*Eligible candidates for Ghost choosing stand on a platform, T is among them. Several Ghosts that have returned to the Last City fly through the candidates, scanning them*
C1: *standing off to side of platform leaning against a pillar in the shade, watching as a black Ghost approaches T*
(G): *scans T idly, passes, then perks up and spins back of shell in happiness and flies back to T, who looks dejected* Finally! *(G) has a female voice and a sun-star shaped core light* I found my Guardian!
T: W-what?*head snaps up and looks to C1, who nods* HELL YEAH! *fist pumps*
A(G): *From C1's shoulder* LANGUAGE!
One and a half hours ago
Cain was utterly, completely, undeniably drunk off his ass. This was evident by the fact that he was actually singing karaoke.
Badly.
"SHE'S MY CHERRRY PI-" This was the only time certain patrons of Moxxi's bar were relieved to hear explosions is when they silenced Cain and the sloshed Vault Hunters.
Until they heard the screams. So did Cain.
Then, he moved.
Cain arrived outside in an instant and looked around. He didn't see the town of Sanctuary in his inebriated state.
He saw a broken Wall.
A final City burning beneath a dead god.
Screaming citizens.
Dead citizens.
And a sea of chaos.
The leather of gloves scrunched as fists clenched in rage.
Cain ripped a knife from its holster on his waist and charged it with Arc. He whipped through the air with a flick of the wrist.
It buried itself in the helmet of a cloaked Vandal of the Fall-Cain's vision flickered briefly to show his target painted yellow rather than the blueish steel color of the Fallen then returned to seeing the City engulfed in battle and chaos.
The vandal's head snapped back, the knife cleanly buried between the eyes. As it fell, electricity erupted from the knife hilt and arced to several nearby Fallen. It disintegrated their nerves from the intensity and the results showed the scorch marks on the flesh that peeked out from the yellow-Cain gripped his head in pain as it throbbed. He hit his palm against the side of his temple and his mind calmed.
He reached for the Eyasluna on his hip but thought against it.
A gun in the hands of a unsound mind was more dangerous than a sound mind wielding it.
He ran at the first dead Fallen formed two knives of Solar Light and strongly flicked them out to the sides as he cartwheeled into a Captain's head as the knife was freed from the Vandal through his grabbing as the attack landed. Two Dregs found their ether supply cut off as knives were buried in their throats.
The Captain ate dirt as his face was knocked to the ground from the axe kick of Cain. The force broke its neck, leaving it bent at a ninety-degree angle. Cain fended off two attacks from more Fallen Dregs as blades crashed onto his manacles.
He turned, right as a rocket crashed into his face and detonated, obscuring the area in smoke.
All combat ceased in that instant.
"Cain!" Gaige's terrified scream shattered the silence.
Maya sucked in a short breath and began to fight back against the Hyperion group who had just called for reinforcements.
Axton growled and slurred a curse as he began to fire.
Zer0 simply blinked from existence.
Krieg was being...Krieg. Meaning he threw buzz axes and caused as much mayhem as possible.
Salvador broke a bottle and shanked a soldier in the side with a savage war cry. The fact it was a Crimson Raider is not important.
He was trying dammit.
A dark, deep chuckle emanated from the smoke. Then began the death song of the troopers.
C is for Cinders
Thats what I'll burn you to
The baritone of the melody sent chills up the spines of the yellow armored troopers. One lobbed a grenade into the smoke. It exploded after appearing back in the troopers pocket in a shimmer of blue light. Body parts flew everywhere.
In a fiery flash, a flaming chain whipped out and drug a screaming trooper inside the smoke. The screams cut off shortly after.
A is for Arc
That's flowin' through you~
The smoke began to slowly dissipate as a shape was made visible.
I is for Infinite
The power of my Void
A roar of a revving engine sounded out through the town.
N is for no restraint
Which I get in trouble for
The singing continued as Cain's unblemished form was made visible. And. He. Looked... strangely happy.
1 is for the number
Because that is what I am
But allow me to say so you can un-der-stannnndd...
He blurred as the engine on his vehicle revved again and shot off out of the smoke, trails clinging to his form. It was a chopper hovercraft hybrid with a sharp, pointed tip like a hornet's stinger. It had stereotypical motorcycle handlebars, and four large pipes acting as propulsion.
A burning chain lashed again from his wrist and bound around a poor trooper's leg and drug them along as the tip of the chopper crashed into the chest cavity of another and speared it.
My name is Cain
Hunter of the Tower
He braked and whipped the sparrow to the right, launching the dragging trooper into his brethren. The trooper promptly began to glow with Solar Light and exploded, sending a jelly-like flame on every single body near.
But not one of you unlucky bastards stand a chance against my oh so sexy powers
Cain pulled Eyasluna from it's holster as he drifted in his sparrow and fired the entirety of the ammunition in it. Troopers fell to the ground, head's bleeding and eyes unseeing.
