"When I came to for the first time, I felt so alone. Broken.
My Ghost tried to comfort me. But this life felt hollow. So I ran.
But the flashes… Like daydreams, they promised something more.
Something other than suffering and war.
So I clung to them. And I built my truth.
And it made me a better man."
—The man they called Cayde
5. The Storm
It has been a while since she last saw a semblance of civilization.
And it would take longer for the answers she seek.
The biting cold was harsh, but familiar.
The nearly endless span of snow was dull, yet the sky above was blanketed with clouds, faint rumbling in the distance.
But she remained vigilant. Here, she was sent with a mission at hand.
But it wasn't the one assigned to her, that has kept her awake.
"Quartz?"
She snapped out of her trance.
"What's going on in your head there?"
She looked to her side, noticing the concerned look of a certain light purple-haired Lupo, huddling underneath her winter cloak.
"Nothing, Provence."
Her response only prompted a raised eyebrow from the Lupo.
"Hmm... you always say that."
Provence diverted her attention away from the eye-patched mercenary, and towards the Sankta sitting across her, seemingly zoning out as she took another bite from her chocolate-covered stick biscuit.
"You've been a little quiet too, Ambriel." She mused.
The aforementioned sniper paused her chewing. "It's not like we got anything to talk about right now. We're in the middle of nowhere, and I'm running out of chocolates."
Provence began acting in shock at hearing the last sentence.
"What?? You didn't spare any for me?"
"I just gave you a pack." Ambriel kept on eating.
Their short exchange was interrupted by a sudden bump on the ground, causing a metal toolbox to slide towards Provence's feet. Another hand immediately reached out to pick the box back up.
"Whoops... sorry." Uttered the Forte in the group.
Provence began to question her other teammate. "Did you really have to bring all of these extra stuff as well, Vulcan?"
"We don't know how long this expedition will take. It's best to always have my tools nearby for daily maintenance, even if it seems like we're not gonna need it. Wouldn't want your weapon to suddenly break apart at the worst time, would you?"
Ambriel shrugged in response. "I can take care of my own rifle."
"I... wouldn't mind you taking a look into my crossbow." Provence realized that the Forte made a good point, as she recalled that her specialty is in reconnaissance, not engineering.
Ambriel began to muse. "Well... I don't feel like we're gonna use them anyway. We're quite deep in the uncharted barren snowlands. Frankly, I'd be surprised if we see any action this far north, much less actual towns."
Provence glanced at her remark. "What do you mean? We've already passed a few on the way."
Ambriel continued. "Last town we visited was like, days ago. And this close to the Icefields? I thought there'd be more Catastrophes around. Would certainly fit the weather."
"Achoo! "
Came a sudden sneeze from the purple Lupo, which echoed across the space of the entire passenger cabin of the transport truck they were in.
"See? You get it." Ambriel concluded.
"I-I'm not that cold." Said Provence unconvincingly.
In truth, she was not handling the cold as well as she thought. Such is the trouble for someone who had been used to warmer climates than the freezing north. But she had faced worse environments.
She turned to the other Lupo beside her as a distraction, and noticed how quiet she had become, once again. She was aware of Quartz's past as a mercenary, and it made her curious.
"Hey, Quartz?"
The latter turned her head to meet the former's eyes, after once again breaking out of her train of thought.
"You've been around a lot. Have you been in this part of Ursus before?" Provence asked.
For some reason she couldn't specify, Quartz paused for a time noticeably long. As if she was trying to come up with an answer on the spot.
Then, she did so with an unchanging expression.
"Not for a long time. I doubt there's much for me to recall."
Quartz was telling the truth. There wasn't much for her to recall of her time in the northeastern parts of Ursus, just one of her many journeys across the untamed lands of Terra.
Though she distinctly remember a certain someone she knew.
But she has not heard from them since long ago.
--
"Good to know there's a place to get hot chocolate around here."
Provence took a moment to blow the rising warm steam from the nearly full porcelain cup of chocolate beverage, scattering it across the cold interior air of Bojko's Inn, before slowly taking a comfortable sip.
"Ahhh... I missed this so much..." She exhaled.
A loud creak drew her attention, as she spotted Ambriel stepping out of the restroom, her shivering hands wrapped in wet napkins.
"Water's colder than I thought."
Provence kept that reminder and took another sip.
"Where did Vulcan go?" Ambriel brought up the absence of their fellow Forte.
"Asking the drivers about our trucks' conditions. At least she's focusing on something other than weapons for now." Provence stated.
Ambriel took a seat next to the Lupo and slumped over the hardwood table. "I could use a distraction right now."
Meanwhile, Quartz did not feel the need to rest like the rest of her teammates.
Rather, she was preoccupied with getting answers. With her finger strongly pointing at the illuminated screen of her personal tablet.
