Shepard stood facing a shirtless Tri while he spoke with her. Why? Well, after about ten minutes of watching Liara talk with Ikora, she was officially bored out of her mind. Luckily, Tri had approached her and asked if she wanted to spar with him in order to learn her skills. She agreed. So, her she was, facing off against a war robot in preparation of fighting him.
She was barefoot, wearing a black tank top and sparring pants, padded for protection yet form fitting for agility. Tri likewise wore sparring pants, but went without the shirt, his hands behind his back, allowing Shepard to get a clear look at his chest. Large armored plates covered his body, creating a shape similar to a human's body. His joints however, were uncovered, instead consisting of a material resembling synthetic muscles. His feet, which were also uncovered, had the look of an armored foot. However, instead of having five toes, he had one large movable plate in place of his four toes, leaving his large toe separate. Color wise, he was mostly green, with orange strips running down his chest and arms. Shepard found it odd that despite his colors being orange and green, his armor was blue and gold. She'd have to ask him about that later.
"All guardians are weapons, chosen by the light to defend what is left of us. However, we, the Titans, are the Knights of the Light. Unbreakable shields and swords that shatter our foes with unstoppable strength, a skill that the other guardians lack. Titans can make use of the most powerful weapon of all. Ourselves. To be a titan means that everything about us is a weapon. Our fists, our feet, and our head, all weapons to be wielded against the darkness. Are you strong enough to become a weapon yourself?"
Shepard nodded, earning a smirk from Tri.
"Then attack me. Put me on the ground."
Shepard took a step back, raising her fists in front of her into a fighting stance. Tri kept his hands behind his back, unmoving. He then tilted his head to the side slowly, causing the material under his neck plates to grind together before popping loudly. A taunt. With a roar, Shepard charged him.
Shepard swung her fist, aiming to punch him in the side, but Tri shifted, blocking the blow with his hand. Shepard responded with a second swing at his head, forcing Tri to step back to avoid the blow. She kept swinging, pushing him back with her blows, forcing him to block on the move. Finally, Tri took a swing of his own, an upwards strike at Shepard's ribs. She blocked it, grunting from the impact of his metal fist. She could tell he was holding back, and a good thing too, he could kill her with a single blow if he wanted to. However, she was also holding back. She had yet to show off her biotic power to anyone, and she planned to keep it that way, for a while.
They continued exchanging blows, moving across the floor in a deadly dance of strikes and strides. Neither one gaining the advantage, but both not giving up. The movement stopped when Tri swung his arm downwards and Shepard blocking it with crossed arms, stopping his arm in its tracks. Acting fast, Shepard dropped to her knees, rolled to the side, then kicked upwards into Tri's chest. A dull pain shot up her foot, but she ignored it, instead feeling pleased that a strike had connected. Tri stumbled backwards but remained standing, smirking at her as he raised his hands to issue a pause in the fight.
"Good. Very good. Quick thinking and precise attacks. However, you are predicable. You are not as strong as I am, and you will find many foes that are also stronger then you. You must find a way around this. Unorthodox attacks. This is where a Guardians Light becomes effective. Unfortunately, I don't believe you have the power to wield light, so until then, you will have to try something else." He stood for a moment, allowing Shepard to stand back up before he charged her, raising a crackling blue fist.
Shepard leapt backwards, avoiding the blow as it slammed into the ground, a small eruption of Arc energy sparking from the impact point. She knew he was not planning to hit her, but it still caught her off guard. She began circling him, glaring into his eyes. He stared back. Two sets of green eyes glaring, unblinking. Then, Shepard moved. Her biotics flared, her arms glowing blue as she used them to sprint forward at an incredible speed. She then slammed her fist into Tri's chest, releasing a biotic blast, strong enough to knock him back, but not to do major damage.
