GUESS WHAT GUYS! IT'S FRIDAY! AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!
A lot of this chapter was tough to write what with all the planning and timeline stuff I had to do, but hopefully this will work out in my favor. I've got all the OCs organized, so for most people I will not be taking anymore OCs from this point forward. Most of the OCs I'm using will be mentioned in the next chapter somewhere in the beginning or middle, depending on how I write it out.
Also, after I post this update, I'm going to be posting a Poll on my profile! Be sure to check it out!
And lastly, I have some doodle thing of Seraph on my Deviantart account: RaNdOmCaT927. The Exo in it is a Warlock, and that's because the one I have in my game is a warlock. But it is still Seraph's face design all the same. xD Hope it gives you all a better idea of what he looks like.
Anyway, Authors notes aside, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Seraph didn't need sleep. He was an Exo. Sinister, tireless, strong. But...
He wished he could sleep, to feel that peace that all humans and Awoken, hell, even the Fallen could feel. But he? No. He was damned to a life of eternal struggle and war. Yet, that was the entire purpose for the Exo creation: To help fight and win battles.
He could only wait this night though. His metallic fingers tapped on the arm of the chair in which he sat, silent and foreboding. Teira would wake within the hour and he still did not know how to tell her that her mother was killed on the Moon not even four days after departure.
Something in the back of the apartment stirred and he sighed. The girl was up, unsuspecting of the dark news he bore on his shoulders. She walked in, wearing a blue hoodie and black loose pants. She said her good morning as she would usually do so, and then she would go make herself something to eat.
If not for Seraph suddenly grabbing her arm, standing up, and pulling her into a hug. He remained silent, unsure of how to tell her still. She blinked, unknowing, and it tore him apart inside. He had to tell her the news. She placed a hand on his arm and looked up at him.
"What's up Seraph? Something wrong in your wiring or something?" She grinned in a teasing manner.
He looked at her, but the words wouldn't form. He lowered his head, avoiding her eyes as they went from teasing to serious and questioning in a fraction of a second. She tilted her head to look at him.
"Seraph... What's wrong?" She asked quietly.
"Liz.." He lost the words and cleared his throat. "Your mother..." He paused, trying to find the right words to say. "... Ferro, returned last night. He was wounded and unconscious." He shook his head slowly as the realization dawned on her. "The files... Nobody else made it out." Her hand covered her mouth and she stepped away as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Teira..."
"Mom... She.. No! She can't be dead!" Teira began, but stopped when her voice cracked.
Seraph lowered his head, lifted it slightly and opened his mouth to say something, but he paused. His mouth closed with a soft click and he lowered his head again. Teira tried to swallow the lump in her throat as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"It is the truth." Seraph muttered.
A few tears fell and she stood there, trembling in grief and fury. Slowly, Seraph reached out to her and she let out one sob before he wrapped his arms protectively around her. Breakfast and their usual morning banter was long forgotten and she cried for a long time in his arms. Then finally, her sobs progressed into hiccups, then whimpers as she began to calm down. After a while, she gave a sniff and rested her forehead against his chest.
"Seraph... I want to go see Ferro." She whispered.
He paused a moment, then nodded slightly. "Okay. I'll take you to him after you get yourself cleaned up."
Hesitantly, he hugged her to him gently and then released her when she was ready. She blinked up at him, then turned and walked off toward the hallway where the bathroom was. Seraph glanced over to the rocking chair that her mother would have been sitting in at this time of day.
"Seraph...?" Teira muttered, causing him to snap his head in her direction. She stared at him sadly and she lowered her head. "Thank you... I don't think I could have handled it that way if it was someone else that told me.." She gave a pause, then looked up at him. "I'm glad you're here."
He was silent for a short moment.
"...I'll always be here for you, kid."
/
"You received a few minor cracks to your rib cage and have sustained a moderate concussion as well as any and all out side wounds to your person. Your brain waves are slightly abnormal as well, but the Doctor believes they will be back to normal in a few days. Otherwise you've sustained no other damage and should be out of the hospital in about a week."
Ferro nodded to the human nurse. "Thank you miss. Enjoy your day." He said as she left.
