Chapter VIII: Battle of the Duos
Absolution Arc
WARNING: HAS SOME MILD LANGUAGE, SOME GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF BLOOD AND VIOLENCE AND SUGGESTIVE THEMES USED IN A HUMOROUS CONTEXT. READ AT YOUR OWN LEISURE AND/OR RISK!
00807 Hours, December 18, 2714
The door leading to Spectre's medical bay room whooshed open and stepping in was 20/20. As soon as he stepped in, he saw the drapes surrounding the bed for privacy being used. The chairs that Lightning or Reaper used when they were visiting weren't next to his side unlike yesterday where Lightning was here crying for her brother's status since they found him on the Dreadnaught. Even the instruments hooked up to him remained untouched, eerily beeping like every time the grim reaper took a breath.
20 felt very sorry for him and everyone else affected by him, including his fellow Dark Knights, Fireteam members, and his friends. It was hard to see one of the Traveler's greatest Guardians be in a state like this, himself included. Primus wasn't hovering over the bedside table like he normally would. However, it was somewhat decorated with cards and messages hoping for him to get back on the battlefield soon, but the knife that he was often carrying in his Honor of Cormorant was there as well. Odd. Did he leave to catch some space to think about the situation and how to get Spectre out of this mess? The deathly silence was sending chills down the Exo's spine and he swore that he shivered even though the temperature in the room was counteracting the winter weather outside.
Checking the holographic tablet in his possession and analyzing his vitals so far, his optics whirred disappointingly. They're weren't getting any better. It was as though he was trapped in limbo, being torn apart by living and being dead. This was the second case already, starting with the Fallen Warlock that had his Light drained by the Taken General.
"Spectre, I know you can't hear me, but…" the Exo approached the bed, holding the tablet under his arm, "We need you back. You're the best shot we got against Oryx and the Taken. If you're really the son of Trionus, then come back to us." He clenched the drapes and pulled them aside.
The chills he felt down his robotic spine had taken their toll on him and he knew that he wasn't making it up at all. It was as if someone turned off the temperature regulators in the room and opened the window leading to the balcony of the room. He stared at the pod that would've looked like a hospital bed endlessly, optics whirring and analyzing it. 20/20 started to slowly step away from the pod, dropping the portfolio/tablet-like device as he did. The drapes started to move on their own even though the windows were closed, and already did this look like a scene from a horror movie in 20's eyes.
"Oh no…"
Shibuya District, Old Tokyo
Boom!
Birds started fluttering away from both their perches and nests within range of the sound of a Häkke sniper rifle going off in the area. Their squawking and cawing were frantic, further complimented by how their wings were flapping madly. Within the branches was a Hunter clad in black armor and a red holographic-like cloak taken as a trophy from slaying one of the Psion Flayers on Mars. He crouched himself on a branch, a sniper rifle at the ready.
"That was your first warning shot!" yelled Rez, eyes through Stillpiercer's scope and perched on a tree.
"Oh please! You still suck anyway!" out of the heavy vegetation that his scope was pointed towards, an Arc-tipped arrow flew towards him. It landed mere inches from his head, impaling itself on the tree bark behind him. "That's what you call a warning shot! Something that has you quaking in your boots like a coward!"
Rez wasn't lying on that. In fact, his legs started quivering violently and it started interfering with his aim. Sweat was pouring down from his forehead within his helmet and started to fog up his HUD and visor, forcing him to open some vents in his helmet and allow the air to remove it. Damn, she knows how to intimidate someone when she's pissed off! That's kinda hot…! Gulping, he recomposed himself and steadied his aim but in his mind he was screaming.
"The next one's goin' right between your eyes, Reaper!"
"Try me, then!" Reaper decided to give Rez the slip and cloaked herself before jumping to another branch in another tree, preparing her Tamar-D and aiming at Rez's location. She grinned and quietly snickered at this, switching off her rifle's red laser and taking aim.
"SAYONARA, BIATCH!" Rez pulled the trigger on Stillpiercer and let the high caliber round within the chamber go, feeling the recoil in his arm. He hoped he had hit his mark this time like the Freelancer he eliminated earlier.