"So, you don't know anything about anyone who would travel across this route?" She questioned the middle-aged man before her, the owner of the establishment.
He shrugged rather casually. "Sorry, young lady. Wish I could help."
Quartz held a disappointed look on her face. They might have to keep looking at another town.
Ambriel, finally finding her distraction, commented on seeing the look on the eye-patched Lupo's face. "Still no luck, huh? Cheer up. We've got time."
Provence released a deep sigh. "We've asked almost half the town already."
For one moment it seemed like their business was done here. Were it not for the presence of another customer, an Elafian man, sitting across them.
"Actually... I think I know someone who may be able to help you." He said, with one hand raised.
The three Operators immediately paid their attention to the man in question.
He then continued. "But it may be a long shot."
"You know someone?" Quartz asked.
The man nodded. "He's a traveling physician. He has been stopping by here in Tarkovsky for a few days, but I believe you may still be able to visit him before he leaves. I should warn you though, he might make... quite an odd first impression."
There was something peculiar in the man's description, as the three Operators began glancing at each other.
"Why does that sound familiar?" Provence brought up.
Ambriel was quick to answer. "Because it is."
Quartz was the first to come to that same conclusion. All she needed was confirmation.
"Is the one you're talking about... someone called the Stoic?"
Faris rubbed his chin, or rather, the chin cover of his helm.
"I'm quite surprised you were fortunate enough to find me."
The presence of the two young women before him, both more than what they seemed, has certainly made this day more interesting than he could hope for.
"Eh, wasn't a lot of work. Just a lot of guesswork." The Sankta, Ambriel remarked, recalling how many towns they had visited before reaching here.
He continued to question them. "I'm assuming the two of you are not here for treatment. After all, what need would Rhodes Island have for someone like me?"
"I'm sure we could always use more doctors." Said Ambriel.
The Lupo beside her, Quartz, rolled her eyes, before getting to the point. "Anyway... we're here for an investigation. We thought that maybe you could help."
They must be in a hurry, he thought.
"Go on."
Ambriel immediately raised her hand. "Before that... do you have to keep wearing that... helmet thing?"
The helmet thing? Ah, yes. He had gotten so used to wearing his Obsidian Mind, that its presence almost became unnoticed. Of course, he'd feel slightly vulnerable without the helm. A feeling certainly shared by many like him, back in the old Tower.
But saying that out loud would probably raise an air of awkwardness, so he'll have to come up with a different story.
"It is a... tradition hailing from my hometown. Do not worry, I can hear and speak clearly in this." He said, as he lightly tapped on the glass side of his helm.
It seemed to have lightened the unease between them, as the two RI operators glanced and nodded at each other.
Quartz began to speak. "Very well. Three weeks ago, we... lost contact with one of our field medical teams stationed at Lebedyn, about 70 miles from here. They were providing emergency medical care to the town after it was partially hit by a Catastrophe.
They were supposed to be back two weeks ago, but.. didn't. When we went to investigate, we found what remained of the convoy 10 miles south of the town. Their vehicles were badly damaged, and there were... a few bodies.
We suspected that some of the field personnel were missing. We think that they were kidnapped. We don't know why yet. And right now... we have nothing to go off on."
Faris contemplated the wealth of exposition he had just been given.
It was still not clear what exactly they believe he could offer them in this exact situation. Are they already aware of his true nature? Or perhaps... what they seek is simply a new lead into this investigation.
"And you think that I might hold some information that could help you figure out the ones responsible for this?" He surmised.
Quartz clarified further. "Your nickname... I've heard it mentioned even back in Lebedyn. The people around here know you. And we heard that you're more familiar with this region of Ursus than anyone else. You must've traveled through its known and hidden routes. There must've been something you've seen or heard."
It seemed that his reputation has reached far and wide enough to have his nickname immortalized like an urban myth throughout the cities he had visited. Even attracted the attention of other independent factions far bigger than himself. It wasn't his intention to become popular, though considering his line of work that he deemed necessary, it might've been unavoidable.
"I have ventured across these plains and back a few times. But I wouldn't necessarily say I know the lands as well as the back of my hand. There are only so many places one man could discover." He explained.
The two RI operators seemed deflated at hearing this, but he was not done yet.
"With that said... I am well aware of the present dangers around the westside of Ursus. Even this far from the cities, the Infected Patrols can still find their way, some Kazdelian mercenary groups may establish their own safehouses behind the mountains. Not to mention some of the dangerous native wildlife that could take more than a gun to handle. Many possible perpetrators to point towards."
Weirdly, he noticed unease coming from the two.
Ambriel spoke up. "Yeah... we're not sure this is the work of the Ursus patrols, or the Sarkaz mercenaries. Probably."
Faris raised a concealed eyebrow from within his helm.
