Night Haunter's Rise
Chapter 1: Captured
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The hunter looked at his prize and smiled. He had won this round and using his abilities would win the next several as well. It had taken a long time, years in fact to uncover the jewel before him and now he had it. Nostramo was his for the taking once he had gotten control over the ability to see the future. What other possibilities awaited he wondered to himself. Turning away he went to make the arrangements needed to move forward. It had been a long hunt, and well worth it. His greatest prize lay bound before him in a cage built to remove all sensations. Sensory deprivation was a tool like any other, and it would suffice for the moment. There would be time to play later, to teach a much deserved lesson and leave messages for those who would do evil. For now though, he had other plans to attend to. The man who would become the Dark King had much work to do, though the future was his to control.
It was dark, it was always dark on this forsaken world. Now it was more so, he could feel the weight of something over his head, it covered his eyes totally, the darkness had never been an issue for him. There was something else over his mouth and nose and he could just barely feel the presence of air before his mouth. Being trapped without any senses was new to him, but he would figure it out as well. For now his task was to assess. Figure out what he could to make a move, though this was odd. He could only feel pressure, when he attempted to move he could not. It was disconcerting perhaps? He did not understand the thoughts that others would have for this situation. Regardless for the moment he could wait and collect his thoughts.
The technician stood and watched as the hunter passed by. The hunter would someday soon rule over this world, likely more as well later. The man said nothing, it was better to say nothing. Made it easier to avoid gaining attention. Attention on this planet was a sure way to get yourself killed. He had no interest in getting himself killed. For the moment his only job was to monitor the prize. Turning back to the chamber the man looked around at the panels and controls. Everything was in order. He could see the man who would become the Dark King's waiting message. Though it was held in a cage built with it in mind and should not be able to see or feel anything it seemed that it could see him as well, though it was blinded. He left quickly on the first day. Whatever it was, the technician felt that he was better off without drawing too much of it's attention.
He waited quietly in the space where he was. Based on what he could feel he was kneeling perhaps, though he could not move anymore then he could see his surroundings with his natural eyes. Despite not having any external stimulus he could feel how much time had passed without trying. It had been nearly two cycles since he had woken up here. He should be able to remember how he got here, however that part of his thoughts seemed hazy. Reaching farther back he could see images of the dark where he had risen from, however he could not seem to put any sense to them. Almost as if they were being blocked somehow. Frowning slightly he focused, as he did so the room around him started to come into his mind's eye. That was when it hit him.
The world was burning, people screaming and dying on a constant basis. This world was ripping itself to pieces sooner rather than later. One thing was always there, under all of the filth and grime. Under the vicious cycle of destruction that was running rampant on this world. Fear. Terror. The scent of it was heady when he had first encountered it, then he had learned what else it meant. Guilt. Only the guilty should feel fear. Fear of punishment for their crimes. Once the guilty had been purged and the rest brought into compliance then this system would be freed from it's sin. He could take on those sins, kill so that others didn't have to. Punish the guilty and take their sins unto himself. Yes he could do such things, he had already started and had been given a name by the people. He had seen some of the future, and would bring his homeworld... No, his adopted homeworld to heel before he would move on. The visions showed him the path, he had but to walk it until he reached his vindication. However the visions took their toll.
The man who would be the Dark King noted it was the visions that brought pain. Seeing the maybes and potential futures become real was what happened. Most things happened exactly as predicted, some had not happened. Or perhaps not happened yet. Slowly this world grew to fear him, his powers grew as he left more messages. Sometimes they were heeded, sometimes they were not. That would not take long to change, satisfied that the work would continue he left again to continue making the future real. As more visions happened and told the future more changes were made to bring about the quiet he longed for. To cure the humans of this desolate rock of their sins by making them his own. Soon enough it would happen, the future was already known. He could see it as easily as he could watch a pict-vid.
Something was wrong with it, he thought. The Dark King's prize hung limp in it's cage, it was still breathing but it seemed cold perhaps? It appeared to be shivering even as it did it's work for the king. Looking down at the panels it appeared as if it was having some sort of event, however it was within normal safe limits so he made a note of it and let it go. It was not his job to question, simply to make sure the asset was usable. The shivering turned to shaking and the asset's vital signs started to drop rapidly. This happened every time the recordings needed to do their job and so they immediately started recording the images on the pict. After several minutes the recording was complete and the asset had relaxed again. It's xenos physiology was different but not entirely foreign. There was something about it that drew one in, if the technician had to give it a word he would call the Dark King's pet as "perfect". However by that same token he found himself utterly terrified as well.