Instead, Reaper saw the sniper round burrow itself into the tree trunk that she was perched on before deciding to move and explode on contact. She tried to hold in her laughter at how gullible Rez was into thinking she was still perched there, but only small giggles rang out.
"AW, C'MON! WHAT THE FUCK?!" screamed the Nightstalker, just about to let his tantrum go into overdrive as he checked his scope. "I swear to the Traveler I think someone fucks with the sights when I'm not looking…"
Hoping the Nightstalker didn't hear her stifled laughter, she aimed her Tamar-D and thought of something funny.
"Oh, oh! Help me! I've been shot and I'm defenseless!" cried the Bladedancer, balancing her sniper rifle between her legs as she clutched her good arm convincingly. "Somebody, help me! Please! I don't want to be eliminated!" If there was anyone nearby, she crushed a fruit nearby and allowed it to drip down adding red coloring to make it look like blood.
[Are you sure that this is a good idea, Reaper? Won't Excalibur come running to your rescue?]
He knows about how I can trick people or be serious about it. He can tell.
Rex shrugged. [Your loss.]
Reaper then dropped her Tamar-D from her legs. She knew that she's taking a risk and expose her location but this was to both distract Rez while Excalibur was fighting Silver and eliminating said Nightstalker. Even if she had no sniper rifle, she still had her bow. It's not gonna help out a lot. It'll take out only a quarter of his health. Guess I only have one thing left to use… She reached for the sidearm holstered on her hip and pulled it out. Reaper, mesmerized by its design and craftsmanship, unloaded the magazine and checked the rounds. They were definitely handcannon-caliber rounds, yet it was assigned as a sidearm. Thanks for the weapon, Excalibur.
The cogs within her head started to turn, devising a plan to eliminate Rez without a sniper rifle. Quickly, she set her loaned sidearm on the branch and drew Night Predator out. Nocking in an arrow and aiming at Rez's perch from within her perch's dense vegetation, the arrow dimly glowed with Arc energy. Replacing the arrow tip was multiple devices carrying something.
"Please… Please don't kill me. I'm begging you," Reaper 'pleaded' in a sweet and almost seductive tone, dropping her opponent's guard almost instantly. She waited for the optimal flight conditions before letting the arrow fly, string pulled back. Her HUD zeroed in on Rez who already lowered his Stillpiercer's scope and removed the magazine.
"I thought that you had no reason to fight me other than challenging me to a one-on-one match. And I really don't want to hurt you."
"Oh, Rez," she purred with the seductiveness she could accumulate in the moment, her thoughts clearly laughing at the act she's putting up and a mental image of her hugging herself and fangirling like crazy compliment how gullible the Nightstalker was. "If only you weren't a total sap then I can see the two of us being together."
"Who says that we can't start now?"
"…Sucker."
Reaper let the arrow fly breaking the 'romantic' atmosphere between the two and shattering Rez's gullible nature into a million pieces. Her arrow burrowed itself into the tree trunk behind him and above his head, beeping rapidly.
"Son of a─!"
Too late. The devices had ceased their beeping and detonated. A cloud of smoke exploded behind him, fogging up Rez's visor and scrambling his HUD just like how Excalibur used his smoke bomb to eliminate Blood Gulch. He started feeling like suffocating from the smoke and covered his helmet's vents. That tactic failed and he started screaming in pain when a flash like Spectre's flashbang grenades exploded in his vision, blinding him and dropping his Stillpiercer. Even his movements were hindered by what felt like unstable Arc energy; moving even an inch would send an otherworldly dose of shocks into his body.
Quickly, Reaper picked up Excalibur's sidearm and leapt from tree branch to tree branch to get to the stunned Nightstalker. During her approach, she heard his screaming and cursing both himself for falling for her and her for her sweet-seductive act. That specialized arrow would only last for a few moments with its stun effects and normally wouldn't affect Guardians─if it weren't for the strange arsenal Excalibur had in his weapons drop canister.
"Here, you might need this," said Excalibur, holding an almost alien yet human-built device before the Bladedancer. It looked completely throwable like throwing knives but had no visible blade on it. Instead it had hook-like appendages that would latch onto a surface or target and an explosive charge in the middle resembling a blade from a knife if placed flat on a surface. It wasn't entirely alien in design almost as if a Guardian would use these, but she never saw weapons like this.