"What makes you say that?"
The Operators began to look at each other, somewhat worryingly.
"What, are we gonna tell him? Isn't this classified or something?" Ambriel questioned to her partner.
"This is the fifth town we've visited. We're running out of leads."
Concluding that this would finish their assignment faster, Ambriel relented quickly. "Alright then."
Quartz returned her attention to the peculiar doctor before them.
"Before we tell you anything else, can we expect full cooperation with you? We need your word that everything we will reveal from here on will not leave this room."
Hearing her warning, Faris took no time to make a decision. They have gotten his interest after all.
"You have my word." He said, with an assuring voice unlike his tone before.
Feeling confident, Quartz continued with her explanation. "We didn't think it's beasts or any wildlife that we know of, because of what we found. Especially the level of damage done to the trucks. Only the driver's compartments were heavily damaged.
We also know that whoever attacked our convoy must've taken prisoners. But we're not sure if this is the work of mercenaries or patrol units because there were no remains of arrows or bolts. Only a large amount of holes, like scorch marks, across the exterior.
We thought that it could've been the work of Arts. But I don't think we've ever seen that kind of fire Arts, if it even is one. The holes left behind, they reminded us of bullet holes left by Laterano firearms. But... I don't think bullets leave burn marks through steel."
Faris felt the muscles throughout his arm tensing, ever so slightly. Her description of the incident seemed to have some... worrying details.
"Is that the only peculiar thing?"
Quartz pulled out a small glass tablet, and in its display, an image of a certain object. "Actually, there's one more thing. We also found this."
The image showed a partially broken object, made out of unidentified metal. There wasn't much of it left intact, except for one striking feature.
Two separate semicircular lenses on the same side.
"We... aren't sure what this is. One of our members who specializes in weapons engineering couldn't even figure out the technology behind it, and she's one of the best in her field. This couldn't have come from any one of our missing field operators, so it might've somehow been pried off of the enemy at one point."
Faris didn't realize it then, but he had forcibly tightened the grip on his knee.
It was only after he saw the surprised looks on the Lupo and Sankta that he had realized how much emotion he was unknowingly letting out.
"Do you... know anything about this, Mr. Faris?" The Lupo pointed out.
She should already know the answer. He knew all too well.
But... they couldn't be here. Could they? How is it even possible?
Then, he thought of his own circumstances, and came to a disturbing conclusion.
Of course. He mentally smacked himself. What wouldn't be possible, after everything he's seen? After everything he's been through?
Those scorch marks, they weren't the result of some kind of fire Arts. They were from Shock Rifles.
And the mysterious object, a fragment of a mask made to fit an inhuman face, merely confirmed it for him.
And if they are here... what else could be coming through?
The Stoic stood from his seat, with a sudden declaration. And he knew full well the impact of his words.
"Ms. Quartz, Ms. Ambriel... your company will have my full support. I will lend all the help I can with this investigation."
It was time for him to take up his true duty, once more.
The water tasted like dirt.
And its color seemed wrong.
Yet she drank it anyway.
"It's awful." Alina muttered, catching the attention of her one-eyed companion.
"Well, it's safe." Said her Ghost. "I never said it's... delectable."
She probably should've gotten a drink back at the lodge.
The lodge.
She swiftly removed all traces of that thought, not willing to bear looking back at the fresh memories of that day.
She saw Andrei, having woken up long ago, now checking out the cockpit of the ship in bewilderment.
Perhaps she should say something. Anything that would keep her mind off of yesterday.
She stood up and began to walk across the interior, making sure not to accidentally bump into anything. Her Ghost slowly floated behind while disguised, something that was now second nature to him.
She patted Andrei on his back. "Hey. How are you feeling?"
Andrei said nothing, instead proceeding to point at a particular button.
"What does this do?" The boy asked.
Alina simply answered to the extent of her knowledge. "I don't... really know."
Andrei blinked, and moved his finger to a random set of panels, displaying lines of text that neither of them could read.
"What about... this one?"
Once again, she was confronted with a question she knew little of. "It's... some kind of detection system? I'm not sure."
Andrei lowered his arm. He has something else on his mind now.
"Ms. Alina... why are you with that man?"
Alina took one moment too long to process the question, and it made the boy raise an eyebrow. It should be a fairly simple question.
She knew that personally, it wasn't really her most desirable choice. The Drifter seemed to know more than either herself or her Ghost, and that dependency has led her down a... troublesome path. But she still remembered their deal.
"He's the only one who can help us right now."
Probably.
"Is he your friend?" Andrei asked with curious eyes.
"Of course he is. He's helping us find you a new home." It was a half-truth a best.
The boy wasn't done with the questions. He couldn't be kept in the dark for too long. "Then, where is your home?"
