EVENT. CHARYBDIS AND SCYLLA WHERE AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME, SCYLLA SCHREECHED IN HIS CRAZY HIGH PITCHED VOICE "THE PORTAL CAME THROUGH HE-HERE WHEN THE TENT-TAT-AT-ACLES OPENED OUT BEF-OR-O-ORE USSSS." CHARYBDIS LOOKED AT SCYLLA AND SAID IN THE NORMAL GIZOID TONE, "WE WERE THEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS NIGHTTIME SKY WITHOUT ANY EXPLANATION" CHARYBDIS THEN LOOKED AT LORD IX. "MY LORD, DO YOU BELIEVE WE MAY IN ANOTHER, WHAT YOU CALL, DIMENSION. IX LOOKED AT DARKNESS, HE SIMPLY NODDED YES. NESTOR WAS BUSY EXPLORING NOCTURNE UNTIL HE SHOUTED, "LOOK, OTHER WORLDS, WE AREN'T THE ONLY ONES HERE."
CHAPTER 3 SECTOR SCYLLA SEVERAL MONTHS PAST, WE WERE ENGINEERING WITH WHATEVER SUPPLIES WE NEEDED, EVEN TEARING APART GIZOIDS. OUR GOAL WAS TO CREATE A SHIP THAT WOULD BRING US TO THE EASTERN PART OF THE TWILIGHT CAGE WE CALLED SECTOR SCYLLA. ABOUT A MONTH LATER IN SCHOOL I WAS ASKED BY ONE OF OUR PROCURATORS TO MEET LORD IX. I REMEMBER THIS CLEARLY AS WELL, I WALKED DOWN THE DARK HALLS AND THE DOORS OPENED BY THEMSELVES. I SAW LORD IX STANDING THERE IN A THRONE OF HIS, HE SMILED. "PROCURATOR FUCIUS," I SQUINTED AT HIM. "THAT IS MY FATHER." I REPLIED. IX CROSSED HIS ARMS AND WALKED TOWARDS ME. "YES, AND THAT IS WHY I ASKED YOU HERE, SHADE." I PUT MY HANDS AT MY HIPS. "BUT MY FATHER IS DEAD." IX LOOKED AT ME. "YOU HAVE TAKEN A JOB, YOU ARE NOW A PROCURATOR." I LOOKED AT IX IN DISBELIEF. "WHY WOULD I WANT A JOB THAT MAY HAVE KILLED MY FATHER?" I SAID. IX SLAPPED HIS FACE, HIS HAND SLOWLY SLIDING DOWN. "YOUR BODY STRUCTURE IS SIMILAR TO HIS, HE IS AGILE, YOU ARE TOO, AND YOU MUST TAKE THIS JOB SHADE." I NODDED MY HEAD YES. IX SMILED AGAIN, AND THEN SAID AS I WALKED OUT OF THE CHAMBER. "YOU HAVE YOUR FATHERS NOSE BY THE WAY." AS I WALKED OUT, I SAW A WARRIOR BY THE NAME OF LUDDITE. I SMILED AND THEN RAN TOWARDS HIM. "HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON," I SAID. LUDDITE WALKED TOWARDS THE DOCK AND SAID. "THIS IS THE SHIP WE'RE TAKING." I LOOKED AT THE TAN SHIP, IT HAD BOOSTER PACKS, AND IT HAD EVERYTHING. IX SLOWLY WALKED TOWARDS ME AND PUT HIS HAND ON MY SHOULDER. "AND YOU WILL BE RIDING IT" HE SAID. I WAS SO ASTONISHED ABOUT THIS MACHINE I BARELY NOTICED THE LUNCH BELL WAS GOING TO RING "LUNCH TIME!" AN ENGINEER SHOUTED, WHICH MADE ME FLINCH ALONG WITH THE BELL.