"I think I can handle myself."
"That's why I'm giving it to you," insisted the Gunslinger, putting the device in her hand. "I've seen your stun arrows in action and they don't affect Guardians to the point of giving you enough time to escape or attack them. These can help give that effect."
"So do I attach them with my stun arrows or throw them individually?"
"I'd recommend using them in junction with the stun arrows. These things pack quite the punch and honestly you don't want to be on the receiving end of these or within the radius."
"I'll keep that in mind. And the sidearm?" she caught note of the sidearm in his other hand to which he handed it to her as well.
"Just a little something to give you since you'll need to draw a gun like a cowboy in a duel. From what I know about Rez, he's known for switching things off from a one-on-one sniper duel to a western-styled showdown and can draw it that fast, so use this to counteract his Last Word."
"I can just as well use Starfall."
"But can you draw your handcannon fast enough with that kind of heaviness?" Excalibur raised an eyebrow under his helmet. Reaper turned her head to the side and he knew the answer. "Exactly my point. So take it for now." He handed his partner the sidearm, to which the Bladedancer unloaded the magazine and checked the ammo. While she was checking the sidearm's weight and synchronization to her─which was surprisingly light for its frame and synced perfectly─, the Gunslinger leaned in close to her ear. "Oh, and once we meet up after we take down Silver and Rez, I'll be wanting my sidearm back."
She yelped surprisingly and threw a hand at him to slap him. Excalibur dodged the hand and started laughing at her reaction. "You're terrible, you know that Excalibur?"
"Like you said, I was never one to have an ego and be stubborn before. I might as well have started at some point," teased Excalibur. "By the way, how good are you at letting down your opponent's guard through acting?"
"I've never tried it before. Why?"
"I have an idea…"
Reaper was just within range of the Nightstalker when the effects from both her stun arrow and attached bombs wore off. She caught a glimpse of Rez reaching for his Last Word and threw another of Excalibur's bombs at him. Unlike her throwing knives she was accustomed to when she was temporarily a Gunslinger herself, the bomb she threw wound itself in between Rez's legs and exploded. The Nightstalker screamed in a girly, inhumane way that it would be both amusing and grimacing-worthy to any spectator and covered up his junk affected by the explosion despite the shocks when he moved a muscle.
Now left vulnerable, Reaper tackled him from his perch in the tree mid-jump sending the two plummeting down into the snow-laden ground. They hit the ground back-first with a uncoordinated thud!, Rez groaning painfully on impact. Attempting to get up, Rez used his arms to support his upper torso until he felt her weight on his lower torso pin him down to the ground. Reaper started pulling punches at his helmet with all the strength she could muster up after falling from a height, her opponent blocking his face with his arms. She started attacking the regions he left vulnerable from his blocking, still beating the living crap out of the Nightstalker's face.
"Wow! Right to the mount, huh? Not even gonna buy me dinner. Oh I like your style," commented the Nightstalker, to which Reaper caught sight of his holstered handcannon and took it out.
She waved The Last Word in his face teasingly much like how someone would wag their finger. "Not so much of a hot shot when you're without a gun, huh?" she teased before throwing it far away from them and into a nearby pond, then whipping out the sidearm from Excalibur and pointing it at him.
"Aw, c'mon Reap! I thought we had something in common!"
"Sorry, love," teased Reaper flirtatiously as she imitated Excalibur's English accent but expressed to match a London accent. "But I already swore my heart to someone else."
"Nonononononono!"
But it was too late. Reaper started repeatedly pulling the trigger and spraying the magazine right into Rez's face. What was once an Aspriet 1.0 quickly became a bullet-hammered and bloodied mess of its former self in the matter of an entire magazine. Only few of the bullets had broken through his helmet's protective visor and allowed the rest to burrow themselves into his face. She allowed him to scream in agony and whimper in pain after taking the bullet barrage to his face for as long as he can still make sounds from his throat before drawing Starfall out and pointing the barrel under his chin and right into his vocals. "Farewell, Rez." Rez croaked and shook his head but Reaper had already pulled the trigger. After putting a bullet in him, she got off him and walked away picking up her Tamar-D that she dropped. "Rez is taken care of, Excal. What about your end?"