She took another long moment, to think of an answer. If only she could actually recall anything from her past life outside of extremely vague flashes, it wouldn't be suh a taxing effort.
"I'm... also finding a new one. Just like you." Whether she'll actually succeed, is yet to be known.
Andrei continued to interrogate her. "And what about Mr. Drifter?"
Once again, she was stumped. It was embarrassing for her to know so little.
"I don't know... maybe he'll tell us later."
Andrei began to look at her weirdly.
"If he is your friend... then why don't you know?"
For the first time, she failed to grasp at even a word to say.
After all, their relationship is nothing but tenuous ever since that fateful day in the ruins of that village. Of course she doesn't know what could possibly be going on in that man's mind. She barely even know herself.
And the only thing that guarantees the continuance of this "partnership" between her and the Drifter, is a flimsy chain of trust among the two, to not try to stab each other in the back.
Alina decided to change the topic. She grabbed a nearby blanket to cover Andrei's back.
"Don't get too cold, okay? Do you need anything else?" She asked.
He took a second to think deeply.
"I'm thirsty."
--
The snow was calm today.
Too calm. It irked him.
Though it doesn't seem like the calm would last for long, judging from the darkening skies above him.
He wiped the pale white frost off of the lenses of his binoculars, and regained his focus.
"What are you seeing?"
A voice called out to him from behind. He knew whose it was.
"I count two dozen, that's all of 'em. Seems like they're stockin' up." Said the Drifter.
Alina took huge steps to cross the deep snow, finally catching up to the man at the top of the cliff. She stood beside him, finally taking in the same view.
It has been nearly an entire day, she thought. An entire day spent, chasing a trail leading up to here. An entire outpost nearly surrounded by volumes of trees, where the raiders made home. And they've done nothing but watching from the sidelines, atop a hill hundreds of metres away. Waiting for something to happen.
She was getting tired of waiting.
"Let me take a look." She demanded.
The Drifter didn't press on, and simply passed the binoculars onto her. "Knock yourself out."
She focused onto the outpost, seeing assortments of steel cabins, most of them lit up from the inside. She saw four, five large vehicles, apparently transport trucks, two of them with steel cargo containers.
Then, she focused on the cloaked figures walking around the outpost. And they all seemed to be carrying... something.
They weren't crossbows. They weren't any type of weapon that she could recognize. She was sure of it.
"I don't think I recognize those weapons. They look so... alien."
Before she could ask the Drifter or even say another word, her Ghost began to speak.
"I have. And those guns don't belong to them."
She glanced at her mechanical partner for a second, before looking back through the binoculars for another look.
Her eyes widened. Something was happening.
One of the raiders began to open the back of one of the truck's containers. And what laid inside was not regular cargo.
"Wait a minute... are those..."
She half-expected it to be carrying a truckload of supplies for the raiders themselves, whether it be food, or even weapons. That would of course, make sense.
But nothing in the past few days had been making sense. And instead...
"They have people in those trucks."
Alina was frozen still, more so than the trees that stood for decades.
The captured villagers began to be forced out of the back of the truck. And another detail caught her eyes. Those black crystals.
"They're Infected..." She uttered, terror enveloping her voice.
Before she even had time to process the situation, another strange sight revealed itself.
"Wait, I'm seeing..."
She saw a humanoid thing. Taller than the other figures, and wielding another strangely shaped weapon, different but similar to the ones used by the raiders.
Wait, they're wielding the weapon with... four arms.
"What the hell am I seeing?"
She was struggling to decide if she was imagining things. If the toll on everything that has happened was beginning to toy with her mind.
"Alright, time's up. Lemme see."
The binoculars in her hands were snatched away from her courtesy of the Drifter, but she didn't retaliate.
He then went on to look through the lenses, and chuckled.
"Heh, so that's their game plan all along, huh... crazy bastards. There's one of 'em."
Alina slowly turned towards the Drifter with staggering confusion.
"One of what ?" She begged.
The Drifter replied, with a bored tone. "Never seen a Fallen before?"
'Fallen? Is that what those... things are called?' She thought.
"I don't understand... what is that thing? Why are they here? Why... are they doing this?"
She threw questions into the air, hoping for anyone to answer her.
The Drifter instead, began to speak. "Word of advice, chestnut. Stop tryin' to rationalize things. You're not very good at it. You see somethin' weird, just take it for what it is."
"Alina?"
She heard her Ghost calling out her name.
"I think the Drifter... was right. These people are responsible for something despicable. I think they were in that village before us." Her Ghost presumed.
She wanted to think that he could be right.
"And what makes you say that?"
"Those burnt holes in the huts we first saw back in that village? I know of one type of weapon that could do such damage. The same type those raiders are using." Her Ghost declared.
Within just a second, everything seemed to fit into place, inside her head.
