UNKNOWN LOCATION
"It's time for a change of scenery," Marauder said, observing Dark Samus as she emerged from whatever the eldritch world's equivalent of water was. The liquid was viscous and warm, and it poured in streams off of the creature's body as she rose like a sunken monolith. It had done its intended purpose of cleansing her from the foul blood of monsters slain in their hunt. The light of her 'visor' stood out, casting its almost ethereal glow like a defiant warning to the swallowing darkness around her.
"Could you cease your clamorous assault on the ambience around you? In case you haven't noticed it's only us right now, and I can hear your voice even underneath the waters."
"Fine," he said with annoyance, his voice becoming tangibly clearer and more directed with an adjustment of his visor. "Does this satisfy the pompous desire for luxury still harbored by the fallen queen?"
"Yes," she said, simply. "But you don't have to get cute with me about it."
He crossed his arms with his back to her, waiting for the creature to situate and ready herself before leading them away from the lake. A sinister, purple atmosphere hung cloudy in the sky above - outside, there was the smallest hint of luminescence in the air. Enough to guide oneself in this dark place, where the light of torches guaranteed the presence of horrid monsters. Chirping of small, unseen creatures in the shadows of the black wilderness brought to mind an almost peaceful scene...in an otherwise horrid dimension. Marauder eventually spoke up again as they traveled, prompted by Dark Samus' frequent attempts to grab his attention, and worm some explanation out of him.
"We are going to Hell," he explained. "The birthing grounds of the demons...specifically the Titan's Realm. You have developed far greater control over the synthetic Argent coursing through your veins. We will see how you can handle numbers, and for that, we require demons."
"Why do you keep specifying 'Synthetic?'" she asked, floating in front of him now as he continued walking.
"Pure Argent Energy has become...scarce as of late, thanks to the efforts of the Doom Slayer. An Earth scientist was able to reverse engineer something nearly as potent as the real thing, and to your benefit, that doesn't attract Hell itself with its use."
"Cheap knockoffs aren't my style, Marauder."
"Strange...going off appearances and history, I've gotten the impression cheap knockoffs were exactly your style."
He chuckled to himself, tilting his neck as Dark Samus' agitated blast flew past his head.
"I jest. But, pure Argent Energy in your system could come with the risk of you getting a taste of your own medicine. If it's at all like this 'Phazon' you speak so highly of, you'd become a slave to Hell before long. It's another reason I've avoided taking you to Hell before now."
Dark Samus grunted, prompting a look of curiosity from Marauder.
"Adverse to taking what you dole out, are we?"
"It's...how she keeps beating me. In Dark Aether...on Phaaze…"
"It's not surprising."
"What?" she spat with anger, floating in front of Marauder's face.
"It was by Argenta hand and blade that so many of our people's lives were taken. Crucible to Crucible. brother against brother and sister against sister...our tools of war powered by Argent. Our same blessings can be our downfalls."
Dark Samus calmed herself as she pondered his words, floating back beside him. "You talk a lot of your past life."
"We cannot move forward if we ignore our mistakes. Just now you reflected on failures from your past. The Hunter always seemed to beat you with your own specialty...your lifeblood."
"It's humiliating."
"It's motivating. If your opponent is equipped the same as you...it ultimately comes down to prowess and will. The fact that you stand before me now, even as your lifeblood was eradicated entirely from your realm...is a testament to your will. And your prowess, we will refine until you are able to make a mockery of she who stands against you at every turn."
"Marauder...what stake do you have in this...project you've made of me?"
"It's natural to assume there's an ulterior motive, isn't it? I'll offer a hint. I saw in you a creature thrust into an unknown, hostile world, unsure of why she was alive, and shaken by her latest failure. And it occurred to me that if I had someone to guide me when I endured that same, vulnerable time...it would have made that experience less maddening."
"So I'm like a lost puppy to you, then?" Dark Samus asked, faint agitation in her voice.
"I was thinking of something closer to an equal," Marauder said simply. "Besides, I already have a...'puppy." An amber light gathered around his arm, then an ethereal wolf appeared at his side. He knelt down to pet it, running a surprisingly gentle, armored hand across its ghastly pelt.
"An equal...your ally."
She thought of the hordes of Pirates she'd brainwashed and led to form her army. All expendable assets in the name of her ultimate goal...all of which crumpled under the pressure without her support. Even her generals were just tools in her grand agenda, and the Hunter defeated them all on her ravenous path to the source. Norion failed because of her allies. The Pirate Homeworld fell because of her allies. And all Dark Samus had ever made any attempt to alliance with was her precious Phazon, that which blinded her in her conquest for its spread. Perhaps...she had only been a tool to its agenda.
Come to think of it, this new life, the near-constant stress and humility it brought on aside, had been liberating. There was no longer any grand goal or inexplicable desire guiding her every thought and action...it was only her own decisions and will that guided her. Death had set her free. But...what now? Kinship...is this what awaited her?
"Marauder...I'm more fluent in slaves and servants."
"Then we'll consider this part of the program," Marauder said, less harshly than his usual tone. "There's a Slipgate nearby...it will take us to the Titan's Realm. It's become a testing ground for demons who specialize in conjuring..."