I came to Pandora, lost and in a crash
I'm gonna fuck you all so hard you get the Pan-dor-an rash~
Cain leapt from his sparrow after sheathing his hand cannon on a special-made holster on the side of the vehicle. In air he crossed his arms and let his Light flow forth. Knives of orange fire appeared in his hands. He whipped his arms forward and bodies dropped, burning away to nothing.
So run back home to Jack, with a message to bring
Tell him if he wants me to step into my ring
The most haunting thing, one trooper thought, was the fact he never once stopped singing as the troops were undeniably slaughtered.
I'm not stopping till his body's cold on the floor
Against me you won't win...this...war
Cain walked over to one of the few remaining bodies, grabbed a radio and held it up to Alastor. "What're they talking about?" Cain irritatedly stated. That Eridruic Bliss...it made him relive the battle of Six Fronts. It made his mind unsound and he didn't like it. Upon his death from the rocket his mind was cleared of the alcohol.
Death made him cranky.
Cut a guy some slack.
"They called reinforcements. Two minutes out." His partner brought him from his thoughts. "A small army it seems."
"Alright. Al?" Cain called as he swung a leg over his Hornet and revved the engine with a twist of a handle. "Playlist 5. Start from the top." He set off as Alastor became transmatted into the saddlebags and synched with the speakers.
A guitar began to rapidly play as his music began and his sparrow roared towards the Hyperion Horde.
A chill went up the spines of the soldiers and civilians alike as the Nighthawk rode off.
The Hyperion troopers moved forward as one, several hundred yards from Sanctuary as it's gate opened and one pissed off blur shot out like a bullet.
Cain arrived in seconds. The only warning the Hyperion troops got was the roar of an engine as Cain flew over a hill and was upon them. His eyes roved over their forms. He scoffed and stood crouched on his seat. "Really? THAT's your invisibility? Let me show you how it's done!" With that he leapt from his position with a flip and blinked out of existence. Alastor took control of the Hornet's system and drove it to cover as the music grew louder.
O Party, Party Party
Cain reappeared in the behind the furthest back row of the small army. A hand clenched around the handle of a small tanto-esque Void blade, the Exo grabbed the furthest back trooper. He shoved the blade into the throat from the back, blood spraying forth onto the trooper's comrades. His hands shot to his throat out of reflex.
I wanna have a party
You better have a party
There was a choked gasp as the man struggled to breathe through the blood and hole in his esophagus while Cain blinked back out of existence, his appearance that of a bone white mask and abyssal black armor visible for a split second.
A scream rent the air asunder that was cut short a second later. The troops looked to the source only to see a head fall off in a x-shaped cut, pieces of the neck falling to the ground in a wet squelch.
Come on Party, Party, Party
Ya gotta partyhardy
"Back to back! All angles covered!" Called the one clearly in charge. The troops obeyed and circled up, leaving no space outside their circle. In the center however, was another matter.
Cain allowed his invisibility to drop. His Spectral Blades glowed in a bloodthirsty violet light.
I'm gonna have a party
A tap on the shoulder of a trooper startled him as he whipped around and brought his rifle to firing position.
"Boo." The Hunter stated.
Their screams were music to his ears as his knives sang their bloody song.
From one to another he danced, scoring a kill shot on each slice. He was fast. He seemed to blur from one trooper to the next. He popped in and out of invisibility and sowed chaos as the merciless slaughter continued.
Or else you will be sorry
Alastor hovered nervously behind his cover. Cain...was using his Void. The fact he was even using it showed how angry he was. Cain hated using his Void. It was more powerful than his other aspects of Light and closest to the Dark.
The last scream faded as the troopers were no more.
"Alastor." The deep, seductive and blood-drunk growl of Cain's voice pierced the silence. Cain held up a helmet. He was soaked in blood, still having one blade present, it flickered with shimmering shards that was there one moment and gone the next. "This has a camera. Think you could force open a channel on Hyperion in Jack's office from here?" His Guardian asked.
Alastor shook off his worry and nodded. "I can do that." A blue beam spilled out as the small Light accessed the signal and forced open a connection.
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
On Hyperion, Jack's monitors lit up, garnering the attention of the Head of Hyperion. "What the hell?"
"Testing, testing, one, two, three," came a deep voice as the video feed activated. A hooded, pale, bloodstained helmet with a beak came into view. He recognized it.
The Nighthawk.
A fist met Jack's desk. "How the hell did you get access to this feed?"
The Nighthawk chuckled. "That's my business Fugly." He growled lowly. "You didn't seem to learn the lesson with Wilhelm. Time for Remedial Lessons with The Nighthawk. Lesson 1: Attacking Me and Why its a Bad Idea: With Examples!" He lectured. The Nighthawk chuckled and turned the camera around. The massacred, dismembered bodies of his troops, with organs visible in some cases, filled the screen.