"Yeah, about that part…"
Excalibur threw one of his knives, a chain attached to the handle following the thrown projectile. The throwing knife missed. Deliberately. For the chain wrapped itself around one of the two remaining Freelancers' necks. Like he caught a fish, the Hunter took hold of the chain and reeled it back in, taking the choking Guardian along with it. The force of the pull further tightened the chain around their neck and eventually the chain broke their neck. As if it had a mind of its own, the chained knife released itself from the corpse's neck as the remaining Freelancer was knocked back by the body of one of their own. It retreated back into his waiting palm, vanishing into nothing like a magician reversing the phrase 'nothing up my sleeves'. The last Freelancer quickly got back up and fired their pulse rifle at the Gunslinger, to whom started dodging the fired bursts like a ninja before bringing out a sword resembling Spectre's Raze-Lighter. Without any other option the Freelancer put up their fists and charged towards Excalibur. The Titaness's punches were supercharged with Arc energy as she threw them at a lightning fast pace. Instead, she hit thin air instead of the Gunslinger irritating her further and continuing to throw punches at an inhuman pace.
Excalibur had enough of dodging towards her wild swings at him and blocked with his replicated Raze-Lighter at what could possibly be her last punch. The force from her Arc-infused punch sent Excalibur skidding against the floor of the ruined building, forcing him to impale his sword into the ground and slowing his skidding. Swiftly, he ripped the sword out of the ground and continued to dodge the Titaness's blows like the two were in a hypnotic yet deadly dance. "Funny thing about anger, Titania─"
Titania began her second flurry of swift punches and kicks, her opponent only blocking against about half of the assault as he held his blade by the side and stopped the onslaught of attacks. The Gunslinger noted that the female Striker was starting to get sloppy in her barrage, seeing that she was enraged by the fact that she could hardly land a serious blow on him after eliminating her own partner and one of Adam's friends that joined in on bullying Lightning and the kazoku.
"Let it consume you…"
Letting out a roar of rage Titania punched the flat of Excalibur's copied Raze-Lighter, swinging wildly at it to possibly destroy it and actually injure her opponent. Despite Titania being blinded by rage and frustration, Excalibur was able to keep up with the swings from her fists and successfully block all of her punches. His sword can take the punishment. Having enough, he counter-swung his replicated sword at the same time Titania made the final swing, causing her to stagger and backstep.
Cracking her knuckles and then her neck, the Titaness raced towards her opponent letting the tiles under her feet crumble into dust during her charge.
"Predictable…" muttered Excalibur, holding out Raze-Lighter again and pointed it towards his charging opponent, the blade eclipsing itself with the flames of Solar energy. However, as he channeled the flames the orange glow had become pitch black like burnt wood somehow and created an energy sheath for itself at his side. Once its manifestation was complete and the blade practically had the illusion of smoke erupting from the steel, Excalibur sheathed the blade and kept his hand at the ready. It was now that Titania noticed that the red linings around his armor start to glow like a wildfire burning bright. She didn't have the second thoughts into thinking it was a trap and by the time she realized it, it was too late.
"Checkmate."
"What─?!"
Before she could stop herself her fist was already in motion and on its way to striking Excalibur. Said Gunslinger waited for the right moment and quickly drew out the sword in the blink of an eye. Her eyes had perceived the Hunter standing before her but now he disappeared… Not.
He appeared several feet behind her, sword still in its slashing motion and pointed towards the altar. His opponent knelt on one knee, breathing heavily while her hand went to her side. Titania started breathing painfully and saw blood pouring out of her side and on her hand, followed by blood dripping out of her mouth from within her helmet. Excalibur looked over his shoulder and saw the blood from her wound start to pool underneath her, then back at his sword to which the cutting edge was dripping with her blood. Like it was an alien substance, he wrapped his gloved hand around the crossguard and traveled up the blade, wiping the blood off the blade as it went. As though some black magic was in effect, Titania watched as her outstretched fist fall from the rest of her arm and screamed, but the blood in her mouth forced her to gargle out such a horrific scream. She faced the Hunter behind her and started cursing him despite drowning in her own blood.