After she was gone, and he was alone, he let out a miserable sigh. All of the great people to accompany him on the mission, and he was the only one to survive by falling unconscious behind a pile of rubble. He supposed that he'd have ended up like the other three Guardians if he wasn't hidden, but all the scientists were now dead.
Including Liz.
He clenched his fists and the heart monitor next to his bed sped up slightly as a result of his anger. He had lost a life-long best friend thanks to those traitorous bastards!
"They'll pay." He growled.
Then there was a knock on the door to his room. He glanced up and stared for a moment before he decided to answer.
"Come in." He called.
The door opened slowly and an Exo peered in. He was obviously a guardian with the way he carried his strong armor. A veteran Guardian at that. He walked in slowly and motioned for another person to enter as well. And when she did, Ferro felt his heart drop to his stomach.
It was Teira. Elizabeth's little girl. He could barely remember the last time he had seen her eight years ago. She had been such an innocent little thing, tottering around in the streets with the other boys and girls while he visited her mother and her oldest son when he was still alive.
"Teira." He rasped in disbelief. "It's been a long time since I have seen you."
She blinked at him and nodded shyly as she stood behind the Exo, who looked at Ferro with a cautious stare.
"Proditor Ferro. She wanted to come see you about her mothers death. She wants to know more." He informed.
Ferro glanced to the girl and noticed that her eyes and nose were red and slightly puffy from crying. Someone must have already broken the news from her, the Exo, he guessed.
Slowly he sat up in his bed. "She is the daughter of Liz. So she most certainly has the right to know what happened."
So he went through his story. He told them of how the speaker gave him the mission to accompany the scientists and keep the other guardians in line. He had learned of Elizabeth joining the group when two of the men talked about inviting her, so naturally he would have backed that decision up so he could see his old friend again.
But if he knew it was the last time he'd have seen her...
He didn't describe anyone's death. Only that the Hive killed them after two of the Guardians betrayed the group. He told them about the altar and the ritual that he had witnessed, and his description of that earned him a horrified look from the girl, and the Exo seemed uncomfortable hearing it as well.
And that was all he could tell them.
"The Speaker has already received a report about the altar and the events around it. He will send another group of Guardians there after a couple months of preparation. It's almost like he knows that we'll need all the strongest Guardians we can get to go there." He finished.
Teira glanced up at Seraph, then to Ferro. She gave a nod of respect.
"Thank you Ferro. I hope you heal soon." She said softly before turning to leave.
Seraph gave the older man a nod and turned to follow her. It wasn't until the door shut behind him when she spoke.
"We need to find Erunan. Maybe he can help me convince his Kell to aid us in our assault against the Hive on the moon." She said quietly so that nobody would hear as they walked.
"Teira, not that I don't have any faith in you, but that's a pretty far-fetched goal."
"I want to talk with him at least. I need to get my mind off of the news anyway. Besides, I did promise I would return today, didn't I?" She answered matter-of-factly.
"I suppose you did." Seraph replied quietly. "Come on then, let's head out."
"Right behind you..."
/
Erunan paced across the rock floor anxiously. His lower set of arms were crossed behind his back, while his top left cradled his top right arm as it healed. He had only a couple cycles left before Kalyvaaz would hunt him down and slaughter him on sight. There had to be some way to get the girl alone!
He gave a shiver and stopped pacing for a moment to huff out a breath of air into the cold cave. Staying in this weather too long could potentially cause him harm, but he was not too worried. His kind were durable and able to adapt no matter the climate. He would adapt eventually.
He heard the sound of a Guardian's ship and heard a couple voices a few moments later that he recognized as the girl and her Exo friend. Something was off today though. Her speech was low and lacked the usual lightness that he had become slightly familiar with. She seemed.. depressed.
Of course, upon their arrival, the statement would have become fact. Just by the way she carried herself told him that she was facing some kind of inner turmoil. He was tempted to ask what was wrong, but he dismissed it quickly. He shouldn't care anyway, the girl was as good as dead if he could get her without being caught by the Exo.
"Hi Erunan." The girl greeted after the Exo took out his ghost.
He gave a nod and his entire being itched to ask what made her so disheartened.
"Greetings, Teira." He grumbled.
