Chapter 19 – Dust and Stone

September 1, 2502, 15:00

Vec

Pharos System

The Hyperion's dropship touched down upon the dusty, barren rock, its landing thrusters kicking up a chalky cloud. Once the boarding ramp finished extending, the wraith and the seemingly ageless Protoss emerged.

"We're probably gonna be out of range for a couple of days." Raynor's voice said through their communication link. "Tosh is hiding in a place that messes with comms and sensors. If shit hits the fan, take the dropship and we'll catch up as soon as we can."

"Noted." Patmos answered. "Thank you for the assistance."

Once the two were on solid ground, the dropship's onboard computer closed the access hatch and switched the systems to standby mode. Finally alone, they surveyed their surroundings.

"So what is so special about this archive that you would deign to bring me here?" Raziel asked.

"It is an ancient, secluded site, where you can push beyond your limits without distractions." Patmos said. "Though since we are here, we may well attempt to retrieve some of its contents. I have the feeling that we will need them in the days to come."

"For the offensive on Char… or something else?"

"Yes."

"I did not take you for a jester." Raziel scoffed.

Though the Protoss had no mouths, Raziel could almost see an amused smirk on his face.

"Do not let the burdens of destiny or the march of eternity rob you of your wit. Forever is a long time, especially for the humorless."

That gave the wraith pause. Despite his indignant protestations and righteous indignation, there was one question lingering in the back of his mind for which he had no answer – what would he do once he had succeeded in his quest? Painfully aware that the dissolution of the flesh was not an ending and doubtful that there was anything he could do to regain a semblance of living or attain the repose of a final death, he knew not what had remained beyond his vengeance.

For a drawn out moment, he stayed in place, once again grappling with this question, motionless as a statue, until Patmos waved a bony hand in front of his face.

"I applaud your enthusiasm, but the time for meditation is yet to come."

Raziel rolled his eyes, though this was not readily apparent since they were completely white, and then harrumphed and followed his guide.

A few hours later, the two reached the first sign of civilization ever having existed on the planet – an ancient, worn cobblestone road, covered in a thick layer of dust. It was clear that no living soul had visited such a place in a very long time.

Patmos stopped in his tracks for a moment, taking in the view. While the Protoss had very little in the way of facial expressions, Raziel had become somewhat adept at reading their moods, and to him, his guide seemed wistful, much like an old man visiting his childhood stomping grounds.

"In ages past, there was a settlement here that was used as a staging ground for our expeditions." Patmos reminisced. "Due to the aggressive wildlife and the storms that battered this region, most of the structures were carved out of the rock in the cliffs ahead or underground, but the road was still a necessity when moving supplies by land."

"I do not see any storms." the wraith pointed out. "Or wildlife of any kind."

"Much has changed." Patmos said with a nod. "I suspect there was some sort of climate alteration during my people's absence. This world could be chilly at times, but it was still quite alive."

Patmos continued to lead the way until they reached a cliff face. The road continued on through a small gap and on the other side Raziel saw a rocky valley, absolutely silent.

"I have beheld my fair share of forlorn and depressing sights, but this place could rival some of Nosgoth's desolate vistas." Raziel remarked.

"Something is not right." Patmos answered, glancing around. "It is not simply the environment that has changed. The whole… energy of this place feels off."

"I will have to take your word for it. So what now?"

Patmos hurried along, running his hand along the cliff face to his right and following it further to the right until he reached a section of it with a series of fist-sized outcroppings. Once they came into view, Raziel leered at them.

"I have been through enough dungeons devised by madmen and degenerates to know a concealed passage when I see it." he remarked.

As he stepped closer to the cliff face, he inspected the outcroppings. Sure enough, he found small symbols engraved on each of them.

"I recognize some of these." Raziel remarked, searching his memory. "Ah yes… The tribes."

Amused, Patmos said nothing and instead let Raziel pace about, tracing one of his claws through the air as he tried to discern the pattern to what he deduced to be a concealed mechanism. After a few pensive moments, the wraith turned to his guide.

"Knowing your people, a mistake would likely have some unpleasant consequence or another, correct?"

Patmos chuckled.

"You have been consuming far too much cheap Terran entertainment. Do bear in mind that this was meant for daily use by the local inhabitants. It would not do to have one of our people suffer bodily harm simply because they fumbled the combination."

Raziel shrugged.

"Either way, I would still rather deal with this than dragging and upturning oversized blocks until they fit somewhere."

He paused for another moment and then a thought occurred to him.

"These structures were erected after the establishment of the Khala, but prior to the Kalathi Intercession, correct?"

Patmos nodded.

"Knowing that the Conclave held itself above the other tribes…" Raziel reasoned. "And they were spawned by the Ara Tribe…"

With that, he pushed the corresponding tribe insignia. With an audible click, a hidden switch was triggered.

"And the Shelak Tribe." he added, before placing his hand upon the corresponding insignia.

He paused again, trying to recall the rest of the material he had perused during his time in Shakuras.

"I see your memory is sharp." Patmos remarked.

"Debatable, considering that I forgot my previous life." the wraith dismissively retorted.