As though he heard her cries, Excalibur looked back hand at the very tip of his copied Raze-Lighter. "…And you lose sight of everything, even your own enemy." He finished as he turned his head away from Titania's gaze and sheathed the sword.
Nothing.
Titania felt nothing as her HUD started screaming in her face and the next thing she knew, her upper half of her body was separated from the lower half leaving her to bleed out. Using her arms, she crawled towards the Hunter snarling and struggling to stay alive long enough to kill him. "Da…mn…you…!" rasped Titania before taking one last breath and extending an arm towards him until she was declared eliminated from the match. Her Ghost hovered over her upper half, indicating that she will at least be revivable with both the best medical supplies on the dropship and not killed during the Royale.
Another one down. At least that's the last of Adam's pals in this Battle Royale. Again, Excalibur felt some form of content and accomplishment after eliminating both Titania and her partner. However, he knew it wasn't over. He sensed it.
As if to prove it, Excalibur felt the barrel of either a scout rifle or a sidearm pressed against the back of his head. His hands reached for his holstered pistols in his thigh holsters and wrapped around the pistol grips. He knew who else would be left here.
"You have no idea what you're up against."
"And neither do you, Exo." Excalibur pulled away in time before his attacker had a bullet put in his skull and drew out one of his sidearms. Both opposing forces pulled the triggers on their guns, both the sidearm ammunition calibers exploding from their respective guns. Somehow, despite the Hunter's gun shooting only one bullet based on barrel design the larger caliber made a head-on collision with two nine millimeters. The bullets from both sides hit one another like the tips were magnets, flattening the heads when they impacted with one after the other.
No way! He's shooting my bullets out of the air! Just who is this guy?! Silver thought, knowing that it was physically impossible for such a feat like this!
Eventually, both the caliber nine millimeter and .50 AE handguns ran dry the slides cocking back. Silver and Excalibur retracted their guns close to their faces, hitting the magazine releases. The empty magazines dropped to the ground, revealing that neither one had any bullets left. Flicking his wrist, Silver's sleeve produced a spare magazine full of specially designed high caliber ammunition.
With the clip hitting home, Silver hit the slide release on his customized Jabberhäkke-D, the main chamber covering the exposed internal parts and chambering a round. The other barrel, despite having no way to chamber the next one, slid closed just like the other. Once he looked up, Excalibur had not only one gun in his possession but two. The newly pulled pistol was identical to the black one in design─and possibly the caliber─, but was silver-gray and designed for the left hand. And somewhat even worse, the gun that was empty was reloaded already. The Hunter had laser pointers attached to the underbarrels of his weapon and two beams of red light aimed at him. One at the chest, the other at his head.
"Well, that's hardly fair." Silver ran for cover as the Gunslinger began to pull the triggers on his nine millimeter pistols. The bullets rapidly raced over towards the Exo, the rate of fired shots almost like an assault rifle or SMG. He dived towards the floor, sliding on it as he found cover behind a church-like pew. Keeping his head down, Silver waited for the target's pistols to run out of ammo as the flake-like fragments of wood caked over him.
Excalibur kept on shooting at the pew the temporary leader of Nero Bianco was hiding behind, the ancient wood chipping away by the blast and striding towards it as he fired away. Both his guns overheated from the inconsistent volley of its own high caliber rounds. At the same time, Silver saw the opening and got up, blasting away a volley of magnum-like bullets. Quickly reacting, the Hunter caught the sound of the Jabberhäkke-D's hammers striking the chambered bullets and backflipped as he dodged them.
The Warlock rushed towards the Hunter, Jabberhäkke aimed point blank in his face after he finished evading the bullets. "You got a jacked up notation of fair play, pal. And it's seriously beginning to piss me off!"
"Rule one: never let your guard down!" the Hunter knocked the point blank sidearm out of his face with the barrel of his silver-gray handgun─Hikari─and aimed Yami the same way he was a few seconds ago. Eventually the both of them were knocking each other's guns with their own, the clashing metals sparking against one another. During the exchange of pistol slides sparking against the other, one of the two had pulled the trigger the other moving his head away and pushing the gun away with their own simultaneously. The exchange alternated for a while until they backstepped from one another, the slides a flame red-orange after striking the other with such force.