She hesitated for a moment, and he knew she was itching to say something as well. After a moment, she finally spoke.
"I.. need to ask a favor of you, Erunan." She started. "Something is happening on the Moon. Something.. big. The Speaker is sending all of the strongest Guardians there to battle whatever's over there. I want to speak with your Kell, and see if he is willing to help, since the Fallen and the Hive are enemies as well." She explained.
Erunan glanced at her in shock, then to the Exo, who just nodded. Then he shuffled on his feet and cleared his throat.
"You are aware that my Kell will not take too kindly to this... proposition of yours... Right?" He asked.
Teira gave a short nod. "Maybe once he hears my story, he'll change his mind."
Erunan paused, slightly unsure. The girl was most certainly a bold one, but something else was driving her motives. He could easily see the pure rage and grief in her eyes as she stared at him, expecting an answer. So he sighed and raised a finger to the side of his helmet, then pressed a button that activated the communications link to the Ketch.
"Kalyvaaz. I have obtained the Human girl. Send a ship to come pick me up."
/
Kalyvaaz couldn't believe that Erunan had actually done it. Just in time as well. Their Kell had grown impatient and ordered him to execute the Captain the very next day. However, he never expected to see what he saw as the ship picked the two up that evening.
Erunan, bearing a small object around his once broken arm, pushed a young girl onto the ship. She glared up at him as she passed, her lips pursed in an angry frown. Her hair was of the red-brown color and her eyes were a piercing sage color. She wore typical guardian armor that the weaker ones would wear, however her cape told a story in itself.
The white and gold fabric was rather old, he determined, and he had seen only a few Guardians sporting it in his time on Earth. It had many golden details, but the most noticeable was a head of a wolf that was located in the middle of her back. How such a young human was able to receive such a highly esteemed cloak was beyond him. However he let the thought slide as he observed his comrade's condition.
His lesser wounds were healed for the most part, however his broken arm had been the most worrisome. He eyed the contraption around his arm questionably as the ship began to take off.
"Erunan, what is that strange thing?" He asked curiously.
"The human called it a splint." He answered stiffly. "I had to gain her trust some way." He added quickly when he felt the judging glare come from the Guard.
"Tricking her into being comfortable around you, then striking when she least expects it. You are more tactically intelligent than you say you are, Captain. Perhaps you will make a decent guard one day."
"You mean stand at the Kell's chair all day? I believe I am more suited to my current rank." Erunan snorted.
"Or you can take missions from the Kell himself to execute troublesome guardians." Kalyvaaz retorted with a snort.
Erunan stayed silent and glanced down at Teira, who kept her eyes to the floor and her mouth shut. She shifted her feet slightly and then her eyes flicked up to look at him out of the corner of her vision.
Then she cracked the smallest of smiles.
He blinked and her frown vanished just a second later as Kalyvaaz approached, his lower set of arms behind his back, and his upper set folded over his chest. He eyed the girl warily as the ship neared the Ketch docking port. Then his radio buzzed and he touched the receiving button.
"Kalyvaaz here." He answered.
"The Kell has a change of plans. He wants the girl to be brought directly to him as soon as you touch down in the landing pad." Another Guard said in the radio.
"Understood." Then the link was cut as the ship came to a slow stop, and once all movement ceased, the girl was escorted off of the ship.
The hangar was buzzing with movement. Dregs and Vandals all sat around ammo crates, chattering to themselves while their Captains watched over their activities. Dregs would scatter as they passed, hissing in their language. Many of the warriors sent glares after the girl, who kept her eyes submissively low. She never looked up from the floor as Erunan tugged her along while he and Kalyvaaz walked through the halls.
Finally, after a good ten minutes of walking, they arrived at the Kell's chambers, where the Kell himself sat in his throne in a bored position. That is, until he saw the girl.
Slowly the Kell sat forward as Teira was brought into the middle of the room. It wasn't until she was stopped when she looked dead into the Kell's eyes with a fixed glare. Erunan stood behind her, slightly anxious as he imagined how this would unfold.
"So this is the puny human who distracted the Warlock long enough for you to kill him." The Kell barked out a laugh. "What a puny thing she is!"