The force of the blast threw Tri backwards, resulting in him skidding across the ground before he stopped himself, and then stood. However, Shepard did not give him time to recover. She charged him again, leaping into the air, her hands lighting up as she prepared a biotic nova. Tri noticed the move, and in shock, mistook it for a Fist of Havoc. His eyes widened, and he quickly dove to the side, barely dodging it. Shepard's hands struck the ground, and her Nova blasted outwards, knocking Tri back onto the ground. He quickly got to his feet and was upon Shepard before she could fully recover. He punched her in the ribs, making sure not to damage her, but the blow would still bruise. Shepard groaned slightly, but quickly retaliated with a swing of her own, her biotics greatly increasing its speed, forcing Tri to exert himself more. They continued exchanging blows, but this time, several connected. Unfortunately, bruises were forming on Shepard, and though her biotics lessened the impact to her hands, they were beginning to ache from punching metal. An unfair fight, definitely, but she was enjoying it so she would not complain.
Shepard kneed Tri in the chest twice, knocking him backwards and earning her some much-needed breathing room. She then leapt into the air, her foot swinging round so that her heel would connect with his head. The move was a typical one, an attack that would put even someone as robust as Tri on the ground if not out of commission. However, she had not counted on Tri's speed. Reacting quickly, he grabbed her foot out of the air and then threw her over his shoulder, slamming her into the ground and knocking the wind out of her. He then stepped forward, placing foot on her gut as he held her down, stretching her leg up. While the move did not break her leg, it did stretch it to the point of pain. Knowing that she had been defeated, she quickly tapped his ankle, yielding. Tri released her leg, dropping down to sit next to her. With her biotics dying down and allowing the pain and exhaustion to return, Shepard remained on the floor, trying to regain her breath.
Tri glanced at her, and began to chuckle. Though he wasn't out of breath, his voice held a slight amount of strain, meaning that perhaps she had done some damage to him.
"I am impressed. Not many non-Exo titans can last that long against an Exo titan. But how? How did you do that?"
She glanced up at him lazily, ignoring the pain spreading from her bruised muscles.
"Do what?"
"That! You seemed to gain power of some kind. It wasn't Light based. Spark's says that your Light level is too weak to wield, yet you still seemed to use energy as a weapon. How?"
Realization spread on Shepard's face, and she laid her head back down, chuckling softly.
"Those were my biotics. Technology from my universe. I apologize for not mentioning them before. Wanted to surprise you once I was able to use them again."
"So that wasn't Light based?'
"No. Biotics are the manipulation of Mass Effect fields. It's not terribly uncommon where I come from. In fact, Liara can even use them, better than I can actually. They give us an edge in combat, or in Liara's case, makes her a force to be reckoned with."
Tri's eyes seemed wide in astonishment as he nodded.
"Fascinating. It like you've discovered an artificial way to wield Light. Truly astounding. If we had that kind of tech, anyone could be a guardian."
"Well it's not purely artificial. There are biological requirements as well, but I won't go into them."
Tri nodded and then rose to his feet, extending a hand towards Shepard. She accepted it, groaning slightly from her sore muscles. Not again. Tri (gently) patted her on the back, leading her to the door.
"I'm impressed Shep. It would seem that I no longer need to worry about your lack of Light effecting your combat ability." His eyes seemed to dim slightly, and his voice took on a more serious tone. "However, it does mean that if you're killed, my ghost won't be able to resurrect you."
"Well, I've fought for many years and I haven't died yet." The comment earned a chuckle from Tri.
"I dig your confidence, but as a guardian, the risk of death is much higher than most soldiers. But, I will have Sparks look into it. Perhaps he can find a solution."
"I guess I'll just try not to die till then." They both laughed at this.
"Come on. Let's get your muscles fixed up. Then we can see if your friend Liara is done with her meeting."
"I want her to be under your supervision at all times. I know this will put a speed bump in your research, but it's only temporary. I trust you will be alright with this."
Crystal nodded, earning a soft smile from Ikora.
"Well. I will leave you then. May the Traveler's Light guide."
She bowed slightly, then exited the room, leaving Crystal alone with an alien in the adjoining room. But it was a friendly alien, from what she could get from Ikora. No doubt that the woman was keeping some secrets about the alien to herself, but Crystal didn't worry about it. She knew that if Ikora thought it was important for her to know, she would have told her. With a sign, she turned and entered the question room. She was greeted with the sight of the alien sitting at the table, a smile on her face. Crystal held in a gasp. She had heard that the alien was attractive, but she wasn't expecting this. She strode over to her, extending a hand.
"My name is Crystal. I'm here to take you to your sleeping quarters."
The alien nodded, taking Crystal's hand as she stood.