After a few more moments in silence, Raziel knew how to proceed.

"The Sargas Tribe were their enforcers. Servants by any other name, but still kept close at hand."

He proceeded to activate the corresponding switch.

"Then came the Auriga, enforcing the Conclave's will through their fleets."

Patmos nodded as another switch clicked.

"Akilae, another arm of the Templar Caste."

Another click.

"The Furinax, artificers of the Khalai and builders of weapons."

Another click.

Raziel turned his attention to another insignia, but as his hand hovered over it, he reconsidered.

"But the Venatir attempted to free themselves from the Khala, so they would not be counted. The Shelak were but only due to the fact that many still remained loyal and obedient."

"And then the Velari. Once unknown, then the Grand Preservers of ancestral memories. Dwindling over the ages… and nearly extinct."

As the last of the switches clicked, Raziel heard a muffled rumbling and the rock wall in front of him parted, revealing a cavernous entryway.

"Clever, but not very practical." he remarked.

"A recurring design trait amongst the Protoss." Patmos said with a nod. "I am certain that you have seen our carrier designs."

"Indeed, and they are rather baffling. What exactly would your people do about such glaring vulnerabilities once their shields were depleted?"

"Become one with the Khala in glory, as the Conclave would have said?" Patmos retorted with a faint hint of sarcasm. "Thankfully the current generation of leaders understand that we need warriors, not martyrs."

The two proceeded into the new entryway, which clearly had not seen living beings in a very long time. Once they had crossed the threshold, the passage sealed itself again behind them.

"No reason for concern." Patmos said. "Thankfully this can be reopened from the inside in a far more more straightforward manner.."

As they walked on, their feet disrupted the layer of dust that coated the rocky floor, marking their every footstep. Crystalline light fixtures came to life along the way, bathing the chamber in a pale bluish light. Despite being dug into the rock formation, the chamber had still been shaped into a familiar form and Raziel spotted some subtle differences between the architecture on display there and what he had seen on Shakuras.

Patmos proceeded at a slow, ponderous pace, old memories flickering through his mind as he surveyed his surroundings.

"This place is suitably secluded for the next stage of your training. The materials here are ancient but-"

He abruptly stopped, sensing something. Raziel quickly noticed the change in his stance and glanced in his direction.

"We are not alone." Patmos said, looking over his shoulder.

"I do not sense anything." Raziel said. "Zerg?"

Patmos shook his head.

"No… But I have sensed this sort of presence before. Warped. Tainted."

Patmos tried to turn around, but the hidden doorway was abruptly shattered by an explosion, which sent chunks of rock and metal flying and kicked a cloud of old dust into the air, the shockwave knocking both of them off their feet and sending Patmos' staff clattering onto the floor.

As Raziel scrambled back up, an acrid green mist briefly wafted across the chamber. Momentarily blinded by the dust, the wraith quickly tried to search for his companion. Already having dealt with his fair share of ambushes, he was quick to regain his composure, but the dust was proving quite a nuisance. He tried to clear his mind and put his recently learned psionic abilities to use instead of his eyes, but the clattering of metal boots across the stone chamber soon interrupted him.

"And what do we have here?" a harsh male voice remarked, dripping with contempt.

Through the cloud of dust, Raziel saw a pair of eyes, glowing with a menacing crimson light. As the dust finally settled, he found himself face to face with what appeared to be a Protoss, though with a distinctively different appearance and choice of garb.

His skin bore an unhealthy looking white pallor, though most of the body was covered in thick black metal plating with large pauldrons and jagged edges. His oversized gauntlets, sending in claws, were each ornamented with a large crimson gem, glowing with the same light as the eyes. Around the waist, wide metal plates, each bearing a similar gem, shielded his armored legs. He stared at Raziel from behind a mask of the same material, which wrapped around the back of his head and covered everything below the eyes.

"A puppet of the Khala and one of Zeratul's hounds? Unfortunate of you to get in my way."

Raziel slipped into his usual fighting stance, lowering his posture and sizing up this new foe.

"Bold words for someone who followed the way we uncovered, like a common thief."

"The bleating of the weak. A warrior takes what he wants. Those who cannot defend their claim are undeserving of it."

A new adversary, oozing with arrogance. While annoyed at the interruption, Raziel couldn't help feeling a certain sense of familiarity.

"Will you say the same…" Raziel hissed. "Once I have torn the putrescent soul from that wretched body?"

While the two continued their verbal sparring, Patmos straightened himself, located his staff and quietly edged towards the back of the chamber.

"This will not end well… But what are the Tal'darim doing here?"

The strange Protoss let out a cruel laugh.

"At least you have some spine… unlike the fools who usually wander into our grasp."

"Oh, I am certain that you would scare small children with such bravado." Raziel retorted, dripping with sarcasm. "But I remain unimpressed."

The strange Protoss activated something in his gauntlets and a pair of crimson energy blades burst forth from them.

"Then allow me to properly educate you."

It was Raziel's turn to laugh. Kain's cryptic antics continued to infuriate him and an unexpected opportunity to release some tension was exactly what he needed.