Nad within a fraction of that second, her confusion and frustration, was gone. Replaced with something darker.
"It's them... isn't it?" She hissed.
Her Ghost didn't get the chance to answer, as a sudden pulse of light distracted them, brightening the sky and the dark clouds above, its shine visible from the top of the cliff.
Alina saw the light, as did the Drifter. It rose to the sky, leaving a faint trail back to the outpost.
'Is that supposed to be... a flare?' She assumed.
"Get behind the rocks."
The Drifter gave her a sudden command.
"What?"
"Now."
His serious tone compelled her to simply do as such, without further question. She rushed to a boulder beside her lower down the hill, following the Drifter's inhumanly fast footsteps.
"What's going on? Who are they calling?" She asked to the Drifter, still peeking beside the boulder.
"What do you think? Fallen ain't just one guy."
Not just one? That could only mean that there is more of them. And if that was indeed a flare earlier, then that would mean...
"They're coming here?"
A distant hum echoed through the horizon.
With each passing second, it grew louder. Until it became impossible to ignore.
And with a crescendo, a sudden bending and stretching of light raced from the unsettling clouds, and with a flash, out slowly came a large flying vehicle, its wingless design almost defying all known laws of physics.
Alina almost felt her jaw detach from her skull.
"That's... the Fallen?" She shuddered.
"Yes."
Her Ghost answered plainly.
"And in case you haven't noticed... they're not from here. And they're not someone we should underestimate. If they see us... they won't be friendly."
So they're from another world, just like Ghost. But what business would they have here?
She watched with widened eyes, as the Fallen ship slowly descended near the outpost, eventually touching the ground. Within moments, the
And if what he said before was true...
"Ghost... you told me you're familiar with their weapons."
"Yeah. They're Fallen-made."
"And Fallen weapons... don't shoot crossbow bolts, do they?"
Her Ghost paused. He knew what she was implying. She kept her eyes on him, eager to hear him break the silence.
"... No, they don't."
They destroyed that village. With alien weapons, unrivalled firepower given to them by the Fallen.
And they captured the Infected populace, possibly using them as trade for the Fallen.
For what purpose do these villagers have to the Fallen, she didn't dare imagine.
"I'm guessin' by that look that you're finally catchin' up now, huh?" The Drifter wisecracked.
Alina didn't try to acknowledge him. She kept on watching from the side, with her grip on a piece of the boulder. Slowly leaving behind cracks as it tightened.
"We need to stop them." There was fire in her voice.
"Alina." Ghost chimed in, worried.
"I know what you're thinking, but... are you sure you want to do this? What we're dealing with here... this is more dangerous than anything you've ever faced before. Are you sure you're ready for what may come next?"
She slowly turned to meet the concerned look of her Ghost.
"Honestly?"
Her fists trembled. She has made her resolve.
"I don't want to do this. But... I can't let these murderers get away. I can't let anymore innocent people die on my watch. I couldn't save that village... I couldn't save Josef... but I can stop it from happening again."
She looked down to her open palms, one of them covered in dust and shattered rock.
And for a brief moment, she imagined them dipped in red.
"Even if... I have to fully stain my hands along the way."
Her Ghost gave her a different look than before. Not of judgement. But of acknowledgement.
"Then don't let me stop you."
She turned to her side, calling out a name.
"Hey, Drifter."
He glanced back.
"Where can I get more bullets?" It was more like a command than a request.
The Drifter stared back. He didn't expect such a bold change in attitude, coming from the fresh Guardian who only yesterday could barely aim with a gun.
And contrary to her, he had other plans in mind.
"Might wanna listen to your Ghost buddy instead. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but... don't try to light up just yet."
Alina was taken aback. "Why?"
"It's not the right time. We gotta wait 'til the Fallen's done with their business so we can track the ship. We need to find out where those Fallen are gonna be headin'. And to know where the head is, and we need the tail to lead us."
She did not agree with his response.
"No... we can't wait."
He could hear the crack of her knuckles from the amount of tension she was putting into her fists.
"We can't just let those raiders get away! There are innocent people out there right now! They could get hurt! They could die if we don't do anything right now!"
"And what exactly is your plan for dealin' with all of 'em?"
Alina was stunned. She actually had no idea. The Drifter took the opportunity to further press on, his shadow slowly overtaking her own.
"You don't know what the Fallen are capable of. You're outnumbered and outgunned. And Fallen guns ain't like the ones you've dealt with before. One shot could fry your insides. You don't wanna know how it feels. Think you can handle all of that? Think you can take on a small army all by yourself?"
He laid his back on the boulder, arms crossed, waiting for a reply.
Alina laid her head low. "... I don't know. But I'm still willing to try."
He snickered at what she said.
"Tryin' isn't winnin', kid."
She lifted her eyes back up, ready to bite back.