Hikari and Yami were withdrawn and the Gunslinger drew out his replicated Raze-Lighter once more, the edge of the blade breaking through the floor. A sound like the activation of a device followed the handle being cranked, the blade shifting from the dim silver to a flame orange.
"Guess this doesn't cut it…" Silver holstered his sidearm, seeing that a sword was the one weapon he was glad he brought to this Crucible match! Silver summoned his Bolt-Caster and threw it up. The blade spun in the air and the second-in-command caught it on its descent, embedding it in the ground and twisted the handle. A similar start-up followed the action, the infusing itself with Arc energy.
"Now we're talking! Come on then Silver!" provoked Excalibur.
They charged towards each other, the tips of the swords skidding across the floor as showers of sparks of Arc and Solar fused metals left a trail. Tendrils of the layer of energy flashed across the blades of both swords like lightning bolts as they were ready to show their wrath to the other.
Rather than attacking head-on Silver brought up his sword and held it sideways. The Gunslinger went on the offensive, just as he had predicted as the copied sword was brought down on the horizontal blade. With a moment to counterattack, he threw his foot into Excalibur, sending him back a few feet. Might not be an expert combatant on swords, but at least I can compensate…
Quickly reacting, the Hunter threw his blade up to block the attack. Again, Silver saw this coming and parried the block, stepping to the side and behind the defending swordsman. But Excalibur was no idiot. In fact, he turned around as Silver went behind him, the blunt edge beating the Warlock's single edge to the punch. Once the Exo was hit in his side, he reversed his grip on the sword and swung the blunt edge in the Hunter's side.
Unfortunately, Excalibur didn't feel the pain from the blow despite him without any forms of armor to counteract a blow like that. He wrenched Raze-Lighter's handle, the golden-orange slowly darkening into a hellish red. Let's see if he can keep up!
Great! Dodging a barrage of intense Solar-fused slashes and feeling the breath of the sword's heat nearly injuring him, he got enough distance for a moment's pause. Like his opponent, he turned his weapon's handle not once but twice the second rev longer than the first. The sky blue Arc layer was joined by its stronger, thunder-like counterpart and further intensifying the Arc energy.
Both of them charged towards each other once more, the element-sheeted blades at the ready. When they were mere feet from each other, they raised their weapons ready for the offense. The killing edges of both swords clashed with each other, the flame and thunder-fused blades sparking small tendrils of energy as the natural sparks danced. Excalbur and Silver were at a standstill, their exerted strength matching the other's as they fought to win the standstill.
"Impressive, you managed to keep up."
"Like that's any feat for someone like me!" Silver growled, ignoring the sparks and tendrils that almost hit him in his face. His breathing became labored from all the fighting and dodging, body ready to give up. But he survived worse than this. He continued to put all his strength in his weapon, determined to win this duel and lose some heat from his back from the Battle Royale.
Excalibur smirked under his helmet, seeing the determination the Exo was showing. Too typical. Looks like he didn't keep in mind the one thing he lacks in combat! He smashed his head towards his enemy's own. Taken aback from the sudden move, Silver faltered in his struggle to win the standstill. Again, he kicked the Stormcaller in the stomach. As he doubled over, Excalibur swung Raze-Lighter disarming Silver of his sword.
Despite his efforts to reobtain it, Silver was thrown into a row of the pews from the stage. The wooden furniture smashed on impact, burying him in it. At the same time, the sword found its way impaled through the floor once again, the Arc energy short-circuiting and flickering down to nothing. As for the Gunslinger, he didn't bother coming towards the wooden rubble. In fact he was checking to see if Silver still had some fight left in him or not. Tch, how pathetic. No wonder we've grown so soft in endurance…
As if on cue, the rubble moved and out crawled the Stormcaller. He limped, his unarmored areas burning with pain from a launch like that. Amused, Excalibur walked towards where Silver's sword rested and stabbed Raze-Lighter into the flesh of the floor next to it. He wrenched out Bolt-Caster from the floor. Bringing it up to his face as if to observe it, he gripped the blade and the handle with both hands.