CHAPTER 4 VOYAGE FROM EACH COLONY THE SHIP WAS READY TO GO, I HOPPED IN THE BACK OF THE COCKPIT AND WAITED TIL THE ENGINES WERE READY. A LOUD HUMMING SOUND CAME FROM THE ENGINES AS THE SHIP HEADED FOR A DESERT LIKE PLANETOID.
THE KRON COLONY THIS DESERT AREA WAS THOUGHT TO BE UNINHABITED, BUT THAT WAS UNTIL WE FOUND AN INDIGENOUS POPULATION OF LARGE CREATURES CALLED "KRON". STRANGELY ENOUGH IS THE FACT THAT THE KRON'S RIBCAGE CARRY A MASSIVE HEAVY BALL. THE FIRST ONE WE MET WAS HARD TO KILL; ACTUALLY, IT NEVER EVEN DIED. THE KRON WARRIOR TOLD US TO MEET THIS "FOREMAN KRAG" IF WE MEAN NO HARM. WE DID, AND KRAG WHEN ON ABOUT A STORY OF HOW HE GOT HERE, THAT THEY WHERE THE SECOND ONES THERE, IT WAS STRANGE BECAUSE THE STORY SOUNDED LIKE HOW THE NOCTURNUS WHERE TELEPORTED, IX WANTED THEM TO JOIN TOGETHER SO THAT THEY CAN ESCAPE THE TWILITE CAGE, AND KRAG INSISTED CLAIMING HE AND HIS PEOPLE SHALL MINE AS MUCH ORE TO MAKE THE NOCTURNUS GREAT WEAPONRY.
THE N'RRGAL COLONY THE N'RRGAL WHERE LIVING IN SOME ELECRICAL, GOOEY LAND, WHEN WE LANDED THEY SPED TOWARDS OUR SHIP AND STARTED EATING IT. SUDDENLY A WHOLE BUNCH OF THEM STARTED TO FUSE TOGETHER CREATING A BIG N'RRGAL WARRIOR, AS IT WENT CLOSER TO US, WE TOOK OUT THE WEAPONS THE KRON MINED FOR US AND BEGAN TO FIGHT. THE N'RRGAL WHERE TOUGH, EVERY HIT MADE US FAINT AND IT MADE THEM HYPER, WE COULDN'T EXPLAIN UNTIL WE HAD N'RRGAL GOO ON OUR BLADES, AND THAT'S WHEN WE BEGAN TO WIN, THE N'RRGAL ABSORBED THE ENERGY FROM THE WARRIOR! WHEN THE BATTLE WAS DEFEATED, THE WARRIOR SAID "YOU ARE NOT THTHTHTHE ZZZZZZOAH, YOU ARE SSSSSSSSSSOMETHING ELSSSSSE." EVERYONE WAS CONFUSED, WHAT IS THIS ZOAH THING. WHEN WE ASKED THE WARRIOR HE SIMPLY ATE US AND SPED TO A PINK AND PURPLE CASTLE. WHEN WE WHERE ALL INSIDE, THE WARRIOR SPIT US OUT AND TOLD US TO MEET THE QUEEN OF THE N'RRGAL. EVERYONE BUT IX AND I WANTED TO GO MEET HER, SO WE DID. WHEN WE ENTERED, THE QUEEN TOOK ONE LOOK AT US AND THEN HER HEAD STARTED TO GLOW. "YOU ARE NEW HERE." SHE SAID. I STEPPED UP AND SAID THAT WE ARE NEWCOMERS AND WE CAME HERE THE SAME WAY THE N'RRGAL DID. THE QUEEN WAS IMPRESSED AND SAID THAT SHE'LL JOIN THE NOCTURNUS AND GRANT US THE POWER TO DRAIN ENERGY IF WE PROMISE TO STOP THE ZOAH. "WHY ARE THE ZOAH YOUR ENEMYS O GREAT ONE?" IX ASKED. "WELL, WHEN WEEEE CAME TO THTHTHTHE TWWWWILITE CAGGGE, THE ZZZZZOAH DIDN'T LIKE OUR ENERGY EATING WAYS, AND SO THEY ATTACKED. THE ZZZZZOAH'S ATTACKS ARE PURE ENERGY, WHICH WE EAT, AND NOW WE IN CONSTANT DISSSSPUTE AND WAR WITH THEM." AFTER THE STORY WAS OVER, WE PROMISED WHE'D STOP THE ZOAH. SHE ACCEPTED US TO LOYALTY AND WE WENT OFF TO SECTOR CHARYBDIS.