But her Ghost suddenly flew between them.
"Don't underestimate her." He warned, to the Drifter.
She did not expect him to suddenly speak up on her behalf. But it would not go unappreciated.
"You may have a point, that maybe our chances of fighting and winning is slim. But if we don't even try, then we've already lost."
The Drifter stared at them for what felt like eons. Then he let out a hearty chuckle.
How adorable, he thought. It boggled him that he was even having this conversation with a less-than-a-week old Risen, and her doormat of a floating companion.
He had seen the look of her eyes before, plenty of times from other young Lightbearers. All of them thinking the same. That they're somehow more capable than they are. That they could make a difference.
He's yet to see any of them being right.
Although... there has been a few exceptions.
"I get what you're tryin' to do. You think you can save everyone." He thought he read her mind.
Alina's face hardened once more.
"I can't... I already know I can't. But I also can't just... do nothing. If you don't want to fight, then fine. But I'm not letting something like last time happen again. Not if I have the power to stop it."
"You really think you'd stand a chance? Just 'cause you got a few extra lives that doesn't make you invincible."
The Drifter has a point. She might not just be putting her own life at risk. Her Ghost might also be caught in the crossfire. Which only meant that she needs to fight harder.
"That's still more second chances than anyone else has."
The two of them stared for a long time. The Drifter was the first to break it, smirking. In that moment of silence, he realized the absolute stubbornness of the Lightbearer in front of him. It hit him like a déjà vu.
It was the same kind of stubbornness he once had. He could almost respect it.
Perhaps there is another way. He might be able to use her lack of survival instincts to an advantage after all.
"Well... I guess there's a way to make it work."
"Make what work?"
The Drifter began to walk back to his ship, planning to retrieve something.
"Here's the deal. You want to save the people and be the hero, I get it. But I'm not lettin' those Fallen out of my sight. You think you can handle yourself in a firefight?"
Alina eyed the empty gun in her holster.
"I'll get better."
The Drifter glanced back at her.
"You'll need a bigger gun. I got a plan, and you gonna ain't like it."
She was wondering if he was being truthful, or if he simply wanted to scare her. She decided that it didn't matter.
"If it works, then I don't care."
It was then she saw a very disturbing sight. The Drifter smiling.
"Good. Wanna know how Arc plasma feel like?"
He might be right after all.
Alina kept her head low, keeping herself invisible behind a broken trunk.
They have not noticed her among the volumes of trees. But that would not last.
She felt the strap below her jacket, making sure to keep count on her number of magazines.
She brushed off the snow collecting on the long barrel of her new gun. A bulkier weapon than she was used to, but more suited for their plan.
She watched in contempt as some of the Infected prisoners were now being forcefully brought into the Fallen ship by their captors. A large metallic container have been attached to the back of the ship, intended for the captured villagers.
More Fallen emerged, dropping out of the ship. They were all smaller than the first one she saw, for some reason. But it didn't matter.
That ship will not leave this place. She and the Drifter would make sure of it.
She needed to make her move quickly, before it was done.
"Alina, are you sure you're ready for this?" Asked her Ghost worryingly.
She took a few deep breaths.
"No... but I have to do it, right?"
Her Ghost responded with a grim warning.
"He may not come to save us."
"We shouldn't have to expect him to." She agreed to this. Not even knowing if she was prepared enough. But it was too late to turn back now.
And what about Andrei? If she doesn't make it back...
No. She shook those thoughts away. She has to make it back. As long as her Ghost is by her side...
"Let's do it." She released a deep breath.
"Okay. Right behind you." Her Ghost disappeared from her view.
She lifted her head slightly, and unholstered her pulse rifle.
She aligned her sights, until the crosshairs were centered on a lone patrolling raider.
She took another deep breath.
She knew the moment she pulls the trigger, is the point of no return. And that's exactly what she was banking on.
Three rapid cracks. A body fell to the ground.
Her Bygones met its first victim.
"We got an intruder!"
And what followed soon, she could only describe, as all hell breaking loose.
She fired another burst. And another. None hit their target.
Fwoosh
A bright blue projectile flew right above her head. Then a dozen more.
Even a single one could melt through her skin, muscle, and bone. So she moved.
She decided to leave her position and took off to the opposite direction, and the snow around her clothes fell off of the fabric.
As she was running, she heard a loud inhuman roar. One that might belong to a Fallen.
She hid behind one of the trees, and fired blindly. She didn't expect to actually hit anything, merely hoping it would slow them down.
And it did, as the raiders were forced to take cover. But eventually, she heard a click, and no more bullets were being fired.
More blue projectiles raced through the air. She crouched, hearing the tree trunk behind her cracking and lighting up on fire.
"They're coming closer." She heard her Ghost's warning.
He was soon proven right, as she could hear a number of footsteps coming rapidly.