"You are welcome to try." he retorted, igniting the Reaver.

Apparently, this intruder was not alone, as more Protoss clad in similar albeit less elaborate attire marched in his wake.

"You lot stay out of this!" he barked before turning the entirety of his attention back to the wraith.

"It would be ill advised to conduct such a thing here." Patmos intervened, perfectly calm and composed.

"The opinion of weaklings is irrelevant." the intruder retorted. "If this dusty reliquary does not hold, then I will simply pry any spoils from the rubble."

"Assuming you survive…" Raziel hissed, before abruptly charging forward. "You self-important carrion eater!"

The strange Protoss raised his right gauntlet and the energy coursing through it burst forth in the form of ruby lightning, catching Raziel by surprise. In theory, his transient form should be immune to physical pain, but much to his surprise he found himself halted mid stride, sizzling and assaulted by a sharp stinging in his very mind.

"No… The Reaver…"

Raziel knew that the Reaver would only manifest if his energy reserves were full. Without another weapon at hand and faced with an adversary that actually had the means to harm him, his mind reeled. He had no intention of finding out whether the conduits provided by his erstwhile benefactor also existed in this new sea of stars and therefore could not allow himself to be disarmed. Focusing his will on the Reaver, he tried to maintain its presence. At first it flickered and sputtered, but then, to his surprise and relief, it held firm. He did not have time to ponder this, however, as another burst of lightning was soon headed his way.

Grunting in annoyance, Raziel rolled out of the way, then quickly gathered telekinetic energy and hurled it at the intruder, only for him to somehow parry the blast with his left blade.

"Pathetic." the Protoss taunted. "I thought the Nerazim were warriors. That they struck terror into Khas' sheep."

Raziel did not dignify that with an answer, instead calling upon the power of the Flame Glyph. A burst of fire swept through the chamber and two of the intruder's cohorts burst into flames. The others simply watched with indifference as the two contorted in agony and tumbled onto the floor.

As for the intruder himself, he was barely able to raise a psionic energy barrier, surprised by the unexpected attack. Raziel seized the momentum and thrust the Reaver at his exposed face, forcing him to roll out of the way before retaliating with both blades.

There was no more posturing, no more trading of barbs. Raziel avoided the blades, spinning around his adversary, but before be could assault the intruder's exposed flank he was forced to duck beneath another burst of lightning.

In the heat of battle, Raziel momentarily forgot about Kain, Nosgoth, the Pillars and his vendetta. Despite being no closer to discerning the identity of his mysterious assailants or finding his nemesis or identifying a way back to his point of origin, he found himself relishing the opportunity to cross blades with an opponent of seemingly equivalent strength. Already his mind was racing, dissecting his opponent's patterns and abilities, looking for an opening that would allow him to seize victory.

The strange Protoss raised his left hand and chunks of rock started levitating from the floor and flying in Raziel's direction. The wraith, mustering just enough of his newfound skill to sense the direction they were coming from, conjured five illusionary duplicates of himself as a distraction and charged forward, each of them following him and striking from a different direction.

Somehow, Raziel was able to avoid the twin blades and another burst of lightning and get close enough to swipe at his adversary's midsection. A plasma shield flickered, taking the brunt of the impact, but he was undeterred, taking another swing before being forced back by a telekinetic burst.

"That blasted shield… I must deplete it before anything else."

Raziel charged again and took another swing, which his adversary parried using both blades. Even as he broke the struggle with a swift kick, he continued to ponder his options. In a contest of raw psionic power, he knew he would be at a disadvantage due to his inexperience and the limited amount of energy he was still able to channel. Unwilling to waste his remaining glyph charges, he reasoned that the best course of action would be to strike as swiftly and viciously as possible, overwhelming his opponent's shields before moving in for the kill. However, before he could put this into practice, his opponent catapulted himself forward with a burst of telekinetic energy, slamming into the wraith and knocking him across the corridor.

This time, Raziel's focus wavered and the Reaver's presence withdrew. He scrambled to his feet, claws raised, but just as he prepared to counterattack his senses were overwhelmed, much like when he had consumed the Cerebrate's soul.

In his mind he sensed a horde of presences, like a tide of shadow, drawing closer at a startling pace. He instinctively recognized them as Zerg and while he would normally not pay them much heed, amidst those lesser presences he sensed a much more imposing one, obscenely powerful and stained with corruption far beyond that of the minions. Not only that, but he soon realized that just as he was aware of this presence, so too it was somehow aware of him.

Another of the strange Protoss burst into the chamber, interrupting the battle.

"Ascendant!" he called out. "The Swarm is upon us!"

The intruder grumbled and turned his attention to the newcomer, turning his back on Raziel.

"A pity." he remarked in an infuriatingly dismissive tone. "We will have to continue this another time."

"What makes you think you can simply turn around and walk away?" Raziel hissed.

"What makes you think you can stop me?"

From across the sector, Kain furrowed his brow. The spell was holding, allowing him to track the location of his former lieutenant and providing some limited awareness of his condition.

"A new piece has entered the board…" he muttered to himself.