CHAPTER 5 SECTOR CHARYBDIS WE HAD MORE AND MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANYONE, WHAT WHERE THE ZOAH, WHAT DID THEY LOOK LIKE? ALL THESE QUESTIONS GOT ME DRAWN TO THE LEECH BLADE, THE BLADE GLOWED GREEN WHEN WE FIRST MADE IT, BUT NOW IT'S BLACK AND GOOEY. THE FIRST HIT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING AND THE SECOND DID NOTHING AS WELL. WE MAY NEED THE ZOAH TO ANSWER THIS PROBLEM, AND SO WE WAITED TILL THE SHIP REFUELED AND FLEW TO THE ZOAH COLONY.
THE ZOAH COLONY WHEN WE GOT THERE, WE WERE AMAZED BY THE ENERGY TRAILS AND OTHER THINGS WE FOUND. THE BLUE GLOWING ENERGY MAY FUEL THE LEECH BLADES AND THE PLASMA GUNS USED BY THE PRAETORANS. WHEN WE GOT THERE WE NOTICED THE OFFICERS WALKING TOWARDS US. "HOW MUCH ENERGY IS EMITTED FROM A NINE VOLT BATTERY?" ONE SAID. EVERYONE SHRUGGED THEIR SHOULDER BUT DARKNESS "NINE VOLTS IS THE ANSWER." HE SAID. THE OFFICERS LAUGHED AND THEN SAID. "ARE YOU N'RRGAL SPIES?" I LOOKED AT THE ZOAH AND SAID. "DO I LOOK LIKE AN N'RRGAL TO YOU?" THE OFFICERS SMILED AND THEN SAID. "YES, YOU LOOK LIKE A SPY, WE SAW YOUR LAND COME HERE, WE SAW YOUR SHIP GO TO THE N'RRGAL COLONY, AND SEE IT COME HERE." IX WAS LOOKING AROUND FOR A WAY TO NOT COVINCE THAT THESE AREN'T SPIES. "YOU MUST TAKE CITIZENSHIP FOR OUR LAND THEN YOU CANNOT BE CALLED SPIES, COME WITH US AND A 'GENTLEMAN' WILL BE THERE TO ASSIST YOU." AN OFFICER SAID. WHEN WE GOT TO THE WEST AREA, WE FOUGHT THIS "GENTLEMAN" AND IRONICALLY HE WAS NOT VERY GENTLE. THEN WE FOUGHT COMMANDER SYRAX, AND WHEN HE WAS DEFEATED, "LET'S MAKE THIS FAIR EVERYONE, LET'S HAVE THE OLD ONE FIGHT THE MIGHTY GENERAL RAXOS." SYRAX SAID. RAXOS MARCHED ONTO THE ARENA AND STARTED SAYING. "NOW WE SHALL FIGHT LORD IX!" THE FIGHT WAS BRUTAL, IX WAS BEING BEATEN BY THESE GIANT ENERGY CREATURES BUT WHEN THE LEECH STAFF HIT RAXOS TWICE, IT FUMED UP WITH ENERGY TURNING BLACKISH GREEN, TO GLOWING GREEN, AND THEN BLUE! IX TOOK ONE HIT INTO RAXOS AND IT ATE MOST OF HIS ENERGY; KNOCKING HIM OUT. THE WINNER GOT TO GET SOMETHING FROM THE ZOAH AND IX SAID. "I HEREBY ANNOUNCE THAT THE ZOAH COLONY SHALL BE UNDER MY ALLIEGANCE!" IX SAID. NOW THAT FIGHTING RAXOS WAS OVER, WE THOUGHT OF GOING TO THE OTHER TWO PLANETOIDS.