A moment of silence passed. Something in the back upper right corner of the room blinked a small blue light, and Teira smiled slightly as she watched the Ghosts light fade slightly. She dismissed the insult that was translated and took a step forward before she fell to one knee respectfully. All muttering and mocking abruptly stopped and the Kell stared.
"Leader of the House of Kings. It was of my own free will that I am here." She said boldly as her voice was translated to the Fallen language.
Kalyvaaz glanced at the Captain that stood behind the girl in shock as her voice rang out. The Kell stared, obviously taken aback by her actions. She rose to her feet as Seraph's ghost floated down and hovered by her side, acting as her own ghost.
The Kell rose from his seat, tense and leering. "You are a Guardian..?" He growled.
She kept silent, but gave a short nod. "And I need your help. Will you hear me?"
The Kell snarled quietly and took a step forward. "You are a filthy human. Why would I even let you speak more, other than your screams of agony?"
"Because the Hive is an enemy that both Humans and the Fallen face." She said, tilting her head back slightly. The Kell stared. "My mother departed to the Moon four days ago. She was part of a science team, sent to investigate a large pocket of dark energy deep within the Moons surface." Teira paused, lowering her eyes slightly. "She was killed, along with every other scientist, and all but one Guardian is missing. The last survivor returned last night and told of something horrifying."
Some of the Guards whispered to one another as she paused.
"The Speaker is sending the strongest Guardians to combat the power there. But I have a feeling that we'll need more than just a group of Guardians... We need your help." She finished with a bow of her head in submission.
The Kell remained silent for a full minute before he let out a loud growl. There was a flash of movement and Erunan's head snapped up as the Kell grabbed Teira by her neck and lifted her into the air. She gagged and struggled helplessly. The Kell snarled in her face.
"Humans are the enemy. We do not help the enemy!" He boomed before tossing her to the side and into a terminal wall.
Teira hit it with a thunk and she grunted as she fell to her knees. The Kell gave her no time to recover before he lifted her up by her cape and threw her again, causing her to land in front of his throne this time. She hit the floor hard and struggled to get up and face her attacker. The Kell advanced menacingly with a snarl as Teira reached for her knife that sat hidden in her pants pocket. Her heart beat pounded in her head from the rush of adrenaline. The Kell reached for her again, and she lashed out. He roared in fury as her knife sliced his palm, causing dark blood to seep out of the wound. Then another fist came down and slammed into her middle, causing her gasp and recoil as her breath was knocked away.
The hand withdrew and left her in a coughing heap as she rolled over and attempted to stand up again. She was again lifted by the Kells uninjured hand and she was brought up to his face as he snarled darkly.
"You have made a mistake, human."
She gripped onto her knife and huffed. "So have you."
The Kell had no time to react as she threw her knife at him. He roared and dropped her as the blade embedded itself into his throat with a sickening slice. She fell and landed on the floor, and she cried out as she landed strangely on her side. The Kell stumbled backwards as he yanked the knife from his throat and blood spurted out of the hole as he let out a choke.
Both of his upper hands went to cover the wound as he gurgled on his own blood. He coughed up more and more blood as she seconds passed, then coughing turned to gurgling, then to choking in just under a minute. He then stumbled back again and fell onto his back. He twitched, struggling to take another breath with lungs full of blood. There was no room for air, so he simply lay there, blood dripping from his neck and out of the cracks in his helmet onto the floor. One of his hands twitched, and his head fell to the side, then he finally lay still. Little lights wisped out of the eyes and evaporated into the air as his soul left him.
The Kell was dead. All was silent.
Slowly, Teira stood, gripping onto her probably dislocated shoulder and she took a step toward the Kell, blinking. Then the realization hit her like a brick to the face. She whipped around to Erunan, eyes wide in fear.
"Oh my God! I didn't mean- I... It was in self-defense!" She started.
Erunan stepped forward and stopped in front of her. Then he fell to one knee with his head low, eyes staring at the floor. Teira froze and stared at him in shock and some of the Guards muttered in the midst of one another. She blinked at him, then took an unsure step back.
"Um... Erunan..? What's going on?" She whispered to him.
"You have slain our former Kell. By law, you are to be seen and respected as our new leader." The Captain answered.
Teira held her breath.
"Wait, what?!"