"C'mon, get up! Is this the Silver-79 we all know?! Or is it the fact that he can't get up from after such a beating?!" he taunted, pointing the Bolt-Caster at Silver.
Dammit! Silver cursed, seeing his only other weapon aside from his Jabberhäkke was now in his possession. Excalibur picked up his custom sword and rested the blunt side on his shoulder as he walked towards him once again. Taking his chance, he turned around rushed towards the kneeling Warlock, sword ready to kill him.
Say good-bye!
Silver snapped out of his daze, unthinkingly rolling out of the way and evading the swing in its entirety. Even if he was thinking, he channeled his Force Push and struck Excalibur with it sending the Hunter into the concrete wall.
Before the Gunslinger hit the wall, he planted his boots on it and jumped off once he hit it. "There's no way…!" but he was cut off by a surprise right hook. He flew towards another wall, unable to process that the silver-white and red colored Stormcaller somehow rushed up to him in the time he flew and hit him. This time, he crashed into the wall and left a crater of his impact. Raze-Lighter flew in the air spinning from its owner's reach, impaling itself atop one of the pillars in the room far from anyone's reach.
"Hate to interrupt this, but I'd rather wrap this up before the competition arrives!" stated Silver, dusting his hands and controlling the flow of energy in his Force Push.
Recovering from the impact, the Hunter got off the cratered wall and brought out the chained kunai again. He let the chain drop, the knife falling to the floor. Spinning the chain, the weapon began to revolve again, the hypnotizing skill and grace returning as he threw the bladed edge of the knife and chain weapon towards the military official.
This time, Silver expected the attack as he stepped to the side, grabbing the length of the chain as the razored edge flew past him. Using his arm on cooling down from channeling the energy, he wrapped the chain around it and pulled. The resulting force reeled in the kunai and chain's owner towards the supposed target. As the Hunter was pulled in, the Stormcaller released the chain around his arm. He caught Excalibur by the neck and slammed him to the ground, an angry flurry of punches striking Excalibur's face.
But Silver knew better than to just kill the Gunslinger here and now. He seized his thrown punches and picked the unconscious Excaliber up by his cloak's clasps. "I don't know who the Hell you are, but I can guarantee that you'll be eliminated from this match." His hand reached for the helmet of the assassin, ready to unveil who he is.
The Hunter immediately awoke from being knocked out, throwing a left hook at the Warlock. His enemy was sent flying back as he got back up to his feet, arm twitching as if it was ready to punch people all the way to hell. As Silver was soaring back towards the stage, Excaliber ran up the pillar where Raze-Lighter was impaled. Once he got to the top he firmly planted his feet on the pillar and the ledge, yanking it out in one go.
Rolling on the stage on impact, Silver still found the strength to fight as he slowly got up. The burning pain washed over him being launched here from the middle of the room. A glimpse of silver caught the corner of his eye. He found out that the one thing he long to obtain to survive this fight was within his grasp. Hand rushing towards the handle, he grabbed it, now rearmed with Bolt-Caster. Again, he wrenched the handle on the sword, hoping the energy blade tech still worked on this one. The tech barely ignited, but it still worked.
"Still alive, I see," taunted the Hunter, standing from the ledge of the pillar with Raze-Lighter resting on his shoulder. "Must be all that determination to stay alive."
"Tough guy, huh?" Silver answered, propping his sword on his shoulder as he faced away from the Gunslinger in black. "Well…" He quickly drew out his Jabberhäkke and fired a volley of bullets.
Excaliber leapt off the pillar he stood from, the high caliber rounds missing and destroying the pillar instead. He brought his blade downward, perfectly in sync that he'll land a hit. It wasn't the case as his opponent deflected the attack with his own weapons. While it didn't fully block it, the barrels of the sidearm were cut clean from the rest of the weapon rendering it useless.
Tossing his destroyed custom sidearm to the side, the Warlock kept his hands on his sword. Both of them were parrying the other's moves in an endless loop trying to injure the other and maybe even end this fight. A fight that seemed to last forever.