THE VOXAI COLONY ALPHA AND BETA PHEW! THIS IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST SCARIEST MEMORY EVER, QUITE CRAZY IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT. THE SHIP FLEW TO AN AREA THAT WE DON'T KNOW. THE SHIP SEEMED TO BE MOVING ON IT'S OWN LIKE IT WAS BEING CONTROLLED AND THAT MADE LUDDITE SHUT DOWN THE SHIP, AND SURE ENOUGH THE SYSTEMS CAME BACK ONLINE AND BEGAN MOVING BY ITSELF. WHEN WE LANDED MANY OF THE CREATURES CAME AROUND US, THEY HAD NO MOUTHS, BUT THEY TALKED TO US, WE THINK THEY TALKED TROUGH THEIR MINDS AND THEN THE CRAZIEST THING EVER HAPPENED. LUDDITE AND DARKNESS STARTED SAYING. "WELCOME TO THE VOXAI COLONY, YOU WILL BE ESCORTED TO THE OVERMIND BY US." THEY BEGAN WALKING TO A BIG PINK CRYSTAL, WE GOT OVER THERE AND THEN WE TELEPORTED TO A BIG BRIGHT AREA, AND WE FOLLOWED OUR FRIENDS TO A LARGE FLAT AREA AND THEN TURNED AROUND SAYING. "YOU ARE IN THE AUTHORITY OF THE VOXAI OVERMIND. SUDDENLY, THREE VOXAI CITIZENS APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE AND SAID IN UNISON. "WELCOME OUTSIDERS! YOU ARE BEING WATCHED AND YOU MUST BE TRYING TO MAKE US JOIN YOU, HOWEVER, BEFORE YOU DO SO, WE MUST STUDY YOUR KIND. THESE TWO SHALL STAY WITH US AND IF YOU DARE ATTACK US WE WILL KILL THEM. WE HAVE TECHNOLOGY FAR GREATER THAN YOU, AND AS A GIFT FOR JOINING US YOU WILL HAVE A TELEPORTER." I HAD TO SAY, THE MIND CONTROL WAS FREAKY, BUT THE END WAS SIMPLE SINCE WE HAD NO REASON TO TALK TO THEM. THEY JUST READ OUR MINDS. "CLEAR THOUGHTS MY FRIENDS." THE OVERMIND SAID.
CHAPTER 6 THE NEW INVENTIONS THROUGHOUT THE VOYAGES WE PASS, WE ALWAYS FIND SOMETHING NEW TO INVENT, SINCE THIS VOYAGE WE HAVE GATHERED THE LATEST MATERIALS AND ALONG THE WAY FOUND THIS LIST OF NEW CONTEMPORARY TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS:
THE LEECH WIRE BLADE
THE LEECH BLADE
LEECH BOOTS
LEECH WINGS
PLASMA BLASTER
NOCTURNE TELEPORTER
REPULSOR FIELD
WARP BELT
STASIS GRENADE
NANOMECHANICAL READAPTATION SUIT
GIZOID PERFECTS
GIZOID CENTRIONS
GIZOIDS
GIZOID FIGHTERS
LIGHTNING SPEAR
LEECH STAFF
GIZOID GAURDIAN
EPILOGUE THE JOURNEY TAKES ME LONG AND FAR. I AND ANOTHER TEAM WERE SENT TO STEAL ARTIFACTS WE KNOW CALLED THE SUPER EMERALDS, THESE INCLUDED THE CHAOS EMERALDS AND DURING THIS I WAS TRICKED BY IX TO BE A WEAPON. THANKS TO MY DEAR FRIEND KNUCKLES I CAME THROUGH A WORM HOLE AND NOW I GUARD THE MASTER EMERALD WITH HIM.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING THIS.
SINCERELY, SHADE