"Liara. It's nice to meet you Crystal."
She nodded, then turned, leading Liara out the door then down the hall.
"So, were will I be staying?"
"With me actually. Ikora wants me to keep an eye on you since she trusts me and since I'm a member of Tri's squad, the guardians who brought you in."
"Oh. You're with Tri and Amber? I was unaware that they had more members within their team."
Crystal shrugged.
"Yeah. I apologize for not being there for your rescue. I was busy researching and didn't feel like jumping into a Fallen nest."
Liara chuckled some.
"Yeah. I won't lie. It wasn't pleasant. You wouldn't want to be there."
They walked for a moment in silence before Crystal glanced back at Liara.
"So, you're a doctor?"
"Well, I'm actually an archaeologist. So technically yes, but actually no."
"An archaeologist? Wow. Not many of those left around here."
"Then what is your profession. I'm guessing you're a Guardian, but it seems like there are different types of Guardians."
"You'd be correct. The term Guardian is mostly an umbrella term referring to the different types of warriors of the Light. We guard the light, hence the name guardians."
Crystal stopped outside of her room door, and fished out her key card. With a quick swipe, the door unlocked, and she pushed it open. Hearing a gasp from behind, Crystal glanced back, spotting Liara with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, bringing a smile to Crystal's face.
"Yeah. It's a bit much. I apologize for the mess." Liara walked round the room, admiring the many artifacts, books, and tablets that decorated Crystals living quarters. The only mess was a large stack of books and holo-tablets next to a reading chair. The pile had fallen over, resulting in them all scattering across the floor. Liara approached a tabled covered in old, dust books. She picked one up, gently, running her hand over the leather cover. A faint purple glow emanated from the cover as her hand passed over it, and her fingers tingled as if touched by energy. Liara's eyes widened, and Crystal approached her.
"Careful with that. It's a first edition Void Walkers guide. A rare find these days."
Liara ran her hand over the cover again, enjoying the tingle of power touching her fingers. She then glanced back at Crystal, a question look on her face.
"What's a Void Walker?"
Crystal chuckles slightly before gesturing to herself.
"Well, I am, for starters. Void Walkers are a class of Warlock. We specialize in using Void Light in combat, wielding it how we see fit."
She held up her hand to demonstrate, a small flicker of purple energy forming between them. Liara stared at it in fasciation, transfixed on the small flicker of energy. Crystal twirled it between her fingers a couple of times before she closed her fist, snuffing it out.
"Wow. That's quite incredible. It's almost like your wielding biotics."
Crystal frowned, not understanding what she meant.
"Biotics? What are those?"
"It the manipulation of mass effect fields within our bodies. Several people within my world are capable of using it. In fact, my entire species, the Asari, is able to use it at birth, but it takes training to use it effectively."
Crystal simply stared at her in astonishment. Liara then chuckled softly, and lifted a hand.
"I would demonstrate, but I'm sure that you don't want me breaking anything in here."
Crystal chuckled in response.
"Yeah, that would probably be bad."
The two women shared a small laugh, but it didn't last long before the door suddenly opened with a slight hiss, and in walked Amber. Crystal glanced up at her, a brow raised. What was she doing here? She held in a groan, and tried to be polite.
"Amber. What are you doing here?" Amber frowned, her face showing mock hurt.
"What. It's a crime for a hunter to visit her warlock team member." Crystal groaned internally. She was her to be thorn. No question.
"No, but with you, it's never just a normal visit." She rolled her eyes, and signed, placing a hand on her hip.
"Well, you're actually correct this time. I came by because I wanted to see how Lara here is taking having to live with someone as mind numbing as you." This earned Amber a glare from the warlock and a sigh from the alien.
"No, I find Crystal here to be an incredibly interesting and learned person. Also, my name is Liara, not Lara."
"Eh, potato, patato. Only thing that matters is that you're both nerds." Amber plops herself down on the couch and props her feet up on the table, knocking over a small stack of books in the process. Crystal took a heavy breath through her nostrils, earning her a smirk from Amber at the expense of her frustration.
"You are am insufferable hunter Amber. You know that?"
"Yes, but I'm your insufferable hunter." She smirked wider, and Crystal groaned.