She reached into her Light. A blaze of Solar energy enveloped her left hand, compressing into a sphere.
She dived to the side and threw the burning sphere to the other direction.
What followed was a scream, and then an explosion.
One of the raiders could not dodge away fast enough, and they were completely vaporized by the celestial ball of fire.
This seemed to made the rest hesitate, as they no longer took any steps forward. Instead, they opted to shower her with a barrage of molten projectiles.
She sprinted across the trees, barely dodging every shot. Trying to find her way to the perimeter of the outpost. Struggling to pull out a fresh new magazine to reload her rifle.
In her peripheral vision, she could see explosions of blue light, missing her by only a few feet. Trees around her began to catch fire and burn to charcoal.
The fires became a distraction.
"Watch-"
A searing pain pierced through her chest.
She did not look down, but she knew what it was. She could feel the agonizing, scorching heat left behind.
It burns. Like a lightning strike entering her ribcage, reducing everything to embers.
She felt like screaming, but couldn't. Her lungs have melted into one another.
Before she realized it, her body had fallen flat onto the snow.
And everything was dark.
...
A light.
"-Hhagh!?"
A sharp breath drew into her lungs, as she became conscious again.
She had died.
But she gave it no more thought. It wasn't her first time. So she went back up. With shimmering flames running across her hands.
She called upon the Light, and allowed the familiar warmth to greet her.
The raiders were barely able to react, completely stunned by the impossible sight in front of them.
She took the split second opportunity, and threw another condensed sphere of flaming Light with superhuman strength, towards a group of raiders near an open field.
And then she threw another one. And another. Each making their way towards the raiders.
The first one blew up and incinerated a nearby truck, setting one of the raiders on fire.
Another one missed its mark entirely, but the third one stuck itself onto one of the raiders, melting into her arm. Before she could yell out in pain, the ball ignited in a large blast, reducing her to ashes.
Those still remaining began to take more caution, realizing that their attacker is more dangerous than expected. They took cover and began opening fire wildly.
She took off once more, and let a faint burst of Light accelerate her ever so slightly across the air, narrowly dodging the torrent of projectiles that could spell certain death.
As she kept running, she looked back at the direction of the incoming fire, and saw a bright flash, emitting from a weapon. Wielded by the largest Fallen.
A flash, and she felt her right shoulder burning.
She bit her lip and kept her momentum. Whatever weapon that was, it shot projectiles faster than the rest, to the point that she couldn't even see it coming.
Trying to focus her Light once more, she let the stellar fire course through her veins.
Within a split second, her weapon was enveloped in a fiery, golden shine.
She stopped behind another tree, and looked through the lenses. As quickly as she could, she tried to pull the trigger.
White.
Blinding white was all she could see.
For a split second, she felt an incredible surge of heat across her skull. And then nothing.
And everything went black, again.
...
"-Huh!?"
Her eyes opened.
She felt freezing snow on the side of her face. And the golden glow of her gun has faded.
She had died. Again. It was unquestionable.
"-lina! Get up!!" Alina's senses slowly came back, and she heard the frantic shout of her Ghost.
She did exactly as he told, and stood up. Only to be greeted with another hail of blue fire.
She kept running, as much as her stamina would allow it, until she slid behind a large rock. She knew it would not last, as dozens of molten plasma began to vaporize the rock's surface.
She was hugely outnumbered.
"There's 20 of them, trying to surround us. We can't stay here forever." Her Ghost analyzed.
She has to think fast. Faster than she'd ever done.
She couldn't keep throwing explosive Light, they were beginning to adapt to her attacks. And she couldn't aim well enough to even save her life.
She needed the Light more than ever. But she needed something more... raw. Something faster, and more turbulent, far-reaching. Precision is unnecessary. Her targets were many in numbers. What she needed was...
Rumbling.
She looked above, past the silhouette of trees. Thunder permeated the clouds above.
A violent storm was coming. At the worst possible moment.
Or perhaps, it isn't.
She was able to use her Light to wield fire. Who's to say she couldn't fashion it into something else?
She began to reach into her Light, all of her Light. Imagining it not as a focused, raging inferno.
But as a spark, a cacophony of lightning, uncontrollable.
Soon, she began to feel an attraction towards the roaring thunder a thousand metres above her.
And as if her call was answered, she began to feel a hundred jolts coursing through her veins. But they weren't painful.
Her Ghost remained quiet, but vigilant, all throughout, and he almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. She was learning quick.
The hail of gunfire has stopped, overtaken by a massive thunderstorm up above where she stood, distracting even the raiders.
Seconds passed, and she felt lightning ran through her blood. Coalescing in a volatile spherical form, in the palm of her hand.
She saw discharges of electricity across her fingertips, reaching the ground, melting a hole through the snow with every tiny stroke.