He's wounded, he has to be. But I'll admit, he has a lot of endurance for a Hunter…
Were it not for him thinking a lot, he would've dodged a kick to the abdomen, which sent him back-first on the ground. He was also disarmed of his sword once he hit the ground, to which they were out of his reach. A surge of pain coursed through his body, preventing him from moving temporarily.
The sound of Excalibur's sword charging and activated a setting reached his ears and he redirected his attention. Excalibur stood before him, foot on an arm and Raze-Lighter in his possession, Solar-charged blade mere inches from his throat. The heat of the Solar energy burned at Silver's throat as he was defenseless against the Hunter. His training for this Crucible match, all of it from the matches he actually participated in, was useless against this apparent seasoned swordfighter.
"What are you doing?" questioned the Exo bitterly, glaring daggers at the Gunslinger. "Go on! Eliminate me!"
Excalibur's hand started to quiver shifted from trembling in doubt to keeping his grip, sure of what he will do. Even the searing heat from Raze-Lighter started to falter in its flame. Reluctant, he raised the replica Raze-Lighter and felt the blade's flames close to his helmet.
After pondering for what seemed to be forever, the Gunslinger made his choice.
…Forgive me, buddy.
And after having a moment of silence to regret this, he brought his sword down on his opponent.
"Silver-79 has been eliminated by Combatant 30. Fireteam Nero Bianco has been eliminated from the Battle Royale. Now, only the main teams of Valhalla, Sparta and the Dark Knights remain." Shaxx announced through the comms channel, eliminating the rest of the Freelancers and Nero Bianco from the roster.
Excalibur dropped his sword after the Exo disappeared into the drop ship to join with the others eliminated, staring at his sword-wielding hand and flexing it. What have I done? I didn't have to do it, but whose idea was it to eliminate him and Rez? Me. But I must press on. He closed his hand into a fist, forcing a Solar flare to ignite from within his fist. Besides, the bigger prey needs to bleed so that his rivals ─the ones that he's been picking on since the secret was revealed─can finish him off. Besides…
He looked towards one of the holes left in the building that directly pointed towards the sky and the faint outline of the moon in its wake. A breeze picked up in the ruins, rejuvenating yet filled with woes for the Hunter. A hand reached for the grip of the holstered Last Word and wrapped itself around the grip before he whipped it out and aimed at nothing like a western showdown.
…It'll be high noon soon.
A/N: Y'know, I actually planned this to be a tiny bit longer than I planned by adding an extra scene but I decided 'dude, it's like 2:15 in the morning, you need your sleep, and settle with finding the time to add the scene here or in another chapter'. So yeah. I'll find the time to add the extra and for now, just enjoy this rather 'curling-up-into-a-ball' worthy of a chapter (in terms of maybe going a little overboard with the violence and themes).
Prophet: Seriously?
Me: *sniffing* Prophet, you smell that?
Prophet: I can't smell anything, remember?
Me: I smell some form of history between Excalibur and Silver, as well as another person with a grudge against Adam the Taurus.
Prophet: Seriously? You just compared Adam to a bull?
Me: RWBY reference. That and his behavior is highly reminiscent to anyone born with the astral sign of Taurus.
Prophet: Based on what you've read about Adam in Dragons' Destiny. Assumptions right there.
Me: I'll try to ask The Crimson Commando─oh wait. It's confirmed. Ha!
Prophet: I'm just gonna stop here on our 'argument'. If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to rest mode. *leaves*
Zach (Guest, II-VII): Glad you cleared that up with you and your brother and love the chapter! I know it may deviate from the Destiny universe and into Warframe territory from time to time but I actually like these two games and wanted to blend in elements from both games to see what concoction I've made (lame chemistry joke here somewhere along the borderlines of 'concoction'…)!
The Crimson Commando (II-VII): Yes, we did get some backstory on the kazoku indeed but also of how the generation of Dark Knights Lightning and the other Dark Knights may have lived their lives. Oh trust me, it doesn't have to be one secret weapon Excalibur has up his sleeve. *imitates Richtofen* It could be two! Or three! *end of imitation* And yes, maybe the Tenno are making a comeback, but who knows for now? Could be from either the half Tenno half Dark Knight heritage both Spectre and Lightning share or the mysterious Heir…
As always, I'll see you Guardians around! Stay safe out there!