Liara watched, baffled that these two were even teammates, let alone friends. Then again, she had in the past had similar thoughts about Garrus, but those left in time. Perhaps it was similar to this, though evidence said otherwise. These guardians were strange. While definitely warriors, she had seen the much during her rescue, at least from Tri and Amber, but they didn't really act like warriors. Especially not this Amber character. As she thought, she realized that the only one who acted like a warrior at all had been Tri, while Crystal, and her boss Ikora, acted like scientists, and Amber acted like an obnoxious drifter. Perhaps it had to do with them being different classes of Guardians. She'd need to ask about this later. A sudden noise caused Liara to turn, spotting two more figures entering the room. The first was the titan Tri.
Tri was an agreeable person, and between him and Amber, she definitely liked him more. He was a strong, level headed warrior who looked after her team. He appeared to be a bit of a glory hound, something the seemed to get him in arguments with Amber. But, unlike Crystal, Tri seemed to regard Amber with a sister like view, annoyed by her, and often fighting with her, but still caring for her. Amusingly, he got incredibly awkward when speaking about women and relationships, something that brought great amusement to Liara. If she had to guess, he acted this way because he was an Exo, a machine, and he didn't know how a relationship would work. Perhaps she'd question him about it. At the very least, it would be amusing.
Following Tri was one of Liara's closest friends, Jane Shepard. The women was similar to Tri in some respects; a skilled warrior who looked out for the wellbeing of innocents and her teammates. However, she was humble, and didn't brag about the attention that she often gained. She seemed to share the same hint of smartassness that Tri possessed, as well as a shared dedication to helping others. Honestly, it surprised Liara how similar they were, but they still had their differences. From the looks of them now, they seemed to be getting along, bringing a smile to Liara's face.
As they came in, they gained the attention of both the guardians already present, showing their unique reactions to both. Crystal seemed slightly surprised, but glad that they had arrived. Amber however, seemed a tad indifferent, though one of her eyebrows raised, probably because she was wondering why they were here. Tri himself smiled upon entering, or at least as close to smiling one could get to with multiple metal plates for a face.
"Ahh, Liara. I hope that you and Crystal are getting along well. From what I can see I'd say yes."
Liara nodded, a smile on her face.
"Yes. I think I'm going to enjoy it here. Don't you agree Shepard?"
Liara was pleased to see her friend smile at her, her green eyes bright.
"Yes. I do agree. Though things are a little strange here."
Amber snorted loudly, gaining everyone's attention.
"Yeah, and a metal bird man and a race of women who can have kids with any species they want isn't weird."
Liara's face went purple as she realized Amber was talking about her, and a quick glance at Shepard showed she was blushing as well. Crystal glanced between them, confusion on her face, while Tri seemed shocked or even slightly embarrassed. No doubt he'd be blushing as well if he was capable of it. His face then hardened, a harsh stare forming as he glared at Amber, his artificial face making it much more terrifying.
"Amber. Out!" He gestured to the door, and she sat up, anger and confusion on her face.
"What did I do? I'm just saying…"
"Now is not the time for your mouth, so please leave and spare us from it." He calmed some.
"Just for the moment. Please."
Amber sighed, but stood, pushing her way past him and out the door. Shepard watched her go, the blush leaving her face as she sighed.
"Is she always like that?" Tri shook his head, rubbing his neck.
"Sometimes. And I might have been harsh back there, but things have just been stressful recently. She pushed me over the edge."
They stood in silence, Liara still surprised that Amber would say that now. Sure she had shared that info with her, but she never expected her to say it so blatantly and rudely. It was rather uncalled for. The silence was then broken by an excited Crystal.
"Oh Tri. You won't believe it, but Liara has told me how she has powers similar to a Warlock."
Tri glanced at Liara, then back at Crystal, a brow raised.
"Oh, and how is that?"
The awoken glanced at Liara, smiling brightly. With a shrug, Liara held up a hand, flaring her biotics. A soft indigo glow lit up her arm, casting a faint glow on the surrounding area. Tri's eyes widened and Shepard smirked at him. The reaction perplexed Liara. It wasn't total shock on his face, but more realization. Then it hit her. Shepard must have showed off her biotics and told him about her own. Now he was finally seeing it in person. Shepard nudged his shoulder, a sense of snarkiness in her voice.