Jack's mind was racing in panic. He had sent 200 men as back up for the 100 initially sent to level Sanctuary. The reinforcements were all accounted for in this macabre class. He assumed the situation was the same in Sanctuary. "This will happen every time, allow me to repeat, every time you send your boys after me and mine. One lesson down Jack. Let's see if it sticks or if we move to Lesson Two," a dark chuckle escaped the unblinking visage, "which you will NOT like. Can't wait to see you Jack. It'll be a day to remember. Take care." The Nighthawk waved a gloved hand and the video cut out.
Jack's angered shout echoed through Hyperion's hall.
Then...the God of Pandora realized something as a light on his monitor blinked steadily. It began as a dark chuckle, then grew to a cackling howl. Jack slammed his index finger on the call button.
"Send in the Loaders."
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
Back on Pandora, Cain ripped out the camera being mindful to keep it in working order. Dropping it, he walked to the bodies and began to gather weapons. Once they were in a pile he called over his Ghost. "Alastor."
"Ye-yes?" Came the reply.
Cain tilted his head. "Why are you scared partner?" He intoned flatly.
"I'm...I'm not scared. I just don't know who I'm talking to right now. The Nighthawk? Or the Raven?"
Cain gasped as his eyes brightened in surprise and suddenly straightened up. He looked to the Void blade in his hand, seeing the shimmers of crystalization along its edge that flickered in and out of existence. Growling in disgust he threw it away from him and backed up, breathing heavily. "Fuck...I'm sorry Al. I lost control there again didn't I?"
His Ghost flew over and looked in front of Cain, peering down at his Manacles. The seals glowed a deep red and one on each had burned off. "The seals aren't holding it back anymore...we need to find your Master to figure this out." Cain nodded in agreement.
He sighed. "Transmat the weapons and ammunition back to the house. We will get to dealing with it tomorrow. For now lets just get back."
Alastor did as ordered but perked up after he finished minutes later. "Cain...we got incomminggggg!" He yelled. His Guardian looked up at incoming moonshot and cursed.
"Alastor! Hornet!" He called as he leapt into the air. The Exo landed on the soft leather he had come to love as he revved the engine and sped off. Alastor hovered on his shoulder and stared at the sky.
Cain weaved between moonshots as they each landed in a fiery explosion. On the horizon he saw Sanctuary.
The shielding was gone.
Cain swore and pushed his Hornet to even new heights using a special mod he had made with Holliday that increased the speed at the utterance of a phrase that unlocked the controls for it.
"Go-Go Gadget Hornet Boost."
His Hornet's engine screamed as its speed doubled and he was sent flying towards the town.
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
In orbit planets away, a few minutes ago while Cain fought the Hyperion Infiltrators a sensor beneath a stuffed seal went off. Ocean eyes looked at it and grinned. They pressed the communications button and sent out the word.
The ship turned around as they made way for Pandora.
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
Cain rushed through the gates of Sanctuary and saw Roland. Jumping off his Hornet as it passed he hurried to his friend. "What's the situation?"
Roland kicked a dead trooper. "Their goal wasn't to destroy the town like we thought. They were here for the shields. To take them down and make us vulnerable."
"Dammit! Is there anything we can do?"
"Remember that contingency plan we have? We need your help activating the- FUCK! TAKE COVER!" Roland tackled Cain to the side.
Cain saw the approaching overwhelming salvo of destruction from Hyperion in slow motion.
The sky was filled with innumerable moonshots.
It was absolute.
It would kill them all.
Even Cain.
Even Alastor.
His friends.
All would die. If that was not enough. The ground began to shake.
"WE GOT LOADERS! NORTHWEST!" Called a soldier over Roland's radio.
The moonshots were seconds away. Cain looked to his Ghost. "Alastor. I need you to fly as far as you can, as fast as you can, get awa-" Right before the moonshots impacted a blur shot from the sky and white, blinding light that threw him far was all he knew before darkness took him. Cain grabbed Alastor as he flew and clutched him close to his chest without thinking, trying to shield his partner from what was to come.
This...wasn't death was it. Cain still felt everything. He 'opened' his eyes to the skies and saw something that surprised him. His female companions had seemed to have gotten thrown as well and, he felt this was the machination of the universe hating him, ended up in various states of dress.
Cain handed back the small monitor to Salvador. "Sooo...one question, why aren't we a crater?"
Salvador gave a small smile. "Your friends...they came."
"Friends?"
Salvador nodded. "The large one in armor protected us with something like Sanctuary's shield but, it was purple and larger," he pointed at the Crimson Raider's HQ. "They're in there. They called themselves War Hound."