A trade-off. Sacrificing precise annihilation, for a widened destruction.
She embraced her newfound courage. And bloodlust.
She stepped, no- hovered out of her cover. Defying gravity with her newfound Light.
Her enemies stood before her, prepared to take down the apparent immortal they laid witness to. They would not get the chance.
Alina felt the storm itself guiding her hand forward. And like a trance she held out her palm. And let go.
A spark, and then, a flash.
Trails of lightning blasted off of her fingertips, and struck one of the raiders closest to her.
It pierced his chest and struck three more behind him.
Dozens of bolts of molten plasma flew to her direction. A few shots went directly in her head and... nothing.
Her overflowing Light made them non-existent.
She marched forward, letting the lightning flow outwards like river, and billions of volts of electric Light crawled across the snow, and reached out to her targets.
The raiders realized they were now outmatched. And they began to run.
The slowest one of them died first, her armor disintegrated by the electricity, followed by the rest of her.
Another one frantically tried to cast an Arts spell, but the bolts of lightning got to him first, striking him in the head and reducing his skull to dust.
One was fast enough to hide behind a nearby vehicle. A wave of blue light struck, vaporizing its carriage and lighting up its engine, causing a tremendous explosion. Another unfortunate raider was caught in its blast.
She kept going. Throwing everything she could at the moment.
Until she suddenly felt fatigue washing over every inch of her body.
Just as quickly as it came, the surge of lightning across her arm dissipated.
Her tempest of Light lasted less than 10 seconds. She still couldn't harness it for as long as she hoped.
She dropped to the melting snow, panting.
Mustering whatever strength she had left, she lifted her head upwards. Ten raiders stood from afar, no longer running.
And among them, were five Fallen. They slowly inched forward, aware of her vulnerability.
She needed to get up, fast. But it seemed like she had spent far more energy than she could afford in her short span of rampage, as she could barely even lift up her own head, much less her gun.
Vooom
A loud hum caught their attention, coming from the other end of the outpost.
She looked and saw the Fallen becoming agitated. They recognized the sound.
It was their ship, and it was moving.
In their moments of distraught, the Fallen ship began to lift itself above the snow, with the large container, meant to carry the Infected prisoners, now detached from it. With its puzzled crew still outside.
From what she could make of their reactions, Alina gathered that this was not their own doing. Her Ghost was the first to realize it.
"That's Drifter!"
Now she was as stunned as the raiders themselves.
"He's on the ship!?"
Their plan was simple.
Alina was a distraction. She didn't need to win. She just needed to make sure the raiders and Fallen had all of their attention on her. The Drifter was to take advantage of that and stealth his way through, freeing the captive Infected.
She absolutely did not expect, in a million years, for him to pull off such an eye-opening stunt.
But what was he going to do now, in control of the Fallen's own ship?
He's certainly not going to just leave them behind.
Right?
"What is he-" She did not finish her sentence.
The ship began to rapidly turn around. Its cockpit faced towards the direction of the confused raiders and the remaining Fallen.
With a loud whirring noise, its cannons began to move.
The stranded Fallen realized what was happening before the raiders did, and in a fearful cry, they were the first to begin running. It did little to save them.
Boom
The Fallen Skiff's twin cannons roared as it bombarded the landscape with plasma-infused death.
Boom
Craters were left where the cabins, supply crates, and trucks were supposed to be.
Boom
Every standing structure, brought down and turned to molten debris within seconds.
And the rain of fire continued for almost a full minute.
Dying screams filled the air. Eventually, it all went silent.
Alina watched. So did her Ghost.
There was nothing more to do. They simply watched. As the massacre unfolded.
Until the only structure remaining standing, was the metal container where the Infected were held.
It all seemed to happen so quickly.
Almost everything in front of her, was now replaced with a field of carnage.
There was no one else standing. Human or not.
With nothing left to target, the Fallen ship's cannons deactivated.
The ship gently lowered itself until it met the ground, kicking off a cloud of snow in the process.
Not long after, from its large silhouette, emerged a man.
It was the Drifter. Purplish liquid stained his clothes.
On his face, a mischievous smile.
A familiar sight.
"How you doin', chestnut?"
Episode 0: Lost Light
0-5
Damn, it's really been a while.
Sorry for the long wait. Had to take a long break from the games. Then I had to deal with the usual writer's block. Ended up with a bunch of different versions of this chapter and rewriting constantly until I was finally satisfied with the final product.
It felt a little odd at first, trying to weave two different parallel narratives in one chapter. But I thought this was necessary, otherwise I'll have to post twice as many chapters instead to try to fit everything in. My favorite part of this whole chapter is still, of course, Alina and Drifter's banter.
I hope this was worth the long unplanned hiatus. It was for me at least. And like always, thanks for reading.