"See, what did I tell you."
Crystal's eyes widened at the comment, and she glanced at Tri, pointing a finger.
"Wait, you knew about this? And you didn't tell me?!" Tri held up his hands in surrender.
"Woah. Calm down Crystal. I only just found out. As a matter of fact, that was part of the reason I was coming here at all. Shepard here has biotics too. Her biotics give her powers similar to a titan."
Liara didn't think it was possible, but Crystal's eyes got even wider, causing Shepard to laugh loudly.
"Wow. I guess the biotics are pretty impressive for your guys, especially since their based off of technology while yours is space magic."
"Hey. It's Light not spa…. Ahh what's the point, I guess it kind of is space magic."
Crystal gasped slightly, surprised by Tri's comment.
"Of course, you, an Exo titan, would think that. The only thing you dome heads think with is your fists."
Tri chuckled softly, but shrugged.
"As said as it seems, I can't completely deny that statement."
Shepard patted him on the shoulder, then moved forward crossing her arms, a smile on her face.
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you want all the information that you can get. Am I right?"
Crystal almost seemed to jump out of her skin with excitement.
"Oh yes! Just, give me a sec to grab my notebook."
Crystal quickly ran out of the room, and Tri glanced at Shepard, then at Liara, smirking.
"You two might want to sit down. If I know Crystal, you're going to be here awhile before she gives up on questions."
With a shrug, Shepard patted Liara on the shoulder then sat down. Liara joined her friend on the coach, excited that she'd get to have another questioning session with a fellow intellectual. Crystal came back in shortly after this, a leather-bound book in her hand, along with a pen. She sat down in her chair across from them, and opened up her book, smiling from ear to ear. With a chuckle, Tri leaned against the wall. He was probably right. It would take a while. With her usual charm, Shepard started.
"So. What is it that you want to know?"
Crystal beamed louder, pen poised over her book so she could write.
"Ok. Well first things first…"
Jaina the Awoken titan slowly advanced down the Hive corridor, her machine gun at her hip as she fired a constant stream of bullets upon the horrid abominations that charged at her. To her right, her hunter teammate Veronica fired her scout rifle, popping any Acolyte that dared peak its head out into ember. To Jaina's left, Theo the Warlock lifted his assault rifle, firing at the Knights and Thrall the rushed down the hall towards them, angered out of their minds. It hadn't been Jaina's idea to crack open a Hive nest, but Theodore had insisted that they do it before the nest became a threat. So here they were, wading through Hive sludge and fighting through the horde of angered undead aliens. So far, it had been relatively uneventful. They had found the small cave opening in the wilds, a Hive seeder ship embedded in the ground 100 yards away. From there, the descended into the blackness, the area being eerily similar to the Hive nest at the Skywatch, showing a surprisingly advanced infestation. However, it wasn't anything they couldn't handle, which brings them to now, Jaina vaporizing Hive by the dozens while her squad mates took out the rest.
Finally, the snarling stopped, shortly joined by the gun fire. The smoke and ash slowly cleared, revealing an empty corridor. Jaina sheathed her machine gun, and drew her pulse rifle, and did a quick scan of the area. She glanced at her fireteam leader, Veronica, waiting for orders. Veronica glanced around before signaling them to move on. With a nod, they all moved forward, deeper into the hell hole. The deeper they went, the more Jaina's earlier assessments about the similarities between this hole and the one at the Skywatch waned. Several runes where carved into the walls, and several chained hooks, like those in the Temple of Crota, hung from the ever-rising ceiling. Several locked doors prevented them from entering, but one route allowed them deeper in, passing giant vats of fluid along with the piles of Hive ooze. Finally, something different happened.
A loud roar cut through the silence of the cave, causing Veronica to hold up a fist, ordering a halt. Theo moved up beside her, his voice low, making it difficult to hear over the distant echoing roars.
"What do you think it is?"
Veronica was silent, her fingers fiddling with a small string of beads that hung from her belt, something that she only did when thinking. Or nervous. Her slightly metallic Exo tone showed this.
"I don't know. Almost sounds like something trapped in another summoning pit. But that's impossible. No way a hole that deep has been formed here. I think we should report this. Immediately."
Theo placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her as he pointed down the hall the echo came from.