Some form of psychic drug he had settled on. Likely a nerve block of some sort, he could receive inputs from his body but not send anything to it. There was something in this tank he was caged in that robbed him of his senses. Using only the pressure he could feel it seemed as if there was something binding his arms behind his back with the wrists and elbows held locked together with some long bracers. He had also determined that he was attached to those same bindings. It felt like his knees and the balls of his feet were being pressed on as well. Though perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was kneeling on something. However any attempt to move or stand brought no reaction, as if the nerves were there but not connected somehow. This would be troublesome. Until he could figure out more about how he could interact with his surroundings he could do nothing. As he contemplated what options were available another wracked him with pain and he gasped a moment before being dragged under again.
This time he saw a scene he recognized. It was from the past. There had been a woman there in the alley before him. She had been screaming, as they all do when they are taken violently by the gangs. This one fought, he had watched for a moment before he had decided to intervene. Her assailant was not aware of his presence until he found himself suddenly dangling from his hair. He screamed, something else that always seems to happen. This one would suffice to send a message, though before he could prepare the message properly he had felt something. A minor sting at first that hit his side with enough force to knock a man flat. It was enough that he let go of his target in order to deal with whatever had presented a potential threat to him. As he had spun to address this pest he had suddenly observed several things at once.
His vision was cloudy and he watched as the past, future and present all merged before his eyes. His curse had decided now of all times to make its presence known. It was a dizzying effect that took a moment to shake off as he drug his eyes back to the present only. Another sting hit him. He felt another sensation then, he felt the heat of a great fire except it wasn't happening now or here. Again he tried to force himself to the present, this time he had some success. While his eyes betrayed him his body had not, he felt something wet and warm in his hand as he broke the source of at least one of the stings. It screamed, but then that was a normal part of this place.
Another sting landed, followed closely by two more. He lost all sense of self as his mind's eye was overcome. Everything happened at once. The galaxy burned before him and great darkness and Khaos rose over it in a ten thousand year darkness. Countless lives began and ended before him. He knew he could not move and his head was thrown back as he shuddered against the sudden barrage of information. Some of it was true some was not, he had not yet learned how to disregard the false. Snapping his mind such he regained his sense in the present moment and dropped a body from either hand.
Yet another sting occured and then he was moving back away from the source once he could feel his body again. As he had slipped into the shadows he spun and found a handhold before he vanished and darted up the wall and several rooftops over before he succumbed again. The world suddenly reeled and the vision changed to show something bright, so bright he could barely stand to look at it. No, not something, Someone. His eyes filled with a golden light and he fell to his knees as he lost himself again and the light remained fixed in his mind's eye even as the darkness tried to overtake him.
Many men had been lost drawing this beast out and it had been worth it. He had based his entire hunt on a single report that his target seemed to be able to know what was going to happen next. The witch-sight it was called, and there were ways to activate it by force. The rounds they had all been using were designed to force the sight to come on and give visions. Some had actually had reports that the drugs had been able to give them visions, this had only been true in those that had them before though. It seemed the rumors had been true. His target had the sight alright, and for the moment he had succumbed to it.
The hunters approached the intended quarry with caution. Though he was down on his knees he was far from docile. Before they could respond he had suddenly darted forward and two more of the hunters were dead. Even weakened he was still perfectly lethal. The man who would be the Dark King trusted his own witch-sight and fired several shots at nothing as the target jerked it's way between his men. All of the blind shots hit the mark as he spasmed between the men the hunter had brought with him.
A scream escaped the quarry then and the target crumpled on the roof where he had taken the hits as he started to shake violently locked in the throes of his visions. The hunting party watched as he wordlessly gasped and his back arched in agony before a seizure took him down farther under. His blood escaped from both mouth and nose as the visions tormented the dangerous quarry they had brought low. The man who would become the Dark King did the only thing that made sense at that moment. He emptied his clip into the gasping Night Haunter's chest.