Chapter 8 - The Eighth Hunter
Alinos. A rock-like planet filled with lava from a core explosion. This was almost the ninth time the hunters had been here. Well, the ones that were here at the time, anyway.
"Ok. Split up, we'll cover more ground that way. Beware of any Goreas. This war is getting more serious now, so we gotta work fast. The Goreas are closing in. So, kill anything and everything that moves. Got it!" Sylux ordered.
"Does that include you?" Kanden asked jokingly. He and Weavel just laughing at this, while Sylux was ready to kill them both.
"WOULD YOU STOP JOKING AROUND! WE'RE IN A DAMN WAR HERE, THERE'S NO TIME FOR JOKES! Once more, and you're heads'll be in my cargo hold! Now GO!" Sylux screamed. Apparently, he was more serious than before. Noxus even remembered his "$250" comment back in the Federation ship.
Almost immediately, all three of them frantically ran around the known areas of the planet. Weavel ended up in the Combat Hall, forgetting to check his map.
"Hmm... I wonder..." He said to himself. Then, he went over to one of the walls, charged a missile blast, and shot the ground he was standing on. Next thing he knew, he was in an area of complete darkness, able to see through the wall.
"Get the hell outta here! Glitches don't exist in real life!" A shaky voice said from behind. Weavel immediately jumped out of there and tried to forget about that. But, as he was leaving the Combat Hall, he saw what looked like an ice road in the sky above him. Or was it... Phazon...?
Meanwhile, Kanden was stuck in yet another circle of Goreas. Only this time, they weren't in the "alternate form." Although, this time the odds were against him. They all had the Omega Cannon!
"Oh, shit! I gotta get outta here!" Kanden yelled. He knew he had finally met his match. But, he couldn't get out of the "circle!" The Goreas were closing in!
They started glowing. Their "hands" had yellowish orbs starting to form on them. They all started to point right at Kanden. And then...
"NNNOOOOOOOO!"
"What the...?" Sylux said to himself. He had just heard an exposion in the distance. It sounded like it was in the Alinos Perch, a large, outside room with pillars and platforms everywhere. It sounded like the Omega Cannon! He decided to run there immediately. He bent into two Z-shaped sheets of metal, connected by a ball of energy. The Lockjaw. This should get him there fast. He headed to the Perch.
When he finally got there, he was shocked to see at least twenty dead Goreas. But, what was that yellowish lump in the middle? It looked like a dead bug... but on closer inspection, a dead Enoema...
"Kanden..." Sylux managed to say, bending over the body. Although he is usually merciless, there was a tear in Sylux's eye at this time. Unlike with Noxus, Kanden seemed like he actually was killed.
A few minutes later, Weavel finally ran in. He was shocked at the site of the Goreas, like Sylux was, but was even more surpised to see Sylux sitting in the middle of the room. He started to walk over to him, to see what was going on.
"Sylux, what are you doi- oh... my... God... That's what the explosion was..." Weavel was saying to himself. But then, he saw the body. Sylux and Weavel used to hate the other hunters in the beginning. But now, they had lost more than a partner. They had a lost a friend.
After destroying at least one hundred Goreas, and finding a few more parts to use for the weapon, Samus, Spire, and Denkan started to head to the Alinos Gateway. It has been at least a day, and they agreed to meet up on Alinos after every day for another meeting.
But, when they got there, they could have sworn they saw Noxus flying. But, Noxus was right next to them. Who, or what, was that? It seemed to be heading to the Alinos Perch.
"Hey. Where're Sylux, Weavel, and Kanden?" Spire wondered. He knew they would be the first to arrive, since they started on Alinos today. But, they weren't here.
"I can't believe this. He's gone..." Sylux and Weavel were still depressed from Kanden's death. But, that's when Weavel noticed something.
"Wait. Who the hell is that?" Weavel said, pointing to a figure in the distance. It was sliding on a sheet of Phazon (or maybe just ice) like the sheet he saw before!
"Huh? It's coming towards us, whatever it is," Sylux was saying, ready to fight. He got his shock coil ready, but that's when he heard a hiss-like voice.
"I do not wish to harm you. I have been traveling, and noticed something happening in the Tetra Galaxy. I have been looking for lifeforms other than these monsters," he pointed to a dead Gorea, "and you were the first I have found. You can drop the guns!" He explained. But he saw Weavel and Sylux getting ready to shoot him.
"Who are you? And what do you want with us!" Sylux ordered. He was not sure if he could trust this person. He seemed like a light blue, thin Vhozon, however.
"Oh. Sorry, sorry. My name is Rundus. I am an intergalactic bounty hunter. Due to unknown reasons, I cannot tell you my race. But, the Glactic Federation said they may hire me to help take down Dark Samus, when, and if, it returns. Now, who are you two?"
"You mean three," Weavel said.
"Three?" Rundus asked. From what he's seen, there were only two.
At this time, Sylux pointed to Kanden's body, which they hadn't moved at all.
Rundus was very shocked. "How did this happen?"
After he asked this, Weavel pointed to a random one of the dead Goreas. "Kamikaze Goreas..." he said.
Sylux started to explain. "Anyway, we are also bounty hunters. I am Sylux, from Cyclosis. My race is also unknown to many. I hold a severe grudge against the Federation. And this is Weavel. He used to be a space pirate general, until a battle with one of our partners for this mission, Samus Aran, leaving only his mind and spinal cord intact. They built a power suit for him, similar to Aran's."
"And that... that used to be Kanden, a genetically altered Enoema. He was bent on destruction to a flaw in the experimental process, but eventually developed a good side, like many of us hunters have," Weavel explained gravely.
"Nice to meet you. Anyway, I shall see what I can do for Kanden. I may be able to take his body to the Federation. I hear they had to revive Samus many times. Anyway, I will be around here until the war is over. But, do not let anyone know about me. I am trying to keep my identity hidden mostly. Besides, I will have to work with Samus in a future mission. Anyway, I should leave now. So long." Rundus then carefully picked up Kanden's body and started sliding on a new sheet of ice. Or Phazon, whichever it is.
At this moment, Samus walked in and spotted the Goreas' bodies. "What happened here?" she asked sarcastically. She was also wondering what that silhouette in the sky was, but easily forgot it. But then she became serious.
"Where's Kanden? You three were supposed to meet up in a room, then head back to the Gateway."
"Well, now there's only two. Thanks to twenty Goreas all equipped with the Omega cannon," Sylux said, depressed.
Samus quickly realized what happened. Kanden. Twenty Goreas. Omega Cannon. The Goreas had committed kamikaze. And Kanden was their victim...
At the Gateway, everything was silent. Everyone was mourning the loss of Kanden. Even Trace. They knew now that they really had become a team.
But, where was the body? Only Sylux and Weavel knew, and it would forever remain secret.