"Come on. We might get to see something no Guardian has ever seen before. Let's at least go down and see what it is. After that, we can high tale it back to the surface before the closest Wizard has time to hike up her dress."
The confidence in his voice was almost enough to bring a smile to Jaina's face. That was Theo. Always wishing to do the impossible. With a sigh, Veronica slowly began nodding her head.
"Alright. A quick look. But I don't want no sample taking or picture making. Got me."
Theo nodded briskly, no doubt smirking under his helmet as Veronica moved down the passageway, followed by Theo, then finally Jaina herself. The passage descended downwards, the deeper they went, the greater the temperature increased, and the louder the echoes got. Finally, they reached a massive closed door, a large padlock stretching across it. Veronica sighed, clearly relieved that they could proceed, but Jaina couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. She was curious what the sound was. However, something weird happened after this. The door shuddered loudly, the padlock glowing orange before dissolving into ash. With a groan, the door slowly slid opening, causing all three Guardians to flinch and raise their weapons. Beyond the doors was a sight equal parts terrifying and confusing.
A large room, similar to the circle of bones, stretched out before them. Mighty thorned pillars sat at the back of the room, holding down the primary item of interest. Stretched between the two pillars, like a prisoner hung up for torture, was a large Hive Knight. However, this Knight was unlike any that they had seen before. Its hide was blackened, as if burned, and fiery orange fissure snaked across its body, like cracks in the earth. Its armor was orange, but covered in caked blackened ash hiding most of the orange tint. It eyes glowed a bright orange instead of green, and a thick orange fluid seeped from its mouth. A large hole in the Knights chest seeped similar fluid, and glowed like a raging inferno laid within. Thick, bladed chains wrapped round its arms and legs, keeping it held hung spread eagle between the pillars. The knight then opened its mouth, revealing sharp blade like teeth opposed to the normal flat ones. A loud roar came from its mouth, the same they had heard before, orange fluid flying from its mouth as it roared, either in pain of fury. It pulled against its chains, ignoring the sharp barbs that dug into its flesh, spilling ash across the floor in grey piles
The three warriors stared in wonder and confusion at the sight before them. Never before had they seen a Hive like this, nor had they seen a Hive chained within one of their lairs. Veronica slowly backed up, and Jaina did the same. She couldn't place it, but something about this Knight bothered her, horribly. However, Theo took a step forward, transfixed by the beast. The creature thrashed against its chains snarling again, before suddenly stopping, its eyes resting upon Theo. It eyes seemed to lock with his, slowly drilling him as if studying a target before striking. They took another step closer, as if mystified. The silence seemed to echo through the hall, eerie and unnatural, the Knights orange eyes drilling into Theo as it stared. Then, something happened. Slowly, a sound Jaina never thought she'd hear from a Hive came from the chained Knight. Like a rising corpse, a chuckle formed in the beast throat, followed by full on laughter. Its eyes lit up with flames as it did, and a flame like aura seemed to form round it as its shoulders shuddered from the laughter, pulling on the chains with a loud grinding sound. The air grew hot, and the ground rumbled. Veronica shouted, making her voice heard above the unholy laughter.
"Theo! Get the hell out of there! We got to go."
Suddenly snapping to his senses, Theo turned and ran, joining his fellow squad mates as they left the room of the laughing maniac. Even as they scaled the cave and left the hellhole, the echoing laughter persisted. No comments were made by any of them as they left. Not as they scaled the cave, not as they waited for their ships, and not as they road back to the Tower. Not a word. For all they could think about were those orange eyes, and that laughter. Jaina knew it would haunt her till the end of her days.
Tri reclined on his chair, enjoying himself for the evening. Tri's apartment room was nothing special. Indeed, it was smaller than most rooms, but when you never ate slept or used the bathroom, you could afford a smaller dwelling. Because of this, Tri's room was just that, a single room furnished like a living room. A large couch, reinforced with metal limbs and armor weave fabric, took up most of one wall. Next to it sat an easy chair, the closest thing Tri had to a bed. A large holo-screen was opposite the couch, providing him with entertainment. Along the walls, Tri had hung many things that perked his interest, mostly weapons and pieces of armor. Guns, both Guardian and alien, hung on the walls in decorative positions, showing off their unique designs. Vex armor plating, heavily scrubbed to prevent Vex hacking, hung like shields. Hive helmets hung with these, showing off Tri's slight fascination with the two races, both equal parts deadly and mystical.
Because she wasn't technically a guardian, Tri had agreed to allow Shepard to stay at his place, at least till she could get an apartment of her own. She seemed to be enjoying herself greatly, a good thing, considering that she had been locked in a room with Crystal, answering dozens of questions, for over an hour. Now, both her and Tri were having some RnR, making use of Tri's secret passion. Gaming.
He discovered the old gaming console while on a patrol in North America. Most people would have considered it junk, but Tri took a liking to it, and brought it back to fix it up. Once completely, Sparks helped him make it compatible with his halo screen. Now, Tri could enjoy something that no one had in centuries. An old game by the name of Minecraft. He wasn't sure how old the game was, but from how pixelated the graphics were, it must have been one of the gaming pioneers. Despite this, he loved the gameplay, and nothing else could ease his mind like building in its blocky world. Plus, now with Shepard here, he got to do something he'd never done before. Multiplayer. So, here they were, two super soldiers sitting on a coach in civi clothes playing a game about building things with blocks. No regrets at all.
A knock at the door drew Tri from his gaming. He glanced at Shepard, who looked back at him, a brow raised.
"I need to get that. Try not to get me blown up while I'm gone."
Shepard smirked, flashing her white teeth.
"I'll try, but I can't make any promises tin head."
Tri chuckled, then walked to the door, leaving Shepard to continue on her own. It must be Crystal, coming back to ask some question she realized she missed. He hoped not, Shepard had had her fill of questions, and just wanted to relax. Understandable. He opened the door, and froze. It wasn't Crystal at his door, nor an exuberant Amber wishing to hang out with him. In fact, it was the last person he had ever expected to find at his door.
"The Darkness is stirring. A new evil is growing just outside our wall. And I fear we won't be able to stop."
Tri shook himself, still surprised beyond belief. What was she doing here? He'd never even heard of her leaving her station by the stairs, let along the Hall of Guardians.
"Woah. Slow down Eris. What are you doing here? I didn't even know you knew my apartment number."
Eris drilled him with her three green eyes, her hands constantly twitching round the stone she kept with her at all times. It seemed different now, glowing with a fiercer green light, and the aura around it seeming more agitated.
"Listen, there isn't much time. The Hive are fractured, war splitting them like a sword through flesh. The Cabal dig deeper, unaware of what they disturb. And the Fallen. They wield that which no one should, delving into secrets that should remain buried. Should HE discover who they hold…"
Eris's voice trailed off, her green eyes growing distant before snapping back on Tri. He may consider her a friend, and her likewise, but she still unnerved him like nothing else.
"Go to the wilds of Russia. Bring those who do not belong with you. They are the key. Find the one caught between two hated worlds and bring her back. Only she can help us a way. Find what is needed. Find her before IT comes for her, and the lost ones as well."
With that, Eris turns and moves down the hall like smoke, leaving a confused, and slightly terrified Tri in her wake.
"….what? What is.."
"Ease child. You have been asleep for a long time. But I have brought you back."
"You,.. you are…"
"Your mother. The one who will guide you and teach you."
"Wh..why?"
"Because you are Chosen. Gifted to be a beacon within the Darkness. One who will scourge the land of our foes and make way for the coming reality. You, my child. Are on of us. And we have been chosen. Come, and be welcomed."
AuthorsNote: Ok, this took forever to get out. I started college and that makes things difficult. BUT! Do not lose faith, these will continue to come out gradually and steadily. Due to comments on how main characters have little progression, I turned this chapters focus to them mostly, and the next shall be similar. I hope no one hates me for having Tri play Minecraft. I thought to myself, "what type of game would a super soldier want to play." Since his life is basically a FPS, I decided to go with something more relaxed, an open sandbox. I thought it was brilliant and clever, but maybe not. Also, another look at the enemy, including a unique teaser. Hmmm. Anyway, if you excuse me, I need to go sleep and contemplate school work and procrastination. Please comment and review, theorize and criticus (nicely). I want to hear what you lovely readers think. Until next time. ZOMAN, signing out!
